-Flashback Of Past –
The set was chaos.
The lights are too bright.
People are too loud.
Deadlines are breathing down everyone’s neck like unpaid rent.
Assistants running, directors yelling, someone crying in a corner for reasons no one had time to ask.
And in the middle of it all—him.
Aarav Malhotra.
Calm.
Collected.
Annoyingly efficient.
“Where’s the revised script?” his voice cut through everything, phone wedged between his shoulder and ear, laptop open, three conversations happening at once like he was born multitasking.
Lily didn’t even look up from her notes.
“Maybe if you learned how to do your job properly, you wouldn’t need to ask me that every ten minutes.”
A pause.
Then—”Maybe if you sent it on time, I wouldn’t have to.”
That made her look up.
Slow.
Dangerous.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, voice sweet enough to be threatening.
“Did your entire career depend on my punctuality?”
“Right now? Yes.”
“Pathetic.”
“Professional.”
Their eyes locked—sharp, unyielding.
Somewhere behind them, a crew member whispered, “They’re fighting again…”
“Not fighting,” another corrected.
“This is their love language.”
“Shut up,” Lily snapped without looking.
Aarav smirked.
“See? Violent tendencies.”
“Keep talking, and I’ll rewrite your existence out of this project,” Lilly said in her superior tone.
Aarav said in his calm tone while fixing his shirt, “Try. I’ll still get credited.”
Misunderstanding #1: The Call
That evening, Lily wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.
She just… happened to hear.
Aarav.
On call.
“…yeah, she’s impossible to work with. Attitude problem. Honestly, I don’t know how long I can deal with her.”
Her chest tightened.
Of course.
Of course.
She turned away before she could hear more.
What she didn’t hear—
“…but she’s the best writer we have. So, we deal with it.”
Misunderstanding #2: The Credit Stealer
The next day, during a production meeting, the director praised the latest dialogue changes.
“Great work, Aarav,” he said.
“This scene feels alive now.”
Lily’s pen stopped.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
She looked up.
Aarav blinked.
“That was Lily’s—”
But she had already stood up.
“Wow,” she said, clapping lightly.
“Didn’t know ghostwriting extended to living people now.”
“What?” Aarav frowned.
“Relax,” she said coldly.
“You’re clearly good at taking credit. Don’t let me interrupt.”
She walked out before he could finish explaining.
Because of course—
She didn’t stay long enough to hear him correct it.
Misunderstanding #3: The Coffee Incident
Later that day, Aarav left a cup of coffee on the desk.
No note.
No explanation.
Just coffee.
Lily stared at it as it had personally insulted her.
“Oh, so now we’re bribing?” she muttered.
She picked it up.
Took a sip.
“…Too much sugar.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Of course. He doesn’t even know how I like my coffee.” But still drank the coffee completely and placed it aside like it was evidence in a crime.
What she didn’t know—
It wasn’t for her.
It was for the director.
He spent the next hour searching for his missing coffee.
Aarav got blamed.
Lily never found out.
The Cold War
The next day, Lily was different.
Colder.
Sharper.
More precise with her words—like every sentence was designed to cut.
“Don’t touch my script.”
“Don’t call me unless it’s necessary.”
“Actually—just don’t call me.”
Aarav frowned.
“What’s your problem?”
“My problem?” she laughed dryly.
“I finally realised mine.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means I don’t work with people who don’t respect me.”
Something in her tone hit differently.
Aarav’s expression shifted.
“…what are you talking about?”
“Go ask your phone,” she said.
“You seem to say more truth there.”
And she walked away.
Misunderstanding #4: The Message
That night, Aarav sent her a message:
We need to talk.
Lily stared at it.
Scoffed.
Typed back:
No, you need to learn.
Then muted him.
What she didn’t see—
The second message.
…about your script.
It’s brilliant.
Distance
Days passed.
No banter.
No arguments.
No chaos.
Just silence.
And somehow—
That felt worse.
Aarav stared at his phone more often now.
Not because of work.
Because her name wasn’t lighting up the screen anymore.
Lily worked harder.
Longer.
Quieter.
