85.
Ravi stood at the Unit's shooting range, gun steady in his hand. An apple rested on a low table.
A man stood over it, legs bent, knees trembling so violently it looked like he might collapse any second. His crouch hovered dangerously close to the fruit.
"P-please... let me go—"
Bang.
The shot missed.
Ravi clicked his tongue in annoyance and gestured with two fingers. "Lower."
The man whimpered and bent further. The apple was now barely an inch away from him. Veer, leaning casually against the wall, burst out laughing.
Ravi fired again.
Missed.
"Damn it," Ravi muttered, irritation creeping into his expression.
Before he could raise the gun again—
"Ravi."
Shaurya's voice cut through the range like a blade.
Ravi lowered the gun at once. Shaurya walked forward, his gaze flicking briefly to the man, whose entire body was shaking now. Shaurya took the gun from Ravi's hand without a word.
"Get down," Shaurya ordered calmly.
The man obeyed immediately. This time, there was no space left—his balls pressed fully against the apple.
Without warning—
The bullet pierced straight through the apple. It flew backward, splintering as it hit the wall.
Shaurya lowered the gun, expression unchanged. "Looks like I missed the target too," he said.
He glanced at Ravi, then turned his attention to Veer.
"What are you doing here?" Shaurya asked.
Veer shrugged, hands in his pockets. "Nothing much. Bade Papa suspended me from the business," he said lightly. "So apparently, I'm free these days."
"You should be thankful you didn't get your legs broken". Shaurya said.
Veer went quiet at that.
They sat watching the others train—Ravi on one side, Shaurya in the middle, Veer on the other. The rhythmic sounds of gunfire and commands echoed around them.
After a moment, Shaurya placed a hand on Veer's shoulder and squeezed it firmly.
"You can rejoin the company from next week," Shaurya said. "Take the weekend off."
Veer stared at him, stunned.
"Wait... seriously?"
"Yeah," Shaurya smiled. "I just survived a war. Aarav almost killed Dad with his words when he found out you were suspended."
Veer let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you," he muttered.
Shaurya patted his back. Ravi remained silent.
Veer noticed and smirked.
"Maine suna hai kisi ko pyaar-vyaar ka bukhaar chadh gaya hai."
"Yeh bukhaar toh ammi jaan hi utaar sakti hain," Shaurya replied casually.
Ravi rolled his eyes.
"You literally went on a date with him, Ravi," Veer said. "Wahh, shampy, wah."
"Itni mehnat ke baad ek kiss bhi nahi mili," Veer added, snorting.
Shaurya chuckled openly.
"You both need to stop," Ravi said flatly.
Shaurya tilted his head. "Tell me one thing—what's stopping you?"
"Ammi jaan ko salwar ke neeche talwar nahi chahiye," Veer said.
Shaurya burst out laughing.
Ravi stood up abruptly, but Shaurya caught his arm.
"Baitho, baitho, bhai."
"Khud tum dono suhaagraat manate rehte ho, mujhpe rehem karo," Ravi muttered.
Veer smirked.
"I can't relate," Shaurya said honestly. "Aarav wants to wait till we get married again."
This time, Ravi laughed—along with Veer.
"Wait—it isn't about me," Shaurya said, clearing his throat.
"Anyway," he continued, turning to Ravi, "if anything—or anyone—is stopping you, you can tell me. Your life belongs to me, and I can make anything possible."
Ravi looked at him.
"But," Shaurya added dryly, "you'll have to talk to your mother yourself, of course."
Ravi nodded once.
"Are you coming with us to Spain?" Shaurya asked.
"Is Yug going as well?" Ravi asked.
Shaurya nodded.
"Then no, thanks. I'm fine."
Shaurya leaned back in his chair, clearly disappointed.
"Bro, you're getting a chance to be close to him. What's wrong with you?"
"As if he'd start liking me in a three-day trip," Ravi muttered.
"You won't know unless you try," Veer said. "Come on, man."
"Dekho bhai Ravi," Aarav's voice cut in, "Sheila ki jawani milne ki umar toh kab ki nikal chuki hai tumhari. Ab bas flow ke saath chalo."
Shaurya looked up as Aarav stepped closer, resting his arms over Shaurya's shoulders.
"I know your feelings are valid," Aarav said calmly. "But only make a move if you're sure. If you actually see a future with him. If he can stay. If he can adjust."
He paused.
"He's not used to people like us."
Ravi lowered his gaze.
