It began with a knock on the department door.
Hiya looked up from her notes. Devika stood there, holding two coffee cups — one extended toward her.
"Thought you might need a caffeine kick," she said with a warm smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Hiya accepted it politely. "Thank you."
Devika sat beside her, too casually.
"You know, I was surprised when I heard you enrolled," she said. "Most women wouldn't want to mix marriage and medical school. It's… demanding."
Hiya smiled, calm. "Most women aren't me."
Devika chuckled, then leaned in. "You know, I once got offered an internship abroad in my first year here. But I didn't go. Love makes you… pause things."
Hiya stiffened just a little.
Devika noticed.
"But it's fine," she added, sipping her coffee. "Sometimes, people chase love. Other times, they grow out of it."
Hiya didn't answer.
Because she didn't need to.
Later that evening, Dev returned from the lab to find Hiya curled up on the sofa, quiet.
He sat beside her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "What happened?"
She leaned against him, breathing in his scent — one part antiseptic, one part home.
"Nothing that matters," she murmured.
But Dev sensed it. Her stillness. Her guardedness.
The next day, Devika found him outside the research center. Alone.
She walked up with her usual casual air. "You didn't show up for coffee today."
Dev raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall promising."
"Hmm. You've changed. Used to be more... available."
He frowned. "Maybe you never knew me at all."
She looked wounded. "I'm just saying — don't let her slow you down. You're brilliant. You were always meant for bigger things."
Dev stared at her. "I chose her. That is the bigger thing."
The silence between them turned solid.
"I don't mix personal with professional, Devika," he added, softer but firm. "Let's keep it that way."
He walked away.
And that night, he wrapped Hiya in his arms under the soft glow of their balcony lights, whispering, "I'll never let the world get between us. Ever."
Hiya didn't respond with words.
She only pulled him closer, her eyes glassy, her heart loud.