The office had turned dim by the time Rudra looked up from his desk again.
Most of the staff had gone home, the building's usual hum replaced by the distant sound of the cleaning crew and the faint city traffic below.
His phone still lay on the desk, the same unread message from his mother glowing faintly in the notification bar. He hadn't replied.
He couldn't.
He exhaled slowly and leaned back, one hand against his temple.
The day had been endless meetings, signatures, reports and yet that one short message had stayed in his mind like a small, unfamiliar splinter.
The silence was heavy.
Almost peaceful.
Almost lonely.
And then
Knock, knock.
Rudra frowned, checking the clock. 8:07 PM.
No one visited at this hour. Not unless something had gone terribly wrong.
"Come in," he said sharply.
The door opened quietly, carefully and someone stepped inside holding a small paper bag.
Rudra froze.
He would recognize that soft voice anywhere.
"…Hi."
Ayaan.
He looked completely out of place in Rudra's world, a warm cardigan, hair a little messy, that usual gentle smile that somehow made every room feel smaller and softer.
"I thought you might still be working," Ayaan said, stepping closer. "And, um, I brought you dinner."
For a moment, Rudra didn't speak.
Didn't even blink.
He hadn't told Ayaan about his mother's message.
He hadn't said anything about feeling off.
And yet, here he was.
"How did you-" Rudra began.
Ayaan smiled faintly. "You didn't reply to my text for five hours."
He said it softly, not accusing, just… concerned.
"So I took a guess."
Rudra's jaw tightened. "…You shouldn't be here, Ayaan. It's late."
"I know," Ayaan said, placing the paper bag on his desk. "But you look like you haven't eaten since… maybe breakfast?"
Rudra looked at the bag neatly folded, faintly warm at the bottom.
The smell of home-cooked food drifted up; it didn't belong in this cold, sterile room full of glass and chrome.
It was like seeing color in grayscale.
"I'm fine," Rudra said, but his voice lacked its usual sharpness.
"I know you are," Ayaan said, smiling a little. "But you don't have to be all the time."
Rudra blinked, caught off guard.
That sentence hit deeper than it should have.
Ayaan hesitated, then added softly, "You look… tired."
Rudra turned away slightly, trying to hide the flicker of emotion that crossed his face.
His fingers brushed against the unopened message from his mother again.
He muttered under his breath, "I got a text from my mother today."
"Oh?" Ayaan's voice gentled further. "Is everything okay?"
"…She said they're hosting lunch and dinner," Rudra said flatly. "Asked me to come home."
Ayaan tilted his head, studying his face.
"And… are you going?"
Rudra didn't answer right away.
Then, finally, he said, "I don't know."
It was the closest thing to vulnerability anyone had ever heard from him.
Ayaan smiled, not pitying, not pushing, just warm. "Then… eat first. Decide later."
He unwrapped the bag, revealing a thermos, a small box of rice, and something else a folded napkin with a doodle of a coffee cup and the words Don't overthink. Eat.
Rudra's lips twitched. "You drew that?"
Ayaan shrugged, cheeks faintly pink. "Guilty."
Something inside Rudra's chest loosened. The walls he carried all day the cold armor, the control they didn't shatter. They just… melted a little.
He picked up the food, quietly. Ate in silence while Ayaan sat on the chair opposite him, watching with that soft, steady calm he always carried.
When Rudra was done, he finally leaned back and said quietly,
"…Thank you."
Ayaan smiled. "You're welcome. Always."
For a few long seconds, they just looked at each other two worlds that weren't supposed to meet, sitting side by side in the half-lit office that suddenly didn't feel so cold anymore.
The office building had grown quiet by the time Rudra and Ayaan stepped out. The last few employees bowed hastily, murmuring their goodnights, but their eyes widened just slightly, seeing him walk beside someone. Rudra didn't even glance at them. His coat was draped over one arm, his expression unreadable as ever. Ayaan, on the other hand, simply smiled at the guards as they passed, thanking them softly.
When they reached the car, Rudra opened the passenger door first.
Ayaan blinked, caught off guard. "You don't have to"
"Get in," Rudra said, quietly but firmly, before circling around to his side.
The engine purred to life, the soft glow of the dashboard lighting Rudra's face in blue. Ayaan leaned back against the seat, gazing out at the evening lights streaking past the windows. For a while, neither of them spoke the silence wasn't heavy, but it wasn't light either. It was… full.
