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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIv6kSnFWm
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7unNuQNbmf
He had a plan.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkw24gPbQG7
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqcpk5N8iX
And yet, even in this world of science and logic, there were things he couldn’t control.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09EkzV8F68
“Dev! Wait up!”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSV5iJ287Vc
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HPCbarmwA
“You’re going to spill that all over yourself,” Dev said flatly.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdf5bKBz1VZ
Aditya shrugged, falling into step beside him. “Risk worth taking. Morning caffeine, you know?”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavxWNmBkZX
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKw2g8Ow7mT
“So,” Aditya began, sipping his chai, “what’s the big plan for today? Publishing another groundbreaking paper? Fixing the universe?”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpvWKNOVrC
“Lab work,” Dev replied curtly. “I need to test a new nanostructure design for the filtration project. Professor Rao expects results by next week.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdG5sZOqWt
Aditya groaned. “Sounds... thrilling.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQd6Y2D7Np
“Some of us have ambitions,” Dev retorted.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEHFppvNJ7
“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.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lPwlW2T6V
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaLnq1fRW2
“I’ll try,” Dev said noncommittally.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmwEDmp15I
“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.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIFmY0YVCr
“She’s the one who starts it,” Dev muttered.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvM63Gre8cP
Aditya laughed. “Sure, genius. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QgZtlCspJ
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGe4wSuQI7
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7eJ7H7lND
And yet, a nagging voice in the back of his mind wouldn’t leave him alone.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrO2at41y5
You’re isolating yourself.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoRolZ2gcl
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4ZqxY2Fqf
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZkqkjXiEg
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPA8eZFZ0p
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzHDkfR4F8
“There he is!” Aditya called out, waving him over.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxhfKsQJVx
Dev slid into the seat across from them, nodding in greeting. Sanjanna gave him a sly smile, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnk3KKvYOO
“Look who finally decided to show up,” she said.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZchqS2Pmx
“I was working,” Dev replied tersely.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XPeOCrl0m
“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.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XmL084Xoc
Aditya groaned. “Guys, can we please have one meal without the two of you fighting?”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSuLgZW8Oj
“I’m not fighting,” Dev said defensively.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwYFXUGO5C
“Sure you’re not,” Sanjanna quipped, leaning back in her chair.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLCAOgkdRj
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeE86ygu5W
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwaW2m8xfe
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURgccuVZDO
He had a plan—a perfect equation for success. But for the first time, he wondered if it was enough.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnLKSihZGp
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