Life went on..

Ananya visited NGO now and again searching for a familiar face thinking he was different from others but destiny and life had other plans. Life went on…Days turned into weeks.And the world didn’t pause for unanswered questions or unfinished moments.Ananya still visited the NGO whenever she could.The children would run to her the moment she entered, wrapping their tiny arms around her as if she had never been gone.She smiled, laughed, taught them, fed them…But somewhere in between all of that her eyes searched.Not obviously.Not enough for anyone else to notice.But enough for her to feel it.A familiar face.A quiet presence leaning against the wall.A voice calling the kids into a line.

Kabir.But he wasn’t there.Not anymore. At first, she told herself he must be busy.After all, he wasn’t like her.He belonged to a different world.A world of power, responsibility, expectations.A world that probably didn’t have time for small NGO visits and laughter-filled afternoons.Her eyes would drift to the gate every time a car passed.Just for a second.Just in case.

Kabir, on the other hand, was exactly where he was expected to be.Meetings.Rallies.Endless conversations filled with strategy and calculations.Every day, he stood beside his father, learning, observing, becoming what everyone expected him to become.Strong.Controlled.Untouchable.But something was… off. In the middle of speeches, his mind would drift. In the silence of his room, his thoughts would wander. To a courtyard filled with colors. To children laughing. To a girl who didn’t care about power or status. To Ananya.He tried to ignore it.Tried to convince himself it was nothing.Just a moment.Just a passing feeling.But the more he tried to push it away the clearer it became.

One evening, Ananya sat on the steps outside the NGO after the children had gone inside.The sky was painted in soft shades of orange and pink.Quiet.Peaceful.But her heart felt restless.“Didi, are you waiting for someone?”A small voice broke her thoughts.She looked down to see one of the little girls staring at her curiously.Ananya smiled softly.“No.”The girl tilted her head.Then why do you keep looking at the gate?Ananya froze for a second.Then she laughed lightly, brushing it off.“I’m not waiting.”But even as she said it…She knew it wasn’t completely true.Miles away, Kabir stood on the balcony of his house, staring at the city lights.His phone was in his hand.Unlocked. He had people following her looking after her that she is safe he had her photo smiling playing with the kids he felt something in his heart something more than love something he can't name right away something he knew he can't name. It felt like there was something unfinished between them.Something that hadn’t been given a chance to begin.Kabir exhaled slowly.For the first time in his life he felt something he couldn’t control. And there is something about people in power and in love they can't let go of things and position they have to always feel in control of everything.And he didn’t know what to do with it.

Ananya's POV

Back at the NGO, Ananya finally stood up to leave.She took one last glance at the gate.Empty.Just like every other day.She smiled faintly, shaking her head at herself.“Maybe some people are just meant to pass through your life,” she whispered.And with that, she walked away.But destiny…had other plans.

NEXT DAY :

The city was unusually crowded that day.Banners, posters, and loudspeakers filled the streets.Ananya adjusted her dupatta as she stepped out of the auto, slightly overwhelmed by the chaos around her.She looked up.A large banner hung across the road.A political event.She sighed softly.“Great… just what I needed today.”She wasn’t here for this. One of her professors had insisted she attend the event for exposure “You want civil services, Ananya. You need to understand politics from the ground.”So here she was. In the middle of a world she didn’t entirely trust.

Meanwhile, on the stageKabir stood beside his father.Dressed in a crisp kurta, composed, confident everything he was expected to be.The crowd cheered as his father addressed them.Kabir nodded occasionally, acknowledging people, playing his part perfectly.But inside he felt disconnected. Until His eyes drifted across the crowd.And then stopped.For a moment, everything went silent.There she was.Standing slightly away from the crowd, looking around with the same curious, slightly annoyed expression.

Ananya.

Kabir’s heart skipped. It had been weeks.And yet. It felt like no time had passed at all.Ananya turned her head slightly…And froze.Their eyes met.The noise of the crowd faded into the background.For a few seconds, neither of them moved.There was surprise.Confusion.And something unspoken lingering between them.Kabir recovered first.He stepped down from the stage before anyone could question him.Ignoring the curious looks, ignoring the calls behind him.His focus was only on one person.

Ananya.

