105.
"Yes, what's up?" Yug said, glancing at his phone as he answered.
"Bitch, I've been calling you for days," Eve snapped from the other side. "Why didn't you pick up?"
Yug paused for a second.
"I was busy with work," he said finally.
Even to his own ears, it sounded weak.
Because the truth was—his mind hadn't been on work at all.
It had been stuck somewhere else.
On Ravi.
"And I had a meeting this morning," he added quickly, trying to cover it up.
Eve narrowed her eyes through the screen.
"That I can see," she said. "You're all dressed up."
Yug glanced down at himself briefly.
"So?" he shrugged. "How are you doing?"
Eve groaned dramatically, resting her face in her palms.
"I'm going insane here," she said. "First of all, it's so hard to understand people. I have to use sign language half the time."
Yug chuckled softly.
"And secondly," she continued, her voice softening, "I miss India. I miss Aarya... I miss all of you."
She looked at him properly now.
"How's she doing?"
"She's good," Yug replied. "Settling in well in Amritnagar."
A small pause.
"By the way," he added, "are you coming for the wedding?"
Eve's head shot up instantly.
"You're getting married?" she almost shouted. "Why didn't you tell me? With who?"
Yug blinked, then shook his head.
"No, I'm not getting married," he said. "I meant Aarav."
"Oh—" Eve let out a breath, then laughed at herself. "Right. Yeah, Aarav called me. I'll be there a month before, so relax."
Yug nodded.
"I just hope Aarav's actually happy this time," she muttered. "Or I swear, I'll beat the crap out of Shaurya. He's so egoistic."
Yug smirked faintly.
"Do me a favor," he said. "Land a few punches for me too."
Eve grinned.
"Oh, I will."
Then, as if remembering something—
"Oh, and by the way... Ravi told me you were at his place."
Yug froze.
His expression didn't change much, but something in his eyes flickered.
"You guys... talk?" he asked, a hint of disbelief slipping through.
Eve shrugged casually.
"Yeah. We text sometimes."
Yug looked down at his phone.
The screen felt heavier in his hand.
Seventy-six hours.
It had been seventy-six hours since Ravi left.
Not a single message.
Not even a "reached safely."
And yet—
He had time to text Eve.
"Yeah," Yug said absentmindedly.
Eve continued, unaware of the shift in his mood.
"He told me you came over for Eid. Did you have fun?"
Yug nodded slowly.
"It was... good."
A pause.
His jaw tightened just a little.
Except most of his family probably hates me now.
"Hey, I've gotta go!" Eve suddenly said. "My boss is calling me."
"Yeah, sure."
He pressed his lips together and looked down at his phone.
"Should I text him?" he muttered.
His thumb hovered over the screen—
Then his thoughts spiraled.
Wait... didn't he say he kind of liked Eve?
And then suddenly—me?
Yug scoffed under his breath.
"God, why didn't I think of this earlier..." he murmured. "He's playing with me."
His jaw clenched.
"With me... and with her too. I swear, I'm going to—"
His phone buzzed.
Ravi.
Yug picked it up instantly.
"What?" he snapped.
"Chill, man," Ravi's voice came, calm but amused. "What's wrong?"
"You're disturbing me."
A pause.
"I didn't talk to you for three days, and that's what you say?" Ravi replied.
Yug let out a dry laugh.
"Oh, so you do realize that? I thought your clock stopped working."
"I was busy."
"So busy you couldn't even text once?" Yug shot back. "I know what you were busy with."
Ravi frowned slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You could've called me too, you know," he added.
Yug cursed under his breath.
"Are you scared of your phone bills or something?" Ravi teased.
"Just hang up. Seriously."
"No," Ravi said, softer now. "I want to see your face."
Before Yug could protest, the call switched to video.
Ravi appeared on the screen—lying casually, a faint smile on his lips.
"Damn," he said, squinting. "Your face is so red. Don't be this mad at me."
Yug frowned—
Then his expression shifted.
There was a bruise on Ravi's cheek.
Another near his lip.
"What the hell happened to your face?" Yug asked immediately.
Ravi shrugged. "Training."
"What kind of training leaves your face like that? Someone clearly punched you."
"It's just boxing."
Yug stared at him for a second.
Then looked away.
"...I didn't think I'd ever find it satisfying to see you get punched," he muttered.
Ravi rolled his eyes, a small smile still there.
"Why do you hate me so much?" he asked, shifting as he lay down more comfortably.
