Chapter 27

The air at Palm was crisp, tinged with the scent of salty sea breeze and the hum of distant waves. The group had gathered at one of the cozy outdoor seating areas, laughter ringing out as everyone sipped on steaming cups of chai and munched on plates of fries. Niharika sat across from Mayank, glowing with happiness as she caught up with Samar, Siya, and the others.

Mayank leaned back in his chair, his fingers wrapped around his chai, the warm cup grounding him as his gaze flickered toward Niharika and Samar. They were seated beside each other, chatting animatedly. Samar had just returned from the U.S., and the two of them seemed to have picked up where they left off.

"I still can't believe you're back!" Niharika said, her smile lighting up her face. "When did you get here?"

"Just yesterday," Samar replied, grinning. "I was in Texas finishing up some work, but I had to stop by Berkeley a few times. But feels weird that you're not there anymore. Now I'm back! Couldn't miss the chance to catch up with my favorite person."

Mayank's grip on his cup tightened ever so slightly. He masked his reaction with a small sip, but his jaw tensed.

Siya jumped in, her tone teasing. "Favorite person, huh? You sure you're not exaggerating, Samar?"

"Not at all," Samar said, smirking. "Berkeley is incomplete without visiting Niharika."

Niharika laughed, playfully nudging Samar's shoulder. "You're impossible."

Mayank stayed quiet, his gaze shifting between the two. He felt an odd discomfort brewing inside him. He didn't know Samar well, but the ease and familiarity between him and Niharika struck a nerve he couldn't quite articulate.

Arjun broke the moment with a chuckle. "Man, you're making the rest of us look bad. We didn't even visit Niharika when she was in Dubai—literally once school ended it went all no talk."

Niharika waved it off with a laugh. "It's fine, Arjun. Samar's just being dramatic."

As the conversation continued, Mayank tried to find the right moment to mention their marriage to Samar. But every time he opened his mouth, someone else would speak, steering the discussion in a different direction.

It didn't help that Siya and Niharika hadn't told Samar either. Mayank knew why—they had mentioned Samar had been dealing with a lot back in the U.S., and no one wanted to overwhelm him with big news now that he was back. Still, the secrecy gnawed at him.

"We should plan something soon," Samar suggested, leaning back in his chair. "This was fun, but we need a proper outing. Maybe a trip?"

The group chimed in with enthusiastic agreement. Mayank's eyes drifted to Niharika. She was smiling wide, her excitement evident. It was rare to see her this animated, but instead of feeling happy for her, Mayank felt... strange.

The evening wrapped up, and as they headed to their cars, Mayank lingered for a moment, watching Niharika laugh at something Samar said. His chest felt tight.

The drive home was quiet. The earlier laughter and chatter at Palm had faded, leaving an uncomfortable silence in its wake. Mayank glanced at Niharika, who was staring out of the window, lost in thought.

"You were really happy to see Samar," he said finally, his voice casual but tinged with something she couldn't place.

She turned to him, nodding. "Yeah, it's been so long. He's like family."

Mayank hummed in response, his grip on the steering wheel tightening slightly.

Back at home, they retreated to their respective rooms. Niharika called Siya almost immediately, and their conversation flowed easily.

"Do you think we should tell Samar about the wedding?" Niharika asked, her voice hesitant.

Siya sighed. "I don't know. He's been through so much lately, and he's so protective of you. I don't want to shock him."

Niharika nodded, though Siya couldn't see her. "Yeah, he's already adjusting to being back. Maybe it's better to wait."

Meanwhile, Mayank lay in his room, unable to sleep. He couldn't shake the image of Samar and Niharika laughing together. They're just friends, he told himself, but the thought offered little comfort. His mind wandered to their own dynamic. I haven't even hugged her yet, and here's this guy who clearly means so much to her.

Eventually, exhaustion took over, and he drifted off.

~•~

The next morning, Mayank was up early, ready for work. He grabbed his laptop bag and paused by Niharika's door.

