The Apartment at 4:07 AM, Location: Riyan's Spare Apartment
The room was dim — a single yellow lamp casting long shadows on the bare walls. It smelled faintly of dust and faint lavender, a forgotten space made for escaping. Not for confronting truth.
Dev stood frozen by the door, pulse thudding violently in his neck. He had no idea how Vivaan had dragged him here. No idea what he was supposed to say.
Vivaan shut the door with a soft click. The sound was final.
He turned, eyes red, hair disheveled, hoodie damp from the cold night air. But beneath all of it was something more dangerous than rage — heartbreak sharpened into madness.
Vivaan (hoarse, shaking): "You said you don't love me. Prove it."
Dev stared at him. "Vivaan, what is this? Whose apartment is this? Why are we here—?"
Vivaan (stepping closer): "Why are you still pretending?"
(his voice cracked) "You said I was a mistake. A plan. A phase. Fine. Let's make it real. You used me, right? Let me be useful. Just this once. Let's make this memory ugly enough for you to finally forget me."
Before Dev could react, Vivaan grabbed his hand and pulled him to the mattress.
Dev (trying to resist): "Stop—Vivaan, listen to yourself. This isn't you—"
Vivaan (sitting on his lap, eyes wild): "This is me now. The version you made."
He leaned in. Pressed his lips to Dev's. Desperate. Frantic. Angry. It wasn't passion. It was protest.
Dev flinched. Tried to push him away. But Vivaan didn't stop. And then — Dev shoved him back. Hard.
Dev (furious, breathless): "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Vivaan stumbled back, dazed — then fell to his knees and broke. The tears came soundlessly at first, then in choked, angry waves.
Vivaan: "Tell me why you did this to me..."
Dev stared at him, chest heaving, hands trembling.
Then, out of nowhere, Dev laughed. Not out of joy. But that bitter, dry laugh that people make when they can't cry anymore.
Dev (mocking, cruel): "Oh god… You're so stupid."
Vivaan looked up, stunned.
Dev: "You think I fell in love with you because you're… what? Special? You think you're some goddamn supermodel I couldn't resist?"
Vivaan (voice breaking): "Stop—"
Dev (laughing bitterly): "You were convenient. That's all."
He stood. Walked past him. Then turned.
Dev (flat, empty): "You weren't love, Vivaan. You were… available."
Vivaan's shoulders shook. But he stood too. Walked to him. Looked him in the eye.
Something inside him had snapped — but not in surrender. In quiet defiance.
Vivaan (almost whispering): "Then prove it."
He began unbuttoning his shirt. One button. Two. Three.
Vivaan: "You don't love me, right? You used me. That's all this was. Then take what you want."
Dev's breath caught.
Vivaan (deadpan): "Isn't that what you wanted? To get ahead? To use my body, my heart? So use it now. Why are you stopping me?"
He took Dev's hand and placed it against his chest. Bare. Vulnerable.
Dev didn't move. Couldn't. His lips parted. But no words came out.
Vivaan (tears streaming, voice trembling): "If you can touch me right now… if you can use me… then I'll believe you. I'll leave. I'll never come back. Just… show me that I was wrong about everything."
Dev's eyes filled. Not with guilt. But grief. He slowly stepped back.
The air felt heavy now — thick with everything unspoken. Dev stood frozen, the dim light brushing over his face like a ghost's caress. Vivaan was in front of him — shirt open, chest rising and falling, eyes full of unshed storms.
Vivaan stepped closer again, slower this time. Dev didn't move.
Vivaan (whispering): "Don't stop me tonight… not when I've already broken."
He brushed his lips across Dev's cheek, then his jaw. Featherlight. Then slower, deliberately tracing the line down his neck. His hands slid around Dev's back — not in lust, but as if anchoring himself. As if afraid Dev would disappear if he let go.
Dev's breath hitched. His eyes shut. His hands hung at his sides, unmoving — but trembling.
Vivaan kissed his collarbone, the slope of his shoulder. His fingers grazed Dev's chest, not hungrily, but like someone trying to memorize something before it was lost forever.
Vivaan: "This isn't about revenge… not tonight. I just want to remember what it felt like… when you used to want me."
Dev opened his eyes. They stared at each other — inches apart.
Dev: "This is what you want?"
