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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22loRpRy7p
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvb25HsNieb
He had a plan.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMELpV8RaOI
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3tmvj5fjn
And yet, even in this world of science and logic, there were things he couldn’t control.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmufoTaB7w
“Dev! Wait up!”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqERQEw0Rsv
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvsWEH85Z5
“You’re going to spill that all over yourself,” Dev said flatly.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgkNL5Ualp
Aditya shrugged, falling into step beside him. “Risk worth taking. Morning caffeine, you know?”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYq4v65ruR
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6XiQwtZ5V
“So,” Aditya began, sipping his chai, “what’s the big plan for today? Publishing another groundbreaking paper? Fixing the universe?”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCziDLooX9
“Lab work,” Dev replied curtly. “I need to test a new nanostructure design for the filtration project. Professor Rao expects results by next week.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmAhkwkfyp
Aditya groaned. “Sounds... thrilling.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjU7e9ql1vF
“Some of us have ambitions,” Dev retorted.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOi8FWOPK2
“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.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WFjUC1nX8
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8aGdp51H0
“I’ll try,” Dev said noncommittally.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWvQizRG2X
“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.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLSoQgK8l0
“She’s the one who starts it,” Dev muttered.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhWZO3tHO6
Aditya laughed. “Sure, genius. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWdJQexPvJ
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSzBimxQb9
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrFdozrvKJ
And yet, a nagging voice in the back of his mind wouldn’t leave him alone.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwEHL7IApR
You’re isolating yourself.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPPo0AmqUa
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBY0T4UakT
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6N4AViUf6Y
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1p2G3Etrmx
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBa8StSuW78
“There he is!” Aditya called out, waving him over.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKe2EO2OAc
Dev slid into the seat across from them, nodding in greeting. Sanjanna gave him a sly smile, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8h79Ixu8CC
“Look who finally decided to show up,” she said.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWNCHhFwaf
“I was working,” Dev replied tersely.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8FdLf3a9R
“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.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiMSJH5LTv
Aditya groaned. “Guys, can we please have one meal without the two of you fighting?”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb88IOrG5ys
“I’m not fighting,” Dev said defensively.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikYr2scWmL
“Sure you’re not,” Sanjanna quipped, leaning back in her chair.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LSiguWNbc
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnlUwltSSm
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbQtoD0GZk
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTlUamCFGN
He had a plan—a perfect equation for success. But for the first time, he wondered if it was enough.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAdYkuXwFz
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