Chapter 39 - A Feeling He Couldnt Name #3
Every instruction was perfectly timed.
Within minutes, they had reached the final stage.
Meanwhile...
On the other side-
"Rohan!"
Naina groaned.
"That's our teammate!"
"I thought he was the enemy!"
"You've eliminated me three times already!" Sidharth protested.
"I said sorry!"
"Your apologies don't increase my score!"
Shanaya laughed so hard she nearly forgot to dodge an attack.
Siddharth pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I've never seen someone sabotage their own team so efficiently."
"It takes talent," Rohan replied proudly.
"It takes confusion," naina corrected.
Back on Team One...
Only one opponent remained.
Kabir looked around dramatically.
"Who wants the final hit?"
"You take it," Dev said.
Kabir shook his head.
"Nah."
He turned toward Aadhira.
"Ladies first."
Aadhira smiled.
"You've been waiting for the last shot since the game started."
"I can be generous."
"So generous that you're lying."
Kabir laughed.
"Fine."
"You caught me."
Just then-
The final enemy suddenly appeared behind Aadhira.
Before she could react-
Arjun instinctively stepped in front of her.
"I've got it."
His avatar blocked the attack before eliminating the final opponent.
MISSION COMPLETE
A loud victory tune echoed through the room.
Their headsets automatically switched off.
Kabir removed his headset first.
"We won!"
He threw both hands into the air dramatically.
"I'd like to thank my wonderful teammates."
Rohan walked over from the opposite side.
"No."
"I refuse."
Kabir looked offended.
"Jealousy doesn't suit you."
"I'm not jealous."
"I'm exhausted."
Everyone burst into laughter.
The final scores appeared.
Team One - 198 Points
Team Two - 189 Points
Kabir immediately began celebrating as though he had won an international championship.
"I knew we'd win!"
"You've been saying that since breakfast," Dev reminded him with a laugh.
"Because I believed in us."
"You believed in yourself."
"There is a difference."
"There really isn't," Dev replied.
Aadhira shook her head with an amused smile.
"You never change."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
While everyone continued teasing each other, Arjun quietly looked at Aadhira.
She looked...
Happy.
Not the polite smile she wore during business meetings.
Not the calm expression she always maintained.
She was genuinely enjoying herself.
Her eyes sparkled with laughter.
Her smile reached her eyes.
She looked...
Beautiful.
His gaze lingered a second longer than it should have.
"Ahem."
Kabir suddenly appeared beside him.
"What?"
Arjun asked, startled.
Kabir smirked.
"Nothing."
"You've been staring at our team's MVP."
"I wasn't."
"Oh?"
"I was just thinking."
"About?"
"The game."
Kabir nodded slowly, pretending to believe him.
"Of course."
Before Arjun could say anything else, Kabir casually slung an arm around Aadhira's shoulder.
"Come on, partner."
"Our victory deserves dessert."
Aadhira laughed.
"You really haven't forgotten that?"
"Absolutely not."
"I take desserts very seriously."
Arjun watched them walk toward the café.
For reasons he still couldn't explain...
His mood dropped again.
Dev noticed him standing there.
"You coming?"
Arjun blinked.
"Yeah."
The group spent the next hour at the hotel's dessert café.
Chocolate lava cake.
Cheesecake.
Ice cream.
Milkshakes.
The table was filled with sweets and endless laughter.
"This is the best part of today," Rohan declared between bites.
Naina looked at the mountain of desserts in front of him.
"You've said that after every meal."
"Because every meal has been the best."
"You have no standards."
"I have excellent standards."
"They just involve food."
Everyone laughed.
As evening slowly settled outside, they finally left the recreation floor and headed to a nearby restaurant inside the hotel for dinner.
The conversation never stopped.
They talked about embarrassing childhood memories, college incidents, terrible cooking experiments and funny travel stories.
For a brief moment...
There were no business rivalries.
No responsibilities.
No hidden secrets.
Just friends enjoying each other's company.
By the time they returned to their rooms, everyone was exhausted.
Outside the suite, Aadhira looked at Arjun.
"Today was fun."
"It was."
A small silence settled between them.
Then she smiled.
"Good night, Arjun."
"Good night... Aadhira."
She walked inside the room.
Arjun closed the door behind them before leaning against it for a moment.
His eyes unconsciously searched for her.
She was already arranging tomorrow's clothes as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
He watched quietly.
Then...
Without realizing it...
A small smile appeared on his face.
Why does simply seeing her make me feel... lighter?
He didn't know the answer.
But one thing was certain.
The feeling in his heart was no longer something he could ignore.
It was growing.
Slowly.
Silently.
And before he realized it...
It would change everything.
To Be Continued...