Inside the café near the venue, a group of women and men were chatting among themselves. Then Pooja asked, "What happened to you, Riya? Why are there scars on your face and neck?"
Riya and Isha paused. Riya recalled her trauma—the threat from Ajay and the incidents involving Dev.
Ayaan sensed something was wrong on Riya's face and questioned himself silently, "What happened to Dev?"
Anaya broke the silence with a tease: "Maybe Riya fell in the bathroom."
Sneha continued the teasing. "Hey, while I was in the washroom, I met a muscled man holding a sickle and then—"
Ayaan, caught off guard, responded, "You mean... Bhairava?"
Sneha was confused. "You know who that person is?"
Ayaan coughed, avoiding the question. Suddenly, a male voice interrupted, "Are you all talking about me?"
Sneha glanced at the man and immediately remembered how Bhairava had saved her in the washroom. Bhairava then glanced at Ayaan with respect. Seeing this, Anaya cut in, eyeing Bhairava. "Why are you looking like you wanna eat my Ayaan?"
Bhairava laughed and replied, "It's nothing. My father once described the smile of his mentor. And looking at Mr. Ayaan... it matches that description."
Everyone fell silent, feeling the strangeness of the moment. Rohit started laughing. "What do you mean, his smile matches your father's mentor's smile?"
Bhairava took it as an insult and gripped his hand in quiet restraint. Suddenly, they all heard the gentle strumming of a guitar and collectively exclaimed, "It's beautiful!"
Anaya slapped her forehead. "Here comes the most cringe man—Teja, the self-proclaimed admirer of love."
Isha and Rohit saw the source of the music. Isha whispered to Rohit, "Wait, isn't he Surya?"
Rohit responded calmly, "Please stay calm. I think he's hiding his identity."
Pooja and Sneha stood up and called out to Teja. "Give me that guitar! I want to check if there's a sword inside it."
Teja smiled, continuing to hum. "Why do beauties want to inspect my beautiful guitar? A sword?" He laughed and handed over his guitar.
While Pooja and Sneha inspected the guitar, Teja kept laughing. Bhairava said, "I gotta go, see you later," and left.
With Pooja and Sneha being their usual chaotic selves, Riya turned to Ayaan. "Ayaan, what's Dev's favorite dish? I want to repay him."
Ayaan felt that something serious had happened to Dev. Before he could ask more, Anaya interrupted, teasing Riya. "So, you really like Dev?"
Riya blushed. "It's not like that..."
Isha added with a smirk, "Oh, something spicy..."
Then Ayaan felt a light tap on his shoulder and noticed Rohit gesturing toward another corner. Ayaan followed him.
Rohit said in a low voice, "I'm impressed you didn't ask about our relationship with Anaya."
Ayaan replied, "Yeah... I don't need any explanation from Anaya. Her smile is enough."
Rohit smiled, placed a finger on Ayaan's chest, and said, "You know what? A few years ago, when Isha asked Anaya about her dream boy, she told us she was looking for a man who always carried a weight in his heart. Back then, we didn't understand what she meant, but..."
Ayaan was confused. "But...?"
Rohit continued with respect, "My rivalry with you helped me know the weight of your heart. And today, I witnessed it again."
Ayaan felt something stir inside. Both of them glanced at Anaya.
Rohit continued, "I see Anaya as my younger sibling. Please take care of her."
Ayaan smiled. "I see Isha as my elder sister, so you please take care of her. Speaking of Isha... can you confirm—were you and Isha selected for Project-M?"
Without a word, Rohit nodded.
Ayaan was about to ask, "What is this Project-M?"—but before he could finish, both Isha and Anaya shouted at Rohit and Ayaan.
Rohit smiled, then looked at the evening sky with a serious tone. "I don't fully understand Project-M either. But just like this wonderful evening, Project-M is a place of hope—light piercing through the dark night for a beautiful tomorrow. And Ayaan..."
Ayaan scratched his head, confused. "What...?"
Rohit's face turned serious. "From the rumors and speculations, President Aditya personally doesn't want you involved in Project-M. Rathore had no choice but to involve you in Operation SBS. There must be a reason. So in the future, don't try to involve yourself with Project-M."
Ayaan nodded. "Okay. Let's go rejoin Anaya and the others."
Rohit smiled. "You go. I'll come in two minutes."
Ayaan walked back. Rohit, staring at the beautiful evening slowly turning into a dark sky, murmured to himself, " Why have concerns about Ayaan. Why are they not involved in project m. Yet their required ayaan's presence in this operation...."
----
The café echoed with laughter and warm chatter, a temporary island of peace after the storm that had passed.
Near the window, Isha and Rohit suddenly noticed a cab halting outside. Isha glanced toward Anaya with a faint, bittersweet smile and said, "Anaya, Ayaan… I've always liked your names. Please take care of each other."
Anaya gently held Ayaan's hand and responded, "Yeah… we will take care of each other."
Rohit smiled faintly, but a soft sadness lingered in his eyes. "It's already night. We should go. Catch you later…"
Anaya, a little disappointed, smiled anyway. "Okay… don't forget about me."
With a fond chuckle, both Isha and Rohit patted Anaya on the head. Then, with a playful glint in her eye, Isha turned toward Ayaan. "Hey troublemaker… If you mess with my junior, I swear, I'll eat you alive."
Before Ayaan could respond, Anaya jumped in with mock tears. "My senior! He didn't give me his first kiss!"
Ayaan froze, stunned.
Anaya leaned forward with a mischievous grin. "It was me who gave him his first kiss!"
Rohit groaned, clearly exasperated. "Hey, Mr. Perfect Aim… next time we meet, it's a fist fight."
Ayaan smirked. "Let's see who wins."
At a nearby table, Pooja and Sneha were still poking around Teja's guitar, completely baffled.
"You found nothing," Teja laughed, his voice oozing delight.
Then, turning to Isha and Rohit as they were preparing to leave, he called out, "Yo, beautiful couple! I'm broke. Drop me at the station, will you?"
Isha and Rohit shared a knowing look and nodded. As they got up, Riya hesitated and softly said, "Isha, about…"
But Isha cut in quickly, reading her tone. "Anaya, your friend Riya lives in the same direction as us. We'll take her."
Anaya nodded gratefully. One by one, Isha, Rohit, Teja, and Riya stepped into the waiting cab and drove off. As it disappeared into the night, Anaya's eyes lingered on the road, a quiet emptiness settling in.
Ayaan noticed. "You're missing them?"
Anaya leaned against his shoulder, clutching her trophy like a precious memory. "Yes, Ayaan… for me, including you… they're all I have. My family."
Without a word, Ayaan pulled her into a gentle hug.
Anaya hugged him back, resting her forehead near his. Just as she leaned forward, lips close, about to kiss—
"WE ARE STILL HERE!" Pooja and Sneha yelled from behind.
Ayaan's cheeks flushed crimson while Anaya's face twisted in playful fury. She grabbed a fork from the table and launched an attack. "YOU TWO!!!"
Ayaan laughed helplessly as Anaya chased the two around the café. But then, his gaze lifted toward the night sky. A strange stillness fell over his face.
"…Where are you, Dev?" he murmured.
---
Inside the Command Center.
In the quiet of the recovery room, the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor echoed faintly.
Dev stirred on the bed, still weak but conscious. Shadows flickered across his vision dark green smoke curling into the shape of something twisted, unnatural.
His fingers twitched. He tightened his grip instinctively only to feel warmth. Soft. Familiar.
His eyes blinked open.
Padma sat beside him, her face calm but exhausted, her hand wrapped gently around his.
Dev's voice cracked as he whispered, "Where is my dagger?"