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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpzxNX8fv8
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNV6R2DEH6A
He had a plan.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gywmtxtig
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmIsrz6Gdc
And yet, even in this world of science and logic, there were things he couldn’t control.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nobPplYva
“Dev! Wait up!”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdmzTS7Xd1
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnY7apbPKa
“You’re going to spill that all over yourself,” Dev said flatly.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgmnDtZE9n
Aditya shrugged, falling into step beside him. “Risk worth taking. Morning caffeine, you know?”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQy5gy8nxyi
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLR2sCHaS8D
“So,” Aditya began, sipping his chai, “what’s the big plan for today? Publishing another groundbreaking paper? Fixing the universe?”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TaOAjyrIs
“Lab work,” Dev replied curtly. “I need to test a new nanostructure design for the filtration project. Professor Rao expects results by next week.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BBWcL7QG7
Aditya groaned. “Sounds... thrilling.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxS8DuWwwSu
“Some of us have ambitions,” Dev retorted.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8aTyP67bK
“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.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtL05xJFQsW
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiZfyxzyjL
“I’ll try,” Dev said noncommittally.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9l8fKhhCf
“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.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SFMeA3LD2
“She’s the one who starts it,” Dev muttered.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2GESwVWX3
Aditya laughed. “Sure, genius. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wZF9NkhQa
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09OisImLhT
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDaXm2G45t
And yet, a nagging voice in the back of his mind wouldn’t leave him alone.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2v7chqZMs
You’re isolating yourself.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VudCyyDRl
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwWGtrppkc
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmhRfstHsa
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrON8hx0YX
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeop5nwb4He
“There he is!” Aditya called out, waving him over.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjui7bNeL7d
Dev slid into the seat across from them, nodding in greeting. Sanjanna gave him a sly smile, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzhNAsmP2C
“Look who finally decided to show up,” she said.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeZVsi1tM1
“I was working,” Dev replied tersely.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeXeSrN0M3
“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.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0YhdHU2Xzi
Aditya groaned. “Guys, can we please have one meal without the two of you fighting?”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeJ9c7UeI2
“I’m not fighting,” Dev said defensively.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznm01JDveL
“Sure you’re not,” Sanjanna quipped, leaning back in her chair.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkyysqzvcb
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jSv8LLObX
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1weAyuheS
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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYwi0L6f7F
He had a plan—a perfect equation for success. But for the first time, he wondered if it was enough.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzK7xV8ccAb
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