Zayan POV

Sleep was never difficult for me.

It was silence that was.

And tonight… the silence felt louder than usual.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the closed file in front of me. The words inside didn’t register anymore. They hadn’t for a while.

My mind kept drifting.

Not to work.

Not to business.

To the sound of footsteps in the hallway earlier.

Roohi.

I exhaled slowly, pressing my fingers against the edge of the desk.

She walked too quietly for someone who was still trying to find her place in this house.

And yet…

I noticed her every time.

That thought annoyed me.

I stood up, moving toward the window.

Outside, the garden was still. The lights were dim, casting long shadows across the grass.

Everything in this house was supposed to feel controlled.

Balanced.

Predictable.

But it didn’t anymore.

Not since her arrival.

I looked away from the window.

My reflection caught in the glass.

Same expression.

Same distance in my eyes.

Nothing had changed.

At least that’s what I told myself.

A faint memory slipped in—her voice in the kitchen, small and unsure. The way she tried not to laugh earlier at dinner. The way she kept lowering her gaze like she didn’t want to take up space.

I frowned slightly.

Why was I noticing these things?

I turned away sharply and picked up the file again.

Focus.

That was the rule.

But the words blurred again.

A knock on the door came in my mind instead of reality.

Her voice.

“You don’t sleep either?”

I closed my eyes briefly.

Too many questions.

Too many soft interruptions to silence I had built carefully over the years.

I opened my eyes again.

“No,” I had told her.

Not always.

Because some nights weren’t about sleep.

They were about remembering things you didn’t want to remember.

And lately…

They were about noticing things I shouldn’t be noticing.

I exhaled slowly and shut the file completely.

Sleep wasn’t coming.

It rarely did when the house felt different.

And Roohi…

She was becoming part of that difference.

Without even trying.

I turned off the study light.

But even in the dark…

I was still awake.

Roohi POV

Morning came quietly in the Khan house.

Too quietly.

The kind of silence that doesn’t feel peaceful… just aware.

I stepped into the dining area slowly, adjusting my dupatta, trying to act normal.

But something felt different.

Like the air remembered something I didn’t fully understand.

Mrs. Khan was already there, calmly pouring tea.

Rayyan was sitting with his usual lazy posture, scrolling through his phone like the world depended on it.

And Zayan…

He was already seated.

Perfectly composed.

Except—

Something about him was off.

Not obvious.

Just subtle.

A little more tired than usual.

A little less sharp.

I quickly looked away before I stared too long.

“Good morning,” I said softly.

“Good morning, bhabhi,” Rayyan replied instantly, too energetic for the hour.

Mrs. Khan smiled gently. “Morning, beta.”

Zayan didn’t say anything at first.

Just a small nod.

Barely noticeable.

I sat down carefully, trying to ignore the strange heaviness in my chest.

Rayyan, of course, noticed everything.

He always did.

His eyes flicked between me and Zayan.

Then he grinned.

“Oh.”

I frowned slightly. “What?”

He leaned forward.

“Nothing.”

That tone meant everything.

Mrs. Khan sighed. “Rayyan.”

“I didn’t say anything,” he said innocently. “I just find it interesting that some people in this house apparently don’t sleep.”

My hand froze slightly near the teacup.

I slowly looked up.

Rayyan was definitely looking at Zayan now.

Zayan didn’t react.

Not even a flicker.

But I noticed it.

The way his fingers paused for half a second on the edge of his cup.

Like he had heard.

And didn’t care.

Or maybe… cared too much to respond.

Mrs. Khan calmly placed parathas on the table.

“Eat,” she said simply.

Rayyan leaned back again, still smiling like he knew something nobody else did.

I quietly picked up my tea.

But my thoughts weren’t on breakfast.

They were on last night.

The study door.

The quiet voice.

The way he had said my name.

I glanced up once without meaning to.

Zayan was already eating.

As if nothing had ever happened.

As if he hadn’t been awake.

As if I hadn’t seen him.

And just as quickly as I looked—

His eyes lifted slightly.

Not fully.

Just enough.

For a brief second, our gazes almost met.

I looked away first.

Again.

My heart beat a little faster for no reason I could explain.

And breakfast continued.

Like nothing had changed.

Even though everything felt slightly… different.

Rayyan was still smiling to himself as he ate, clearly enjoying something only he understood.

I tried to ignore him.

Really, I did.

But it was impossible.

Because every few seconds, his eyes would flick back toward me… then toward Zayan… then back to me again.

Like he was connecting invisible dots.

Mrs. Khan noticed too.

Of course she did.

“Mushkil se khana khaya jata hai tum se,” she said calmly, looking at Rayyan. “Itna dimagh bhi mat lagao.”

Rayyan gasped. “I am offended.”

“You’ll survive,” she replied without looking up.

I bit my lip slightly to hide a smile.

Zayan stayed silent.

As always.

But there was something different in his silence today.

Not emptiness.

More like… awareness.

Like he was present, but choosing not to participate.

Rayyan suddenly leaned forward again, lowering his voice dramatically.

“So, bhabhi…”

I looked at him warily.

“What now?”

He smiled innocently.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

My hand paused mid-air.

For a second too long.

Mrs. Khan slowly turned her head toward him.

“Rayyan.”

“What?” he said again, pretending confusion. “It’s a normal question.”

“It’s not your business,” she replied calmly.

Rayyan shrugged. “I’m just caring.”

I quickly looked down at my plate.

“Y-yes,” I said softly. “I slept fine.”

A lie.

Not a big one.

Just… incomplete.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zayan finally take a sip of his tea.

Slow.

Controlled.

But his gaze didn’t lift.

Not once.

Rayyan hummed like he didn’t believe a word I said.

But mercifully, he dropped it.

For now.

Breakfast slowly returned to normal sounds again.

Clinking plates.

Soft conversation from Mrs. Khan.

Rayyan occasionally making useless comments.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling from earlier.

Like something unspoken was sitting between me and Zayan.

Not loud.

Not obvious.

Just there.

When I finally stood up to clear my plate, Mrs. Khan stopped me.

“You don’t have to do everything yourself, Roohi.”

I nodded quickly. “It’s okay.”

She gave me a long look, then smiled slightly.

“Stubborn.”

I blinked.

That wasn’t harsh.

It sounded… familiar.

Warm, even.

Before I could respond, Rayyan suddenly stood too.

“Alright,” he announced. “I have important work.”

Mrs. Khan didn’t even look up. “You don’t.”

“I do,” he insisted. “Mental peace matters.”

He walked past me, then paused just slightly.

“By the way…”

I looked at him.

He leaned in a little, lowering his voice.

“You’re very easy to read.”

Then he straightened again and walked away like he hadn’t just said something dangerous.

I stood frozen for a second.

Confused.

But before I could process it—

I felt it again.

That quiet presence.

I turned slightly.

Zayan had stood too.

His chair hadn’t even made a sound.

He adjusted his watch, eyes still calm.

But as he passed behind me…

He stopped for a fraction of a second.

Not facing me.

Not speaking.

Just… pausing.

Then he continued walking.

And left the room.

As if nothing had happened at all.

But I stayed still.

Because for some reason…

It felt like something had.

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