The project was over.
I should've moved on.
Gone back to my usual routine. Focused on work. Stopped thinking about Mehul.
But apparently, my brain had other plans.
Because it was Friday night, and instead of relaxing, instead of going out, instead of doing literally anything else—
I was staring at my phone.
Wondering if I should text him.
All week, we had been working together.
Emails. Meetings. Reports. Chai breaks.
And now?
Nothing.
No updates to check.
No files to review.
No reason to casually walk over to his desk.
And I hated it.
I told myself I was just adjusting.
That after spending so much time around someone, it was normal to notice their absence.
That it wasn't because I wanted to hear his voice.
That it wasn't because I missed the way he looked up whenever I spoke.
That it wasn't because I wanted an excuse to talk to him.
Except—it was.
And that was a problem.
I opened WhatsApp.
Scrolled through my chats.
Stopped at his name.
Mehul.
He hadn't messaged me. Obviously.
Why would he? We didn't have a reason to talk anymore.
But that didn't stop me from staring at his name, overthinking.
Would it be weird to text him first?
What would I even say?
Hey, how's it going? (Too casual.)
So, miss me yet? (Too much.)
Want to get chai? (Dangerous.)
I sighed, dropping my phone onto the table.
This was ridiculous.
I was ridiculous.
I forced myself to focus on something else.
Netflix. YouTube. Scrolling through social media.
Anything to distract me.
It didn't work.
Because even while watching a random documentary, even while mindlessly liking posts, even while trying to convince myself I wasn't being pathetic—
My phone buzzed.
I glanced at the screen.
And then—froze.
Mehul.
He had messaged me first.
I stared, half convinced I was imagining it.
Then, hesitantly, I opened the chat.
Mehul: Are you free tomorrow?
My stomach flipped.
I blinked. Read it again.
What—?
I scrambled to type a response, then stopped.
Because what the hell did this mean?
Was it about work?
Was it something important?
Was he just… asking?
I had no idea.
But one thing was certain.
I was definitely not moving on.