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1. Can't Stand You

Morning light slipped through the sheer curtains of Aaina Menon's bedroom.

She stretched under the sheets for a second, eyes still closed, enjoying that tiny moment where the day hadn't started demanding things from her yet. Then she opened them and smiled.

Mornings were her favourite. Quiet. Clean. No emails, no calls, no idiots.

She walked to the bathroom, humming some song that had been stuck in her head for days. The shower started with a hiss, then warm water poured down, and just like that, she felt human again.

This was her place to think. Or not think. Depends on the mood.

By the time she stepped out, wrapped in a towel, the room smelled faintly of coconut shampoo. She dried her hair, already thinking about breakfast.

Aaina got dressed quickly—a denim skirt, plain T-shirt, black heels. Effortless enough to look casual, polished enough to fool people into thinking she was organised.

She grabbed her bag and stepped out of the apartment.

Breakfast was non-negotiable. Best meal of the day, and she would die on that hill.

A few blocks away was her favourite Udupi restaurant, the kind of place that never disappointed. Their medu vada was crisp, hot, perfect every single time.

Outside, the city was already in motion. Cars honking, people rushing, someone yelling into a phone like the person on the other end had personally ruined their life.

Aaina smiled and kept walking.

She loved this part of the morning too. The chaos before her own began.

Meanwhile, Kabir Mehra was waking up to a very different kind of morning.

His alarm went off like it had personal beef with him. Kabir groaned, reached out blindly, and smacked it silent before it could ruin his life any further.

He sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, then glanced at the framed photo on his bedside table.

His father.

It was habit now. Every morning, that one look. A quiet pause before the day began. The man had shaped more of Kabir than he liked to admit.

He got out of bed and stretched, the cool morning air hitting him hard enough to wake whatever sleep was left in his system.

Jeans. Shirt. Cardigan.

Simple, clean, no drama. Fashion had never really interested him. As long as it fit and didn't look like a public apology, he was fine. His attention usually lived somewhere else—ideas, deadlines, half-finished concepts, things he wanted to build.

Living alone meant mornings were mostly silent, and he'd grown used to that.

He made breakfast quickly, barely tasting any of it while his brain ran ten steps ahead. Today mattered. There was a pitch meeting at EpicArc, and Aaina would definitely be there, armed with questions sharp enough to draw blood.

He grabbed his bag, already stuffed with notes, sketches, and scraps for his latest game idea, then headed out.

The city was still rubbing sleep from its eyes as he drove through it.

Kabir felt that familiar mix settle in his chest—equal parts excitement and nerves.

Another workday.

Another chance to prove himself.

Aaina strode through the busy lobby of EpicArc, her heels clicking sharply against the polished marble floor as she checked her watch. Just enough time for coffee before the pitch meeting. Barely. She was heading toward the elevators when she noticed Kabir Mehra approaching from the opposite side, looking annoyingly put together for this hour of the morning.

Their eyes met, and the familiar spark of rivalry passed between them without a word.

"Morning, Aaina," Kabir said as he reached the elevator doors, his tone calm, though that usual edge was still there.

"Morning, Kabir," she replied with a tight smile. "Nice to see punctuality finally found you."

He ignored the jab and stepped forward. "Looks like my team's taking the first elevator."

"Not so fast." Aaina moved in front of him smoothly, blocking his path without breaking eye contact. "We were here first."

Behind them, both teams slowed to a stop, already resigned to whatever nonsense was about to happen. Priya glanced at the elevator, then at them. "There's room for everyone, you know."

Raj nodded. "Yeah. We could all just go together like functioning adults."

"No," Aaina and Kabir said at the same time.

Neither looked away.

Aaina crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Fine. Let's settle it properly. Rock, paper, scissors."

Kabir raised an eyebrow. "You cannot be serious."

"What's wrong?" she asked sweetly. "Scared of losing?"

He gave a short laugh. "Please."

They counted down together, threw their hands, and Kabir's scissors cut straight through her paper.

He looked smug instantly. It was revolting.

"Scissors beat paper," he said.

"Wow," Aaina replied dryly. "Thank you. I'd have spent the rest of my life confused otherwise."

She stepped aside with exaggerated grace, allowing him to pass, then shoved him squarely between the shoulders.

Kabir stumbled forward half a step, caught himself, and turned so quickly she barely had time to blink before he grabbed her wrist.

"Oh no," he said, pulling her toward the elevator. "If I'm going in, you're coming with me."

Their teams piled in after them, openly entertained now. The elevator filled fast, leaving Aaina and Kabir standing shoulder to shoulder near the front. His hand was still wrapped around her wrist. Neither of them mentioned it. Neither made any effort to change it.

An elderly woman squeezed in just before the doors closed. She looked at them, then smiled warmly.

"What a lovely couple."

Aaina nearly choked.

Kabir looked offended on a spiritual level.

"You remind me of my husband and me when we were young," the woman continued. "Always arguing. Very passionate."

"We're not a couple," Aaina and Kabir said together.

Perfectly in sync.

