When fiercely independent lawyer, Shreya Raisingh crosses paths with the composed and compassionate businessman, Rishi Singhania, sparks fly in the most unexpected ways. In a classic strangers-to-lovers journey, two green flags navigate ambition, tr...
Hello beautiful people! This is Chapter 16 and well I hv posted 3 chapters today so yaa I guess I'll be putting a vote target on this one. Anyways this chapter is gonna be full of fun,jealousy and surprises. So without wasting any time.... Let's dive in.... ___________________________
It was the same night and Siddharth had called Shreya for dinner. She was wearing a nice, flowy lavender dress and Siddharth, he was wearing a black shirt with rolled sleeves and a silver analog watch in his hand....just handsome. The rooftop restaurant shimmered with golden light, strung fairy bulbs swaying gently in the early summer breeze. A soft jazz tune played in the background, just low enough to feel intimate. The city stretched around them like a blanket of stars, indifferent and eternal.
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Siddharth was every bit the gentleman—charming, patient, attentive. He listened when she spoke, really listened. He laughed at her dry jokes, remembered the way she liked her pasta, even ordered it without asking. It was easy. Everything with him had always been easy.
Shreya stirred the last of her wine, watching the swirl catch the light. She felt… safe. But not the kind of safe that made her heart flutter.
“You’re quiet,” Siddharth said softly.
“Just thinking,” she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
He leaned back in his chair, studying her face—not just the way it looked, but the way it held back.
“You always get this way when something’s on your mind,” he said. “You go somewhere else entirely.”
She gave a tired smile. “Yeah… sorry. I’m not great company tonight.”
“You’re always great company,” he said, with a sincerity that didn’t ask for anything in return.
She looked at him then—really looked. The way his eyes didn’t waver. The kindness in his features. He was handsome, considerate, successful. Everything her parents would want. Everything that made *sense*.
So why did her chest still tighten whenever she thought of Rishi?
They left the table and walked toward the elevator slowly, the night wrapping around them. At the parking bay, her car hadn’t arrived yet. The silence between them wasn’t awkward—but it wasn’t quite comfortable either.
Siddharth turned to her. “I’m glad we did this.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Me too.”
A moment passed.
He stepped a little closer.
The breeze picked up, lifting a strand of her hair across her cheek. Gently, Siddharth tucked it behind her ear.
His hand lingered near her jaw, and his gaze held hers—not expectant, just honest. He just admired her for a bit too long.
And then....He leaned towards her, close enough to her face....
“May I?” he asked, voice low with a little hesitation.
The world seemed to still.
Shreya’s breath caught.
She didn’t pull back. But she didn’t lean in either. Her eyes darted—not away from him, but inward. Somewhere else.
She parted her lips to speak—
Just then, the sound of a horn cut through the air. Her car.
She blinked.
The moment broke.
“I… I should go,” she said, stepping back.
Siddharth gave the faintest nod, masking the flicker of disappointment in his eyes. “Of course.”
He opened the door for her. She slid in, closed it softly. As the car pulled away, she glanced back.
He was still standing there, hands in his pockets, watching her leave.
In the quiet of the car, she pulled out her phone. A familiar itch in her fingers led her to Instagram.
A story. Rishi’s.
*“Happy birthday to one of my favourites—@pratibhaahuja 🎉”*
A photo. Rishi and Pratibha. Glasses raised. Close. Smiling.
That casual intimacy—the ease of it—stabbed a little deeper than she expected.
Her stomach knotted.
She stared at the image for too long. Then, impulsively, she typed:
**“Didn’t know you and Pratibha were that close. Nice pic.”**
Send.
Almost instantly: **Rishi:** *“Didn’t know you were checking my stories.”*
She didn’t respond.
Not yet.
But outside the window, the city buzzed on.
And somewhere in the ache between past and future, something in her heart shifted.
-- Well that's a wrap on chapter 16! Will post chapter 17 only if this target is accomplished. (4 votes, 4 comments) Till then Stay tuned for chapter 17! Love, Rossetta10
