♡ Dedication ♡

For the girls who fall for him in silence

May you be the reason he loses control

Trigger Warning

This book contains mature (18+) themes and content. Reader discretion is advised.

♡ Happy Reading ♡

I sat cross-legged on my bed, my phone in hand, as Rhea and I stalked someone—again. We were experts at this by now, each of us with a mission: get the details, and don’t get caught.

I scrolled through Google, typing the name that had been occupying my thoughts for what felt like forever—Reyansh Khurana. The search results loaded quickly, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the first link.

"Naam Reyansh Khurana, Khurana Enterprises ka CEO, age—28," I read aloud, my voice barely above a whisper. My fingers froze for a second, staring at the screen, processing the information. My heart... it started to race. 28, huh? That made him older than me, much older.

Rhea, who had been watching me intently, burst into laughter, Jande de Tara, 25 to mere Banku mama hi hai," she snorted.

[Let it go, Tara. Even my Banku uncle is 25 years old]

I rolled my eyes, shoving her lightly. "Shut up, yaar," I replied, but I couldn’t help but grin. "I was just... you know, checking."

Rhea plopped down beside me, smirking. Checking ? Don't you ever get tired of this? He doesn't even know you exist"

I leaned back, letting the words sink in. She wasn’t wrong. The man was practically a legend. Smart, rich, and ridiculously good-looking. Just... impossible to get close to. Not that I was going to try, right? I wasn’t even sure if he knew I existed.

Rhea gave me a teasing look, still grinning from ear to ear. "But seriously yaar, maybe he is married?" she said, her voice dropping into a mock-serious tone. "Check his marriage status… it’s important to know"

Taking a deep breath, I scrolled down, my heart pounding. My eyes scanned the text on the screen, reading carefully, almost afraid of what I might find.

And then, there it was.

Marital Status: Unmarried

Rhea leaned in like she was about to reveal some huge secret. “Bro, this is a sign! You two are literally written to be connected!” she said, clutching her chest like she was genuinely emotional. “Maybe this is destiny sending you a message.”

Rhea leaned back, teasing, "Your crush is unmarried... now you better start shopping for your future husband"

I choked, trying to push her hand away, my face burning. "Rhea! Stop it! No... I'm not thinking about that!"

Just before Rhea left, she couldn't resist one last tease. With a mischievous grin, she looked back at me and said, “By the way, Tara… Reyansh turned out to be three years older than even Banku uncle"

I couldn't even deal with it anymore. Without thinking, I dramatically picked up the nearest pillow and hurled it at her

She was, laughing at me like the world's biggest mischief maker, while I sat there, heart thumping, embarrassed and hopeless all at once...

I stared at his photo, my heart doing a little dhak-dhak like a Bollywood heroine about to confess her love. But then reality hit me like mummy ki chappal. Reyansh Khurana wasn’t just some random handsome guy—he was The Reyansh Khurana. CEO. Big-shot businessman. Aur main? And me? I’m just a 18-year-old kid who still gets scared and calls her tuition teacher ‘Sir.’"

I flopped onto my bed dramatically. "Mujhse toh grocery waale bhaiya bhi discount nahi dete, aur main soch rahi hoon ki Reyansh Khurana mujhe notice karega?" I groaned into my pillow.

[ “Even the grocery-shop guy doesn’t give me a discount… and here I am thinking Reyansh Khurana would ever notice me?”]

5 years later

It's been Five years now.

Every day felt like a battle. My father didn't approve of me working, insisting it wasn't proper for a girl from a "respectable family." But I couldn't just sit quietly, pretending my dreams didn't exist. So I fought - silently, stubbornly, painfully - for every small victory, every little independence I could steal.

I am 23 now, ek office-going, mature, responsible adult. My bank balance had gotten a little better… but my mind was still stuck in the same place—on Reyansh Khurana’s Instagram explore page. Some people have got their degrees, some have gotten married, some might have even had kids… and me? I’m still not over Reyansh Khurana.

Samajh nahi aata, main usse stalk kar rahi hoon ya apni izzat khud ki nazron mein gira rahi hoon. Matlab, ek insaan se bina mile, bina baat kiye pyaar kaise ho sakta hai?

[“I don’t understand… am I stalking him, or just lowering my own self‑respect? I mean, how can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met, never even spoken to?”]

Whenever a colleague got married, my mind went to only one thought— When will Reyansh get married? Whenever a new client’s name showed up, a part of me secretly wanted to search

‘Khurana Enterprises’ just once.

And once, when my friend casually asked, ‘Tara, why are you still single?’

Inside, I screamed:

BECAUSE MY HEART IS RESERVED FOR SOMETHING I CAN NEVER HAVE!!

As I was scrolling through my laptop sitting on my desk in the office my eyes widened as I saw.

"Reyansh Khurana is getting married."

Shocking? Yes. Expected? Very much.

I blinked at the screen. Once. Twice. As if the words would magically change if I stared long enough.

Not sad. Not angry. Not even betrayed—because what exactly did I expect? That he’d wait till 33 for my imaginary little love‑boat to reach him?”

“‘I mean, Tara, seriously? What were you even thinking?’”

I felt like something was slipping away. Something I never even had.

As expected! Rhea's massage pop up

Rhea: "Beta, come on, tell me did you get a heart attack or not?”

Me: "Rhea, shut up."

Rhea: "Nahi. Aaj nahi. Aaj tera popat hua hai, aur main enjoy karungi."

[“No. Not today. Today you got fooled, and I’m going to enjoy it.”]

I couldn't help and chuckled as I read her funny and stupid messages.

In Evening

I stared at my coffee, stirring it aimlessly as the world around me buzzed with energy.

Across the table, Rhea was practically bouncing in her seat, eyes glinting with mischief. Bad sign.

Rhea: "Ek minute ka silence for Tara's five-year-long one-sided, borderline illegal pyaar."

Jia sighed dramatically. "Another successful man is sitting in the wedding mandap ruining his life!”

Anika, the most mature one among us, finally spoke up. "Tara, are you okay?" Her voice was softer, genuinely concerned

I took a deep breath, but my words came out flat. "I don't know how I feel. I mean I know he was just a celebrity for me, you know!"

Rhea smirked.

"Shut up, Rhea."