She watched him walk toward her.Each step steady.Confident.Dangerously familiar.Her heart started beating faster, and she didn’t know why.When he finally stood in front of her, there was a brief silence.Ananya blinked, slightly thrown off. I could say the same about you.A faint smile appeared on his lips.I’ve been busy.She nodded “Clearly.”There was a slight edge in her voice.Not anger.But something close to disappointment.Kabir noticed.“You stopped coming,” she added quietly.Kabir held her gaze.“I didn’t stop thinking about it.”The words slipped out before he could stop himself.Ananya looked at him, surprised.For a moment, the world around them felt irrelevant.Then reality returned.The loudspeakers.The crowd.The banners.His father’s voice echoing in the background.Ananya stepped back slightly.“This is your world,” she said.Kabir frowned.“And the NGO isn’t?”She shook her head. No. That place… that’s real.”Her words hit deeper than she intended.Kabir’s expression changed slightly.“And this isn’t?” he asked.Ananya hesitated. It feels like a performance.”There it was.The truth.Unfiltered.Kabir let out a quiet breath.“You think I’m pretending?”Ananya looked at him carefully.“I think… you don’t belong here as much as you pretend to.”Silence.Heavy.Tense.Because somewhere deep down.Kabir knew she wasn’t entirely wrong.

A voice interrupted them.

“Kabir!”Both of them turned.His father stood a few steps away, watching them. Observing. Analysing . Ananya immediately straightened.Kabir’s expression hardened slightly.The moment was broken.But something had already shifted.Because this time their meeting didn’t feel like coincidence. It felt like the beginning of something complicated.The drive back home was silent.Kabir sat in the backseat of the car, staring out of the window as the city lights blurred past.His father hadn’t said word since the event.And somehow that silence felt more dangerous than anger.The car finally stopped outside the Malhotra residence.Kabir stepped out, already knowing what was coming.“Study room,” his father said calmly.Not a request.An order.

The room was dimly lit.Heavy wooden shelves, files stacked neatly, the faint smell of old paper and power.Kabir walked in, his posture straight.His father stood near the desk, removing his watch slowly.A small, controlled movement.The kind that meant he was thinking.Calculating.“Who is she?”The question came without warning.Kabir didn’t pretend.“Her name is Ananya.”“I know her name.”His father turned to face him.“I asked—who is she to you?”There was a pause.Kabir held his gaze.“She’s someone who works at the NGO.”

His father let out a short, humourless laugh.“Don’t insult my intelligence, Kabir.”

Silence. Heavy. Sharp.“I saw the way you walked off the stage,” his father continued, his voice still calm—but colder now.“In the middle of a political event.”His eyes hardened.“For her.”Kabir didn’t deny it.That alone said enough.

His father walked closer, each step slow and deliberate.“You are not a boy anymore,” he said quietly....“You don’t have the luxury of acting on impulse.”Kabir’s jaw tightened slightly.“I wasn’t acting on impulse.”His father’s gaze sharpened.“No?”

“No,” Kabir said, his voice steady.“I saw someone I know. I went to talk.”The air grew tense.“And do you do that with everyone you know?” his father asked.Kabir didn’t respond.Because they both knew the answer.His father sighed, but there was no softness in it.“Listen carefully, Kabir.”His voice dropped lower.“Your life is no longer just yours.”Every word landed with weight.“Every person you are seen with, every move you make—people watch, people talk, people use it.”Kabir clenched his fist slightly.“She’s not like that.”The response came instantly.Protective.Without hesitation.And that was the problem.

His father noticed it.Of course he did.A faint, dangerous understanding crossed his face.“That is exactly why she is a problem.Kabir’s expression hardened.“She’s not a problem.”His father’s voice rose just slightly.“She is a distraction.”Silence.Then....“No,” Kabir said firmly.Something shifted.Because this time, he didn’t back down.For the first time, his father’s calm cracked just a little.

“You think this is a game?” he asked sharply.“You think emotions don’t cost anything in this world?”Kabir stepped forward slightly.“I think not everything has to be about politics.”A mistake.A big one.The room went completely still.His father looked at him like he had just said something unforgivable.“Everything,” he said slowly, “is about politics.”Each word was controlled.Dangerous.Your friendships. Your relationships. Your choices.He paused. Even that girl.Kabir’s voice lowered.But not for her.

His father smiled faintly.Cold. You are naïve.The word hit harder than anger.She may not understand this world, his father continued, but that doesn’t mean the world won’t reach her.

Kabir felt something tighten in his chest. You don’t get to drag someone innocent into this.The warning was clear now.Not just about him.About Ananya.

Kabir took a step forward.And what exactly are you implying?His father met his eyes directly.I’m saying stay away from her.Kabir didn’t respond immediately.Because for the first timeThis wasn’t just about control.This was a line being drawn.Between his father’s world…And something he didn’t fully understand yet but didn’t want to lose.Kabir exhaled slowly and when he spoke his voice was calm.But firm. can’t promise that.The room fell into complete silence.His father stared at him.Really stared. As if seeing him differently for the first time.Not as a son.But as someone who could become a problem.

Be careful, Kabir he said quietly.Some choices don’t just affect you.

A pause.“They destroy everything around you.” Kabir didn’t look away.Or maybe, he said just as quietly, they’re the only things that make life worth anything.That night.Neither of them won.But something had begun.

A silent war.

to be continued....