(Anaya's POV)
The rain had scrubbed the city clean by morning. The air felt sharp, fresh — too bright for how little sleep Anaya had gotten.
She walked into the office clutching a paper cup of coffee, Kabir's black coat still draped around her shoulders. She'd meant to return it first thing. She just… hadn't.
Rhea spotted her before she reached her desk. "Oh-ho," she said, eyebrows arching like radar. "New coat?"
Anaya froze mid-step. "What? No. I mean—"
"That's definitely not yours," Rhea said, circling like a cat who'd found something interesting. "Too big. Too… serious."
Anaya's heartbeat quickened. "It's Kabir's," she admitted finally. "He lent it last night. It was raining."
Rhea's grin widened. "Kabir? Our Kabir? The man who schedules emotions in bullet points?"
"Stop," Anaya said, but she was smiling — a small, involuntary thing that betrayed her.
"Oh my god, you're blushing," Rhea gasped theatrically. "What did he do, hold an umbrella over your heart?"
"Rhea!"
"Relax," Rhea laughed, looping her arm through Anaya's. "I'm just saying, if the ice king starts lending coats, global warming's officially real."
Anaya rolled her eyes, but her cheeks were still warm. She tried to brush it off. "It was nothing."
"Right," Rhea said, unconvinced. "Totally nothing."
Before Anaya could respond, Veer appeared, coffee in hand, perfectly timed as always. "What's nothing?" he asked, all easy charm.
Rhea smirked. "Just discussing how chivalry isn't dead — it's apparently wearing a black coat."
Veer chuckled, glancing at Anaya's coat. "Ah. So that's where Kabir's legendary precision went — straight into coat selection."
Anaya groaned. "You two are impossible."
Veer raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I think it's sweet. Didn't expect Kabir to have that side."
Rhea hummed. "Neither did she."
They laughed. It was harmless, light. But when Kabir entered a moment later, the laughter dimmed on its own. His eyes flicked once toward Anaya — then to the coat — and back. His expression didn't change, but the air did.
Veer noticed. So did Rhea.
Anaya quickly folded the coat, setting it aside like it burned. Kabir only nodded at the team before walking past, calm as ever.
When he was gone, Rhea leaned closer. "Still think it's nothing?"
Anaya didn't answer. Her blush said enough.