Aditya leaned against his car, the phone pressed to his ear, though his mind was elsewhere.
His conversation was pointless. An argument he wasn't really paying attention to.
Because then—
She walked out.
Niki.
His eyes lifted from the ground, locking onto her the moment she stepped into the dim glow of the streetlights.
And for a second, he just—looked.
She wasn't the girl he remembered.
Back in school, she was all chatter and energy, her figure softer, her presence loud. Now, she carried herself differently—more restrained, more distant.
Her dress hugged her just enough to show how much she had changed.
The neckline dipped slightly, exposing a hint of her collarbone. The sleeves barely covered her shoulders, revealing smooth skin that caught the glow of the night.
Aditya's gaze lingered.
For longer than it should have.
His brows furrowed slightly, as if trying to piece together the contrast between the girl he once knew and the woman standing in front of him now.
And then—
She looked at him.
Their eyes met.
He felt something shift in the air between them. Something tense. Something unspoken.
His grip on the phone tightened, but the argument on the other end of the line no longer mattered.
"I'll call you later," he muttered, cutting the call without waiting for a response.
His full attention was on her now.
"Are you leaving so soon?" he asked, his voice lower, quieter.
For a second, just a second, her steps hesitated.
Then, her fingers curled tighter around the strap of her bag, and she took a breath before answering—
"Yes."
She didn't stop walking.
But then, suddenly, she did.
She turned, her eyes locking onto his.
"You haven't changed at all," she said.
There was something sharp in her voice. Something bitter.
Aditya raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"In what sense?"
She scoffed. "As if you have no regrets."
Her words were a slap—sharp, unexpected.
Aditya didn't react right away.
Instead, he just...watched her.
Her shoulders were stiff, her lips pressed together. But her pulse—it fluttered at her throat.
Interesting.
A smirk ghosted across his lips before he could stop it.
"You started all this," he murmured.
Niki's expression shifted.
Shock. Barely there, but he caught it before she smoothed it over.
She masked it quickly, but Aditya had seen that split-second crack in her composure.
And for some reason, that amused him.
Without another word, he turned, walking past her, back into the restaurant.
But even as he stepped inside, he could still feel her presence behind him.
Still standing there.
Still holding onto something unsaid.
And somehow, that was the most satisfying part.
Got it! Here's the revised version with Biki as a man:
---
A few days later, Biki brought up the topic again.
"Are you sure Nikki wants to do this job?" he asked.
I leaned back in my chair, tapping the pen against the desk. "You have to tell her that she can do the job. I'll prepare the contract and give it to you."
Biki crossed his arms. "Alright… but after she signs it, should I tell her who the owner is?"
"Not at first," I said firmly.
He frowned. "Why? She's an old friend."
I exhaled slowly. "Exactly."
Biki studied me for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. But she's gonna find out sooner or later."
I knew that too. And when she did, I wasn't sure how she'd react.
---
And the day is arrived ....