The next day brought another test—this time, not verbal, but logistical. Aarav had an important work call, and the living room was his domain for the afternoon. Ishita, meanwhile, had promised herself she would study some old family documents for her mother.
Neither expected to cross paths.
Until Ishita's laptop charger tripped over his carefully arranged cable.
Aarav spun around, frowning. "Careful!"
Ishita raised her hands defensively. "It's not my fault the wires are… everywhere."
"They are not everywhere. They are exactly where I placed them. Please, do not touch my things," he said firmly.
"Your things?" she repeated, a smirk playing on her lips. "Is this now officially your house?"
"I share it," he said. "With rules."
"And who made the rules?" she challenged, leaning against the sofa with a teasing tilt of her head.
Aarav narrowed his eyes. "I did."
"I see." Ishita smiled faintly, her eyes sparkling. "So I guess breaking them would be considered… rebellion?"
For a moment, Aarav just stared, caught between irritation and an unusual amusement he refused to acknowledge. "Yes," he said finally, voice low. "Consider it rebellion."
And there it was—an invisible line drawn. Neither crossed it, yet both felt the tension intensify, like the air before a storm.
That evening, as they prepared dinner side by side, something unexpected happened. Aarav handed Ishita a bowl of chopped vegetables. Their fingers brushed. Neither pulled away.
A silence fell, heavy with unspoken thoughts.
"You're… efficient," Ishita said quietly, almost against her will.
"And you're… precise," Aarav replied, equally quietly.
It was small. Insignificant, perhaps. Yet both felt the shift. Their boundaries were still in place, but the edges were softer, more flexible. For the first time, they weren't just polite or defensive—they were noticing each other.
Later that night, as Ishita lay in bed, she admitted, only to herself: Aarav's presence had begun to matter. She would never admit it aloud, not yet—but the thought lingered, sweet and dangerous.
Aarav, in his own room, felt the same. He had promised himself boundaries, but the quiet tug of curiosity about Ishita was growing, creeping into moments he hadn't anticipated.
Neither wanted to give in.
But the first cracks in their walls had begun.