The silence was unbearable.
Rudra's stare burned down, heavy and unreadable, and Ayaan felt his chest tighten until he couldn't breathe. His thoughts tangled in panic — too close, too much, he's too silent, what is he thinking, why isn't he moving—
And before his brain caught up, his body betrayed him.
Aayan surged forward — clumsy, desperate — and pressed the quickest, lightest peck to Rudra's lips.
It wasn't a kiss.
It was a collision of nerves, heat, and a half-second of reckless courage.
Rudra's entire world stopped.
He swayed backward, stiff and shocked, the ghost of that peck lingering like fire on his mouth. For the first time in his life, the untouchable CEO nearly fell.
"Rudra!" Ayaan's voice cracked with worry.
He shot up from the couch instinctively, both hands grabbing Rudra's arms to steady him. His fingers dug in, holding on tight. His wide, panicked eyes searched Rudra's face. "I'm sorry—I didn't—are you okay? Did I—"
Rudra just stared at him.
Silent.
The weight of that fleeting touch still burned on his lips, and his mind — usually sharp, ruthless, in control — was utterly blank. His heart, however, thundered like it was trying to escape his chest.
And Ayaan, still holding him, still flushed with embarrassment, looked as if he'd just broken the one rule he'd never meant to.
________________________________________
Rudra's ears burned. His chest burned. His face burned.
He didn't even realize he had turned until his back was to Ayaan, eyes wide, hand trembling as he grabbed the nearest glass of water.
"I… I am fine," he managed, voice low and strained, almost foreign even to himself. He tilted the glass and drank too quickly, desperate for something—anything—to cover the fact that he was red from his collar to his cheekbones.
Behind him, Ayaan froze.
Fine?
Fine?
Ayaan's stomach sank. The heat of his own reckless peck still lingered, but Rudra's back was stiff, his words clipped. To Ayaan, it didn't look like embarrassment—it looked like rejection.
Oh no.
His chest tightened painfully. Had he ruined everything? Had he gone too far? He'd known Rudra was reserved, closed off, careful. And he'd just—just stolen something from him.
Ayaan bit his lip hard, eyes dropping. His hands curled into fists at his sides, desperate to hide the tremble in his fingers.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, the words barely audible. "I shouldn't have—"
But Rudra didn't turn around. He was too busy trying to will the heat off his face, too busy forcing down water to drown the hammering of his heart. He couldn't let Ayaan see him like this. He never let anyone see him like this.
And in the silence that followed, Ayaan's misunderstanding grew roots.
He thought Rudra's flushed retreat meant discomfort. He thought he had crossed a line. He thought maybe Rudra didn't… want him that way.
Neither of them said what they really meant.
The distance grew where there should've been closeness.