The conference room on the top floor of Kashyap Enterprises looked unusually alive that afternoon. Usually, business meetings were all sharp suits, cold expressions, and exhausting presentations. But today was different. Today was a victory day. A huge one.
The glass walls reflected the city skyline outside while the long polished conference table was scattered with open files, laptops, coffee cups, and a few celebratory dessert boxes that someone—most likely Armaan—had insisted on ordering before the final signatures were even completed. The air was lighter than usual. Triumphant. Satisfied.
Because after weeks of back-to-back meetings, strategy calls, market analysis, revised proposals, and endless negotiations, Kashyap Enterprises, Rathore Industries, and Malhotra Group had successfully secured a major joint project with a fourth company.
A high-scale development project. One that would bring prestige, money, expansion, and a lot of future visibility. And for the first time in days, everyone in the room looked like they could finally breathe.
"Well," Armaan said, spinning a pen between his fingers as he leaned back in his chair, "I think it's safe to say we carried this deal on our shoulders."
Across from him, Yuvaan gave him a flat look. "We?"
Armaan placed a hand over his chest. "Yes. We. As in the brilliant minds present in this room."
"Your contribution," Rithik said dryly from beside him, "was talking too much and drinking everyone's coffee."
Armaan looked offended. "That is called leadership."
"No," Yuvaan replied, flipping through the signed papers, "that is called being a parasite."
That made the room burst into laughter. Near the end of the table, Aradhya looked up from her laptop and shook her head with a small smile. Beside her, Myrah leaned closer and whispered, "You know, I genuinely think the deal was approved just so people could end the meeting and get away from them."
Aradhya bit back a laugh. "Honestly? Fair."
Across from them, Nitika was trying not to smile too much as she organized some printed sheets into a neat pile. Yuvaan's gaze drifted toward her for a brief second. Just a second. But long enough for him to notice the tiny smile on her face. And long enough for Aahan, who had been pretending to be deeply invested in his notes, to notice too. He quietly looked away.
At the other end of the room, Shaurya was standing near the screen, hands in his pockets, looking mildly exhausted and mildly amused all at once. And beside him, Nadya, who had no real reason to be in the official meeting but had somehow found her way there anyway, was sitting dramatically in one of the office chairs with a chocolate pastry in hand.
"Can someone explain," she said, taking another bite, "why every business deal needs fifty pages of documents just to say 'we agree'?"
"Because adults enjoy suffering," Reyansh replied from beside her.
Nadya turned to him immediately. "Exactly! See? He understands me."
Reyansh's lips curved into a small smile. And that smile did something stupid to Nadya's heartbeat. Completely stupid. Completely unnecessary. Completely noticeable. At least to Aradhya, who was already watching her with dangerous interest. Nadya caught her expression and narrowed her eyes instantly. Don't. Aradhya smirked. Too late.
By the time the official paperwork was done and the final email confirmations were sent, the entire younger group had practically migrated toward the cafeteria with the excuse of "celebrating professionally."
Which, in their case, meant: stealing each other's fries, bullying Armaan, arguing over where to sit, and turning a successful business collaboration into a complete social event. The long table near the windows was quickly occupied by all of them. Yuvaan, Armaan, Rithik, Aradhya, Myrah, Nitika, Shaurya, Reyansh, Aahan, and Nadya. Too many personalities. Too much noise. Too much laughter. And somehow, it worked perfectly.
"This," Armaan declared grandly, holding up his cold coffee like a trophy, "is what success tastes like."
"Caffeine and arrogance?" Myrah asked.
Rithik nearly choked on his drink while Aradhya laughed loudly.
Armaan pointed at Myrah accusingly. "You know what? I support absolutely no one in this group."
"That's okay," Shaurya said, opening his sandwich. "No one asked."
"Violence," Armaan muttered.
Nadya leaned toward Reyansh and whispered, "Why is he like this?"
Reyansh glanced at Armaan and then back at her. "No one knows. Science is still researching."
Nadya burst out laughing. And the sound made Reyansh look at her for a second longer than he should have.
Halfway through lunch, while everyone was still talking over each other, Yuvaan tapped his spoon lightly against his glass. The noise was enough to get most of their attention.
"Can I say something," he said.
Armaan raised an eyebrow. "That depends. Is it boring?"
Yuvaan ignored him. "Since we finally closed the deal…"
"Because of me," Armaan inserted.
"Because of actual work," Yuvaan corrected.
Rithik nodded. "Continue."
Yuvaan leaned back slightly and looked around the table. "I was thinking we should take a break. All of us."
Nadya blinked. "A break?"
Aradhya looked interested immediately. "Like… what kind of break?"
"A short trip," Yuvaan said.
That got everyone's attention. Even Nitika looked up fully now.
"A trip?" Myrah repeated. "Wait. As in an actual trip?"
"Yes," Armaan said suddenly, immediately leaning into the idea. "Absolutely yes. Approved. Accepted. Final."
"Where?" Shaurya asked.
Rithik folded his arms thoughtfully. "Somewhere outside the city. Not too crowded."
"Hiking," Nadya said instantly.
Everyone looked at her.
