Ring... ring... ring..

Raghavendra's brow rose as his phone buzzed relentlessly in his back pocket. He didn't need to check who it was, he already knew. He ignored it, locking up the convenience store where he worked. Earlier shift than usual today, his manager's orders, which had struck him as a little odd.

Once the padlock clicked shut, he finally pulled his phone out, staring at the cracked screen. A small smile crept up before he caught himself and shook it off.

"Have some shame," he muttered, dragging a hand through his hair, pacing in front of the shop, irritated with himself. "Why are you smiling like that?"

Deep down, he still told himself she was just being kind, just a concerned friend. He shouldn't be reading into it any other way.

"She's kind, and warm, and friendly... and beautiful." He stopped mid-pace, glaring down at her name lighting up the cracked screen. "You're broke and unremarkable, Raghav. She deserves someone better than this."

His tone turned bitter, a tired smile tugging at his mouth as the call kept ringing. Logically, it all checked out. If she hadn't transferred schools, their paths never would have crossed at all. Her life, her world, she was practically royalty, completely out of reach for someone like him. He had no business entertaining anything more than that.

He knew exactly where he stood. Which was exactly why standing anywhere near her felt so much harder than it should.

DING!

His brows lifted as the call finally ended unanswered, replaced by a string of missed call notifications. Then a new message came through.

[Raghavendra Rathore, I have so many stories to tell you. Are you actually that busy?]

"Tch." He clicked his tongue through gritted teeth before another notification hit, this time a voice message, followed by several more flooding in one after another.

He watched them stack up until she finally stopped. He stared at the screen a moment longer, then scrolled to the very first one, holding the phone to his ear as he started walking.

"Raghav, did you at least eat dinner? You work way too hard, that's exactly why I worry so much. There was this cookie at the party we went to, and I met some new people..." His expression softened the longer he listened, her voice recounting every detail of her day like she genuinely didn't want him missing a second of it.

She nagged him between stories, exactly like an overprotective mother, and he found himself chuckling despite himself. No mistaking it, definitely her. Nagging, then rambling right back into her story. Silly, honestly. But her silliness was somehow the most charming thing about her.

"sigh Raghav, are you even going to listen to all of these?" she wondered aloud, voice sleepy, yawning adorably partway through. "Honestly, probably not. You're always exhausted."

He would, though. Every single one. Honestly, the amount she'd sent wasn't even enough, he'd probably replay them until he fell asleep.

"Anyway, seriously, take care of yourself, okay? Just remember, somewhere under this same sky, someone genuinely worries about you. I only want good things for you... you really have no idea." Silly of her, sending something like this assuming he'd never actually listen.

He kept listening, message after message, until he reached the very last one.

"Kind of sad I didn't get to actually talk to you tonight, but... I hope you have a peaceful night and good dreams." She laughed softly, yawning again. "Goodnight, Raghav. I'll bother you again tomorrow. Hehe."

He stood frozen in place for a long moment before finally lowering the phone. He looked up at the clear night sky, ignoring the tangle of wires strung across the old buildings lining the street.

"Under the same sky and the same moon..." he murmured quietly, something soft settling in his chest despite the weight sitting there too. "...goodnight, Maya."

That night, something became painfully clear to him. Shameless, ridiculous, presumptuous as it was, he liked her. Not just as a friend. Genuinely liked her.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly when it had started, or why.

Was it her kindness? The fact she'd approached him with nothing but pure intentions from the start? Or maybe it was simply that she'd never once looked at him the way everyone else did.

He couldn't say for certain which, probably some combination of all of it.

Either way, he liked her, and he'd be grateful for the rest of his life that she'd ever existed in it.

Just like tonight's moon, offering light to people who otherwise had none to navigate by in the dark.

She was his moon. The only real light in an otherwise pitch black path. But the moon, too, stayed permanently out of reach.

---

The next morning...

"Hi! Good morning!"

Kashvi blinked twice, checking she wasn't imagining things. Sitting right across from her at the breakfast table was Lakshya Malhotra.

"Sir Chauhan, thank you so much for letting me join for breakfast." Lakshya turned, flashing Vikram a bright, easy grin. Vikram regarded him with his usual unreadable expression, exhaling faintly, recalling the phone call he'd gotten that morning.

Ranbir. Of course. Lakshya really was his father's son.

"Eat up." Vikram nodded, gesturing toward the table, glancing at Kashvi once she'd finally recovered enough to speak.

"Lakshya, what are you doing here this early?" she asked, eyes wide.

"You said you're only free on weekends. It's Sunday, isn't it?" His grin widened further, nearly blinding both her and Vikram in the process.

'Oh my god, my heart!' She clutched a hand to her chest internally, moved, though not remotely surprised, this was exactly the kind of thing he'd do.

"Ahh..." she laughed awkwardly, an expression that didn't match her internal panic in the slightest.

"Huh?" Confused by her reaction, Lakshya tilted his head. "Do you already have plans today?"

She pressed her lips together, studying him for a few seconds. "I do, but you're welcome to join, if you don't mind." The corner of her mouth curved upward, already thinking this might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.