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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJa04E9H9SG
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7qa14ygil
He had a plan.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MraKAWhY4
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HZQtiPXio
And yet, even in this world of science and logic, there were things he couldn’t control.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgIM9ibCjm
“Dev! Wait up!”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcMKFhH2xd
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PqzV68itW
“You’re going to spill that all over yourself,” Dev said flatly.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOSFVwfYtK
Aditya shrugged, falling into step beside him. “Risk worth taking. Morning caffeine, you know?”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOVZ3vXVEz
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuGBj4WGlP
“So,” Aditya began, sipping his chai, “what’s the big plan for today? Publishing another groundbreaking paper? Fixing the universe?”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMQ39qQLeF
“Lab work,” Dev replied curtly. “I need to test a new nanostructure design for the filtration project. Professor Rao expects results by next week.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8S01Qmhhc
Aditya groaned. “Sounds... thrilling.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2cMmP263I
“Some of us have ambitions,” Dev retorted.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXq4dTWZRi
“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.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGT4TXwtFoh
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG2u5NQAgCy
“I’ll try,” Dev said noncommittally.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPmdEPlQHW
“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.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IZkSeOQgt
“She’s the one who starts it,” Dev muttered.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4b5QGfavp
Aditya laughed. “Sure, genius. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5Dpo1A0Lz
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvS3qoujsk
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmicrizo2xL
And yet, a nagging voice in the back of his mind wouldn’t leave him alone.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gKMEskPty
You’re isolating yourself.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qD9R2NDdn
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCoenCzt49
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXQyZlrz40
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTWytKpB08
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedEjvpe44I
“There he is!” Aditya called out, waving him over.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRTnGeqEtM
Dev slid into the seat across from them, nodding in greeting. Sanjanna gave him a sly smile, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMZFpTFHef
“Look who finally decided to show up,” she said.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdX5RKiD7zw
“I was working,” Dev replied tersely.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIbiJPP8Aq
“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.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkjxOuEgxy
Aditya groaned. “Guys, can we please have one meal without the two of you fighting?”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1LH4KvKGC
“I’m not fighting,” Dev said defensively.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXGxI1CEHp
“Sure you’re not,” Sanjanna quipped, leaning back in her chair.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEn6jGESHPv
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qXqMFzeQJ
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWjJTMILr4
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Tgm0VHCC3
He had a plan—a perfect equation for success. But for the first time, he wondered if it was enough.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicsu0cdNZ4
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