It was late.
Too late for normal conversations.
Too late for overthinking.
Which is exactly why things got dangerous.
The group chat was unusually quiet that night.
Until—
Abhinav: "Okay I'm bored. Someone talk."
Meet: "Go sleep."
Abhinav: "No."
Elina: "Same. I can't sleep."
A pause.
Then—
Bhagyavir: "Why?"
Simple question.
But Elina didn't know how to answer.
Because everything feels different now.
Because I don't understand what I'm feeling.
Instead, she typed—
Elina: "Just thinking."
Abhinav: "About?"
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
Before she could reply—
Meet: "Let her think. Not everything needs to be shared."
Elina smiled faintly. Meet always understood that silence didn't mean emptiness.
But then—
Abhinav sent a voice note.
It was short.
Unfiltered.
And not meant to be sent.
"Honestly… I think about her too much these days."
A pause. His voice softer now.
"Like… it's not even funny anymore. I try to act normal but… yeah. I think I like her."
The message ended.
The chat froze.
Elina's heart stopped.
Her fingers went cold.
Her.
He didn't say her name.
But everyone knew.
Abhinav: "WAIT—"
Abhinav: "THAT WASN'T MEANT—"
Abhinav: "I DIDN'T MEAN TO SEND THAT HERE—"
Panic flooded the chat.
But it was too late.
Elina couldn't breathe properly.
Her chest felt tight as she stared at the screen, replaying his voice over and over in her mind.
It wasn't a joke.
It wasn't teasing.
It was real.
Meet: "…"
That was all he sent.
But it said everything.
And then—
Bhagyavir finally replied.
Bhagyavir: "You should've been more careful."
Cold. Calm. Controlled.
But underneath it… something sharp.
Abhinav went offline.
Just like that.
Gone.
The chat fell silent again.
But this silence wasn't comfortable anymore.
It was heavy.
Awkward.
Broken.
Elina locked her phone and pressed it against her chest.
Her mind was spinning.
Abhinav liked her.
Actually liked her.
Not jokes. Not hints. Not "maybe."
And now… everything had changed.
A notification popped up.
Private message.
From Bhagyavir.
Bhagyavir:
"Now you know."
Another message.
"So what are you going to do about it?"
Elina stared at the screen, her heart racing faster than ever.
Because this wasn't just about Abhinav anymore.
This was about her.
Her feelings.
Her choice.
And deep down—
She knew one thing.
No matter what she did next…
Nothing between the four of them would ever be the same again.