For a second, Arjun didn't hear anything.
Not the traffic.
Not the voices around him.
Not even his own breathing.
The man's hand stayed stretched out in front of him, steady, confident. Like this was a normal meeting. Like this wasn't tearing something open inside Arjun's chest.
"Hey," the man repeated, still smiling. "You must be Arjun."
Riya stood there, frozen.
She didn't look at Arjun.
She didn't look at the man either.
She stared somewhere in between, like she was hoping the moment would pass if she didn't acknowledge it.
Arjun finally moved.
But not to shake the hand.
He looked at Riya instead.
"You said you wanted to explain," he said quietly. "Is this part of it?"
The man slowly lowered his hand.
Riya swallowed. "Arjun… this isn't what it looks like."
That sentence.
Arjun almost laughed. Almost.
"Then tell me," he said. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks very clear."
The man cleared his throat. "Look, I don't want to make this awkward—"
"You already did," Arjun cut in, his voice calm but firm.
Riya turned to the man. "Can you give us a minute?"
The man hesitated. Just for a second.
Then he nodded. "Sure."
He took a few steps back, standing near a parked bike, pulling out his phone like he suddenly had somewhere else to be.
Arjun watched him do it.
Comfortable.
Unbothered.
Like he belonged there.
That bothered Arjun more than anything else.
"What is he doing here?" Arjun asked once they were alone.
Riya rubbed her palms together. "I told you I met my ex."
"You told me after you were cornered," Arjun said. "Not before."
She flinched slightly. "I didn't hide it to hurt you."
"Then why hide it at all?"
She opened her mouth. Closed it. Tried again.
"He needed closure," she said.
Arjun nodded slowly. "And you decided to give it to him."
"Yes."
"Twice."
"Yes."
Arjun let out a breath. "And today?"
She hesitated again.
"That's your answer," he said.
Riya looked up. "He was already nearby. He wanted to talk."
"And you thought," Arjun said, "that meeting him outside my office was a good idea?"
"I didn't think you'd be here so early."
That line landed badly.
"So if I hadn't been here," Arjun said, "you'd have met him anyway."
Riya didn't deny it.
Silence filled the space between them. Heavy, uncomfortable silence.
People passed by, laughing, talking, living their normal lives, completely unaware that something was breaking apart a few feet away from them.
"I didn't cheat on you," Riya said suddenly. "If that's what you're thinking."
Arjun looked at her. "That's not the only way to betray someone."
She blinked.
"Trust," he continued, "doesn't break only in beds. It breaks in lies. In half-truths. In choosing silence."
Her eyes filled slightly. "I was scared."
"Of what?"
"Of losing you," she said.
He nodded once. "That fear made you do everything that could make it happen."
The man walked back toward them slowly.
"Everything okay?" he asked, tone casual.
Arjun turned to him. "What do you want?"
The man raised his eyebrows, surprised by the directness. "Nothing dramatic. I just wanted to clear some things."
"With her," Arjun said. "Or with me?"
The man studied him for a moment. "Both, maybe."
Riya stepped in. "This isn't necessary."
He looked at her. "You said you wanted honesty."
Then he turned to Arjun.
"I'm Vikram," he said. "We dated. Long time ago."
"I know," Arjun replied. "She told me."
"Did she tell you how it ended?" Vikram asked.
Riya's head snapped toward him. "Vikram, stop."
Arjun's stomach tightened. "How did it end?"
Vikram smiled slightly. Not cruel. Just… confident.
"It ended because timing was bad," he said. "Not because feelings were gone."
Riya shook her head. "That's not true."
Vikram shrugged. "That's your version."
Arjun looked between them.
Two versions.
One truth somewhere in the middle.
"And now?" Arjun asked.
Vikram met his gaze. "Now I'm back."
Those three words sat heavily in the air.
Riya's voice dropped. "I didn't invite him back into my life."
"But you let him in," Arjun said.
She looked at him helplessly. "I didn't know how to shut the door."
Arjun stepped back slightly.
That was the problem.
She didn't know how.
"I'm leaving," Arjun said.
Riya's eyes widened. "Arjun, wait."
"No," he said. "I need space."
Vikram watched silently, like an audience member enjoying a scene unfold.
Riya grabbed Arjun's arm. "Please. Don't do this here."
He gently pulled his arm away. "You already did."
He walked away without looking back.
Every step felt heavy. His chest hurt, but not in a dramatic way. It was dull. Constant.
Like a headache you couldn't escape.
That night, Arjun didn't reply to any messages.
Riya called twice. He ignored it.
Sameer texted.
Everything okay?
Arjun replied with one word.
No.
He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling again.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
Unknown:
You saw him.
Arjun didn't respond.
Unknown:
Now you understand why silence is dangerous.
Arjun finally typed.
Arjun:
This was you. You planned this.
The reply came after a minute.
Unknown:
I didn't make her lie.
That was true.
And somehow, that hurt more.
The next few days passed strangely.
Riya kept texting.
Please talk to me.
I messed up, not us.
I never meant to hurt you.
Arjun read every message.
He replied to none.
At work, Sameer didn't push. He just stayed nearby, like quiet support.
On the fourth day, Riya showed up again.
Outside his building.
This time, alone.
"I won't leave until you talk to me," she said.
Arjun looked tired. "Then you might be standing here for a long time."
She swallowed. "Vikram is leaving."
Arjun paused.
"When?"
"Tonight," she said quickly. "I told him this was a mistake."
Arjun studied her face.
"And you want credit for that?"
"No," she said softly. "I want a chance."
He looked away. "I don't know if I can forget this."
"I'm not asking you to forget," she said. "Just… don't give up yet."
That word again.
Yet.
That night, Arjun sat alone in his room.
He checked the time.
9:14 p.m.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
Unknown:
If you believe he's leaving, you should come see this.
Arjun's jaw tightened.
Arjun:
See what?
The reply took longer.
Then came a message.
A photo.
Riya.
Vikram.
Standing together at the bus terminal.
Close.
Too close.
And the timestamp said:
Five minutes ago.
Arjun stared at the photo, his hands shaking.
Another message followed.
Unknown:
This is the part she didn't tell you.
He's not leaving alone.
Arjun felt something inside him finally snap.
Not anger.
Not heartbreak.
Clarity.