The streets of Mumbai never truly slept, but for Dev Roy, dawn was the only time the city felt remotely tolerable. The air was thick with the promise of another humid day, and the streets were already coming alive—hawkers setting up their stalls, commuters crowding into buses, and stray dogs lazily weaving through the chaos.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZoNhcwI2D
Dev walked briskly toward the main gate of IEC Bombay, his thoughts already racing ahead to the day’s schedule. Every step he took felt purposeful, every second accounted for.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77JsX98Ayx
He had a plan.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡji981T9iDb
At twenty-one, Dev was a fourth-year student in the prestigious nanotechnology program, one of the youngest in his department to publish research in an international journal. He lived for the precision of his work—the perfect alignment of particles, the endless possibilities of a world too small for the naked eye to see.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJ1FUS9MCP
And yet, even in this world of science and logic, there were things he couldn’t control.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uQLLtjN8v
“Dev! Wait up!”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTzB0pyobH
He groaned inwardly as he recognized the familiar voice cutting through the morning buzz. Turning, he saw Aditya jogging to catch up, a cup of chai precariously balanced in one hand and a lopsided grin plastered on his face.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Gklf0Ck7p
“You’re going to spill that all over yourself,” Dev said flatly.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMHYuYS0nw
Aditya shrugged, falling into step beside him. “Risk worth taking. Morning caffeine, you know?”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPMBludt7Q
Dev shook his head but couldn’t help the faint smile tugging at his lips. Aditya was the polar opposite of him—carefree, easygoing, and always the center of attention. They’d been inseparable since the fifth grade, and despite their differences, Dev couldn’t imagine life without him.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡev2GSFcrfJ
“So,” Aditya began, sipping his chai, “what’s the big plan for today? Publishing another groundbreaking paper? Fixing the universe?”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWX3FGASdAA
“Lab work,” Dev replied curtly. “I need to test a new nanostructure design for the filtration project. Professor Rao expects results by next week.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt459JHtGfN
Aditya groaned. “Sounds... thrilling.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDjgMvLiks
“Some of us have ambitions,” Dev retorted.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxB1VEuVQYH
“And some of us have lives,” Aditya shot back, smirking. “Speaking of which, you’re still coming to dinner tonight, right? Sanjanna’s been planning it for a week.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrodDM1yS5h
The mention of Sanjanna made Dev’s expression darken slightly. He didn’t dislike her, exactly, but their interactions always seemed to devolve into arguments. She was a fourth-year CS student—brilliant, outspoken, and fiercely competitive. Dev had never met anyone so infuriatingly stubborn, except perhaps himself.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0xxMegxhb
“I’ll try,” Dev said noncommittally.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJki9AXjJUi
“You’ll be there,” Aditya insisted. “It’s non-negotiable. Besides, you two need to stop fighting all the time. You’re like siblings who can’t stand each other.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcx7y1bvFS
“She’s the one who starts it,” Dev muttered.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWO1lKMCGY
Aditya laughed. “Sure, genius. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hsk3CEaRl
The day unfolded as planned—or as planned as life at IIT Bombay ever could. By the time Dev made it to the nanotech lab, the campus was buzzing with the usual chaos. Students rushed between classes, their voices blending into a symphony of excitement and stress.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhRXYGP3QV
Dev settled into his workspace, the familiar hum of equipment calming his mind. Here, in the precise world of molecules and equations, everything made sense.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMf55kFknEU
And yet, a nagging voice in the back of his mind wouldn’t leave him alone.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzj9v0YkHc7
You’re isolating yourself.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0inbwXESe
It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it—Aditya had said it a hundred times before. And sometimes, late at night, Dev wondered if it was true.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzvM3wsyUD
But those thoughts were a distraction. He didn’t have time for self-doubt or relationships. Not when he was this close to achieving something that mattered.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm58NiRWvq1
By the time evening rolled around, Dev found himself reluctantly heading to Aditya’s favorite hangout spot, a small café just outside the campus gates.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GSjQiCIPQ
The place was crowded as usual, the air thick with the smell of coffee and the sound of laughter. Dev spotted Aditya and Sanjanna at a corner table, deep in conversation.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNouv5ktUm
“There he is!” Aditya called out, waving him over.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2uJiyW2v2
Dev slid into the seat across from them, nodding in greeting. Sanjanna gave him a sly smile, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQFueXaaMl
“Look who finally decided to show up,” she said.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPSdllBEDO
“I was working,” Dev replied tersely.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0zKLdWEBF
“Of course you were,” she said, her tone dripping with mock understanding. “Wouldn’t want to waste time on something as frivolous as human interaction.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KlLqHegXM
Aditya groaned. “Guys, can we please have one meal without the two of you fighting?”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3JkjxU0Sa
“I’m not fighting,” Dev said defensively.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSmtUS0lhF
“Sure you’re not,” Sanjanna quipped, leaning back in her chair.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CuocCs36m
Despite himself, Dev felt a flicker of amusement. As much as Sanjanna annoyed him, there was no denying that she kept him on his toes.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxDgkoB5aa
The night ended with laughter and lighthearted teasing, but as Dev walked back to his dorm alone, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN62ybeB9P6
Mumbai’s neon lights flickered in the distance, casting long shadows across the campus. Dev stared up at the sky, the stars barely visible through the haze of the city.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJ5nIL12DE
He had a plan—a perfect equation for success. But for the first time, he wondered if it was enough.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8ZsmkmPoi
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