The evening had thinned into night without either of them noticing.
The light beyond the curtains had disappeared sometime ago, leaving only the faint glow of the lamp in the corner.
The books were still scattered across the table.
A half-finished cup of coffee sat forgotten beside them.
Nothing had been cleaned.
Nothing needed to be.
For the first time in weeks, there was no reason to hurry.
The room seemed to have settled into its own rhythm.
The faint ticking of the clock.
The occasional movement of air from the fan.
The distant sounds of the building slowly disappearing as people went to bed.
Everything outside seemed farther away than usual.
Sagnik hadn't moved much.
His arm remained where it had been for hours.
His fingers occasionally shifted through her hair without thought.
At some point, exhaustion had finally caught up with him too.
His head had tilted slightly against the back of the couch.
His breathing had become slower.
Aanya remained where she was.
Until, sometime in the middle of the night, she stirred.
Her eyes opened slowly.
For a moment, she didn't understand why she was so warm.
Then she realized.
Her cheek was resting against his chest.
His arm was around her.
His hand was still tangled gently in her hair.
She didn't move.
She simply looked up.
Sagnik was asleep.
Completely.
There was something almost unfamiliar about seeing him like this.
No amused expression.
No sarcastic comment waiting behind his eyes.
No carefully controlled composure.
Just him.
Unaware.
Unprotected.
Aanya watched him.
For a long time.
A minute passed.
Maybe more.
She didn't count.
She noticed the slight movement of his breathing.
The way his fingers occasionally shifted against her hair even in sleep.
The faint crease that remained between his eyebrows, as though some part of him refused to completely relax.
Aanya smiled.
Very slightly.
Then she whispered,
"Sagnik."
Nothing.
She tried again.
"Sagnik."
He didn't move.
She carefully shifted away.
His hand loosened from her hair.
Aanya sat up.
She looked at him.
He was still asleep.
She sighed.
"You're impossible."
She stood.
Then crouched beside him.
"Sagnik."
Nothing.
She gently touched his shoulder.
He barely moved.
Aanya stared at him.
Then, with a quiet sigh, she slipped one arm around him and tried to help him stand.
He was heavier than she expected.
She nearly lost her balance.
"Come on."
He mumbled something completely unintelligible.
"I can't believe I'm doing this."
She managed to get him upright.
He was still mostly asleep.
She guided him toward the bedroom.
Step by slow step.
When they reached the doorway, she finally managed to get him close enough to the bed.
He dropped onto it almost immediately.
Aanya straightened.
"Good."
She turned around.
She was about to leave when his hand suddenly closed around her wrist.
She stopped.
Sagnik's eyes were barely open.
"Where are you going?"
"The couch."
He stared at her.
There was a long pause.
Then his expression changed into something almost offended.
"The couch?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you're sleeping here."
"So?"
"So I'll sleep there."
He looked at her as though she'd said something completely ridiculous.
"No."
Aanya blinked.
"No?"
"Come here."
"Sagnik—"
"Why would you sleep on the couch?"
"Because you need the bed."
He shifted slightly and looked at the empty space beside him.
"There's room."
Aanya hesitated.
He still hadn't let go of her wrist.
"Come on."
She looked at him.
He looked back.
There was something sleepy and stubborn in his expression.
"You are impossible."
"I know."
She sighed.
Then finally climbed onto the bed.
Sagnik immediately relaxed.
As if this had been the only acceptable solution.
Aanya settled carefully beside him.
For a moment, there was space between them.
Then he shifted closer.
An arm slipped around her waist.
He pulled her gently toward him.
Aanya let out a quiet breath.
"Sagnik."
"Hmm?"
"You're half asleep."
"Still works."
She couldn't help smiling.
His chin rested lightly near the top of her head.
His breathing slowly settled again.
Aanya closed her eyes.
She could hear his heartbeat.
Steady.
Unhurried.
For a few minutes, she remained awake.
Then sleep found her again.
The first signs of morning came from outside the room.
Not from either of them.
A vehicle passed somewhere beyond the building, its engine briefly audible before fading into the distance.
A few minutes later, someone opened a door down the corridor.
There was the soft scrape of a chair.
