67.
"Hey! I didn't know you'd be coming here. I would've dressed up properly," Eve said as she shook Ravi's hand, cheeks already a faint shade of pink.
"You look great to me," Ravi replied with an easy smile. "Do you want to sit with us?"
Eve's blush deepened. "Uhh... I don't want to trouble you guys. And I'm here with my friends, so—"
"No, really. We were bored," Ravi said. "You can bring them too."
"That's so sweet of you! Thank you—wait, I'll call them!" Eve hurried out of the lounge, practically skipping.
"Shit," Yug muttered under his breath. Ravi's eyes flickered to him.
"Do you mind?" Ravi asked, calm as ever.
"No... It's just—my friends are here too." Yug subtly motioned towards the bar railing where two guys were unmistakably staring at him.
"And now they've seen me," Yug sighed, lifting an unwilling hand to wave at them.
"You don't look very pleased," Ravi observed.
"I wanted to be alone tonight."
"Alone with me?" Ravi asked so bluntly Yug almost choked.
"Shut up," Yug grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Eve returned, this time with a small group following her. Almost simultaneously, Yug's friends arrived from downstairs. The lounge filled with overlapping voices, quick hugs, and introductions. Yug plastered on a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Yug! What's up, man?" one of his friends exclaimed, pulling him into a hug.
"Nothing much. What are you guys doing here?" Yug asked.
"Thought we'd catch up! Knew we'd find you here."
Yug nodded, though his attention drifted to the other side of the room.
Ravi had already settled comfortably with Eve's group. Eve's hand rested lightly on his arm as she laughed at something he said. Ravi didn't move away.
One of Yug's friends nudged him. "Do you know that guy?"
"Yeah. Just someone I know," Yug said, voice flat.
Meanwhile, at the other end:
"So you came back today? I thought you were out for a week, but you were gone for too long," Eve said.
"I just had some work," Ravi replied.
"So Ravi, right?" one of Eve's friends leaned forward, openly scanning him from head to toe.
"Are you married?"
"No."
"Okayyy... interesting." She exchanged a look with the others.
"So, do you have your eyes on Eve? Because you're kinda staring at her."
Eve's eyes widened in horror.
Ravi only smirked, slow and lazy, and casually pushed his shirt sleeves up to his forearms. Eve nearly choked on her own breath—his forearms were all veins and sharp lines, the kind that made her brain short-circuit.
"I guess she caught my eye," Ravi said, gaze settling on Eve.
Her spine straightened. His eyes looked darker than usual—too dark, too focused. Eve quickly cleared her throat, grabbed her drink, and stared at anything that wasn't him.
"S-So... why aren't you drinking?" she asked, twisting a strand of her hair.
"I'm driving," Ravi replied. "And Yug looks pretty drunk already."
Eve immediately turned to look at Yug. His face was flushed, eyebrows knitted, shoulders tense.
"He should really stop drinking so much," she muttered, worry slipping into her voice.
Across the lounge—
"Are you attending the International Event?" Manpreet asked Yug as he took another sip.
"Nah." Yug clicked his tongue, already annoyed.
"I heard Aarav isn't going either. You two really stick to each other," Manpreet teased. "Just saying... are those rumors true? About you and Aarav?"
"It was you who leaked them," Yug said irritated.. "Aarav's going to kick your ass when he finds out. Stop laughing, idiot."
He downed the rest of his wine in one go.
"Alright, chill, bro. Look at Eve tonight—she looks hot," Manpreet said, eyeing the other side of the lounge. "She and that guy look good together."
Josh nodded. "Yeah... they suit."
Yug looked over before he could stop himself.
Ravi was already looking back at him.
Their eyes met for a split second before Yug turned away sharply, sighing into his palms.
"Right," Yug said. "I hope he clicks with her."
Josh raised a brow. "So he's interested then?"
"Seems like it."
"That's a shame," Josh muttered. "I was going to ask you for his number."
Yug stared at him. "What?"
Josh shrugged, unfazed. "He's hot. Does he have Instagram, at least?"
"No," Yug said. It was a lie but did it make any difference though? It's not like Ravi is too active on that app.
"I guess we'll leave now," Josh said, glancing at Manpreet, who was already stepping aside to take a call from his wife.
"And Yug, you don't look too good. You want me to drop you?" Josh asked as both he and Manpreet got ready to leave.
"Nah, I'm good," Yug said, waving them off.
"Alright. See ya, man."
They side-hugged him before heading out.
The moment they were gone, Yug exhaled shakily and poured himself another drink.
He swallowed it, stood up a little too abruptly, and made his way downstairs.
The entire bar seemed hazy, lights blurring into soft streaks while the music dulled in and out.