The woman only chuckled. "That's how it starts."

Behind them, Priya had to bite her lip to stop laughing, while Raj fully gave up and looked at the ceiling.

When the elevator reached their floor, everyone shuffled out first. Kabir finally released her wrist, then leaned in slightly as he stepped past her.

"See you in the meeting, bitch," he muttered.

Aaina smiled with terrifying sweetness and adjusted her skirt.

"My idea's going to win, asshole."

Then she walked out first, because obviously she would.

The conference room at EpicArc was filled with chatter as everyone gathered for the morning meeting. The big game launch was on the agenda, and the team was eager for updates. Kriti, the department manager, took her place at the head of the table.

Aaina and Kabir sat at opposite ends, with their teams on either side. The tension between them was obvious, but both of them tried to keep their attention on the meeting.

"Alright, team," Kriti said, looking around the room. "Before we get into the game launch, I heard there was a bit of a... disagreement this morning. Anyone care to explain?"

Kabir leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Nothing serious. Just a small elevator issue with Aaina. Even though I won rock-paper-scissors, she still didn't let my team take the elevator first."

Kriti raised an eyebrow. "The elevator fits twenty people, Kabir. Why didn't you just share?"

Aaina rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because getting trapped in a metal box with him sounds like a dream."

A few people at the table tried not to laugh.

"Oh," Kriti said, nodding slowly. "You know, I've never really understood this rivalry between you two. You're not even competing directly. We value everyone's ideas here at EpicArc, but your work doesn't overlap much." She looked between them. "So what's the deal?"

Before either of them could answer, the door creaked open, and the elderly woman from the elevator walked in.

"Beta," she called warmly.

Kriti turned, surprised. "Ma? What are you doing here?"

The woman smiled brightly. "Just came to check on you. And oh, I saw that cute couple from the elevator this morning."

Kriti's eyebrows went up. "Couple?"

"Yes, these two," the woman said, pointing at Aaina and Kabir. "They were adorable, arguing like an old married couple."

Kriti smirked and looked at them. "Really, Ma? That's some interesting news." She raised a brow. "But why are you here now? Is it urgent? If not, maybe wait outside? We're in the middle of a meeting."

The woman smiled fondly. "Of course, baccha. It's nothing urgent. I just wanted to speak to you about something, but I'll wait till your meeting is done."

With that, she turned and walked out.

Kriti looked back at Aaina and Kabir, a teasing smile forming on her face.

"So, are you two actually a couple pretending to be enemies?"

Aaina scoffed. "Not a chance. My standards aren't dropping that low."

Kabir shot her a look. "Please. Even if you were the last woman on Earth, I wouldn't choose you."

Still looking confused, Kriti frowned slightly. "Then what exactly made Ma think you two were a cute couple fighting in public?"

Aaina shrugged, mischief clear in her eyes. "No idea. But he was holding my wrist in the elevator. Maybe she thought he was falling for a beauty like me."

"Sorry, what? Beauty?" Kabir cut in with a scoff. "Where, Miss Menon? I must've missed it. And for the record, I didn't even realise I was holding your hand until the crowd cleared."

Aaina gave him a smug smile. "Wow. Didn't know touching my hand could make you lose all sense of time."

"Oh please," Kabir groaned, standing up so suddenly his chair scraped loudly against the floor. "Can someone get this woman out of her damn delusion?"

He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

The room went silent. Everyone looked at each other awkwardly.

Kriti let out a breath and rubbed her temples. "Alright. Let's just get back to the game launch details. We'll deal with... whatever this is later."

Aaina tried to focus again, but her thoughts were already elsewhere.

Delusion? Really?

I'm pretty. He knows I'm pretty.

He just won't admit it because that male ego of his is hanging on by a thread.

That's all this is.

He knows I'm beautiful. He just can't say it.

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2. His Damn Cardigan

The lunchtime chatter filled the cafeteria as employees caught up on projects, deadlines, and weekend plans. Aaina walked through the crowd, balancing a tray loaded with her favourite dishes. She spotted an empty table across the room and headed for it, only to notice Kabir walking toward the same seat from the other side.

“Oh, just perfect,” she muttered under her breath.

They reached the table at the same time and stopped, both glaring, as if neither was willing to lose this completely pointless battle.

Before either of them could start, Raj appeared out of nowhere with a grin. “Look at this. The dream team.”

He pulled out the chair between them and sat down.

Aaina and Kabir both rolled their eyes but took the remaining seats anyway, with enough grumbling to make it clear this was not by choice.

Lunch was surprisingly peaceful for a while.

Then they both got up to grab a drink.

Kabir reached the cooler first and held up a bottle. “Last one.”

Aaina immediately reached for it. “Give it here. I saw it first.”

“Uh, no, you didn’t,” Kabir said, lifting it just out of her reach.

The argument was already building when Raj stepped in, took the bottle from Kabir, grabbed two cups, and poured half into each.

“There,” he said, handing them over. “Problem solved. You both get some.”

Aaina crossed her arms. “I don’t want to share my juice with him.”

