🎵 Song: Agar Tum Saath Ho – Instrumental Version

"The moon wasn't the brightest thing that night...

Someone's blue eyes quietly stole that place."

Dinner had ended early.

Homework was complete.

The Sharma house slowly settled into silence.

Rajeev was watching the late-night news in the living room.

Nandini was arranging a few things in the kitchen before going to bed.

Anaya had fallen asleep long ago, hugging her favorite teddy bear.

Inside her room...

Aarohi closed her chemistry notebook with a satisfied smile.

"Finally..."

She stretched her arms.

"My back hurts."

She glanced at the clock.

It was only around 9:30 p.m.

She wasn't sleepy yet.

The weather outside looked pleasant.

A cool breeze gently moved the curtains.

Taking a deep breath...

She walked towards the balcony.

She quietly slid the glass door open.

The cool night air immediately brushed against her face.

"Hmm..."

"This feels nice."

Tonight, she wasn't wearing her school uniform or a traditional kurti.

Instead...

She wore a cute pastel-blue cotton night suit decorated with tiny white clouds.

The full-sleeved top looked soft and comfortable.

Her matching pajamas reached her ankles.

Her feet were bare.

Most importantly...

Her long hair was completely open.

The breeze gently played with the silky strands as they flowed freely around her shoulders.

She rested both hands on the balcony railing and looked up at the moon.

The neighborhood was peaceful.

Only a few houses still had their lights on.

Across the street...

The balcony door of the Malhotra mansion opened.

Reyansh stepped outside while lazily drying his hair with a towel.

He had just finished taking a shower.

He wore simple black track pants and a loose grey T-shirt.

His plan was simple.

Spend five minutes outside.

Then sleep.

But...

The moment he looked across...

His steps came to a halt.

Aarohi.

She stood quietly under the moonlight.

The cool breeze made her open hair dance around her face.

Her cute blue night suit somehow suited her perfectly.

She looked nothing like the shy senior from school.

Nor the nervous girl from dinner.

Right now...

She simply looked...

Peaceful.

Beautiful.

And...

Unexpectedly adorable.

For a few moments...

Reyansh forgot why he had even come outside.

"Senior..."

"You actually look..."

He stopped himself.

A small smile appeared.

"Cute."

Completely unaware that someone was watching her...

Aarohi closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the cool breeze.

A few strands of hair fell across her face.

She tried to blow them away.

Failed.

Tried again.

Failed again.

Watching her struggle...

Reyansh chuckled quietly.

"She's fighting with her own hair."

He couldn't stop smiling.

Finally...

Aarohi tucked the loose strands behind her ear.

Only then did she casually look across.

Her blue eyes met familiar brown ones.

She blinked.

"He's here?"

Reyansh was already looking at her.

And...

As always...

He was smiling.

No.

Smirking.

Aarohi instantly looked away.

"Why does he always catch me?"

"Good evening, Senior."

His voice floated across the quiet street.

Aarohi looked up again.

"Good evening."

She replied politely.

There was a comfortable silence between them.

Then...

Reyansh tilted his head slightly.

"Hmm."

Aarohi looked confused.

"What?"

"I'm thinking."

"About?"

He pretended to observe her very seriously.

"This is the first time..."

"I've seen someone lose a fight..."

"...against their own hair."

Aarohi's eyes widened.

"You saw that?"

"I saw everything."

Her cheeks immediately turned pink.

"I wasn't fighting."

"No?"

"No."

"So you always spend two minutes trying to move one strand of hair?"

She tried to defend herself.

"The wind was strong."

"The wind won."

She couldn't help laughing.

"It did not."

"It definitely did."

Reyansh folded his arms against the railing.

"You know..."

She looked at him carefully.

"What?"

"I've noticed something."

"What now?"

He smiled.

"You look completely different outside school."

Aarohi frowned.

"Different?"

"Hmm."

"How?"

He looked at her for a second.

His expression softened.

"The serious senior disappears."

"And..."

He glanced at her cloud-print night suit.

"...someone much cuter appears."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Aarohi's brain stopped working.

"Cute?"

"He called me cute?"

She instinctively looked down at her night suit.

"It..."

"It's just a normal night suit."

Reyansh shook his head.

"No."

"It suits you."

She had absolutely no reply.

He smiled mischievously.

"I think..."

He pretended to think very deeply.

"...this version of my senior is better."

Aarohi finally found her voice.

"You..."

"You tease too much."

"I know."

"And you enjoy it."

"I really do."

He answered honestly.

She sighed helplessly.

"I've noticed."

The breeze grew stronger again.

A few strands of Aarohi's hair flew across her face once more.

Reyansh laughed softly.

"Round two."

She gave him an annoyed look while fixing her hair again.

"Don't laugh."

"I'm trying not to."

"But you're making it difficult."

She couldn't help smiling.

"You are impossible."

"And yet..."

He leaned casually against the railing.

"...you still come to the balcony."

Aarohi looked at him for a brief second.

Then quickly looked away again.

She definitely wasn't going to admit...

That she had secretly hoped to enjoy the peaceful night.

Not meet the one person who somehow managed to make her blush every single time.

Inside the Malhotra mansion...

Kabir quietly peeked through the balcony curtains.

He gasped dramatically.

"Bhai is teasing Aarohi Didi again."

He immediately grinned to himself.

Far across the street...

Anaya, who had woken up to drink water, also happened to glance out of her bedroom window.

She noticed her sister standing on the balcony...

talking to Reyansh.

A huge smile spread across her face.

Without saying a word...

Both little cupids quietly disappeared from their windows.

They decided not to interrupt.

After all...

Operation Cupid was progressing beautifully...

even without their help.

Under the same moon...

Two neighboring balconies.

One mischievous junior.

One shy senior.

And a conversation that neither of them would forget.

Because sometimes...

Moonlight doesn't create magic.

The right company does.

End of Chapter 17 🌙💙