Ayaan was the first to breathe it out, a hum escaping his lips something small and tuneless at first, like he didn't even realize he was doing it. Then it took shape a soft melody, something slow and nostalgic, the kind that fills empty spaces without asking for attention.
Rudra's grip on the steering wheel loosened just a little. He didn't look at Ayaan directly not yet but the corners of his mouth softened imperceptibly. He'd had a long day. The message from his mother still lingered somewhere in the back of his mind, sharp and unsettling. And yet…
The moment Ayaan's voice filled the car, that unease dulled.
Out of the corner of his eye, Rudra watched him the way the faint city lights reflected off Ayaan's hair, the relaxed line of his jaw, the way his fingers tapped gently against his thigh in rhythm. There was no pretense, no weight, no walls between them here. Just… peace.
"Long day?" Ayaan murmured, without looking at him.
Rudra exhaled, low. "Something like that."
Ayaan hummed again, eyes still on the window. "Then it's a good thing I came."
Rudra's knuckles flexed once on the steering wheel. "You… always do that," he said quietly.
"Do what?"
"Show up when I don't expect you to."
Ayaan turned his head slightly, smiling at him soft, barely there. "Would you rather I didn't?"
Rudra finally looked at him, and for a second, his usually cold eyes softened so much it almost startled even him. "…No."
The car stopped at a red light, the silence deepening again but this time, it wasn't awkward or empty. Ayaan's humming picked up once more, slower this time, almost like a lullaby.
Rudra didn't say it out loud but for the first time that day, maybe even that week his chest didn't feel so heavy.
The car pulled up in front of Ayaan's building. Streetlights cast soft halos across the sidewalk, making the night feel quieter, more intimate. Rudra's hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel as he cut the engine.
"Here," Ayaan whispered softly. He opened his door and stepped out, the cool evening air brushing against him. He walked around the car and reached Rudra's side just as Rudra was halfway through opening the door.
Rudra froze when Ayaan's hand gently rested on his wrist. "Wait," Ayaan murmured. His eyes glimmered under the streetlight, warm but shy.
Before Rudra could ask anything, Ayaan leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Rudra's lips parted slightly, surprised, a faint blush spreading across his high cheekbones.
He opened his mouth to say something anything but Ayaan didn't give him the chance.
Instead, Ayaan leaned just inches closer, so close that Rudra could feel his warm breath, the faint scent of coffee and winter air mingling together. His heart stuttered in his chest, betraying the calm, composed mask he usually wore.
"May I…?" Ayaan whispered, barely audible, voice trembling slightly with both nerves and hope.
Rudra's hand stilled on the door handle. For a moment, the world seemed to shrink to just the two of them, the car, the streetlight, the hush of night around them.
"…Yes," Rudra finally breathed, almost inaudible, his own lips twitching. He had never let anyone see him like this shy, uncertain, flushed.
Ayaan's eyes lit up, just a little, and he leaned in, soft and careful. Rudra's chest tightened in anticipation, and for the first time in a long while, he felt like he could actually let go
even if just for this one perfect moment.
The night seemed to hold its breath as their lips finally met, soft, tentative, and full of all the words neither had said out loud yet.
Rudra's hands found their way to Ayaan's shoulders, a little unsure, a little clumsy but he didn't pull back.
Ayaan's hands rested lightly on Rudra's chest, careful, gentle, grounding him in a warmth that the coldest boardrooms and harshest family words had never given.
When they finally pulled away, barely an inch, their foreheads rested together, both breathing a little faster than usual. Rudra's blush deepened, his mind spinning in a way it hadn't in years.
"I…uh…" Rudra started, voice rough and uncertain.
"You're blushing," Ayaan whispered, smiling faintly. "Cute."
Rudra froze. "…I.." His chest felt tight, his mind refusing to cooperate.
Ayaan grinned softly and let out a small laugh, the kind that made Rudra's heart pound even faster. "Goodnight, Rudra."
Rudra simply nodded, still too stunned to speak. Ayaan stepped back, and with a small wave, disappeared inside his building.
Rudra sat in the car for a long moment, hand still on the door, chest racing. He had kissed him, him, Ayaan and the quiet warmth that lingered on his lips, his cheeks, and deep inside his chest wouldn't fade anytime soon.
Finally, he exhaled, a small, almost shy smile tugging at his lips, and opened the car door fully.
The night was cold, but inside him… something felt very, very warm.
To be continued....