He wandered somewhere—anywhere—but in his state, he barely remembered where he ended up.
Time passed. The crowd thinned. Chairs were stacked. The bar grew quieter by the minute.
Eve stood up with her friends. "I think we should get going," she said.
"Do you want me to drop you?" Ravi offered immediately.
"Umm... well, that's okay—"
"No, it's too late already," Ravi insisted. "Let me drop you all. You're heading toward Aarav's apartment right. That's literally the other side of the town. Let me take you."
"Oh... okay." Eve gave him a small, shy smile.
Ravi escorted the group out, glancing around for Yug one last time. Yug wasn't in sight.
Maybe he left with his friends, Ravi assumed.
He didn't dwell on it. He simply headed to the parking lot, opened the car, and drove each girl home one by one. At last, he reached Eve's stop.
"Thank you," she said softly, then leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "You're sweet."
Ravi blinked once—but smiled. "Goodnight."
He watched her go inside before reversing the car. As he turned, he noticed two familiar figures stranded by a half-repaired car on the middle of the road.
Josh and Manpreet.
Ravi rolled down the window. "Wasn't Yug with you guys?"
Josh shook his head. "Uhh... no. He didn't come with us. We insisted, but he stayed behind."
Ravi inhaled sharply. "Shit."
He didn't say anything else—just rolled up the window and drove off. His jaw clenched.
Yug's phone was switched off. Typical.
He headed straight back to the bar.
It was almost empty now—staff wiping counters, stacking glasses, switching off neon lights. Ravi scanned the VIP lounge. Nothing.
He checked the hallway.
Empty.
He pushed open the washroom corridor door and walked through—only to halt suddenly.
A couple was pressed against the wall, kissing like they were starving.
Ravi turned to walk past—
—but froze.
The guy's damn shirt—
"Yug," Ravi muttered under his breath.
Yug, very drunk, was kissing a girl just as drunk. Neither of them noticed Ravi staring at them for a solid ten seconds—arms crossed, jaw twitching, absolutely judging.
And then—
The girl suddenly pulled away, swayed, clutched her mouth—
—and puked directly all over Yug.
Ravi snorted loudly. Couldn't help it.
"What the hell, woman?!" Yug yelled, horrified, staring at his drenched shirt.
The girl gagged again and bolted to the female washroom.
Yug turned, squinting. "Ravi?"
"You're such a bad kisser she literally threw up," Ravi said, deadpan. "Or maybe you forgot to brush today."
"Shut up," Yug groaned, disgusted as he looked down at himself. "Ugh—I just—"
He stopped mid-sentence, slapped a hand over his mouth, and stumbled toward the basin.
He threw up. Hard.
Ravi stepped closer, looked at the mess in the sink, and raised a brow.
"Damn. Do you even eat that much? How did all of that come out of you?"
Yug didn't reply. He wasn't even in the state to. He stayed hunched over the basin, breath uneven, knuckles white as he held on for balance. His head spun so violently it felt like the floor was tilting.
"C-can you bring me some water?" he managed, voice weak.
Ravi nodded and walked out without a word.
Left alone, Yug peeled off his shirt with trembling fingers, staring at the mess on it with pure disgust. He didn't even bother rinsing it—just dumped it straight into the trash before splashing water on his face, trying to wash away the taste, the dizziness, the humiliation.
Ravi returned, unscrewing a bottle and handing it to him. Yug grabbed it with shaky hands and chugged half of it in seconds.
"Do you want to sit for a bit?" Ravi asked.
Yug shook his head. "No." His voice was a rough whisper. He shoved the bottle back at Ravi a little too harshly, more from lack of control than anger.
When Yug tried to walk, his legs nearly gave out. Ravi caught him by the arm before he could hit the floor.
"Alright, come on," Ravi muttered.
He half-dragged, half-supported Yug out of the washroom and through the bar, one hand holding the bottle, the other anchoring Yug's unsteady body. Outside, he opened the passenger door and practically guided Yug inside. The bottle was placed on Yug's lap like a child being handed something to hold.
Once in the driver's seat, Ravi started the car. He glanced at Yug—and suddenly let out a low laugh. Yug looked absolutely wrecked, slumped against the seat, eyelids heavy, hair sticking to his forehead.
"Stop laughing," Yug grumbled, weakly shoving Ravi's arm before letting his head fall back against the seat.
Silence fell between them as the car rolled through the empty night.
A few minutes later, in a slurred, almost childlike voice, Yug murmured, "I thought you... left me too."
Ravi's hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel.
"No one's leaving you," he said quietly.
He reached over with one hand—still steering with the other—and buckled Yug's seatbelt. Yug watched him for a second, eyes heavy, a soft laugh escaping him.
He shook his head, but said nothing.