That smile made the whole night worth it.
Around 6:00 a.m., Aradhya slowly woke up. For a moment... she didn’t move. The morning light had started to enter the room.
Pranav noticed she was awake.
“You woke up early,” he said softly.
She nodded slightly but was still sleepy.
“I should go now,” he said quietly.
He gently moved away so she could lie comfortably again. Aradhya watched him for a second, then her eyes slowly closed again.
She fell asleep.
Pranav quietly walked downstairs into the secret room and disappeared.
Around 7:00 a.m., Aradhya woke up again.
She remembered the birds. Some mornings, she went to the secret room to feed them.
She opened the floor panel and climbed down.
The birds immediately began chirping when they saw her.
She smiled and started feeding them.
While she was placing food for them, she noticed something in the corner of the room.
Pranav was lying there on the ground.
There was a mat under him, and beside him, his laptop screen was still on.
Aradhya slowly walked closer to it.
On the laptop screen, she saw a selection letter.
Pranav had been officially selected.
Next to it, another folder was open. It contained documents, maps, and pictures of different places—maybe related to the project.
She looked at them curiously. Then she noticed a location on the laptop wallpaper. The place looked strangely familiar, like she had seen it somewhere before.
She leaned closer to look at it carefully.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
It was Pranav.
Aradhya looked at him in surprise.
But Pranav was still half asleep, his eyes barely open. His fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist, not letting her go.
Before she could react, he pulled her closer without even realizing it... and rolled slightly, bringing her near his shoulder, almost resting against him.
“Stay... don’t go...” he murmured softly, his voice thick with sleep.
Aradhya froze.
Her heart skipped a beat.
He shifted again, unknowingly pulling her even closer, his arm loosely around her as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“You look... better when you’re close...” he whispered faintly.
Her cheeks instantly turned warm.
Blushing, she tried to move, but his grip tightened just a little more, like he was afraid she might disappear.
“Just... a little more...” he added under his breath.
Aradhya’s breath became uneven.
She didn’t know whether to laugh, scold him, or just stay still.
For a moment, she chose to stay.
Because somehow... being there felt peaceful.
And maybe...
She didn’t really want to move away either.
Then she gently freed herself from him and went to her room. She lay on the bed, quietly thinking about the morning with Pranav.
She lay quietly on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
I’m falling in love with him...
Her cheeks turned warm.
I can’t stop thinking about him... his eyes, his smile... the way he looks at me.
She closed her eyes for a second.
Even the small things... I noticed them.
A shy smile appeared.
The way his neck moved when he spoke... why did that make me blush?
How close I was to him...
Her heart started racing again.
It still feels like a dream.
A pause.
But... did he remember that kiss? Or did he forget everything?
