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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4IxG39HCy
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQ2MMwwGmd
He had a plan.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuY3dyAn8Z
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54d4QMlWAX
And yet, even in this world of science and logic, there were things he couldn’t control.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJyPD60cwN
“Dev! Wait up!”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pzXVzxYuw
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EoKfyeqlP
“You’re going to spill that all over yourself,” Dev said flatly.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFtk5gdemM
Aditya shrugged, falling into step beside him. “Risk worth taking. Morning caffeine, you know?”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBq2zK4LvI
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtoZBQgvUqM
“So,” Aditya began, sipping his chai, “what’s the big plan for today? Publishing another groundbreaking paper? Fixing the universe?”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ftlrmZbTQ
“Lab work,” Dev replied curtly. “I need to test a new nanostructure design for the filtration project. Professor Rao expects results by next week.”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3g0t5VCo6m
Aditya groaned. “Sounds... thrilling.”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZzEsZWIew
“Some of us have ambitions,” Dev retorted.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFr9P3PIva
“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.”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SKwjQ44nr
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJHxMqd37h
“I’ll try,” Dev said noncommittally.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7eny99fIA
“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.”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLg6j4rZGW2
“She’s the one who starts it,” Dev muttered.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuWQKza4Lk
Aditya laughed. “Sure, genius. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlo74dL4Jf
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIU808YctYb
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOd27rngqm
And yet, a nagging voice in the back of his mind wouldn’t leave him alone.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFxQN940fL
You’re isolating yourself.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWtGLpba9w
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMm1tm2Fw5A
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshT6wnHbZ0
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydEQrYCbox
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3sd0daZSb
“There he is!” Aditya called out, waving him over.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOs1uJTcBzF
Dev slid into the seat across from them, nodding in greeting. Sanjanna gave him a sly smile, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGFwfNuGo5
“Look who finally decided to show up,” she said.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XkBfjvJ6F
“I was working,” Dev replied tersely.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡau4gI8vIsU
“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.”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0qq2eIc8n
Aditya groaned. “Guys, can we please have one meal without the two of you fighting?”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BCQ2NSVT7
“I’m not fighting,” Dev said defensively.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGIZK4e5S0
“Sure you’re not,” Sanjanna quipped, leaning back in her chair.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazP5NLyMRq
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6G87o392J
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXakPglowG
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYG2zn8aHu
He had a plan—a perfect equation for success. But for the first time, he wondered if it was enough.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0L225ByObB
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