Vanya rested her elbows on the cold balcony railing as the city lights pulsed beneath her like veins of a sleeping beast. The night wind tangled through her hair, sharp and refreshing, yet her thoughts burned hotter than fire. She didn't like surprises—not unless she was the one orchestrating them. But Vipin Kumar… he was chaos wrapped in control. And that intrigued her more than she wanted to admit.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Slow. Confident. Intentional.
She didn't turn.
Vipin stopped beside her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off him, but not close enough to touch. His presence wasn't loud—it demanded attention without asking for it.
"You watched me." His voice was low, smooth, almost bored—yet layered with unspoken provocation.
Vanya smiled faintly, eyes still on the city.
"Everyone watches something beautiful."
Vipin let out a short, quiet laugh—not amused, but impressed.
"I wasn't talking about myself," he replied.
Now she turned.
Their eyes locked, and silence stretched thin, tight, electric.
Vipin's gaze lowered only slightly, studying her—not the way most men did. Not with lust first, but calculation. As if deciding which part of her mind he wanted to dissect first.
Vanya lifted her chin just a fraction.
Good.
Let him try.
"You don't know me," she said quietly.
"No," he agreed, taking a slow step closer, "but I will."
The confidence wasn't arrogance. It was certainty.
A declaration.
A promise.
A threat.
Vanya's pulse quickened—not out of fear, but excitement. Her fingers curled around the railing as if restraining herself from doing something reckless… like pulling him closer.
Vipin leaned slightly, his breath warm against her ear.
"I don't chase," he murmured, "I study. I learn. And then—"
His voice dropped lower, darker.
"I claim."
Her breath hitched barely—just enough for him to register.
She almost laughed.
Possession.
The idea thrilled her and infuriated her in equal measure.
"And what if," she whispered, turning her head just enough that their lips hovered dangerously close, "the thing you want isn't meant to be owned?"
Vipin's eyes darkened.
"Oh, Vanya," he murmured, saying her name like a secret he had already stolen,
"everything breaks eventually. The question is only who gets to break it."
She held his gaze, unblinking.
"Careful," she murmured with a slow smile,
"some things break back."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Two minds.
Two predators.
Two obsessions waiting to ignite.
Vipin finally stepped back—not in retreat, but in strategy.
"Until next time," he said smoothly.
And without waiting for her response, he walked away.
Vanya stayed by the railing, her heartbeat louder than the city below.
Oh yes.
The game had finally begun.
And neither of them planned to lose.