98.
Yug yawned, squinting at the morning light. It was only seven. Ravi was still in his kurta. Yug would've offered him spare clothes, but none of his would fit Ravi's broad frame anyway.
"Can we take him with us too?" Ravi asked, holding the collar of Yug's golden retriever. The dog wagged his tail eagerly.
"I don't want to trouble your family. He'll stay with the caretaker," Yug replied.
"Trouble? Not at all. We already have dogs at home. He'll fit right in," Ravi insisted.
Yug thought for a moment, then gave in. "Fine."
Ravi opened the backseat door, and the dog jumped in happily, settling down like he owned the car.
Yug yawned again. "I can't believe I'm going to socialize this early. I should've slept more."
Ravi shoved him lightly into the passenger seat.
Throughout the drive, Yug either yawned or complained about his pounding head.
"It's because you drank too much," Ravi scolded. "If you can't handle it, stop drinking. And be quiet now—my head hurts because of you."
Yug fell silent, pressing his fingers to his temple. Ravi cracked open the window, letting fresh air in.
"I didn't know you smoked too," Ravi added after a pause. "Saw the ashtray yesterday."
"I used to smoke a lot in university," Yug said. "Quit when I met Aarav. He hates being around smokers."
Ravi glanced at him briefly. "So you were always trying to impress him."
"It's not about impressing him. I liked him, so respecting his choices was necessary," Yug said.
Ravi scoffed softly, shaking his head.
Yug shot him a glance. "What?"
"You're very confused about your own feelings," Ravi replied calmly.
"Oh? And you understand my feelings better than me now?" Yug asked, raising a brow.
"Pretty well, yeah."
"Then explain."
Ravi kept his eyes on the road. "You never liked him. You pitied him. And somewhere along the way, you convinced yourself that pity was love."
Yug frowned. "You—"
"As long as I've known you, you hate being alone. You said it yourself. And when Aarav came into your life, you held onto him because he filled that emptiness. You fought to keep him around... not because you loved him, but because you were scared of losing someone again."
Silence filled the car for a moment.
"You even tried to keep him away from Shaurya," Ravi added quietly. "Which was... kind of—"
"Selfish," Yug finished for him, voice low. "That's what my mom said too."
Ravi didn't reply, just tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
A moment later, Yug pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag, blowing the smoke out through the window.
"It's not entirely your fault," Ravi said after a pause. "Maybe people made you believe you're alone in this world."
"Alright, stop talking," Yug muttered.
"We still have an hour to go," Ravi said lightly.
Yug shot him a warning look and turned toward the window.
He's starting to understand me too well.
Yug stole a brief glance at Ravi.
That needs to stop.
Then the memories of last night replayed in his mind.
Maybe he shouldn't have stopped him.
I'm not going to marry anyone who isn't you.
Yug felt goosebumps remembering those words.
"Ravi... I was drunk yesterday. Just forget whatever nonsense I said."
"Relax," Ravi replied calmly. "I know you were drunk. You don't open up easily."
"And I can't..."
"We're not getting married," Ravi cut in lightly. "I was just teasing you. You should've seen your face." He chuckled softly. "I'm not that terrible, I guess."
Yug let out a slow breath.
Then Ravi's smile faded a little.
-------------------
Yug sat stiffly on the sofa, almost like a child trying to behave in a completely new environment. Every pair of eyes in the room was fixed on him with open curiosity—and a little too much affection for his comfort.
"Okay, stop staring at him now," Ravi muttered. "You all told me to bring him. I did."
His mother smacked his arm lightly. "Chup karo tum."
"I'm going to change," Ravi announced, escaping upstairs.
The moment he disappeared, all attention shifted back to Yug again.
"Beta, you should have come on Eid," Ravi's mother said warmly. "But it's okay. I made so many sweets—you'll have to try all of them."
"Umm... okay," Yug replied with a shy smile. Then he remembered something and straightened slightly. "And... sorry I couldn't come that day. But I brought something for all of you."
He handed one shopping bag to Fatima and another to Alizeh.
"And I bought shawls for you and Ravi's grandmother. They're with Ravi upstairs. I hope you like them."
"Allah... look at this child," Ravi's mother said, touched. "On Eid, elders give Eidi, not guests. There was no need for this."
Yug smiled softly. "We'll keep meeting now anyway. You'll all become my family too."
"Aww," she cooed, patting his shoulder affectionately. "Kitna pyaara bachcha hai. Sit. I'll bring water".
Yug nodded politely and turned toward Fatima and Alizeh.
"I hope you like the gifts. Ravi seriously couldn't even say anything about your taste".
"He really doesn't care about these things," Alizeh agreed with a laugh. Then she extended her hand. "By the way, I'm Alizeh Syed. Nice to meet you."
Yug shook her hand with a polite smile. "Nice to meet you too."
"I actually wanted to talk to you," Alizeh said.
Yug looked at her curiously. "About?"
"I run an interior design company, and my team has been trying to reach you for a while. But you'd already finalized another company for the project."
"Oh." Yug nodded in understanding. "Actually, Prince Aarav handles most of the design decisions himself. But I'd still like to see your company's work. What was the name again?"
"Nazaakat," she replied, tucking a curl behind her ear.
Yug's expression lit up slightly. "Oh, yes. I've heard of it. Wait... are you Hamza Syed's daughter?"
Alizeh smiled and nodded. "Yes."
"That's impressive," Yug said. "He seemed like a really decent person. I met him once at a conference. I suppose he's not in India right now?"
"No, he's in the U.S. at the moment. He'll come back with Mom soon."
Yug nodded, studying her for a brief moment. She carried herself with effortless grace—curly hair, sharp features, striking green eyes, and an elegance that naturally drew attention.
