12:00 Midnight…Aditya’s company…Inside Anamika’s cabin, Rivan and Ira were sitting on the couch while Ruhi stood before them, arms crossed, visibly angry.
Rivan pouted innocently, “Let me go already! Baby Doll went out without telling anyone so she should be scolded, not me! And if Big Bro finds out I was out this late, I’m doomed… You know it!”
Ruhi glared at her. “Ira will be scolded for going out without telling anyone. And you will be scolded too for coming here without permission!”
Rivan quickly replied, “But I came with her for her safety! That’s why!”
Anamika, calm as ever, spoke softly, “A while ago you said you two met at the park, and then came here together. You’re hurt, Rivan. Aditya told me the doctor advised you to rest for two days. So tell me, what were you doing in the park late at night?”
Rivan went silent.
With a puppy face, he murmured, “Please let me go this time… I sneaked out without telling Mr. Shah…”
Hearing that, Ruhi snapped, “Then you’re definitely not going anywhere! And Ira—do you even realize how scared Aditya sir was when he saw you leaving alone on CCTV?! He ran out immediately to find you! Who does that, huh? You both aren’t kids anymore! There won’t always be someone to babysit you—start taking care of yourselves!”
Just then, the sound of the door opening drew everyone’s attention.
Aditya stood there—out of breath, hair messy, eyes worried. It was clear he had run all the way there.
The moment he saw Ira, he rushed to her and hugged her tightly.
“Where were you? You scared me half to death! Are you really this angry with your brother?”
Ira pulled back a little and said softly, “I wasn’t angry…”
“Whatever it was… just promise me you’ll never go out without telling me again. Especially not this late at night! I was terrified.”
The concern in Aditya’s eyes was unmistakable.
Meanwhile, Rivan tried to quietly sneak away—but Ruhi blocked the door and said, “Where do you think you’re going?”
Without even looking at him, Aditya said, “Rivan. Come here. I need to talk to you.”
Rivan tried to make an excuse. “Bro… I’m not feeling well. I’ll go home now. You can scold me tomorrow, I promise!”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“I said come here, Rivan.” Aditya’s tone was firm.
Like a scolded child, Rivan slowly walked back and sat quietly in front of him.
Aditya took a deep breath, glanced at both of them, and asked, “Are you hungry? Have you eaten anything?”
Both Ira and Rivan shook their heads no.
“Alright then,” Aditya said, “let’s go grab something to eat. And Rivan—just so you know, I already informed Mr. Shah that you won’t be going home tonight. But listen carefully—if either of you ever sneak out at night again without telling anyone, you’ll have to deal with me. Understood?”
“Yes, understood!” both Ira and Rivan replied in unison.
Ruhi and Anamika exchanged amused smiles watching the three of them.
Aditya then turned to them and said, “I know it’s quite late, but would you two like to join us for dinner?”
Ruhi smiled. “No, sir. Lady Boss and I are heading to her place. We’ll have dinner with Saaniya—and maybe some fun too! It’s been ages since I met her.”
Aditya smiled. “Okay then. Be safe on the way.”
With that, Aditya left with Ira and Rivan, while Ruhi and Anamika headed home together.
In the Car…
As Ruhi drove, she said with a fond smile, “Weren’t the three of them so cute?”
Anamika smiled softly. “Yeah… they really were. Ira and Rivan thought Aditya would scold them, but all that came out of his mouth was pure concern. It was such a sweet moment.”
The two kept chatting lightly as the car drove through the quiet night.
Meanwhile… at Rudra’s House…
Rudra was sitting on his balcony, reading a novel.
The house was peaceful—silent except for the sound of turning pages. Reading under the moonlight always brought him calm, but tonight, even that peace felt heavy.
He closed the book and went inside.
His room, as usual, was dark and empty.
Placing the novel on his bedside table, he lay down and stared at the ceiling.
“So boring… living alone like this,” he muttered to himself.
As he closed his eyes, Ruhi’s face flashed in his mind.
With a deep sigh, he said, “I wonder what she’s doing right now… ah, forget it, why do I even care? (rolling over) Still… a house feels better when there are at least two people in it.”
He lay there for a long time, unable to sleep.
“Seriously,” he grumbled, “woke up at 5 a.m., worked all day, ran around everywhere—and still can’t sleep? Who’s the idiot who said tired bodies sleep easily?”
He got up, walked to the balcony again, and looked at the sky.
“I feel like talking to someone… but who’s even awake at this hour? Guess I’ll just talk to you,” he said, looking up at the moon. “So… how was your day?”
After a moment, he chuckled softly.
“Wait… you’re not even around in the day! I should’ve asked how your night is going!”
He paused, frowned, and then muttered, “Rudra, what the hell are you saying? That joke was so bad it could put a healthy man in a coma.”
He sighed and silently watched the sky—until suddenly, his phone rang.
The screen flashed a name: Ruhi.
“What now?” he said to himself and picked up the call.
“What happened, sweetheart? You doing the owl shift tonight too?”
Ruhi snapped back instantly, “First of all, stop doing donkey duty! And how many times have I told you—don’t call me sweetheart, you pervert!”
“Hey! Calling someone sweetheart doesn’t make me a pervert! Anyway, why did you call?” he said, pouting playfully.
Ruhi replied, “Tomorrow’s my day off. Anamika, Ira, and I are planning to go shopping. You wanna come?”
Rudra frowned. “What would I even do there with a bunch of girls?”
There was a short silence, then Ruhi said, “Fine. Don’t come. Go to sleep.”
“What? That’s it?” Rudra asked quickly.
“Yeah, that’s it! What else do you expect?” she replied.
Rudra sighed. “Can I tell you something? I can’t sleep.”
Ruhi teased, “Maybe try working harder. Tire yourself out, and you’ll fall asleep easily!”
“What do you mean? You think I just sit around doing nothing in my hospital cabin? I’ve been working since 5 a.m.!”
Ruhi asked curiously, “Then why aren’t you sleepy?”
“I don’t know!!” Rudra replied, sounding adorably frustrated.
Ruhi chuckled and said, “Hmm… not sure if this will help, but my brother says drinking warm almond milk before bed helps you sleep better.”
“But… I don’t know how to make that,” Rudra said honestly.
“What do you know how to make then?” she asked, amused.
“Nothing! The cook comes and makes all my meals—so I never had to learn. What should I do now?”
Rudra’s innocence was enough to melt Ruhi’s heart.
She sighed, then started a video call and patiently taught him how to make it.
After a few funny mishaps (and a kitchen disaster), Rudra finally managed to make it.
Ruhi watched him drink it with a smile.
When he finished, he said sweetly, “Thank you so much… I actually learned something new today.”
Yawning, Ruhi said, “No problem! Just make sure to pay me for this online cooking class. And don’t forget—tomorrow we’re going shopping, I’ll be waiting!”
Before he could respond, she ended the call. Rudra just sat there mumbling, “What am I even going to do surrounded by girls?”
He sighed and lay down on the bed.
Strangely enough, the moment he did, sleep finally found him—and he drifted off peacefully.
Meanwhile, Ruhi smiled softly to herself before turning off the lights.
“Good night, Rudra,” she whispered.
