No Strings Attached

Chapter Eight: The Game Ends Here

Agashi lies on her bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, but her mind is anywhere but here.
The sheets feel colder than usual. The room, quieter.
She turns to her side, grabbing her phone. Her fingers hover over the screen. Just one message.
But what would she even say?
She exhales sharply, locking the screen, tossing the phone onto the nightstand.
She's being ridiculous.
She tells herself that. Over and over.
But somehow, it doesn't make the ache in her chest any lighter.
The season might be over, but the work isn't.
There are inventories to finalize, payments to confirm, equipment to pack up before the beachside café officially shuts down for three months.
The team moves efficiently, but the energy is... different.
Gisela, of course, notices.
She watches the way Agashi and Kabir move around each other—like two planets caught in the same orbit, never quite colliding.
It's Kabir, though, who seems most unlike himself. He's quieter, his usual cocky ease replaced by something more restrained.
But Agashi? She pretends not to see.
Gisela doesn't buy it.
"You gonna talk about it?" she asks casually, arms crossed as she leans against the counter.
Agashi doesn't look up from her checklist. "Talk about what?"
Gisela rolls her eyes. "Don't play dumb, sweetheart. I know you're good at it, but not with me."
Agashi just flips to the next page. "We need to make sure we're not overstocked on the dry goods. You in or not?"
Gisela huffs a sigh, muttering, "Coward," under her breath before grabbing a clipboard and joining her.
The staff agrees—if they're off for two and a half months, they need to celebrate properly.
So, they gather by the beach for drinks, music, and a bonfire that crackles against the night sky.
Agashi lets herself relax—just a little. A beer in hand, feet buried in the cool sand.
But she can feel Kabir's gaze on her.
It's different from before. There's no teasing smirk, no playful arrogance.
Just quiet intensity.
Like he's waiting.
Like he's deciding something.
..
He finds her eventually, when most of the group is too drunk to care.
"You're avoiding me," he says.
Agashi lifts an eyebrow. "We're at the same party, Kabir."
"You know what I mean."
She doesn't answer. Because yes, she knows exactly what he means.
Kabir watches her for a beat, then exhales sharply, shaking his head.
"I'm tired of this game, Agashi."
Something tightens in her chest.
She forces herself to stay still. To keep her face unreadable. "What game?"
His jaw flexes. "The no strings thing." His voice drops, quieter, rougher. "I'm done playing along with those terms."
She stares at him, heartbeat hammering.
"Are you ever going to stop running?" he asks, voice softer this time.
Agashi grips the bottle in her hand tighter.
"Tell me what you want...' he says...almost pleading.
She opens her mouth—then closes it.
She has no answer. Not one she's willing to say out loud.
And Kabir sees that.
The moment stretches between them, thick with everything unsaid.
They're on opposite ends of the room when, someone steps up beside him—
She's beautiful, in a deliberately sultry kind of way. Red dress, dark curls, a confident smirk.
And she knows what she wants.
Agashi watches as the woman drapes an arm around Kabir, her fingers trailing over his bicep, her voice a slow purr.
He doesn't push her away.
Instead, he lets it happen.
And worse? He leans into it. Just enough to be noticed.
Just enough to get a reaction.
Agashi doesn't give him one.
She turns on her heel and walks away.
Kabir moves to follow, but Gisela steps in his path.
He huffs, exasperated. "Gisela—"
"Don't," she says, tone uncharacteristically serious.
His brows pull together.
"You think that stunt just now was smart?" she scoffs. "The whole 'make her jealous' move? Really?"
Kabir presses his lips together, glancing past her toward where Agashi disappeared. "Did it work?"
Gisela narrows her eyes. "No, dumbass. You just created more distance,with your amateur-obvious 21year old child move."
His chest tightens.
Gisela sighs, rubbing her temple. "She already—" She stops herself mid-sentence, then shakes her head. "Never mind. Just... go enjoy your mess. I'll take care of her."
Before Kabir can respond, she's already walking away, calling Agashi's name.
The night winds down, and Agashi finds herself sitting on the balcony of her small Goan townhouse, a beer in hand, staring at the dark waves.
Gisela joins her, plopping down with a sigh.
"You really had to run off?" she teases, but there's something gentler in her voice.
Agashi doesn't respond, just takes a sip.
They sit in silence for a moment before Gisela speaks again.
"You know, six years ago, I never thought we'd be here."
Agashi finally glances at her.
Gisela smiles, reminiscing. "Look at us now. Running a whole damn café, surviving the madness, making something real out of all this."
Agashi's lips twitch. "Yeah. We did."
Gisela studies her for a beat. "You're really not going to talk about him, huh?"
Agashi tenses, then shakes her head. "There's nothing to talk about."
Gisela sighs. "Fine. Be stubborn."
She doesn't push. Just finishes her drink, then stands.
"Abhimanyu's probably wondering where I am," she mutters.
Agashi smirks. "Aren't you late?"
Gisela rolls her eyes. "Obviously." But she still hesitates, glancing at her one last time.
"Take care of yourself, Agashi," she says softly.
And then she's gone.
Back at the bonfire, Kabir is with the remaining group when the topic shifts.
To Aarav.
They laugh, reminisce.
"Man, they were like a married couple already," Avedh says.
"I thought he was going to propose," Rohan adds. "Instead, he dropped the Australia bomb."
"Then came the fights," Jason murmurs. "The kind where even we knew there was no fixing it."
"And then..."
A pause.
"The rumors."
The unspoken words hang in the air.
"He cheated," one of them finally says.
Kabir doesn't move.
Then, Avedh's voice, casual but cutting: "he's oming back, you know?"
Kabir finally reacts.
"September first week," they continue. "Perhaps planning to win her back."
A few of them debate—Will she take him back? Should she?
Kabir doesn't hear the rest.
His mind is already spiraling.
And just like that—he realizes.
What he had just done.
How he had ruined things with his own stupid, impulsive move.
And worse?
How little time he might actually have left.