Kabir smirked. “Yeah, same. I’m doing just fine without sharing with her.”

Raj let out a long sigh, clearly tired of both of them. “You know, if either of you used your brains for five seconds, you’d realise how much you have in common. And that’s not a bad thing.”

They both scoffed, but took the cups anyway and sat back down to finish lunch.

A few minutes later, Raj got up for a meeting, leaving Aaina and Kabir alone at the table, quietly eating in a silence that somehow still felt argumentative.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

When the cafeteria started to empty, Aaina stood and brushed a few crumbs off her denim skirt. Kabir got up too, pushing his chair back with more force than necessary. They threw their trays away in silence, neither bothering to start another pointless argument.

They were about to leave when Kabir noticed a dark stain on the back of her skirt.

He stopped for a second.

For once, there was no sarcastic comment ready, no smug remark, no need to win something stupid. Instinct took over before pride could.

He slipped off his cardigan and walked over to her while she checked her phone.

“Aaina, wait.”

His voice was quieter than usual.

She looked up, confused. “What now, Kabir?”

Without answering, he stepped behind her, wrapped the cardigan around her waist, and tied the sleeves loosely in front.

Aaina froze.

The warmth of the fabric hit first. Then the fact that Kabir Mehra was being... gentle.

She turned to look at him, still processing. “What are you doing?”

“There’s a stain on your skirt,” he said quietly. “Thought you’d want to cover it.”

Her eyes widened as it clicked.

“Oh.”

A beat passed.

“I didn’t even notice. Thanks.”

Kabir gave a small shrug, as if it was nothing worth mentioning. “It’s fine.”

Heat rushed to her face as embarrassment settled in.

Great.

“I must’ve started my period,” she muttered. “Just perfect.”

Kabir glanced around, then leaned closer so only she could hear.

“Don’t stress. I’ve got you covered.”

She looked at him for a moment, then nodded.

“Thanks, Kabir. Seriously.”

They walked back to their floor together. Kabir stayed beside her the whole way, casual enough not to make it obvious, but aware enough to make sure no one noticed anything.

Aaina found herself strangely grateful.

Maybe there was more to him than the insufferable man who fought over elevators and juice bottles.

When they reached their cabins, Kabir gave her a nod.

“See you in the next meeting.”

His usual competitive tone was still there, just softer around the edges.

Aaina nodded back, a faint smile touching her lips.

“Yeah. See you.”

They went their separate ways, both quieter than before, both more distracted than they’d admit.

Before leaving, Aaina knocked on the door to Kabir’s cabin.

“Come in,” his voice called from inside.

She stepped in, holding his cardigan in one hand.

Kabir looked up and leaned back in his chair. “Oh, what a pleasure for my eyes. Miss So-Delusional herself, standing in my cabin.” He placed a hand over his heart dramatically. “What brings you here? Come to confess your undying love?”

Aaina scoffed. “No matter what happens, I have to remind myself that the rare moments of kindness you show are because of your upbringing. But this unbelievably rude behaviour of yours?” She gave him a flat look. “Yeah, that’s all you.”

Kabir raised a brow. “Ouch. Personal attack. But fair enough. Continue.”

She rolled her eyes. “I came to tell you that I’m taking your cardigan home—”

“What?” he cut in with a smirk. “Miss Menon, are you sure you’re not in love with me? Taking my worn clothes home? That sounds deeply intimate.”

Aaina narrowed her eyes. “Sometimes, when you interrupt me with something that stupid, while wearing that goddamn smirk, I genuinely feel like scratching it off your face.”

Kabir nearly choked laughing. “Damn. Calm down, woman. I was joking.” He waved a hand. “Go on.”

Aaina took a breath and continued. “As I was saying, I’m taking the cardigan home to wash it. I’ll return it when we meet again next week.”

Kabir nodded. “Fair enough.” Then his tone softened slightly. “And hey... if your periods are painful, I can drop you off at home. I know your car’s out for servicing.”

She immediately narrowed her eyes again. “How do you even know that, Mr Mehra? Are you stalking me?”

“Absolutely not, Miss Delusional,” he said lazily. “I just happened to notice you’ve been coming in a rickshaw for the last three days.”

Aaina opened her mouth, then closed it.

“Okay then,” she said shortly. “I’m leaving now, Kabir. Bye.”

She turned toward the door, hand already on the knob.

“Oh, yes,” Kabir called after her.

She paused.

“Bye, Miss Delusional. And hey—if you end up wrapping yourself in that cardigan for comfort and pretending it’s me, I honestly wouldn’t blame you.”

Aaina spun around. “What?! No!”

She marched out before he could say another word, frustration burning through her and not a single comeback ready in time.

Behind her, Kabir leaned back in his chair and laughed like a complete idiot, clearly far too pleased with himself for getting under her skin that easily.

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"The moment you become truly self-aware is the moment you understand why most people stay distracted forever."

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If you enjoyed this chapter, please do leave a like and share your thoughts. Constructive criticism is always welcome—it helps me grow and make the story better for you.

-With love,

Ehsaas💛