After dropping off the mysterious woman and her child at his private apartment, Deval finally allowed himself a moment to relax. He wiped the sweat from his brow, still feeling the weight of the night's events pressing down on him.
Pulling out his phone, Deval's fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard, texting Advik that he had completed his task. It was a routine they had developed over the years—business first, personal matters later. A moment later, his phone buzzed with a reply from Advik. It was brief, almost curt: *"Good."*. It was typical of Advik's nature—succinct, to the point, without a trace of emotion.
Deval let out a long breath, feeling the tension drain from his shoulders. He knew Advik well enough to understand that "Good" was as close to praise as he'd get. But it was enough. Task complete, he could finally unwind.
Deval took a brief shower to relieve himself of the day's tension, changed into comfy clothing, and prepared himself a drink. With a little smile on his lips, he grabbed for his phone once again as he took a seat.His thoughts drifted to Neena, the one person who had become his comfort amid the whole ordeal. Their covert connection had served as a haven for him during the previous two months, a place where he could be himself free from the incessant pressures of his life and prying eyes. In the last two months, it had been second nature for him to text Neena after a demanding day. Neena had been a constant in his otherwise tumultuous life, and their conversations had become regular. a small pocket of normalcy in his otherwise chaotic life, Neena had been a surprising source of comfort, her wit and warmth drawing him in, making him feel things he hadn't expected to feel , It was something he looked forward to, their banter a welcome distraction from the pressures of his world.
They had kept their relationship under wraps, both of them agreeing it was best to keep it private, at least for now. Deval had his reasons—his work, the complications in his life, and the fact that he wasn't ready to face the inevitable scrutiny that would come if their relationship became public. But every night, without fail, they would chat, sometimes about nothing at all, other times about the deepest parts of themselves. It had become a routine he cherished, a part of his day he looked forward to more than anything else.
But tonight, when he opened his messaging app, ready to send her a casual "Hey, you there?", he was met with an unexpected surprise— his smile faded. His fingers paused mid-air as he noticed something was off. The usual green bubble that signaled their conversations was replaced by a stark, empty space. He blinked, thinking it might be a glitch, but when he tapped on Neena's name, the truth hit him like a ton of bricks.
She had blocked him.
What the hell? He thought, bewildered. Why would she block me?
For a moment, Deval just stared at the screen, the breath leaving his lungs in a slow, disbelieving exhale. His mind raced, trying to piece together what had happened. He scrolled through their previous messages, reading over their last conversation to see if he had said something wrong, something that might have upset her. But everything seemed normal, casual even—just their usual back-and-forth, nothing that would warrant such a drastic move.
Deval's mind raced, trying to make sense of it. There hadn't been any argument, no sign of trouble. Their last conversation had been light-hearted, playful even. They had talked about meeting up, about the silly things they did as kids, and how they both hated the way people assumed they were too serious all the time. There had been nothing to indicate this—whatever *this* was.
"Why?" he muttered under his breath, his heart beating faster with a mix of confusion and anxiety. Deval wasn't used to this kind of uncertainty. He was a man who always had control, always knew what was happening around him. But now, he was completely in the dark.
In a state of disbelief, he dialed her number, hoping that it was just a mistake, a glitch in the app, something easily fixable. But his heart sank further when he heard the automated voice informing him that his call could not be completed as dialed. She had blocked his number too.
Deval sat down heavily on the edge of his bed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. This made no sense. Neena had accepted his feelings not too long ago. She had been the one to encourage him, to tell him it was okay to let his guard down with her. They had been so careful, so sure that keeping things quiet was the best way to protect what they were building together. But now, out of nowhere, she had shut him out completely.
His thoughts swirled with confusion and hurt. What had happened? Had she found out about something? Had he done something wrong? He couldn't figure it out, couldn't piece together the reasons why she would suddenly push him away. It wasn't like Neena to act so impulsively, to shut someone out without explanation. She was always the rational one, the one who talked things through.
And then, a terrible thought crossed his mind: *Had she seen something?*
His mind flashed back to earlier in the day, to the woman and child he had escorted to his apartment. But no, that was impossible. Neena couldn't have seen that, could she? He had been so careful, so meticulous in making sure no one followed them, that no one would suspect a thing. But doubt gnawed at him, filling him with unease.
Deval tried to shake the feeling, telling himself there had to be another explanation. But the knot in his stomach refused to go away. He had never been this vulnerable before, never allowed himself to care so much about what someone else thought. But with Neena, it was different. He cared, deeply. And the thought of losing her—without even knowing why—was more than he could bear.
He needed answers, but he knew better than to push her right now. If she had blocked him, it meant she needed space, needed time to figure out whatever was going on in her head. As much as it killed him, Deval knew he had to respect that. But he wouldn't wait forever. He would find a way to get to the bottom of this, to understand what had gone wrong and, if he could, fix it.
Because for the first time in a long time, Deval had something—someone—worth fighting for, and he wasn't about to let that slip through his fingers without a fight.