She straightened. "What? It's fun."
Aradhya narrowed her eyes. "You get tired climbing stairs."
"That is completely different," Nadya replied with dignity.
Reyansh looked down, trying not to smile. Aradhya caught that too.
"Hiking actually sounds good," Nitika said softly, and for some reason, Yuvaan's attention snapped to her voice instantly.
"Yeah," he said before he could stop himself. "Yeah, it does."
Nitika glanced at him. He looked away too late. A tiny smile touched her lips. And unfortunately for him— Aahan saw that. He didn't say anything, but he definitely saw it.
"We should go somewhere with a proper trail," Rithik added. "Maybe somewhere a little away from the city. Peaceful."
"And with cottages," Myrah said. "If I'm hiking, I at least deserve aesthetic suffering."
"That sounds very on-brand for you," Rithik said casually.
Myrah looked at him. He looked back, just for a second. And somehow, the air between them shifted.
"You know what?" Armaan said, slamming his hand lightly on the table. "Done. Final. We're going."
"Wait," Shaurya interrupted. "Do we even have time?"
"We'll make time," Yuvaan replied. "We've earned it."
And somehow— no one disagreed. The plan was finalized in under thirty minutes. Which was surprising. Because this group usually took longer deciding what to eat than making actual life decisions. But maybe everyone needed this more than they realized. A few days away. No office. No deadlines. No constant emails. Just mountains, trails, chaos, and each other.
The destination was a hill station hiking retreat about a few hours away from the city—quiet, scenic, surrounded by pine forests, open skies, winding trails, and very weak phone network. Which, according to Nadya, was "romantic and adventurous." Which, according to Aradhya, was "a disaster waiting to happen." Which, according to Armaan, was "cinematic." Which, according to Shaurya, was "definitely going to end with someone twisting an ankle."
The rest of the lunch turned into pure excitement.
"Okay," Myrah said, pulling out her phone, "important question. What are we wearing?"
"A normal human being would ask what we're packing," Shaurya said.
"That's because normal human beings are boring," Myrah replied.
Nadya immediately joined in. "Exactly."
Aradhya nodded solemnly. "True."
Rithik looked at Yuvaan. "This is why men die early."
"Agreed," Yuvaan said.
"Excuse me?" Nadya said, glaring. "Women are the reason your lives have flavour."
"Chaos," Shaurya corrected.
"Charm," Nadya corrected back.
"Noise," Shaurya added.
"Beauty," Nadya said proudly.
Reyansh let out a quiet laugh.
And when Nadya turned toward him, she found him already looking at her. For a second, neither of them looked away. Then Nadya blinked first and immediately reached for her juice as if it had suddenly become the most important object in the world.
That evening, the group chat—unfortunately named "Board Meeting Survivors" by Armaan—became unbearable.
Armaan:
Trip fits check tomorrow.
Myrah:
Stop pretending like this is a fashion week.
Armaan:
It is if I'm there.
Shaurya:
I hate this group.
Nadya:
No you don't.
Aradhya:
Stop copying my lines.
Yuvaan:
Pack essentials. We leave early.
Nitika:
How early?
Yuvaan:
6:30.
Nadya:
I suddenly no longer support this trip.
Reyansh:
You can sleep in the car.
Nadya:
That is… actually acceptable.
Aahan:
Don't forget medicines, flashlights, chargers.
Armaan:
And emotional stability.
Myrah:
Then you should stay home.
The group chat remained chaotic for another two hours. And somehow, everyone went to sleep smiling.
The Next Morning, the Kashyap mansion looked like a battlefield by 5:45 a.m. Aradhya was half asleep, trying to zip up her bag while simultaneously brushing her hair. Nadya was loudly insisting that she had packed "everything important," despite having forgotten her toothbrush, power bank, and jacket. Yuvaan, who had been ready for the past fifteen minutes, stood near the staircase looking like a man one inconvenience away from giving up on society.
"You both had one job," he muttered.
Aradhya yawned. "We're ready."
"No," he said flatly, eyeing Nadya's open bag with socks hanging out of it, "you are a cry for help."
Nadya glared at him. "You know what? When I become successful and emotionally unavailable, don't come to me."
"I am begging you," Yuvaan replied, "to become emotionally unavailable."
Aradhya laughed so hard she nearly dropped her hairbrush. Downstairs, Ishaani stood near the dining area with packed snacks and extra water bottles, because unlike the kids, she believed in practical preparation.
"Take these," she said, handing Aradhya a packet.
"We're going for a few days, not for a war," Aradhya said.
"Take them anyway."
Nadya grabbed a box immediately. "I support this parenting."
Yuvaan took the keys from the side table. "Come on. Everyone will be waiting."
If there was one thing this group was incapable of doing, it was being quiet. The drive began with decent energy. And descended into complete nonsense within twenty minutes. They had taken two SUVs.
In one car: Yuvaan, Aradhya, Nitika, Aahan, and Nadya.
In the second: Armaan, Rithik, Myrah, Reyansh, and Shaurya.
In the first car, Nadya had somehow already taken control of the playlist.
