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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36AfQnUn1X
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6pscDue52
He had a plan.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyrzdbbvut
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDn45h0QaSc
And yet, even in this world of science and logic, there were things he couldn’t control.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFy5Gr3aTG
“Dev! Wait up!”40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7nyYYlpg7
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zhdAUHAfw
“You’re going to spill that all over yourself,” Dev said flatly.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlNYclJnFr
Aditya shrugged, falling into step beside him. “Risk worth taking. Morning caffeine, you know?”40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumfIZXCb3L
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzoT90r6rL
“So,” Aditya began, sipping his chai, “what’s the big plan for today? Publishing another groundbreaking paper? Fixing the universe?”40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPiO3dxmK9
“Lab work,” Dev replied curtly. “I need to test a new nanostructure design for the filtration project. Professor Rao expects results by next week.”40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemKrkfYL25
Aditya groaned. “Sounds... thrilling.”40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEdLA5RUBU
“Some of us have ambitions,” Dev retorted.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aWoyG375O
“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.”40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZOlt6N421
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbklTKDS59o
“I’ll try,” Dev said noncommittally.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiTma4gtkz
“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.”40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRgeszL6RA
“She’s the one who starts it,” Dev muttered.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5sP88nMmI
Aditya laughed. “Sure, genius. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHknJ41FjY
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVoLXLH7jK
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftaujz2zXS
And yet, a nagging voice in the back of his mind wouldn’t leave him alone.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sk4a9LwRH
You’re isolating yourself.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOo7kCq9I6k
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYgsPJGSEo
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkhdwSkYPV
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARBQDJQgfo
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUC1BLUrPU
“There he is!” Aditya called out, waving him over.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACmrffwdPs
Dev slid into the seat across from them, nodding in greeting. Sanjanna gave him a sly smile, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWj0ohUai94
“Look who finally decided to show up,” she said.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZBOh7nLKs
“I was working,” Dev replied tersely.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL18gRmXC5G
“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.”40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8sQt6S1x5
Aditya groaned. “Guys, can we please have one meal without the two of you fighting?”40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXgo0vVN47
“I’m not fighting,” Dev said defensively.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0LQ2x2FSW
“Sure you’re not,” Sanjanna quipped, leaning back in her chair.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsb09MKD9qw
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2vNJ9Dbn2
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvUrIosGJC
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡej0IYl6UWL
He had a plan—a perfect equation for success. But for the first time, he wondered if it was enough.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiEhKkyl8N
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