But every time someone mentioned Aarav—
Her jaw tightened.
Misunderstanding #5: The Jacket
One evening, Lily left her jacket behind.
Aarav noticed.
Picked it up.
The next morning, he handed it to another assistant.
“Give this to Lily.”
Lily saw it.
Saw someone else holding it.
And instantly—
“Oh,” she said flatly.
“So now you’re outsourcing basic decency, too?”
“What?” Aarav blinked.
“Couldn’t even return it yourself?”
“I was going to attend a meeting—”
“Of course you were.”
She snatched the jacket and walked away.
Aarav stood there, genuinely confused.
“…what just happened?”
The Breaking Point
It rained the night everything finally snapped.
Of course it did.
Dramatic weather for dramatic people.
Lily stood outside the studio, waiting for a cab that clearly had no intention of existing.
Her phone battery blinked at 2%.
“Perfect,” she muttered.
“Love this for me.”
“Need help?”
She froze.
Aarav.
Standing there.
Slightly out of breath.
Holding an umbrella.
“I didn’t ask for it,” she said immediately.
“I didn’t say you did.”
“Then why are you here?”
He looked at her—really looked this time.
“Because you’ve been avoiding me for three days over something I don’t even understand.”
Silence.
Rain hitting the ground louder.
“Fine,” she snapped.
“You want to know? You think I’m difficult. That I have an attitude problem. That I’m ‘impossible to deal with.'”
Aarav blinked.
“…that’s what this is about?”
“Oh, don’t act surprised. I heard you.”
He exhaled, running a hand through his hair.
“You heard half of it.”
She scoffed.
“Classic excuse.”
“No. Classic you—jumping to conclusions before letting anyone finish.”
That hit.
Hard.
Her eyes narrowed.
“So now it’s my fault?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You implied it.”
“I said you didn’t listen.”
“And I said I heard enough.”
“Clearly not!”
Their voices rose.
Again.
Like always.
But this time—
Something cracked.
The Truth
Aarav stepped closer.
“Yeah,” he said, steady now.
“I said you’re difficult.”
Her jaw tightened.
“But I also said you’re the best writer here.”
She stilled.
“I said I deal with it because you’re worth dealing with.”
Her breath hitched.
Just slightly.
“I complain,” he continued, quieter now.
“Because you drive me insane sometimes. But that doesn’t mean I don’t respect you.”
The rain softened.
Or maybe it just felt that way.
Lily looked at him—really looked this time.
No sarcasm.
No defense.
Just… uncertainty.
“…you respect me?” she asked softly.
Aarav gave a tired smile.
“More than you think.”
The Shift
Something changed.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just… shifted.
Like a door opening just enough to let light in.
Lily exhaled.
“You’re still annoying.”
He chuckled.
“You’re still rude.”
“Savage.”
“Accurate.”
A small pause.
Then—
“Your phone battery’s dead, right?” he asked.
“…almost.”
“Come on.”
“Where?”
“I’ll drop you.”
She hesitated.
For once.
Then quietly—”…okay.”
Closer
They walked under the same umbrella.
Too close.
Closer than they had ever been without arguing.
Their shoulders brushed.
Neither moved away.
“You know,” Aarav said after a moment, “you don’t always have to fight everything.”
“And you don’t always have to fix everything,” she replied.
“Fair.”
A beat.
“…but I’d still try,” he added.
She glanced at him.
“Why?”
He shrugged lightly.
“Because some things are worth the effort.”
She didn’t reply.
But she didn’t argue either.
And for Lily Verma—
That meant everything.
That night, for the first time—
She didn’t save his number as Annoying AD.
She stared at the contact for a long second.
Then changed it.
Not something dramatic.
Not something obvious.
Just—
“Call… maybe.”
TMI- ( Aarav was about to head home when he saw Lily standing under the building’s roof, holding herself tightly to shield against the rain and cold wind. Noticing her, he grabbed his umbrella and ran toward her—that’s why he was slightly out of breath when he reached Lily. )
To Be Continued… 👀
What is going to happen if Aarav gets jealous of Lily with R****