"Guess what I saw on the staircase?" Kanika wiggled her eyebrows like she'd uncovered the secret codes of the universe.
"Okay, what breaking news do you have for me today?" I smirked, deciding to humor her.
"Come on, you'll be shocked too," she said, pulling a chair and flopping down beside me. She looked around like a spy before leaning in with a conspiratorial whisper. "I saw Aliyah and Shlok. She was very angry, and he was trying to calm her down. I even heard her say - 'You should at least care about me.' What do you think that means?"
"It means you don't have enough work to do and way too much time to eavesdrop on other people's business," I said with a straight face.
Still, a memory flickered - a few times I'd seen Aliyah upset around Shlok.
"It doesn't matter what's going on."
"Oh, please," Kanika scoffed, her tone mock-serious. "What if Shlok's harassing her?"
I rolled my eyes. She didn't actually believe that - she just thought she was on the verge of uncovering an office romance. Which, for some reason, I doubted.
"I hope you're not planning to talk about it," I warned. "It's their personal matter. Unless it's impacting work, we shouldn't meddle."
"Not directly," she said, grinning. "Maybe they dated before joining here. Then broke up or something."
She was far too invested in this theory, and I knew trying to stop her was pointless. Before I could caution her again, she was already waving over the rest of the editorial team for lunch.
At the table, Kanika wasted no time setting her trap.
"So, Aliyah, you're quite young. How did you get into editorial work so early?"
"Oh," Aliyah said easily. "My mom's an editor-in-chief, and my dad owns a publishing house. I kind of grew up in this world."
That explained the rumors about the new editors having connections. I was curious about which publication it was but decided not to pry.
Kanika, of course, had no such restraint.
She kept the questions coming, and Aliyah - a little too clueless - answered them all, talking about her family, her college, her upbringing.
"Which college?" I asked lazily, stirring my drink.
"St. Mark's," Aliyah replied. "It's like a family tradition. You're born, you get your acceptance letter, you end up working at one of Dad's publications. End of story."
"Wait -- didn't Shlok go to St. Mark's too?" Kanika turned to me, her eyes sparkling like she'd found the missing piece of a puzzle.
I don't know why she thought that mattered - Shlok would've graduated way before Aliyah even showed up there.
Aliyah didn't answer immediately. Her eyes flickered toward the door -- where Shlok was already slipping out.
It was subtle, but noticeable. She seemed... reluctant to say more.
There was something there. But it clearly wasn't meant to be public knowledge.
I steered the conversation toward the upcoming 3 PM meeting, hoping to minimize the damage Kanika could do.
******
The meeting wrapped up earlier than expected, and the buzz of the office faded as I gathered my things.
Even though it was still early, I couldn't shake the restless knot in my stomach.
Part of me wanted to ask Shlok what had been bothering him all day - the way he'd been distant, distracted.
I glanced at him. He was doodling mindlessly on a notepad, his foot tapping non-stop - a habit I recognized all too well.
It had been hours since he'd properly looked up from his page.
"Shlok," I said finally, breaking the silence.
He glanced at me, expression unreadable.
For a second, it looked like he wanted to say something - but the words got caught somewhere.
He shoved the notepad aside and leaned back in his chair.
"Yeah?" His voice was casual - too casual.
"You okay?"
He hesitated. His foot tapped faster. "I'm fine. Just thinking."
"About?"
He shrugged. "Nothing important."
I almost let it drop. Almost.
But the way he avoided my eyes made me pause.
Part of me wondered if it was about Aliyah - about whatever Kanika thought she saw.
But I didn't press. If he wanted to tell me, he would.
I sighed, turning back to the file on my desk. "Okay. If you say so."
He didn't respond. But I could feel his eyes on me - heavy, conflicted.
The silence stretched between us, awkward and uncomfortable.
Thank God for my buzzing phone.
Abhi: Miss you already. Dinner tomorrow? Promise.
A ghost of a smile tugged at my lips.
Even though he'd been flaking a lot lately, that message was enough to melt away some of the annoyance.
When I glanced up again, I caught Shlok watching me. His expression was unreadable - the kind he wore when his mind was moving too fast to hide it.
"Hypothetical question for you," he said, tone light.
"You and your hypotheticals," I teased. "Go on."
He hesitated -- longer than usual-- then asked, almost too casually:
"If you had a friend, and you found out something about them that could change their life -- would you tell them?"
I blinked, caught off guard.
"That's... oddly specific," I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
He gave a half-shrug, but the tension in his shoulders gave him away. His fingers tapped a restless beat against the desk.
"Just curious," he said, too lightly. "For a... project. Human behavior. You know."
I snorted.
"Is that what we call prying now? 'Projects'?"
He smiled - but the strain around his eyes didn't fade.
"Seriously though," he pressed, voice lower now. "What would you do?"
I leaned back, thinking for a moment.
"If it's important?" I said slowly. "Yeah. I'd tell them. No question."
Shlok's foot tapped faster, his gaze dropping to the floor.
He hesitated - then said, almost too quietly:
"And... what if you're worried they might not believe you?"
That stopped me for a second.
I studied him. There was something almost fragile about the way he asked it - like it wasn't just a random musing anymore.
"That's harder," I admitted. "Because sometimes, people don't want the truth. Even if you're trying to protect them, they might turn away. But... you can't control how people react. You can only control whether you're honest with them."
I shook my head, smiling faintly.
"This is a brutal hypothetical, you know."
Shlok gave a small, almost imperceptible smile - like he was filing the words away for later.
But he didn't say anything else. Just pushed back his chair and stood up, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.
The silence he left behind felt heavier than anything he could have said.
"Hey... you good?" I asked. "You seem... not your usual cool, nonchalant, 'I don't give a damn' self."
Shlok gave a faint grin. "Shocking. Maybe I'm evolving."
"Into what? A tax-paying adult?"
He shrugged. "Into someone who knows when to shut up."
I laughed, but unease prickled under my skin.
Something was wrong.
Something he wasn't saying.
Still, he was Shlok - the guy who never took anything seriously. Maybe it's about Aliyah. Maybe they're fighting or something...
I told myself it was none of my business and went back to sipping my coffee.
******
Leaving the office, I wandered toward the corridor, absently scrolling through my phone.
A few steps away, I spotted Shlok and Aliyah talking - low voices, sharper than they should've been.
I wasn't trying to eavesdrop - but it was impossible not to hear fragments.
"You can't avoid it forever, you know," Aliyah said, voice tight with concern.
"Watch me," Shlok muttered, dangerously low.
"This is for your own good - you know that."
"Nobody gets to dictate how I live my life," Shlok said, voice brittle.
Aliyah said something too soft to catch, and Shlok shook his head sharply, shutting the conversation down.
A second later, he caught me looking.
For just a flicker of a moment, something raw crossed his face.
Then it was gone - buried under that easy, unreadable mask he always wore.
I smiled weakly, pretending I hadn't seen anything.
Some things were easier left alone.