Bounded by the Stars

The sky is painted in hues of fading gold and deepening blue, with clouds lazily drifting by like they've got nowhere urgent to be. The trees sway in slow motion, rustling like a soft melody in the background. Everything feels calm. Peaceful. Almost poetic.

I turn slowly in a half-circle, letting the view sink in. It's the kind of beauty you don't want to rush through. The kind that makes you forget texts, to-do lists, and shitty meetings.

But just as I pivot, something catches my eye across the reflective glass of the building.

Him.

Vedant.

Leaning against the glass wall, on the phone talking to someone-but his gaze isn't on the screen. It's on me. Through the glass, his expression is unreadable, half-shadowed by the building lights, but his attention is unmistakable. He's watching me-not just noticing but watching. Like he doesn't know whether to walk out and say something or just... keep looking.

I blink, momentarily frozen. Then instinctively, I pull myself together-shoulders back, face neutral. It's ridiculous how someone's gaze can make you feel both powerful and exposed at the same time.

I tear my eyes away and start walking in the direction where Dinesh is supposed to be waiting, the sound of my footsteps muted by the breeze....