The soft yellow lights of the restaurant gave the private room a warm, cozy glow. The faint smell of roasted coffee beans and freshly cooked pasta filled the air as waiters quietly moved outside the door.
Avin had booked the private room for us.
He sat across from me at the round table, leaning back casually in his chair, while Arnav dropped himself into the seat beside me like he owned the place.
I stared at the table for a moment.
What am I even doing here?
Ugh. This is all because of Avin.
Avin glanced between the two of us before picking up the menu. "So… what do you want?"
"Just coffee" I said simply.
Arnav almost choked. He slammed the menu down dramatically.
"Oh come on, June! Please leave this author era for five minutes and behave like a normal human being!"
I raised an eyebrow at him but didn't reply.
"I'll have white sauce pasta" Arnav told the waiter before turning to me with a smug smile.
Avin looked at him with visible irritation.
"Well, I didn't ask you" he said dryly. "But I already knew you'd order that. You always order that."
Arnav blinked.
Then slowly grinned.
He suddenly stood up and moved his chair next to Avin, throwing an arm around his shoulder dramatically.
"Are you secretly in love with me or something?"
Avin immediately started choking.
"Leave- leave me alone!" he coughed, trying to push him away.
"Admit it first!"
"GET OFF!"
Watching the two of them argue like a pair of overgrown children was too much.
I burst out laughing.
Not a small smile.
A full laugh.
The kind that escapes before you can stop it.
Both of them froze instantly.
Their heads turned toward me at the same time.
For a moment, they just stared.
Arnav blinked, then slowly loosened his grip on Avin.
"Well… I think I should use the restroom" he said awkwardly. "Give me five minutes."
He walked out of the VIP room, leaving the door softly clicking shut behind him.
And just like that…
The room became silent.
Uncomfortably silent.
Neither of us spoke.
To avoid looking awkward, I quickly picked up my phone and pretended to scroll.
"By the way" Avin said suddenly.
My finger stopped moving.
"That's the first time I've seen you laugh."
My eyes remained fixed on my phone screen.
"When I first saw you, you were crying badly," he continued quietly. "Every time we've met after that, you look either nervous or sad."
His voice softened.
"Is it because of your boyfriend?"
My grip tightened slightly around my phone.
"That's none of your business" I replied coldly.
I resumed scrolling.
"You acted really well that day" he added. "I thought maybe you were missing him."
His words started echoing in my ears.
Why is he digging into my personal life?
Why can't he just stop?
"Honestly" Avin said after a pause, staring down at the table, "my girlfriend dumped me too."
My eyes slowly lifted from the screen.
"I guess we're walking on the same road."
For the first time since I'd met him, Avin didn't look sarcastic.
He looked… sad.
His fingers rested quietly on the table.
"She said we weren't a match" he continued softly. "She said she loved someone else."
He paused.
"The day I was about to celebrate the success of my first series… she…"
He couldn't finish the sentence.
Before he could say anything else, the words slipped out of my mouth.
"He kissed another girl in front of me."
Avin looked up.
"On my birthday" I added quietly.
I wasn't trying to compare pain.
I wasn't trying to make my suffering bigger than his.
I just didn't want him to feel like he was the only one who had gone through that kind of betrayal.
Because when it happened to me…
No one was there.
And I knew exactly how lonely that felt.
Slowly, I reached across the table and gently held his hand.
"It's okay" I said softly. "At least she told you honestly. That means you can move on… right?"
Avin looked at me, confusion and sadness mixed in his eyes.
"How can I, June?" he asked quietly.
Right.
For him, I wasn't Aria.
I was in June Valare.
The author who supposedly didn't care about her fans' feelings.
"Gia and I… we were together for a long time and I-"
The door suddenly opened.
"So how are you gu-"
Arnav stopped mid-sentence.
His eyes dropped straight to our hands.
"Holding hands?"
A slow smirk appeared on his face.
I instantly pulled my hand back.
