The streets of Mumbai never truly slept, but for Dev Roy, dawn was the only time the city felt remotely tolerable. The air was thick with the promise of another humid day, and the streets were already coming alive—hawkers setting up their stalls, commuters crowding into buses, and stray dogs lazily weaving through the chaos.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBo5WAdaQz
Dev walked briskly toward the main gate of IEC Bombay, his thoughts already racing ahead to the day’s schedule. Every step he took felt purposeful, every second accounted for.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVAmjnpd5Dd
He had a plan.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqrNpxHs6N
At twenty-one, Dev was a fourth-year student in the prestigious nanotechnology program, one of the youngest in his department to publish research in an international journal. He lived for the precision of his work—the perfect alignment of particles, the endless possibilities of a world too small for the naked eye to see.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusfiTrVwSf
And yet, even in this world of science and logic, there were things he couldn’t control.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEouvWJQyuJ
“Dev! Wait up!”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6b2cK1QLV
He groaned inwardly as he recognized the familiar voice cutting through the morning buzz. Turning, he saw Aditya jogging to catch up, a cup of chai precariously balanced in one hand and a lopsided grin plastered on his face.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MVJNlj8Xm
“You’re going to spill that all over yourself,” Dev said flatly.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESP5LSd2xq
Aditya shrugged, falling into step beside him. “Risk worth taking. Morning caffeine, you know?”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbqpVh19W7
Dev shook his head but couldn’t help the faint smile tugging at his lips. Aditya was the polar opposite of him—carefree, easygoing, and always the center of attention. They’d been inseparable since the fifth grade, and despite their differences, Dev couldn’t imagine life without him.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiU3TsDrHw
“So,” Aditya began, sipping his chai, “what’s the big plan for today? Publishing another groundbreaking paper? Fixing the universe?”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbdxmxncF2
“Lab work,” Dev replied curtly. “I need to test a new nanostructure design for the filtration project. Professor Rao expects results by next week.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKf53WZyRZ
Aditya groaned. “Sounds... thrilling.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8get4W220y
“Some of us have ambitions,” Dev retorted.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8V6YA14uR
“And some of us have lives,” Aditya shot back, smirking. “Speaking of which, you’re still coming to dinner tonight, right? Sanjanna’s been planning it for a week.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNlXli1krr
The mention of Sanjanna made Dev’s expression darken slightly. He didn’t dislike her, exactly, but their interactions always seemed to devolve into arguments. She was a fourth-year CS student—brilliant, outspoken, and fiercely competitive. Dev had never met anyone so infuriatingly stubborn, except perhaps himself.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFKexTEqZF
“I’ll try,” Dev said noncommittally.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4rKRvrIop
“You’ll be there,” Aditya insisted. “It’s non-negotiable. Besides, you two need to stop fighting all the time. You’re like siblings who can’t stand each other.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkryjG1CIVd
“She’s the one who starts it,” Dev muttered.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKCaKkRhZO
Aditya laughed. “Sure, genius. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUV7mG8DWd
The day unfolded as planned—or as planned as life at IIT Bombay ever could. By the time Dev made it to the nanotech lab, the campus was buzzing with the usual chaos. Students rushed between classes, their voices blending into a symphony of excitement and stress.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGDWMtWFIJ
Dev settled into his workspace, the familiar hum of equipment calming his mind. Here, in the precise world of molecules and equations, everything made sense.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO99uSJT77D
And yet, a nagging voice in the back of his mind wouldn’t leave him alone.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kKwmVJ1fl
You’re isolating yourself.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CpDTvXbxv
It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it—Aditya had said it a hundred times before. And sometimes, late at night, Dev wondered if it was true.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEZKATr81j
But those thoughts were a distraction. He didn’t have time for self-doubt or relationships. Not when he was this close to achieving something that mattered.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiklHEI6P3
By the time evening rolled around, Dev found himself reluctantly heading to Aditya’s favorite hangout spot, a small café just outside the campus gates.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfILLkJVh4q
The place was crowded as usual, the air thick with the smell of coffee and the sound of laughter. Dev spotted Aditya and Sanjanna at a corner table, deep in conversation.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnpHqBAXdb
“There he is!” Aditya called out, waving him over.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUw6NxuyrU
Dev slid into the seat across from them, nodding in greeting. Sanjanna gave him a sly smile, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrWnL42hVt
“Look who finally decided to show up,” she said.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOZmymvMFS
“I was working,” Dev replied tersely.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnkYQgSD0a
“Of course you were,” she said, her tone dripping with mock understanding. “Wouldn’t want to waste time on something as frivolous as human interaction.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pZML8k3B7
Aditya groaned. “Guys, can we please have one meal without the two of you fighting?”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlB0EGDfIG
“I’m not fighting,” Dev said defensively.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgv7ZTWCZ8N
“Sure you’re not,” Sanjanna quipped, leaning back in her chair.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeByqp34tMU
Despite himself, Dev felt a flicker of amusement. As much as Sanjanna annoyed him, there was no denying that she kept him on his toes.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2IhFu9otE
The night ended with laughter and lighthearted teasing, but as Dev walked back to his dorm alone, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7Fevy5QTL
Mumbai’s neon lights flickered in the distance, casting long shadows across the campus. Dev stared up at the sky, the stars barely visible through the haze of the city.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlEt9OigJl
He had a plan—a perfect equation for success. But for the first time, he wondered if it was enough.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6gKrKWLpn
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