They had been working for hours.
Silence filled the room—
But not the uncomfortable kind.
Just the quiet rhythm of focus.
Clicks of the laptop.
Soft flipping of pages.
Occasional short exchanges.
"Zoom in a little," Arsh said, leaning slightly closer to the screen.
Aakrati adjusted it.
"Like this?"
"Hmm… yeah."
He didn't move back immediately.
Neither did she.
For a second—
They were both looking at the same thing.
Too close.
Too aware.
Then—
A sudden flicker.
The lights went out.
Complete darkness.
"What—" Shrisha's voice echoed faintly from somewhere outside before everything went silent again.
Backup power hadn't kicked in yet.
Aakrati froze for a second.
"It's just a power cut," Arsh said calmly.
"I know," she replied quickly.
But her voice—
Wasn't as steady as she wanted it to be.
The room felt different in the dark.
Smaller.
Closer.
"Wait," Arsh said, pulling out his phone.
The flashlight turned on.
A soft glow filled the space.
Not bright.
Just enough.
Enough to see each other.
Aakrati blinked slightly as her eyes adjusted.
And then—
She noticed it.
The way the light fell across his face.
The way his expression had softened—
Without him realizing.
For a moment—
Neither of them spoke.
Then—
A sudden sound of thunder.
Loud.
Unexpected.
Aakrati flinched.
Instinctively.
And without thinking—
Her hand caught his arm.
Silence.
Both of them froze.
Because that—
Wasn't planned.
Slowly—
She realized.
And immediately pulled her hand back.
"Sorry," she said quickly.
Arsh looked at her.
Not amused.
Not teasing.
Just… looking.
"You still do that," he said quietly.
A pause.
"Do what?" she asked.
"React first. Think later."
There was no edge in his tone.
Just familiarity.
Aakrati looked away.
"That was years ago."
"Some things don't change," he replied.
Another roll of thunder.
Softer this time.
The rain started outside.
They both glanced toward the window.
Water streaked down the glass.
The city lights blurred.
For a moment—
Work didn't matter.
The project didn't matter.
It was just—
This.
A quiet room.
Dim light.
Rain.
And two people who were trying very hard
Not to feel something familiar.
"Remember," Arsh said suddenly, his voice softer now, "you used to love this weather."
Aakrati's fingers tightened slightly.
"I still do."
"Then why do you look like you're holding yourself back from it?"
That—
Caught her off guard.
She turned to him.
"I'm not."
Arsh held her gaze.
"You are."
Silence.
Because he wasn't entirely wrong.
The power came back.
Suddenly.
Lights filled the room again.
And just like that—
The moment broke.
Distance returned.
Aakrati stepped back slightly.
Turning toward her laptop.
"We should finish this," she said.
Professional again.
Arsh watched her for a second.
Then nodded.
"Yeah."
They went back to work.
But something had shifted.
Because sometimes—
It's not big moments that change things.
It's small ones.
Unplanned.
Uncontrolled.
Like a power cut.
A sudden storm.
A hand reaching out without thinking.
And a feeling—
That neither of them was ready to admit yet.
The lights coming back didn't end it.
It just… covered it.
They went back to their laptops.
Back to plans.
Back to measurements and layouts.
But the silence—
Was different now.
Not empty.
Not neutral.
Charged.
Aakrati tried to focus.
She really did.
But her mind kept slipping—
Back to that moment.
The thunder.
Her hand on his arm.
The way he didn't move away.
"Shift this panel a little," Arsh said, breaking the silence.
She adjusted it immediately.
"Here?"
"Hmm… a little more."
She leaned closer to the screen.
Trying to get the alignment right.
Arsh stepped in.
Closer.
"Wait," he said, reaching forward.
His hand moved over hers—
Not fully touching.
But close enough.
Guiding.
"Like this," he adjusted the angle slightly.
Aakrati froze.
It wasn't accidental this time.
Too close.
Too familiar.
Her breath slowed.
"Got it," she said quietly, pulling her hand back.
But Arsh didn't step away immediately.
He stayed there.
Watching her.
"You've changed this part," he said, pointing at another section.
"Yes."
"Why?"
A simple question.
But the answer—
Wasn't simple.
Aakrati hesitated.
"Because it makes more sense now," she replied.
Arsh's gaze didn't leave her.
"Or because you don't like how it used to be?"
That—
Wasn't about the design.
Aakrati looked at him.
Finally.
"Both," she said.
Silence.
Outside—
The rain had gotten heavier.
The sound filled the room.
Soft.
Constant.
Arsh stepped back this time.
Just slightly.
"Fair enough," he said.
They continued working.
Minutes passed.