"He's already disappointed because of me. I don't want to see him disappointed again."
Ravi nodded to himself, as if settling something.
Aarav exhaled softly.
"Shaurya, let's go sleep. We need to leave early tomorrow." He glanced back at Ravi. "Pack properly. If I see you wearing black, I'll kick you out of the plane. And bring at least four or five pairs of clothes."
Without sparing Veer a look, Aarav started walking, Shaurya following him.
"Good night, guys!" Aarav called out, waving casually.
-----------------------
Everyone packed properly for the trip— Aarav, who was overly excited about everything. Ravi, on the other hand, was downright horrified when he saw the amount of luggage Aarav and Yug had brought along.
The flight itself passed strangely.
Yug drank through most of it.
Ravi didn't care about anyone's existence and slept like the dead.
Shaurya and Aarav, unsurprisingly, couldn't keep their hands off each other.
Once they landed in Spain, Aarav covered his face—no one else needed to. Travelling in a private jet already drew attention, and being recognised would only complicate things.
Their cab drove them straight to the beach house.
After unpacking, Yug—slightly tipsy—decided to rest. Aarav, however, had other plans.
He shrugged out of his shirt, kicked his trousers aside, and was about to run outside when Shaurya caught him effortlessly and lifted him up. Aarav wrapped his legs around Shaurya's waist, laughing softly.
"Let's go out in the evening, baby," Shaurya murmured. "Let me have you right now."
Aarav smiled, his eyes warm.
"I can't believe I get to see you like this—without any interruptions," he said dreamily.
"That's a lot of naked time packed into three days," Shaurya teased.
"I know!" Aarav grinned, kissing him.
Shaurya carried him to the bed.
"Beautiful," Shaurya whispered, simply looking at him.
Aarav climbed over him, pressing a kiss to his chest, then lower. Shaurya's hands settled firmly at Aarav's waist—
"Shaurya! We need to buy food."
Ravi stood at the doorway.
Aarav jolted and immediately moved aside, groaning.
"I forgot about this interruption," he muttered.
Ravi grimaced at the sight but walked in anyway.
"We can eat out tonight," Shaurya said calmly, "but we'll need something for breakfast."
"I was planning to check out the local market anyway," Aarav added. "Let's see what we can find."
Everyone agreed.
Yug kept his distance from Ravi—though Ravi didn't seem to notice.
They wandered through small shops selling wine and cava. Only Aarav was fluent in Spanish, so he handled most of the conversations. They picked up local cheeses, baked goods, and essentials. Shaurya got distracted by crockery. Ravi found nothing he liked.
Shaurya and Yug ended up carrying most of the food.
Then Shaurya bought kilosof saffron.
"What the hell are you planning to do with all that?" Yug asked.
"It's good for health," Shaurya replied casually.
Yug just shook his head.
"Hey, let's make pizza tonight," Yug suggested. "I saw a pizza oven near the beach house."
"You're right," Shaurya said, nodding.
They picked up everything they needed—fresh dough, tomatoes, cheese, herbs.
Shaurya even found olives that smelled impossibly fresh.
Outside, he stopped at a small stall where a local was baking pizzas and watched closely, memorising every step.
Yug filmed the whole thing, amused by how focused Shaurya looked.
Meanwhile, Aarav and Ravi wandered through the nearby clothing stalls.
"Did you find anything you like?" Aarav asked casually. Then he smirked. "You know, you could buy something for your boy."
Ravi didn't even look up. "Our local market is better than this."
Aarav rolled his eyes.
Once everyone was done, they headed back to the beach house.
Shaurya took charge in the kitchen, confidently assembling the pizzas. Aarav leaned against the counter, watching him with a look that made it very unclear whether he was hungrier for the food or for the shirtless man making it.
Dinner was loud, relaxed, and full of teasing. Between bites, Aarav laid out the plan for the next few days—beaches, late nights, no schedules.
Ravi sat beside Yug, barely eating. He leaned in just slightly, close enough.
Too close. He was trying to smell Yug again.
Yug felt it immediately. The heat.
He cleared his throat and turned his head. Ravi's sharp gaze was already on him.
"Stop it," Yug murmured, lifting his wine glass and taking a sip.
After a moment, he pushed his plate away and stood.
"I'm done."
He carried his plate to the sink, walked straight to his room, and locked the door behind him.
In the sudden quiet, Shaurya and Aarav exchanged a look.
Ravi, however, kept his eyes on his food—expression unreadable.