Late Night: Leaving the Spotlight
The gala tapers off as guests spill into the hotel's marble foyer, laughter and gossip trickling out into the humid Mumbai night. Arohi says her goodbyes to Riya, Megha, Tara, and Aarav—feeling fortified by new friendships but exhausted by the undercurrents of competition and attention.
Shruti texts for their car, her eyes scanning the shadows. Arohi lingers by the revolving door, grateful for the city's open air—finally, a moment outside someone else's spotlight.
Arohi and Shruti move toward the parking lot, shoes clicking against cool stone. From behind a pillar, Kunal (Sumit's rival café lieutenant, still stung from the night's verbal duel) emerges, emboldened by the emptying crowd.
Kunal (blustering): "You Walk like you own this city now, huh? All it took was a few clever words. Your past won't stay hidden forever. And you're not the only one learning new tricks."
Shruti tenses. Arohi feels her heart jump, but she steadies her breath—remembering those hours spent with Kritika, her self-defense trainer.
Kunal comes closer, his posture suddenly threatening.
Kunal (low voice): "Win in the ballroom, maybe. On the street, you're still just a girl—"
But as his hand reaches, Arohi steps smoothly aside, pivots, and firmly blocks him, just as she'd learned. Her stance is strong: feet planted, gaze unflinching.
Arohi (calm but fierce): "Try me, Kunal. The world changes, and so do I. Walk away before you regret it."
A brief standoff—then, as a passing valet glances over, Kunal mutters under his breath and slinks off. Shruti exhales in relief, wide-eyed but prooud.
There are no cameras, no flashbulbs, just two friends under a streetlamp—one heartbeat away from harm, now safe by her own resolve and hard-won muscle.
Shruti (awed): "You… you really learned this?"
Arohi (smiling, with a note of disbelief): "A bit every day. It never gets less scary, but I get a little braver."
Arohi's phone vibrates:
[System reward: Self-Defense—Stage One complete. Next unlock bladed weapons (basic). Emotional stability improved. Trust earned: Shruti +2.]
In the car home, Arohi is quiet but alert, replaying the encounter—not as a boast, but as a lesson. She doesn't feel victorious, just a touch stronger, one challenge at a time.
Above her, the Mumbai skyline gleams: every window shining for someone else's story. Tonight, Arohi's feels unapologetically her own.
When she gets home, she writes in her diary:
"Thunder is impressive, but it's the lightning you have to watch for. I can be both—louder than they expect, faster than they know."
Tomorrow, she knows, will demand even more: new skills, new enemies, and—perhaps—a new weapon in hand.