59.
Aarav woke up rubbing his temples. His head was pounding.
Crying yourself to sleep — always a brilliant idea, he thought bitterly. You sleep heavy, sure, but you wake up with your skull ready to explode.
He groaned, pushing himself up from the bed. Shaurya's shirt was still there — damp and crumpled beside him, its faint scent of cedar and smoke lingering in the sheets. He must've held it all night. Aarav sighed, brushing a hand through his hair before getting up.
When he stepped outside, the house was quiet. The soft clinking of cups came from the kitchen. Yug was already there, dressed in his usual grey tee and joggers. Aarav rolled his shoulders, stretching his neck, and joined him.
"Did Mukesh come?" Aarav asked, voice hoarse from sleep. "I told him to hand me the keys once he's done cleaning my apartment."
"Nope, not yet." Yug handed him a steaming mug without looking up. "He called me last night though. Said he couldn't reach you."
Aarav took the mug, the warmth seeping into his palms. "Yeah... my phone died." He took a sip, the bitterness hitting his tongue. For a few moments, there was silence — the kind that wasn't exactly comfortable but not hostile either. Yug glanced sideways and noticed the look on Aarav's face.
"You alright?" he asked quietly.
Aarav blinked, as if pulled out of a fog. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."
Yug didn't look convinced, but he let it go with a tight smile.
"I think we should go to the gym," Aarav said suddenly. "It's been days since we've actually followed our routine."
Yug raised an eyebrow. "We? Excuse me, I've been going regularly. You're the one lying around like a sack of potatoes."
Aarav rolled his eyes, hiding a small grin behind his cup. "I'm just stressed, you know."
"Yeah, of course," Yug replied, mimicking his tone. He finished his coffee, set the mug in the sink, and walked over — close enough that their arms brushed. Aarav felt the warmth of him, glanced sideways, and saw Yug watching him with that teasing look that always came before trouble.
"What?" Aarav asked, suspicious.
Yug shrugged casually. "Nothing. Just... after you left, Vaani stayed back with Shaurya."
Aarav froze for half a second. "Yeah, and?"
"And nothing," Yug said, voice light but eyes sharp. "They seemed... close. You know. Talking, laughing. You did ask Ravi for all those pictures from the party — the ones with Shaurya and Vaani, right?"
Aarav turned toward him. "How do you know about that?"
"You really forget where you keep things." Yug leaned against the counter, smirking. "You left the envelope on the cabinet. I found it this morning."
Aarav swallowed. "Oh."
Yug reached for the envelope again and spread the photos across the table.
The glossy prints caught the morning light — Shaurya in his black suit, Vaani by his side, her hand brushing his arm in one of the pictures.
They were laughing in another. She looked perfect, elegant, untouchable.
And Shaurya... well, his eyes said enough.
"She was a snake," Yug said, looking at one of the photos. "But you can't deny — she's beautiful. Shaurya's always had a thing for beautiful people. The man's got taste."
Aarav's jaw tightened. He didn't respond. His eyes stayed locked on the photo of Shaurya.
Aarav reached for the picture, his thumb brushing over Shaurya's face without realizing it. He remembered how awful he had felt seeing it for the first time — the strange twist in his stomach, that ugly mix of jealousy and guilt he didn't want to name.
Shaurya was looking absolutely like a daddy, Aarav didn't want to admit that. But there was this Vaani who was posing like a fool.
Aarav stayed silent as Yug continued flipping through the stack, commenting on each picture like it was his job.
"She's pretty close to the family too, huh? They look like a family here," Yug said, holding up a photo where Shaurya was carrying Vayu in his arms while Vaani stood beside him, smiling like she belonged there.
Then his gaze caught on that particular picture — that one. He remembered seeing it before, on Vaani's Instagram. A little bit of stalking wasn't a crime, right? Especially when Shaurya refused to have social media. So what choice did he have?
But this photo — this one had burned into his memory for days.
Aarav's jaw tightened. He wanted to slap that smug, stupid smile off Shaurya's face.
