THE ONE I SHOULDN'T HAD LOVED

They were never meant to exist in the same sentence.

Rein D'Souza is silence carved into flesh. Calm. Cold. Unreadable. A man who speaks only when necessary and wears indifference like tailored black suits. His face never betrays what his mind hides, and his heart... if it still beats for anything, no one has ever been lucky enough to witness it.

Ved Basu is his complete opposite.

Loud. Reckless. A walking disaster with a sharp tongue, an attitude problem, and a talent for turning every room upside down. He laughs too hard, fights too quickly, and refuses to back down from anyone. Especially Rein.

From the moment they met, they clashed. Every conversation ended in an argument. Every glance felt like a challenge. They couldn't stand each other.

Or at least...

That's what Ved kept telling himself.

"Move." Rein's voice was flat.

"Make me." Rain dripped from Ved's hair as he stood in front of the only exit, refusing to budge.

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

"You're acting like a child."

Ved laughed, though it sounded painfully hollow.

"And you're acting like you don't feel anything."

A flash of lightning split the sky.

"Look at me for once," Ved whispered, fists clenched. "Just once... and tell me there's absolutely nothing between us."

Rein stayed silent.

Silence.

That cruel, unbearable silence.

And somehow...

It hurt more than any answer ever could.

Ved never realized when hatred blurred into curiosity, curiosity into obsession, and obsession into something far more dangerous. He didn't know when Rein's rare glances became the highlight of his day, or when every harsh word from him began to linger a little too long.

Because loving the one person who would never love him back was already painful.

But loving the man he was never supposed to love in the first place?

That was destined to destroy them both.