"This is criminal," Yuvaan said, one hand on the steering wheel as a loud, overdramatic love song filled the car.
"This is culture," Nadya replied.
"This is emotional blackmail in audio form," Aradhya added.
Nitika laughed softly from the backseat. And that tiny, genuine laugh, made Yuvaan glance at the rearview mirror. She was smiling. Actually smiling. For a moment, he forgot to look back at the road. Aahan noticed. Of course he noticed. And while he said nothing, his fingers tightened slightly around the bottle in his hand before he looked out the window instead.
In the second car, Armaan was being unbearable.
"I just think," he said, one hand on the wheel and one hand gesturing unnecessarily, "that I should be appreciated more."
"You should focus on driving," Rithik said.
"You should focus on being less annoying," Shaurya added.
Myrah was laughing from the backseat while Reyansh silently passed her a packet of chips.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome," he replied.
Then Armaan, with all the elegance of a dramatic menace, looked into the rearview mirror and said, "You know, I've realized something."
"No one cares," Shaurya said.
Armaan ignored him. "This trip is going to expose feelings."
Myrah nearly choked on a chip. Rithik looked at him with immediate suspicion. Shaurya covered his face. Reyansh just stared ahead like he wanted to jump out of the moving car.
Armaan grinned. "I can feel it."
"You need help," Rithik said.
"No," Armaan corrected. "I need popcorn."
By the time they reached the retreat, the city felt very far behind. The air was cooler. The sky looked wider somehow, more open and softer at the edges. The place was beautiful—wooden cottages lined along a slope, pine trees standing tall around them, a clear walking trail leading toward the hills, and distant mountains resting quietly under the pale afternoon light. There was a peacefulness there that immediately wrapped around all of them.
"Okay," Nadya whispered, stepping out of the car. "This is actually gorgeous."
Aradhya took a slow breath and smiled. "Yeah."
And for a brief moment, everyone just stood there. Taking it in.
The quiet.
The wind.
The trees.
The feeling of being somewhere untouched.
Somewhere away.
Somewhere theirs.
Their cottages were arranged in a cluster. The boys took two adjoining ones. The girls took the other two. And after the initial chaos of choosing beds, unpacking, stealing snacks, and fighting over who got the balcony-facing room—
they all gathered again near the open clearing beside the trail. And that was when Armaan clapped his hands once and announced—
"Alright, people. Hiking at sunset."
Nadya looked horrified. "Already?"
"You wanted hiking," Aradhya reminded her.
"I wanted the aesthetic version," Nadya said. "Not the sweaty version."
Reyansh laughed quietly. And that made Nadya instantly defensive again.
"I can hike," she said, standing straighter.
Reyansh nodded. "I'm sure you can."
The hiking trail began just behind the retreat and wound its way upward through the forest.
The path was uneven in places, lined with pine needles, loose stones, and patches of wild grass. The air smelled fresh and cool, and as they walked deeper into the trail, the sounds of the retreat slowly faded behind them.
Soon, it was just laughter, footsteps, rustling leaves, and the occasional complaint from Nadya
"Why," she said dramatically after ten minutes, "does nature hate me personally?"
Aradhya laughed. "You've been walking for eleven minutes."
"That is enough."
Shaurya, walking beside her, smirked. "You wanted adventure."
"I wanted photos."
"That too can happen," Reyansh said from just ahead of her, glancing back over his shoulder.
Nadya blinked. "Oh."
Then immediately looked away. And Shaurya, unfortunately for himself, noticed that too. He didn't say anything. But the faint drop in his smile was there for a second. Then gone.
A little ahead on the trail, Armaan and Aradhya had somehow ended up walking side by side. The path narrowed in one area, forcing them closer. And when Aradhya nearly slipped on a loose stone, Armaan's hand reached out instinctively, catching her wrist before she could stumble. For one second, everything paused. Aradhya looked up and saw Armaan looking at her.
"You okay?" he asked softly.
Aradhya nodded, though her heartbeat had become very inconvenient. "Yeah."
Neither of them moved immediately. Then from behind them Nadya's voice rang out.
"Should we clap or keep walking?"
Aradhya jumped back so fast that Armaan laughed. And just like that, the moment broke. But the warmth of his touch stayed with her long after.
Further behind, Myrah was trying very hard to act normal while walking beside Rithik. Which was difficult. Because Rithik, annoyingly enough, looked very good doing absolutely nothing.
At one point, a low branch caught in Myrah's hair and she let out a small yelp.
"Oh no," she muttered, trying to untangle herself.
Rithik stopped instantly. "Wait," he said, stepping closer.
He gently moved the branch aside and carefully freed the strand of her hair that had gotten caught. "There," he said quietly.
Myrah blinked. "Thanks."
Rithik gave a small nod and resumed walking like absolutely nothing had happened.
Aradhya, from a few steps ahead, turned back once, saw Myrah's face and nearly laughed out loud.
And somewhere in the middle of all that mountain air, fading sunlight, teasing voices, shy glances, and accidental touches— none of them realized that this trip would become one of those memories they would carry far longer than they expected. One of those bright little pieces of happiness that would stay untouched in memory, even when life stopped being kind.