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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjbgzmqevZ
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡie7UnvYgyE
He had a plan.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9m1PEu9DZ
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡck2BGbgO99
And yet, even in this world of science and logic, there were things he couldn’t control.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSsKo9wGmd
“Dev! Wait up!”39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGIGVoJWWk
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaKyLno9HS
“You’re going to spill that all over yourself,” Dev said flatly.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01r3p4de6K
Aditya shrugged, falling into step beside him. “Risk worth taking. Morning caffeine, you know?”39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXwSbDKLR9
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7nQ0gYeS6
“So,” Aditya began, sipping his chai, “what’s the big plan for today? Publishing another groundbreaking paper? Fixing the universe?”39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvUinvvilk
“Lab work,” Dev replied curtly. “I need to test a new nanostructure design for the filtration project. Professor Rao expects results by next week.”39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nRgksjfVy
Aditya groaned. “Sounds... thrilling.”39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdqeaFbNWZ
“Some of us have ambitions,” Dev retorted.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9By3ZT6cC
“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.”39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7c5A0Fev1
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0HMkBKpmw
“I’ll try,” Dev said noncommittally.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0T3XLEMJJ
“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.”39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9Y376mAoS
“She’s the one who starts it,” Dev muttered.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtooUmAAicw
Aditya laughed. “Sure, genius. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj578kcG9Y4
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjOHfBTCgd
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDh5xFqDQlf
And yet, a nagging voice in the back of his mind wouldn’t leave him alone.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoBlVejchV
You’re isolating yourself.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQLh2Z3vDg
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48ew3rtHOM
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfBchBOu3V
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotW6JhL4AG
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBPKdbWHdp
“There he is!” Aditya called out, waving him over.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzz38TrRml
Dev slid into the seat across from them, nodding in greeting. Sanjanna gave him a sly smile, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBc6bPD5RG0
“Look who finally decided to show up,” she said.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkysHi5BB94
“I was working,” Dev replied tersely.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SheNHY1WS
“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.”39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2VhukOVqd
Aditya groaned. “Guys, can we please have one meal without the two of you fighting?”39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlE62tueTX
“I’m not fighting,” Dev said defensively.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFEpieHt3z
“Sure you’re not,” Sanjanna quipped, leaning back in her chair.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSEjM35I1v
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gVodaihmG
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOZNCsaoZI
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.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IaPiJdYbl
He had a plan—a perfect equation for success. But for the first time, he wondered if it was enough.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pcHpSCvtF
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