A muffled voice.
Then silence again.
The curtains had begun to let in a little more light.
The darkness that had filled the room during the night was no longer there. It had thinned into a muted grey, leaving the furniture and the scattered books visible in the half-light.
Sagnik stirred sometime after that.
Not enough to wake.
Just enough to shift his head against the pillow.
His eyes remained closed.
For a few moments, he stayed exactly where he was.
Then another sound reached him.
A tap running somewhere nearby.
A cupboard closing.
Someone walking past the room.
The building was waking properly now.
Sagnik finally opened his eyes.
He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, still caught somewhere between sleep and wakefulness.
Then he looked down.
Aanya was still beside him.
Her head rested against him exactly where it had been when he'd fallen asleep.
One of her hands had remained loosely curled against his shirt.
He looked at her for a moment.
Then smiled.
Barely.
His hand moved automatically toward her hair.
His fingers brushed through it once.
He stopped when she shifted slightly.
She settled again almost immediately.
Sagnik waited.
Nothing.
He carefully moved his arm from around her and reached toward the side table.
His phone showed several notifications.
He glanced at the time.
Earlier than he had expected.
He put the phone back.
For a while, he simply sat there.
The morning continued happening around them.
The sounds outside became more frequent.
Someone laughed in the corridor.
A door opened and shut.
A scooter started somewhere below.
The smell of something being cooked drifted faintly through the open space beneath the door.
Aanya didn't move.
Sagnik looked at her again.
There was something almost strange about seeing her so completely undisturbed.
No books in her hands.
No questions.
No examination timetable.
No frantic calculations about how much she had left to study.
The exams were over.
For the first time in months, there was nothing waiting for her the moment she opened her eyes.
He leaned back against the headboard.
His gaze wandered toward the table.
Their books were still there from the previous night.
Open.
Untidy.
Forgotten.
He almost laughed.
They had spent months believing that the moment the exams ended, they would finally know what to do with themselves.
Apparently, neither of them had figured that part out.
He reached for the bottle of water beside him and took a sip.
Then looked back at her.
Aanya shifted again.
Her brow creased for a second.
Sagnik smiled.
Even asleep, she looked mildly annoyed about something.
He gently pulled the blanket higher over her shoulder.
Then sat back.
Another few minutes passed.
The sunlight had finally begun reaching the room.
A thin strip of gold appeared across the floor.
It slowly moved toward the edge of the couch.
Sagnik watched it absentmindedly.
He wasn't in a hurry.
There was nowhere he needed to be.
At least not yet.
Then came a knock.
Soft.
He looked toward the door.
A second knock followed.
"Sagnik?"
Aditi.
He waited for a moment, making sure he hadn't imagined it.
Another knock.
"Sagnik, are you awake?"
Sagnik glanced down at Aanya.
She hadn't moved.
He carefully shifted away from her, making sure not to disturb her.
Then stood.
He walked quietly toward the door.
When he opened it, Aditi was standing outside.
She looked at him.
Then glanced briefly past him.
"Morning."
"Morning."
She hesitated.
"Don't forget."
Sagnik frowned.
"Forget what?"
"The surgery."
The faint morning ease disappeared from his face.
Not completely.
Just enough.
Aditi folded her arms.
"Her physician said we should come in today. The exams are over."
Sagnik nodded.
"Right."
Aditi looked at him.
"You remember the plan?"
"Yes."
"Good."
She lowered her voice.
"We shouldn't keep postponing it."
Sagnik glanced back toward the room.
His expression remained calm.
"I know."
Aditi nodded.
"Wake her slowly. We can take her after breakfast."
He looked back at her.
"Okay."
Aditi turned to leave.
Then stopped.
"And Sagnik?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't scare her."
His eyes softened.
"I won't."
The door closed.
For a moment, Sagnik stood there.
Then he looked back toward the bed.
Aanya hadn't moved.
The peacefulness of the morning was still there.
But now there was something else.
A date.
A decision.
Something waiting for them.
Sagnik walked back quietly.
And sat beside her.
He didn't wake her immediately.
Not yet.
He simply watched her for another moment.
As if he wanted to give her—
and himself—
Just a little more time before the day began.