Vihaan Malhotra.
Too loud.
Too bright.
Too impossible to ignore.
And the worst part?
He had no idea I existed.
But there was a moment—just one.
A moment where he almost noticed me.
A moment where, for the first time, I thought—maybe.
Maybe he'd look at me.
Maybe he'd remember me.
Maybe I wasn't just a shadow in his world.
But I was wrong.
It was late.
Past office hours.
The cafeteria was nearly empty, except for a few tired employees finishing their chai.
I was sitting at my usual spot—corner table, away from the noise, pretending to focus on my laptop.
But my eyes?
They were on him.
Vihaan stood at the vending machine.
Muttering something under his breath, punching the buttons aggressively.
I frowned. He looked… frustrated.
I had seen him laughing, talking, working.
But this?
This was new.
He ran a hand through his hair, huffing dramatically.
Then—he turned.
And for the first time, our eyes met.
Just for a second.
One, fleeting second.
And I?
I froze.
Heart in my throat.
Hands clenching around my coffee cup.
Because Vihaan Malhotra was looking at me.
Like he had just noticed I existed.
Like maybe—**just maybe—**I wasn't invisible.
But then—
"Hey, you okay?"
Not to me.
Not even close.
To someone else behind me.
I turned slightly, just enough to see—
A junior employee. Looking miserable.
Vihaan didn't hesitate.
Didn't second guess.
Just walked right past me.
Straight to them.
Like I was never there at all.
I should have looked away.
Should have stopped watching.
But I didn't.
Because the way Vihaan crouched down to their level, talking to them softly, asking what was wrong—
The way he smiled at them, like they mattered—
The way he stayed, even when he didn't have to—
It told me everything I needed to know.
Vihaan wasn't just bright.
He was blinding.
And I?
I was just one of many people watching from a distance.
I sighed.
Drained the last of my coffee.
And walked out before I made the mistake of hoping again.
That day, I convinced myself it was nothing.
That Vihaan was just another person in the office.
That my eyes only followed him because he stood out.
That the way my chest ached watching him was just passing curiosity.
But it was never just curiosity.
Not when I started noticing everything about him.
Not when I started wondering what it would feel like to be on the other side of his attention.
Not when, years later, on a train packed with strangers—
Vihaan fell on top of me.
And smiled like it was just another moment.
Just another day.
Just another stranger.
Meanwhile, I had already been his for years.