Yug didn't answer.
The silence stretched—
Until Ravi spoke again.
"Did you seriously get mad because I didn't call for three days?" he asked, voice teasing now. "You missing me?"
"Missing you?" Yug scoffed. "My ass."
But his gaze drifted back to Ravi's face.
To the bruises.
To the way he looked... tired.
There was something else he wanted to ask.
Something that had been bothering him since Eve mentioned it.
"Ravi..." Yug started, a bit more hesitant now. "Can I ask you something?"
Ravi yawned slightly.
"Yeah, go ahead."
"You told me you liked Eve, right?"
Ravi frowned.
"Uh... no? I said I liked her personality, I think."
"Same thing."
"No, it's not."
Yug exhaled, annoyed.
"Fine. Do you like her?"
Ravi blinked at him.
"Are you on drugs?" he deadpanned. "Why are we even talking about her?"
Yug immediately shut up.
Why am I acting like this?
He can just be friends with her...
Ravi's voice pulled him back.
"Hey?"
"Yeah," Yug replied quietly.
Ravi shifted again, now lying on his side, looking straight into the camera.
"Do you want to say something?" he asked, softer this time.
Yug hesitated.
Then sighed.
"Why do you like me?"
Ravi groaned instantly.
"And that is the dumbest question you've asked so far."
"I'm serious," Yug insisted. "People usually like someone because of how they look at first. That doesn't exactly apply here."
Ravi smirked faintly.
"Right. Because you have no hair."
Yug rolled his eyes.
"Can you be serious for once?"
There was a pause.
Yug's voice dropped a little.
"Just... tell me."
This time—
Ravi didn't joke immediately.
And the silence between them—
Felt different.
"I don't know," Ravi said quietly. "I just know that I like you... a lot."
Yug 's chest made that weird sensation again.
"I like everything about you," Ravi continued. "The way you talk... the way you scrunch your nose when you smile—"
He paused, a faint grin appearing.
"—which is rare, because you're usually mad about something. Or maybe you just hate seeing my face."
Yug blinked, caught off guard.
Jeez... I didn't know he could talk like that.
He lifted his hand and rubbed his ear unconsciously.
"And you do that," Ravi said instantly.
Yug froze.
"That thing," Ravi added, smiling lazily. "You rub your ears when you're blushing."
Yug immediately dropped his hand.
"You're drunk today," he muttered. "Go to sleep."
He placed his phone against the pen stand and leaned forward, resting his head on his palms, still looking at him.
Ravi didn't stop.
"I like you even if you're bald. You look so good," he said casually.
Yug scoffed. "In my defense... not anymore."
Ravi ignored that.
"I like the mole near your left ear," he continued. "And the ones on your back."
Yug went still.
A beat passed.
He's seen me... naked.
The memory hit all at once—and it did nothing to calm his already racing mind.
"I want to see you naked again."
Yug's eyes snapped up.
He glared at the screen.
"You should really think before speaking," he said flatly.
Ravi didn't smile this time.
"I—"
"Shut up," Yug cut him off.
Silence.
Yug's gaze shifted back to Ravi's face.
To the bruises.
They looked worse now that he was actually paying attention.
This... this is just boxing, he told himself.
But he knew better.
The world Ravi was in—
It wasn't harmless.
And that thought sat heavy in his chest.
What if something actually happens to him?
I don't even get to see him every day...
This is exactly why I hate long-distance things.
A pause.
Wait... are we even in a relationship?
We never even talked about that.
His thoughts were cut off.
"I'm hanging up," Ravi said suddenly. "I've got some work."
Yug looked up.
"Oh... okay," he said, nodding slightly.
"I'll call you soon."
The call ended.
The room fell quiet again.
Yug let out a slow breath.
Then—
Ping.
A notification popped up.
Ravi posted something on Instagram.
Yug frowned slightly and opened it.
It was a picture.
A screenshot.
From their video call.
Yug stared at it for a second.
"What the—" he muttered.
Then exhaled.
It's not like anyone else would see it.
Ravi followed no one.
His account was private.
Still...
A small smile crept onto Yug's face.
"Kaddu kahika," he mumbled under his breath.
He rested his head on the table, scrolling through Ravi's account lazily.
His fingers paused on that one picture again—
Ravi.
Shaurya.
Veer.
Standing together on a beach, the sun setting behind them.
Yug's expression softened.
He stared at the picture a little longer. His phone rang again.
Another notification.