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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbf2j8nIGtk
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9d8vL7BnbJ
He had a plan.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnHCkMH0GR
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhbuqybHbU
And yet, even in this world of science and logic, there were things he couldn’t control.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD758EEuO3K
“Dev! Wait up!”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkcsNJIlFY
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddd8iBVmZQ
“You’re going to spill that all over yourself,” Dev said flatly.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7owKwBKYn
Aditya shrugged, falling into step beside him. “Risk worth taking. Morning caffeine, you know?”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSAG367dEu
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHX60Y1noH
“So,” Aditya began, sipping his chai, “what’s the big plan for today? Publishing another groundbreaking paper? Fixing the universe?”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uSATAEyBO
“Lab work,” Dev replied curtly. “I need to test a new nanostructure design for the filtration project. Professor Rao expects results by next week.”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDu1tIldJx
Aditya groaned. “Sounds... thrilling.”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffrrAF8vOM
“Some of us have ambitions,” Dev retorted.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaevnm1TEn
“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.”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CiIrFobF0
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrRWmtYL3h
“I’ll try,” Dev said noncommittally.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYhEHoT8qV
“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.”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbpA58poNP
“She’s the one who starts it,” Dev muttered.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgDwZxiyUd
Aditya laughed. “Sure, genius. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHnlQXyGxN
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZ8WxUtD4L
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVJIwJwHKP
And yet, a nagging voice in the back of his mind wouldn’t leave him alone.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TqsH7Rcua
You’re isolating yourself.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnhczPi0SBF
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpc7oLlkiMA
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwoesclBuoA
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulkSygeDXV
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVO9l7JWxD
“There he is!” Aditya called out, waving him over.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DGgcSoL5s
Dev slid into the seat across from them, nodding in greeting. Sanjanna gave him a sly smile, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAl4EF2AWO
“Look who finally decided to show up,” she said.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWTvL2QOd0
“I was working,” Dev replied tersely.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Zxkkr8Ksa
“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.”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrxnVXdMK9
Aditya groaned. “Guys, can we please have one meal without the two of you fighting?”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2898nRb0N
“I’m not fighting,” Dev said defensively.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2La836qiip
“Sure you’re not,” Sanjanna quipped, leaning back in her chair.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7yYAoR3hz
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqbwnnrgri
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPtgl0gKQB
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXgJV6eKye
He had a plan—a perfect equation for success. But for the first time, he wondered if it was enough.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeI74I7Rlrj
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