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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTAHVeJNwy
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHg4l71vY8N
He had a plan.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItenQnqQsB
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9j4B5LKuYO
And yet, even in this world of science and logic, there were things he couldn’t control.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruVhIafh7y
“Dev! Wait up!”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sUqX5g2n5
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxq7WuuvYI3
“You’re going to spill that all over yourself,” Dev said flatly.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDW0x1Erjw
Aditya shrugged, falling into step beside him. “Risk worth taking. Morning caffeine, you know?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSe0HLfEvBT
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxHOiPrGTa
“So,” Aditya began, sipping his chai, “what’s the big plan for today? Publishing another groundbreaking paper? Fixing the universe?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiTVNlvahD
“Lab work,” Dev replied curtly. “I need to test a new nanostructure design for the filtration project. Professor Rao expects results by next week.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfB6jxPnu2z
Aditya groaned. “Sounds... thrilling.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisIqwNaV4T
“Some of us have ambitions,” Dev retorted.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIesYs9ZRKU
“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.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcA0EjlB3d
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGwSuufyyz
“I’ll try,” Dev said noncommittally.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyS6uX8Tiv
“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.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGilgjftgk
“She’s the one who starts it,” Dev muttered.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgP6eoy1Tnn
Aditya laughed. “Sure, genius. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTY8BV3HAkc
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8wIuYecuL
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJ431mUlsQ
And yet, a nagging voice in the back of his mind wouldn’t leave him alone.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18t3oYgNX7
You’re isolating yourself.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzeuDguw8B
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTjLVccJkC
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWXJXEMM32
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7icKu68pi
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmX2qAp9IWV
“There he is!” Aditya called out, waving him over.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡviKscTFLMT
Dev slid into the seat across from them, nodding in greeting. Sanjanna gave him a sly smile, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypOiwMwyqt
“Look who finally decided to show up,” she said.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPWlSSQd1p
“I was working,” Dev replied tersely.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHE5jwvi6K
“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.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAr8IaR1nGd
Aditya groaned. “Guys, can we please have one meal without the two of you fighting?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzwL7vLlsQ
“I’m not fighting,” Dev said defensively.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDoiMuoLFI
“Sure you’re not,” Sanjanna quipped, leaning back in her chair.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkRqLIZcsX
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIwPf1pCXY
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGau52ThZ0
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwpf18Vxtq
He had a plan—a perfect equation for success. But for the first time, he wondered if it was enough.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDkDS4WX7X
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