"I'm heading out. Want a ride?" he asked.

Niharika looked up from her desk, her hair tied in a loose ponytail. "I'm meeting Samar before work. You go ahead."

"Okay," he said, his tone neutral, but as he drove to the office, a familiar discomfort crept in.

That evening, Mayank returned home to find Niharika sitting at the dining table, her laptop open and a cup of chai beside her. She was typing furiously, her brows furrowed in concentration. He had a small smile seeing her.

"Hi," she said, noticing him. She stood, quickly making him a fresh cup of chai and bringing it to him.

"Thanks," he said, taking a sip. The warmth spread through him, and he couldn't help but compliment her. "This is really good."

She smiled, sitting back down. "Glad you like it."

As they chatted, he casually brought up Samar. "So... you and Samar go way back, huh?"

"Yeah," she said, her tone softening. "He's a year older than me, but we've always been close. He's really sweet and caring. Aai and Baba adore him."

Mayank nodded, though he felt his jealousy flare at her words. "He mentioned he was in Texas while you were at Berkeley?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling fondly. "He was doing his master's there, but he'd visit me sometimes. It was nice having someone from home nearby."

Mayank forced a smile, suppressing the urge to say more. Instead, he changed the subject. "We need to start packing. We're leaving in five days."

Niharika blinked, surprised. "Oh, right. I'll start tomorrow."

Mayank nodded, hiding a small smile. Five days. It wasn't much, but he hoped the trip would give them a chance to grow closer.

Niharika, too, found herself looking forward to it. A change of scenery, away from everyone else, might be exactly what they needed.

~•~

The air between them at the dining table was filled with an odd tension, though neither spoke about it directly. Mayank's mind churned with thoughts of Samar. He wanted to ask more, dig deeper into their connection, but he restrained himself. He wasn't sure if his curiosity would come across as possessiveness or simply an attempt to know more about his wife's life before their marriage.

Instead, he shifted the conversation. "So, what kind of places do you like to visit? Since we're going to Paris and Italy, I thought maybe we could plan out a few things together."

Niharika blinked at the unexpected question. She leaned back, considering her answer. "I don't know... I've always liked places with history, you know? Museums, old buildings, stuff like that."

Mayank nodded. "Paris has plenty of that. The Louvre, Notre Dame—though you can't exactly go inside that anymore. And Italy... there's Rome, Florence, Venice. You'd probably love the Colosseum."

Her face lit up slightly at his suggestions. "It sounds incredible. What about you? What kind of places do you like?"

He shrugged, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I've always been a bit more into food. Wherever I go, I like trying local stuff. But I don't mind exploring historical places either."

"Food sounds good too," she said, smiling softly. "Though I have a feeling you'll make me try something weird."

Mayank chuckled. "Weird is subjective. You won't know until you try it."

Their conversation eased some of the tension in the air, and for a moment, they both forgot about Samar, their unsaid worries, and their awkwardness.

Later that night, Mayank found himself lying in bed, scrolling through his phone. He wasn't usually one to spend much time on social media, but something compelled him to open Instagram.

He typed "niharika_d" into the search bar, her account popping up at the top of the results. He tapped on her profile, his thumb hovering over the posts section. It wasn't the first time he'd visited her page, but now that they were married, seeing her private posts felt... different.

He scrolled through her feed and got nothing but a few pictures—beautiful pictures—of herself. And of course, each picture had his comment. His grip on his phone was tightening. Then, he went back to the search bar and typed in "nihipedia." Her private account.

He scrolled through her feed, pausing at pictures of her with Siya, her parents, and, of course, Samar. There was one post of her with Samar outside what looked like a library. The caption read, "Finally got him to visit Berkeley! Best day ever."

Mayank stared at the picture longer than he intended. Samar had his arm slung around Niharika's shoulders, both of them smiling wide. He wasn't sure why, but the sight made his chest tighten.

"Stop overthinking," he muttered to himself, locking his phone and tossing it onto the bedside table. But sleep didn't come easily.

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