Maybe more.
Then—
A soft sound interrupted them.
The window—
Slightly open—
Started letting the rain in.
Drops hit the floor near them.
"Oh," Aakrati said, getting up quickly.
She walked toward the window.
Trying to close it.
But it was stuck.
"Wait," Arsh said, coming over.
He reached above her, holding the frame.
For a second—
They were trapped in that position.
Her back near his chest.
His arm beside her.
Too close.
Again.
"Move a little," he said softly.
She shifted.
Barely.
He pushed the window shut.
But neither of them stepped away immediately.
The rain still loud outside.
The air—
Warmer.
Closer.
Aakrati turned slightly—
And ended up facing him.
A second.
That's all it took.
Because now—
There was no laptop.
No table.
No distance.
Just them.
"You don't have to try this hard," Arsh said quietly.
"To do what?"
"To act like nothing matters."
A pause.
Aakrati held his gaze.
"And you don't have to try this hard," she replied, "to make it seem like everything does."
That hit.
A small silence followed.
Then—
A sudden call.
Her phone.
Breaking the moment.
She stepped back immediately.
Picked it up.
"Hello?"
It was Shrisha.
Loud. Annoyed. Dramatic.
"WE ARE STUCK HERE. Siddharth and Krish are useless. Come save me."
Aakrati blinked.
"What?"
Arsh let out a quiet breath.
Half amused.
Reality—
Back again.
"We'll come," Aakrati said.
She hung up.
A pause.
"We should go," she said.
Arsh nodded.
They picked their things.
Walked out together.
But neither of them spoke.
Because both of them knew—
That whatever just happened—
Wasn't accidental anymore.
And next time—
It wouldn't be so easy to ignore.
Got it—more romantic tension, teasing, but still emotional, not cheap 👀
They stepped out into the corridor.
The rain hadn't stopped.
If anything—
It had gotten heavier.
Aakrati walked ahead.
A little too fast.
Arsh noticed.
Of course he did.
"Running away again?" he said casually, matching her pace in two long steps.
She didn't stop.
"I'm going to the site."
"Hmm," he nodded. "And I'm just… walking beside you by coincidence?"
She ignored that.
But he didn't stop.
"You do this every time," he added.
"Do what?" she asked, still not looking at him.
"Feel something… and then pretend you don't."
That made her stop.
Slowly—
She turned.
"You assume too much."
Arsh stepped closer.
Not crowding.
Just enough to be felt.
"And you hide too much."
A small pause.
Aakrati looked at him—
Really looked this time.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly.
His expression softened.
Just a little.
"Because you're not being you."
She let out a faint breath.
Almost a laugh.
"And what exactly is 'me' according to you?"
Arsh tilted his head slightly.
Thinking.
Then—
"The girl who wouldn't stop talking."
"A little dramatic."
"Annoyingly cheerful."
A pause.
Then softer—
"And didn't think twice before smiling at me."
That—
Hit somewhere deeper than expected.
Aakrati looked away immediately.
"That girl doesn't exist anymore."
Arsh didn't agree.
Didn't argue.
He just stepped closer again.
"She does," he said quietly. "You're just hiding her."
"And why would I show her to you?" she asked, a slight edge in her voice now.
He smiled faintly.
"You already do."
She frowned.
"What?"
"Just not consciously."
A small silence.
"Like when you laughed with Krish today," he added. "Or when you forgot for a second that you're supposed to ignore me."
Aakrati's breath slowed.
"You notice a lot," she said.
"Only when it matters."
Another pause.
Rain hitting the glass beside them.
The world outside blurred.
"And what if I don't want you to notice?" she asked.
Arsh leaned slightly closer.
Voice lower now.
"Too late."
Her heart skipped—
Just slightly.
"Arsh…"
"Hmm?"
"This won't change anything."
A faint smile.
"It already is."
Silence.
Because she could feel it too.
That shift.
That pull.
But she stepped back again.
Creating space.
"No," she said, firmer now. "You don't get to do this."
"Do what?"
"Walk back in like nothing happened and expect everything to be normal."
Arsh's expression changed slightly.
Less teasing.
More real.
"I'm not expecting normal."
A pause.
"I'm just not letting you pretend it didn't matter."
That—
Left her quiet.
Because deep down—
She knew.
It did matter.
It still did.
Aakrati looked at him one last time.
"Let's just go," she said softly.
This time—
Not running.
Not avoiding.
Just… holding herself together.
Arsh nodded.
"Yeah."
They walked again.
Side by side.
Not touching.
But closer than before.
Because this time—
It wasn't just tension.
It was something softer.
Something unfinished.
Something slowly—
Finding its way back.