Hope you enjoy this chapter ❤️

Rajveer’s POV~

The light pink color of her kurti reminded me of the day she confessed her feelings.

That day, she was wearing the same shade, but today, she looked even more beautiful.

--

I was on my way to my apartment when I heard a soft, feminine voice call my name.

"Rajveer."

My steps halted, and I turned around to find Gauri walking toward me.

We had met through mutual friends and had grown comfortable with each other in no time. Our shared interests and hobbies had made it easy.

"You look tense," I noted, observing her face, which was paler than usual.

"I wanted to tell you something," she said hesitantly. It was unusual because she rarely spoke much.

She was shy, quiet—always in her own world.

"I'm all ears," I encouraged her.

She took a deep breath before finally saying, "Rajveer, I wanted to say this before, but I felt it wouldn’t be appropriate when we weren’t even friends. But now, I think I—"

She paused, lowered her gaze, then continued, "I like you."

I stared at her petite figure and sighed inwardly.

I liked her—but not in the way she thought. She was a good friend, but I had never seen her in that light.

And why would I?

I had a girlfriend.

None of my friends knew because she lived in the U.S., and we only spoke online.

"I’m sorry, but I have a girlfriend," I said, not wanting to give her false hope.

"Oh," was all she managed to say before she pressed her lips together, looking around nervously.

"I—I didn’t know that," she stammered.

"Yeah, that’s my fault, I guess. I haven’t told anyone yet," I added, saying whatever came to my mind.

"I have to go to the library," she said abruptly, then turned and rushed in the opposite direction before I could say another word.

I watched her figure disappear.

I lost a friend today—for sure.

---

"Sir?"

The manager’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts, bringing me back to the present.

I turned to look at him.

"I will pay for the damages. Please don’t trouble the lady," I said firmly.

As soon as the words left my mouth, she turned toward me, and I took a deep breath.

Every. Damn. Time.

She had grown even more beautiful in these four years.

"I can repair it. I don’t need your help," she said, looking straight at me, her voice laced with determination.

I frowned.

I glanced at the manager, who instantly took the hint and walked out of the room.

"Hey, where—" she started, trying to call him back.

"Gauri, it’s not like I’m doing you a favor," I lied effortlessly. "Maa instructed this to ensure that dancers don’t face any trouble. I think the manager wasn’t informed."

She didn’t look entirely convinced, but after a brief pause, she nodded.

"It was beautiful," I said.

She looked at me, confused. "What?"

"Your dance. It was beautiful," I clarified, watching as a few loose curls brushed against her face. She tucked them behind her ear gracefully.

Get a hold of yourself, Rajveer.

"You watched it?" she whispered.

I smiled. "Yeah."

When I heard about her opening her dance studio, I was surprised.

I never expected her to take such a bold step.

When I met her at Sourav’s wedding, she was working at a private company. She seemed content—settled.

"I should leave now. It was nice to see you," she said in a soft voice.

But I didn’t like how she addressed me.

As if I were a stranger.

I nodded, unsure of what to say.

Did she still have feelings for me?

Would I meet her again?

I had created this awkwardness between us, and now, I didn’t know how to fix it.

Seeing her again after four years… something had changed in her.

Something that drew me toward her.

But I wasn’t the kind of man who could cheat.

I had a girlfriend.

Even though… it had been one year since my breakup with Angelina.

So what was stopping me?

Maybe I was afraid of history repeating itself.

Or maybe… I couldn’t forget that I had once broken her heart.

I sighed and walked out of the room, heading toward my mother.

She often organized these competitions and insisted I attend them.

"So, what changed your mind?" she asked as soon as I reached her.

I knew exactly what she was referring to.

I had never attended her programs after becoming the CEO.

There were two reasons for that.

First, I didn’t like crowds.

Second, being a CEO was tough as hell.

It’s great to inherit generational wealth, but when you actually have to work for it? That shit is exhausting.

"There wasn’t much work," I said, feeling slightly guilty about how easily I was lying today.

The truth?

When I saw her name on the list of performers, I couldn’t stop myself from attending.

And it was worth it.

Her dance.

Her smile.

Her elegance.

She was just—

"That girl. The first-place winner. She was so beautiful," my mother said, her voice warm. "It’s good to see young women being confident and independent."

I smiled.

"Gauri," I said instinctively.

She instantly looked at me, her expression shifting.

"Her name," I clarified quickly.

"How do you know her?" she asked.

"We were college friends."

"Were?" She raised an eyebrow.

Once she started asking questions, escaping was impossible.

"Maa, let’s go home first," I tried to divert the conversation, but she was relentless.

I had no choice but to tell her.

Not the whole truth.

Just enough to satisfy her curiosity.

Once we reached home, I locked myself in my room and took a long shower.

Afterward, I tried to distract myself with office work.

But it was useless.

No matter what I did, the memory of her dance stayed with me.

I had never seen her perform before.

She must have danced in college, but she joined in my final year.

And freshers didn’t perform.

So, I had missed it back then.

I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.

When she danced, she glowed differently.

The shy, insecure girl I once knew disappeared with every step she took on that stage.

In her place stood a woman full of passion, grace, and fire.

And that was dangerous.

Because now…

I was fucked.

How was the chapter?

Thanks for reading ❤️