Arnav walked over and sat beside me again, resting his arm casually on the back of my chair.
"So, June" he said playfully, "when are you planning to start shooting the series?"
"Uh… when Ishaan agrees to work with us" I replied, glancing briefly at Avin.
"Oh right, Ishaan" Avin said quickly. "I spoke to him. He likes the script… but he didn't like the ending."
"What's wrong with my ending?" I argued immediately.
"He said he doesn't want to die in the end."
"Who said he's going to die?"
The moment the words left my mouth…
I froze.
Silence.
Both Arnav and Avin slowly turned toward me with identical smirks.
Oh no.
I just spoiled my own sequel.
"Oh" Arnav said.
"Oh" Avin repeated.
"I'll inform him he survives" Avin said, clearly enjoying this.
Our food arrived a few minutes later.
Arnav's white sauce pasta.
Avin's truffle mushroom pasta.
And my coffee.
"Help yourself" Avin said.
I finished my coffee quickly while the two of them ate.
Then I checked the time.
4:00 PM.
My heart dropped.
I told Dad I'd be home before three.
If I'm late…
He'll literally kick me out.
I quickly grabbed my handbag.
"I have to go."
"Already?" Avin asked.
"Yes! If I reach home late, my dad will throw me out!"
"Is your father a hunter or something?" Avin asked in confusion.
Arnav shot him a sharp look.
"Want me to drop you?" Arnav offered.
"No, no, it's fine. I have my car."
"Oh right" he said.
Avin observed the two of us carefully.
"Looks like you two know each other pretty well."
"Well-"
"Yes" Arnav said immediately.
Avin raised an eyebrow.
I quickly corrected it.
"At the fan event!" I said quickly. "We met there."
"Oh… I see."
"Okay I'm really late, bye guys!"
I rushed out toward the parking lot.
The evening air felt cooler outside.
I was walking toward my car when a voice called out.
"Aria?"
My heart stopped.
I slowly turned around.
Neer.
My ex-boyfriend.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, walking closer.
I quickly glanced around.
Was his girlfriend here too?
"I should be asking you the same thing" I replied sharply. "What? Out with your girlfriend?"
His expression immediately changed.
"What are you talking about? You disappeared! You stopped answering my calls and blocked me everywhere!"
He looked frustrated.
"Do you know how miserable I am right now? I got kicked out of my band too! Someone messed with our instruments and microphones and they blamed me!"
Manipulator.
He stepped closer.
I stepped back.
"Stay back" I warned.
"You're nothing to me anymore."
His expression darkened.
"So… you love someone else now?" he asked angrily.
Before I could react, he grabbed my face harshly.
"Did you forget your place?" he growled.
My patience snapped.
I drove my knee straight into his stomach.
The air rushed out of his lungs as he bent forward in pain.
"You bit-"
He raised his hand to hit me.
"HEY!"
Avin's voice echoed across the parking lot.
Arnav rushed forward beside him.
Both of them looked furious.
"Are you insane?" Avin snapped, shoving Neer back.
"Stay out of this!" Neer shouted. "This is between me and my girlfriend!"
"Girlfriend?" Avin scoffed. "She's clearly not your girlfriend anymore."
"And even if she was" he continued coldly, "that still doesn't give you the right to hit her."
Arnav gently placed a hand on my head.
"Are you okay?"
Neer glared at Avin.
"So this is the guy you chose over me?"
He looked closer.
"Wait… aren't you Avin Kashyap?"
"That's it" Avin muttered. "I'm calling the cops."
He pulled out his phone.
Before he could dial, a girl ran toward us.
"Neer!"
She grabbed his arm.
Then she noticed me.
Her expression shifted.
"Neer, come on. Let's go."
She dragged him away toward a car.
The parking lot finally became quiet again.
Avin turned to me.
"Are you okay?"
Arnav stood beside me, still watching the direction Neer left.
I slowly nodded.