I'm not one for coincidences. Everything's connected, everyone's here for a reason, and most people? Pretty easy to figure out.
That's why she caught my eye. Not making a scene, not trying too hard—quite the opposite. Everyone else in the place was practically begging for attention, but she was tucked away in the corner like she wouldn't mind disappearing. Untouched drink, uninterested eyes. A quietness that didn't feel empty, more like carefully held back.
Different.
And I zero in on different.
Kabir followed my glance. "Her?" he asked.
I didn't bother answering, just watched her. The way her eyes moved, taking everything in, the way she held herself still, like she'd learned to exist without being noticed.
"She doesn't belong here," he added.
"Exactly."
"And that intrigues you?"
"You know the answer to that."
A pause. Then, quietly, "This isn't just curiosity."
"It isn't."
Kabir didn't like that. I could tell.
I don't chase, I don't waste time. But there's a certain kind of quiet that just… pulls you in. And she had it in spades.
When I approached her, she didn't give the usual reaction. No nervous smile, no fake bravado. Just looked at me, like I was a question she wasn't sure she wanted to answer.
That was new. That was rare.
And that was enough to hook me.
"Aarya."
The name just fit her.
"She's not like the others," Kabir said later.
"That's the problem," he added. "You don't get involved with 'not like the others.' You have rules."
"Rules can change."
"Not for you."
"They do now."
I knew exactly what I was doing. This wasn't some impulse. It was a decision. And I don't make decisions unless I'm in control.
But there was something I didn't say out loud.
It wasn't just the quiet about her. It was the way she looked at me—no fear, no curiosity, like I didn't affect her at all.
And that? Was unacceptable.
I don't like being ignored. I don't like things I can't figure out. And I definitely don't like things I can't control.
So no, this wasn't just curiosity.
This was interest.
And for me, interest is never harmless.
I glanced at her one last time before leaving. No reaction. Or maybe she was reacting, just choosing not to show it.
It won't last.
People like her always break in one of two ways—they either walk away… or they stick around long enough to lose themselves.
And something told me, she wasn't going to walk away.
"She's going to be a problem," Kabir said.
"No," I replied.
"She's going to be a mistake."
A pause.
"But my kind of mistake."
And once I've set my sights on something?
I don't let go.