Later that night—
After wrapping up work—
Arsh and Siddharth sat in silence for a while.
Not the heavy kind.
Just… tired.
Siddharth glanced at him.
"You're unusually quiet."
Arsh leaned back, staring ahead.
Thinking.
Then finally—
"She knows."
Siddharth frowned slightly.
"Knows what?"
A pause.
"Sakshi."
That got his full attention.
Siddharth straightened.
"How?"
Arsh exhaled slowly.
"She heard us. That day."
A moment of silence.
Then—
"Damn," Siddharth muttered. "That explains a lot."
Arsh nodded slightly.
"Everything," he said quietly.
"The way she ended things. The way she's acting now."
Siddharth studied him.
"Misunderstanding?"
Arsh's jaw tightened slightly.
"Yeah."
A pause.
"She thinks I still… feel something."
Siddharth didn't interrupt.
Let him say it.
"But I told Sakshi it's over," Arsh continued. "I made that clear."
Another pause.
"She didn't hear that part," Siddharth said.
Arsh looked at him.
Exactly.
Silence settled again.
But this time—
Something in Arsh had shifted.
Because now—
It made sense.
"She doesn't hate me," he said after a moment.
More to himself than to Siddharth.
Siddharth raised an eyebrow.
"That's your takeaway?"
Arsh didn't react to the tone.
"She walked away because she thought I was… still stuck there," he continued.
A pause.
"Not because she wanted to."
And that—
Changed everything.
Siddharth watched him carefully.
Because this wasn't frustration anymore.
This was clarity.
"And you're happy about that?" he asked.
A small pause.
Then—
Very slightly—
Arsh nodded.
"Yeah."
Because for the first time since she left—
It didn't feel like rejection.
It felt like—
Something unfinished.
Something that could still be fixed.
Siddharth leaned back.
A faint smirk appearing.
"So what now?"
Arsh's gaze turned steady.
Focused again.
"Now…" he said quietly,
"I fix it."
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Just certainty.
And Siddharth knew—
Whatever Arsh had planned next—
He wasn't going to stop halfway this time.
The next meeting came sooner than expected.
And this time—
It wasn't just discussion.
It was presentation.
Aakrati stood in the conference room, laptop open, slides ready.
Focused.
Prepared.
But not completely at ease.
Because she knew—
Arsh would be there.
Not just present.
Involved.
Krish and Shrisha were going through last-minute points.
"We've covered the flow, right?" Krish asked.
"Yes," Aakrati replied, eyes still on the screen. "Entry to exit experience is aligned."
Shrisha added, "I'll handle the execution queries if they come."
The door opened.
Arsh walked in.
Followed by Siddharth.
Aakrati didn't look up immediately.
But she felt it.
That shift in the room.
"Ready?" Siddharth asked casually, taking a seat.
Krish nodded. "Yeah."
Arsh placed his file down.
His gaze briefly landing on Aakrati.
Then moving away.
Professional.
Controlled.
The presentation began.
Aakrati spoke.
Clear.
Confident.
Every detail explained with precision.
"This section focuses on passenger experience—minimal confusion, maximum flow—"
She moved to the next slide.
But then—
A question came.
Unexpected.
Technical.
"What about structural support for this extended ceiling concept?"
Aakrati paused.
Just for a second.
Before she could respond—
Arsh spoke.
"We've already accounted for that."
All eyes turned to him.
He stood up, walking toward the screen.
Not interrupting—
Adding.
"The base structure will be reinforced through this section," he pointed, seamlessly continuing her explanation. "So the design remains intact without compromising safety."
Aakrati looked at him.
Surprised.
He didn't look at her.
Just continued.
"Execution timeline will adjust slightly, but the output remains unchanged."
The client nodded.
Satisfied.
The moment passed.
But it stayed.
Because that—
Wasn't just support.
That was… alignment.
The presentation continued.
This time—
Smoother.
Stronger.
Arsh stepped in when needed.
Backed her points.
Clarified details.
Not overpowering.
Not controlling.
Just… there.
And slowly—
Without making it obvious—
He started guiding the direction.
By the time the presentation ended—
It didn't feel like two separate teams.
It felt like one.
After the clients left—
A quiet settled in the room.
Siddharth stretched.
"Well… that worked."
Krish nodded.
"Yeah. It did."
Shrisha checked her phone.
"We need to go to site. There's a delay in material delivery."
Siddharth stood up immediately.
"I'll come."
Krish looked at Aakrati.
"You coming?"
Before she could answer—
Arsh spoke.
"No."
All of them paused.
"She stays," he said calmly.
Aakrati looked at him.
Frowning slightly.
"We need to rework a few design alignments before execution," he continued. "It'll be faster if we handle it here."
Krish hesitated.
"But—"
"I'll manage," Arsh added.
A brief silence.
Siddharth looked at him.
Then at Aakrati.
Then smiled slightly.
"Yeah," he said. "We'll handle the site."
Shrisha narrowed her eyes slightly.
Suspicious.
But didn't argue.
"Call me if anything changes," she told Aakrati.
"I will," Aakrati replied.
Krish gave one last look.
Then nodded.
"Okay."
And just like that—
They left.
The door closed.
Silence.
Now—
It was just them.
Aakrati and Arsh.
She turned to him.
"That wasn't necessary."
"What?" he asked calmly.
"Sending them away."
"They had work," he replied.
"So do we."
"Exactly."
A pause.
Aakrati crossed her arms slightly.
"You didn't have to decide that alone."
Arsh looked at her now.
Direct.
"Someone had to."
Silence.
Then—
He stepped closer.
Not too much.
Just enough to shift the space.
"Sit," he said, pointing toward the table. "Let's finish this."
For a second—
She didn't move.
Then—
She sat.
Because no matter what—
Work came first.
Arsh moved beside her.
Not across.
Beside.
Close enough to share the screen.
"Show me the ceiling plan again," he said.
She opened it.
They started working.
At first—
It was strictly professional.
Corrections.
Suggestions.
Adjustments.
But slowly—
The distance between them—
Didn't feel as rigid.
Because this—
This was familiar.
Working together.
Understanding without explaining too much.
At one point—
Their hands brushed.
Accidentally.
Both paused.
Just for a second.
Then continued.
Like nothing happened.
But something had.
Because Arsh wasn't forcing anything.
Not directly.
He was doing something else.
Staying.
Helping.
Aligning.
Closing the gap—
Without asking for it.
And Aakrati—
Even while trying to stay distant—
Could feel it.
That pull.
Subtle.
Quiet.
But real.
And this time—
It wasn't chaos.
It was… controlled.
Exactly the way Arsh wanted it to be.