Vivaan nodded slowly.
Dev (quietly): "Then don't blame me for what happens next."
The silence that followed wasn't empty. It was full — of longing, of grief, of every time they hadn't said what they should have. Every time pride became a wall. Every night they'd dreamed of the other in secret and woke up alone.
Dev leaned in this time. His hand reached up — not to pull, but to hold.
Their lips met — slowly now. No frenzy. No force. Only history.
Location: Riyan's Apartment | Morning Light | 6:12 AM
The sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains like an apology. The room was quiet — too quiet.
Dev stirred under the crumpled bedsheet, reaching instinctively to the space beside him.
Empty. Still warm. His eyes fluttered open, a flicker of a smile forming—
Until he saw the folded piece of paper placed on the pillow, where Vivaan's head had rested just hours ago.
His chest tightened. He sat up, the sheet falling off his shoulder, and picked up the note with shaking fingers.
Vivaan's Letter (handwritten, slightly smudged): "I'm leaving you. Don't find me. Please don't. Live happy, Dev. You were the happiest part of my life. I'll only remember this night — not the games. Just this.
From now on, we are nothing to each other. Don't call me. Don't text. I won't respond.
This apartment — it's yours. A gift. I'll send the documents today. I want you to live here and remember me. Not out of guilt, but because someone once loved you fully — without games, without expectations — and maybe you didn't see it, or maybe you just couldn't.
Goodbye, Vivaan."
Dev's heart stopped. He read the letter again.
And again. Each word was like glass — cutting deeper the more he tried to hold onto it.
"Vivaan…" he whispered, voice cracking.
He bolted from the bed, rushing to the living room. "Vivaan!"
Nothing. Just the echo of his own voice against marble and silence.
Except for the scent of his cologne still clinging to the hallway. Dev sat on the floor. Shattered.
Location: Airport Road – Chauffeured Car, Time: 7:45 AM
Vivaan leaned back, sunglasses on, voice hollow.
Vivaan (on phone): "Papa… I want to leave the country. Today."
"I'll listen to you from now on. Everything you said.
There was a pause. A stunned silence on the other end.
Vivaan: "Make all the arrangements."
And then he called his brother, i want something from you .
Pause.
Riyansh (calm, stern): "What do you want?"
There was a pause on the other end. Then a low, barely steady voice replied.
Vivaan (quiet): "I want you to buy the Riyan's flat in Dev's name. I just want him to live there."
Silence. He cut the call. Tears welled in his eyes, but he blinked them back. His father's men would handle everything now.
Vivaan Madhvan was gone.
Not just from the apartment — but from the city, from the chapter, from the boy he once loved more than himself.
Back to Dev, Time: 9:03 AM, Location: Apartment Window
Dev hadn't moved. The letter lay beside him, creased from being held too tightly. His eyes were red, jaw clenched, phone in hand — but he hadn't called.
He couldn't. He wouldn't even know what to say. He whispered to the air: Dev: "I didn't use you… I didn't…"
But the silence did not forgive. And Vivaan… wasn't coming back.
Location: City D – Riyan's Apartment, Time: The morning after the goodbye letter
Dev awoke to silence so loud it screamed. The sunlight filtered in through the gauzy curtains, painting gold shadows on the cold sheets beside him—sheets where Vivaan's warmth used to live. His fingers brushed against the edge of the bed and found nothing but folded fabric and a folded note.
The paper trembled in his hands, but his eyes read it in a single breath: "I leave you. Don't find me. Live happy. You are the happiest part of my life, and I will only remember this part—not the sad part. From now on, we are nothing. If you want this apartment, I gift it to you. You deserve something to remember me by. I will send the documents. I want you to live here and remember that one person loved you wholly... and you just used him." — Vivaan
The walls closed in. Dev's body slumped against the headboard, but his mind fought to chase reality. This is a prank. He'll walk in any second. He always does.
But the air remained still. No key turning in the lock. No footsteps. No "Dev, stop being dramatic." Nothing.
He began calling. No response. Messages left unread. He tried Akash next. But Akash had gone silent too. He tore up the letter once. Then taped it back together.
Then framed it. He scrolled back to old photos and voice notes. Played one on loop: "You're mine, You can't run even if you tried."
And yet, Vivaan had left. Without a trace.