Written Between the Lines - Chapter 7

 

Chapter 7: The First Jealous Spark

The air between Aditya and Aditi had changed.
It wasn’t love — not yet. But something fragile, warm, and real had taken root.

Their conversations lasted longer.
Their silences felt softer.
And their eyes lingered just a little more than before.

They still shared separate schedules, separate rooms, and separate dreams — but now, they began sharing moments.

Until someone from the past returned.

Enter: Rhea Malhotra

Rhea, an international business consultant, had been Aditya’s college friend — and for a brief time, almost something more. Smart, confident, with a magnetic charm, she had just signed a contract as an external advisor for Mehra-Singhania Global.

The moment she walked into the boardroom, she smiled brightly.

“Adi! It’s been too long.”

Aditi looked up from her laptop.

Adi?

Aditya stood, formal as ever. “Welcome to the team, Rhea.”

Rhea turned to Aditi.

“And you must be the famous Aditi Singhania-Mehra. I’ve heard you’ve been managing both the business and the man brilliantly.”

She said it with a grin, but her eyes… they lingered too long on Aditya.

Aditi smiled politely, but inside, a strange twist bloomed in her chest.

Jealousy?
No… it couldn’t be. Could it?

Later That Evening

Aditya was working in the study. Aditi brought him coffee — something she never used to do, but today, she did… without thinking.

He looked up, surprised but pleased.

“Thanks,” he said softly.

“Rhea seems... interesting,” Aditi said, casually.

“She’s sharp. We worked together briefly during my internship in London.”

“Oh?” she sipped her tea. “Just work?”

He looked up, catching the slight edge in her voice.

“Why are you asking?”

She looked away. “No reason.”

Aditya stood and walked over to her, placing the coffee cup down.

“Rhea’s smart, yes. But she’s part of the past.”
“And you?” she asked quietly.
“I’m trying to be part of your present,” he replied.

Her heart skipped.

He gently touched her hand.

“Unless you’re trying to push me back into the past too?”

“I’m trying to figure out where we stand,” she whispered.

His answer?

He leaned closer… placed a soft kiss on her forehead — a gesture full of care, without expectation.

“We stand right here. No past, no future… just us, right now.”

But outside that soft world… Rhea watched from a distance.

Smiling.

“Let’s see how perfect this merger really is…” she whispered to herself.

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