The shopping mall buzzed with weekend energy—people rushing, lights gleaming, music floating in the air. But among all the noise, Kiya walked silently, her calmness almost unnatural in the crowd.
She wasn't smiling.
She rarely did.
A soft beige dress, open hair, minimal makeup—simple, but her presence forced people to look twice. She carried herself with a confidence she didn't feel, masking the storm she lived with.
Kiya stopped in front of a store window, checking a bracelet that reminded her of something she once wanted… before life got messy.
Across the floor… someone noticed her.
Vivek.
He wasn't supposed to be here.
He came only because his friends dragged him along.
But the moment he saw her, his world paused.
Not because she was beautiful—though she was.
But because she looked… different. Unreachable. Like she existed in a place no one could enter without permission.
His friend nudged him.
"Bro? Where are you lost?"
Vivek didn't answer.
His eyes stayed on Kiya, studying the small things:
The way she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
The quiet annoyance when the crowd brushed too close.
The loneliness she hid so well.
And then—she turned.
Just a second.
Just a glance.
But it hit hard.
Not romantic.
Not dramatic.
Just a sharp, unexpected moment that made Vivek straighten his shoulders.
Because for the first time in a long while…
someone made him feel something.
**Kiya moved away—unbothered.
But fate wasn't done yet.**
She walked into a cosmetic store.
And seconds later, Vivek followed—pretending he needed "something for his sister."
He didn't even have a sister.
Kiya picked up a shade of lipstick, tested it on her wrist, unimpressed.
Vivek stood a few steps away, trying to act casual but failing badly.
She noticed him staring.
He quickly looked away.
Kiya (flat tone):
"Can I help you with something?"
Her voice was soft… but had that warning edge.
Vivek:
"No… I mean… I was just… looking."
Kiya:
"Then look somewhere else."
Cold. Direct.
Exactly how she always protected herself.
Vivek blinked, surprised—
and then a tiny smile tugged at his lips.
"Interesting," he muttered.
He had no idea that the girl who just shut him down…
would soon become the center of a story he never expected.
And Kiya?
She had no idea that this stranger she dismissed…
would return in her life in a way she could never imagine.
For now, they walked away from each other.
But their story had quietly begun.