By now, I should have accepted it.
Mehul was doing things.
Things that couldn't be brushed off as coincidence.
Things that weren't just him being polite.
Things that were getting to me.
And today?
Today, he pushed it even further.
I had convinced myself that yesterday was a fluke.
That Mehul wiping chai off my sleeve was just him being precise, like he always was.
That I was imagining things.
Then morning came.
And as I reached my desk, a fresh cup of chai was already waiting for me.
I froze.
I hadn't even sat down yet.
Slowly, I turned toward Mehul.
He was already typing away, completely unbothered.
I cleared my throat. "Okay. Seriously. Are you running some kind of chai delivery service now?"
Mehul didn't look up. "You always get one this time. Saves you the trip."
I stared.
Because that sounded so normal.
So matter-of-fact.
Like he had thought about this.
Like he had noticed.
Like he had been noticing.
I swallowed, too aware of the warmth in my hands. "You don't have to do this."
Mehul finally glanced at me. "Do you not want it?"
I forgot how to breathe.
Because that was dangerous.
The way he said it.
The way his eyes stayed on mine.
The way it felt like he was asking something else entirely.
I gripped the cup tighter. "That's not what I meant."
Mehul just watched me for a second longer.
Then, finally, he nodded. "Good."
And went back to work.
Meanwhile, I sat there, holding the chai like it was a loaded weapon.
Because no.
I wasn't imagining this.
Something was happening.
And I wasn't sure if I was ready for it.
By lunch, I was fully spiraling.
Unfortunately, Arjun and Riya were ready.
They watched as I sat down, already smirking.
Riya leaned in. "So. How's your relationship going?"
I groaned. "Not this again."
Arjun grinned. "Come on, man. Let's review the evidence."
He ticked off on his fingers.
"One. He saves your seat."
"Two. He brings you chai. Multiple times."
"Three. He touches you. Casually. Like it's normal."
I scowled. "That's not—"
Riya cut me off. "Four. He sat with us. Twice."
Arjun smirked. "And five."
He leaned forward, lowering his voice dramatically.
"He notices things about you."
I froze.
Because that?
That was the one thing I couldn't deny.
Mehul noticed.
The way I liked my chai.
The time I took my breaks.
The things I did without even realizing it myself.
And that meant something.
Riya poked my arm. "Oh no. He's thinking."
Arjun sighed. "It's over. He's gone."
I buried my face in my hands. "I hate you both."
They just laughed.
Because we all knew the truth now.
I wasn't making this up.
Mehul was doing things.
And now, I had to figure out what the hell to do about it.