"Jyada daant nahi dikha rahe yeh?" Aarav thought, rolling his eyes again. Before Yug could flip to the next picture, Aarav snatched the envelope right out of his hands.
"Enough gossip for the morning," he said sharply. "And forget these photos. She's dead anyway."
Yug chuckled under his breath. It was still strange — how they'd had to publicly call Vaani's death an accident. The woman had been a media darling, a powerhouse in business. Announcing her sudden demise without stirring rumors had been impossible.
"Alright, fine," Yug said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "But you're sure Shaurya never felt anything for her? He's a man, after all."
Aarav's jaw tightened. "What's that supposed to mean?" he snapped. "Yug, you're actually starting to piss me off. He never looked at anyone like that. Especially not Vaani. She was just... a friend."
"Yeah, except you," Yug added casually, nodding as if stating a fact.
"Yug," Aarav warned, his tone low.
"Okay, okay, relax. I was kidding," Yug said, laughing softly. Aarav exhaled, rubbing a hand through his hair, trying to shake off the irritation.
The air shifted when Yug spoke again, his voice softer. "By the way, thanks for yesterday. For being there. It meant a lot."
Aarav's expression gentled. "It wasn't much," he murmured. "I still owe you a proper gift though. I totally forgot." He reached for his phone, scrolling, but Yug caught his wrist, taking the device and setting it aside.
Before Aarav could react, Yug pulled him into a hug. Aarav froze — the sudden warmth, the closeness — but after a second, he lifted his hands and awkwardly patted Yug's back.
"I wanted to talk to you last night," Yug said, voice low near his ear, "but you were... busy. With Shaurya."
Aarav stilled again. His heart skipped — not from guilt alone, but from the way Yug said Shaurya.
Then Yug leaned back, his hands coming up to cup Aarav's face. His thumbs brushed along his jaw, and his gaze softened. "You've started smiling more lately," he said. "I like it. You should talk more too. Like before."
Aarav swallowed hard under the weight of his stare. Yug's eyes flicked down to his lips.
"Aarav... I want to kiss you," Yug said quietly. "Just a quick one. I'll be satisfied."
Aarav's breath caught. Before he could even process, Yug moved in — slowly, deliberately — until his face hovered inches from Aarav's. Aarav's eyes fluttered shut on instinct. Yug's hand slid down, finding his waist, fingers curling gently.
But the touch felt wrong. Foreign. Not like his.
Because suddenly, all Aarav could feel was Shaurya — the rough drag of his beard against his skin, the taste of rainwater and heat, the way his body had caged him in the pool the night before.
Yug's nose brushed Aarav's. He was seconds away from closing the gap when Aarav's hand shot up, pressing against Yug's chest — a firm, wordless stop.
Aarav opened his eyes, meeting Yug's. The other man was smiling, faintly, but there was a question in it — one Aarav didn't have the courage to answer.
"It's not working, is it?" Yug asked softly.
Aarav froze. The words hit like a gentle punch — soft voice, sharp truth.
Yug still had that half-smile on his lips, the one he wore when he didn't want anyone to see him breaking. Aarav saw right through it. He always did.
He felt bad. Really bad. Because he knew Yug didn't deserve to be strung along, didn't deserve to keep hoping for something that wasn't coming back. And yet, standing there, Aarav couldn't summon a lie — not for Yug. He had already lied enough to himself.
Aarav shook his head slowly. "Sorry," he muttered, voice barely above a whisper.
Yug exhaled, the sound soft but weighted. Then he smiled — not bitterly, not mockingly, just... tired.
"You don't have to be sorry about that," he said, eyes dropping to his hands. "You can't force what's not there." Aarav stayed silent. Yug sighed.
"I'll be going out for a while. Need to get mom hospitalized".
"Can I come as well?" Aarav asked but Yug ignored him and goes outside. Aarav looked at the door. This was what Aarav was scared of. What if Yug was mad at him? Yug has been trying for too long. He has feelings too, and Aarav knew he hurt Yug badly today.