And she looks much younger than Ravi... there's quite an age gap there, he thought silently.
Just then, Ravi walked back into the room after changing and dropped onto the sofa beside Yug.
"So," he asked casually, looking at Alizeh, "what did you want to talk about?"
Alizeh hesitated, suddenly looking slightly nervous. "Uh... Dad wants to speak with you."
Ravi nodded. "Alright."
Before the conversation could continue, Fatima leaned forward, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Yug, I still don't understand something. How did you and Bhai even become friends? Bhai itne sarelu hai".
"I agree," Alizeh added with a laugh.
Yug glanced sideways at Ravi, who pretended not to hear, then looked back at Fatima with a small smile.
"Well... we never really became friends," Yug admitted. "We mostly ended up third-wheeling Aarav and Shaurya everywhere, so eventually we just started keeping each other company."
Fatima burst out laughing. Ravi rolled his eyes, while Yug quietly hid his smile.
"That explains it," Alizeh said lightly. "For a while, I actually thought you had something going on with the Prince. You know how the media twists everything."
Yug shook his head with a small smile. "It was nothing like that."
Just then Ravi's mother appeared in the doorway. "Ravi, your Dadi is calling you. Go see her."
Ravi sighed and stood up, heading toward his grandmother's room. Inside, his mother was already standing near the bed, while his grandmother sat upright, waiting.
The moment Ravi entered, she spoke sharply.
"Ravi, tum kise ghar le aaye ho?"
"That's Yug Khurana," Ravi replied calmly. "Aarav's friend."
His grandmother's expression hardened. "Woh bhi unhi jaisa hai?"
Ravi's jaw tightened.
"Maine kitni baar kaha hai tumse, un logon se door raha karo," she continued.
Ravi glanced at his mother, who avoided his eyes.
"They're still people," Ravi said firmly. "And I don't care what they are."
Then his tone hardened further.
"And one more thing — Yug is important for me. Don't do anything that might make him uncomfortable while he stays here."
His grandmother scoffed. "Dekho is ladke ko. Mujhe dhamki de raha hai. Mat bhoolo, main abhi bhi iss ghar ki badi hoon. Woh ladka iss ghar mein nahi rahega."
"Ammi... woh sirf—" Ravi's mother tried to intervene, but she was cut off.
Ravi's patience snapped.
His eyes reddened as anger finally spilled out.
"Aap iss ghar ki badi hain," Ravi said, voice rising despite himself, "lekin yeh ghar mera hai. Aur yahan kaun reh sakta hai aur kaun nahin — yeh faisla main karunga."
His breathing grew heavier.
"Yahan jo kuch bhi hai, sab mera hai."
Outside in the hall, Yug couldn't make out every word, but he could tell Ravi was arguing. His shoulders tensed instinctively.
Inside, Ravi continued, unable to stop now.
"Aur jo paani aap iss waqt pee rahi hain, woh bhi muft nahin aata. Yeh mat bhooliye ki yeh sab Shaurya ke paise hai... jisse aapko itni nafrat mehsoos hoti hai."
At that moment, Alizeh entered, sensing the tension immediately. She stepped toward Ravi and gently held his arm.
"What's wrong?" she said softly. "Itni zor se mat bolo. Bahar tak awaaz ja rahi hai."
His grandmother muttered, "Acha hua maine Alizeh ko bula liya. Nahi toh yeh ladka pata nahi kya kar deta."
Ravi was about to respond again, but Alizeh squeezed his arm slightly, stopping him.
"Calm down. Dil mat jalao apna," she whispered, then turned politely toward his grandmother. "Dadijaan, Yug humara mehman hai. We should respect him now right?"
The older woman muttered under her breath but didn't reply.
"Ravi,let's go" Alizeh murmured, guiding him outside before the argument could restart.
When they returned to the living room, Alizeh's hand was still lightly holding Ravi's arm to keep him calm.
Yug immediately noticed Ravi's tense expression.
"Everything alright?" he asked cautiously.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Alizeh answered smoothly before Ravi could speak. "Ravi ko choti choti baaton pe gussa aa jata hai."
Yug looked at Ravi for a moment longer. He clearly didn't believe it was something small.
But he chose not to ask anything. Alizeh glanced at Ravi. He was looking at Yug.
"I'll show you your room," Ravi said quietly, gently slipping his arm out of Alizeh's hold before turning toward the staircase.
Yug stood up and followed him upstairs without a word.
The house was quieter on the upper floor, the distant sounds of conversation fading behind them as they walked down the corridor.
"Your house looks nice," Yug said, glancing around at the framed photographs and soft lighting along the hallway.
"Thanks," Ravi replied, but his voice still carried the weight of the earlier argument.
They walked a few more steps in silence before Yug spoke again.
"Are you okay?"
Ravi gave a small nod without looking at him and stopped in front of a door. He pushed it open.
"Is this room alright?" he asked. "If you don't like it, you can take mine. It's bigger."
Yug stepped inside, looking around. The room was simple but comfortable — neatly arranged bed, soft curtains, and a window letting in warm afternoon light.
He smiled faintly. "No, it's good. I like it."
Ravi finally relaxed a little at that.
"Alright," he said. "You should rest. And honestly... I need sleep too."
He pointed toward the room directly across the hallway. "I'll be there. If you need anything, just knock."
Yug nodded. "Okay."
Ravi lingered for half a second, as if he wanted to say something more, then simply turned and walked into his own room, closing the door behind him.
Yug closed the door of his room as well and crashed on the bed.
"It's only for a day. I can adjust. They're nice as well". Yug said to himself closing his eyes.