💛 Ishita Sharma's Perspective - When Small Talk Became Something More

Life is strange sometimes.

We didn't become friends overnight. It wasn't like that.

It started with those silent nods during shoots...

Then a quiet "morning" from him when I entered the studio.

A subtle "you okay?" when he noticed me walking slower than usual one day.

Bit by bit-brick by brick-we built something.

Not fast.

But... steady.

I never expected Rudra Singh Rathor-the no. 5 richest man in the world, the emotionally unavailable tycoon, the health-obsessed CEO-to ask me how I take my coffee (no sugar, almond milk), or remind me I haven't eaten when I'm caught up in work.

And I surely didn't expect me, loud-mouthed, chaotic, coffee-loving, meme-sharing Ishita Sharma-to notice how he always double-checks the safety of the equipment before a shoot or that he listens more than he speaks.

We were two different storms.

Yet, we started finding calm in each other.

One day, after a long back-to-back shooting stretch, I sat on the vanity table, swinging my legs when he walked past sipping his green smoothie. The sight of it made me wrinkle my nose.

"Seriously? How do you drink that sludge?" I teased.

He looked at it and then at me, deadpan.

"This sludge has more nutrients than your entire diet of coffee and drama."

I laughed. Genuinely laughed.

Then he sat on the edge of the desk beside me-still in his crisp black shirt, sleeves rolled up, watch gleaming, perfect as always.

I tilted my head and said curiously, "By the way... how old are you?"

He paused, taking a sip of his smoothie, then looked at me.

"Twenty-five."

My jaw dropped playfully.

"Twenty-five? Wow. And already a business tycoon with a body like that? Uff. Respect."

He raised a brow-maybe amused, maybe stunned-but I saw that faint smile he always tried to hide.

"And you?" he asked simply.

"Twenty," I said, brushing my curls back with pride. "Still young, wild, and reckless."

He gave a small nod.

Then he said something that melted me:

"Same to you. You've built something beautiful too-yourself."

I blinked, stunned.

My cheeks warmed.

And he stood up casually like he hadn't just made my heart skip an entire beat.

🖤 Rudra Singh Rathor's Perspective -

Her Laughter is Becoming My Habit

It started slowly.

I didn't realize it at first.

How her laugh had a way of pulling me back from my overloaded mind.

How her chaos brought peace into my carefully calculated world.

She was... unpredictable.

Where I planned everything to the second, she walked in five minutes late, holding two coffees and giggling at some meme she saw on her phone.

Where I counted macros, she forgot lunch because she was experimenting with lipstick shades.

Where I isolated, she connected-with everyone.

But slowly... her presence didn't irritate me.

It grounded me.

It fascinated me.

And I... cared.

Like when she looked tired, I told Laksh to reduce her shoot hours without making it obvious.

When she had an allergic reaction to one of the lip products, I had someone replace the entire brand line.

No one needed to know it was me.

I just needed her okay.

That day, she asked my age.

It was unexpected.

But the way she said "you really built quite well in such young age" with admiration-genuine, soft admiration-it stirred something deep. Not ego. Something warmer.

So I asked hers.

Twenty.

God.

So young. So free.

And yet she worked so hard. Carried so much fire. So much life.

When I told her "Same to you," I meant it.

She was building something-even if it wasn't a billion-dollar empire.

She was building herself-without shortcuts. Without privilege. Without fear.

And when her smile faltered for that small second, I felt this rush in my chest.

I turned away before she saw what her gaze did to me.

But in that moment...

I knew I wasn't imagining this anymore.

She was real.

This feeling was real.

And I was slowly... falling.

Time skip

Ishita is laughing at something on her phone. Rudra takes a long, slow sip of a thick, dark green smoothie. Ishita wrinkles her nose.)

ISHITA:

(Gasping playfully) Seriously, Rudra? What exactly is that? It looks like literal pond sludge.

RUDRA:

(Without looking away from the smoothie) It's a precisely measured blend of kale, spinach, chlorella, and plant protein. It has more nutrients than your entire diet for the past week.

ISHITA:

(Fanning herself dramatically) Ouch! Shots fired. I'll have you know my diet is perfectly balanced: 'Coffee and Drama'-with a side of ambition. It keeps me going.

RUDRA:

(Looks up, his intense ocean-blue eyes meeting hers. He sets the smoothie down.)

It will also burn you out. You don't have an off-switch, Ishita.

ISHITA:

(Tilts her head, a mischievous glint in her eyes)

And you, my Royal Highness, don't have an on-switch for fun. You must have zero fun.

(Rudra takes a final, deliberate sip of his smoothie. He looks at her intently. His expression is serious, a rare glimpse of vulnerability in his cold facade.)

RUDRA:

(His voice is low and measured)

I'm learning to change that.

ISHITA:

(She blinks, her playful tone instantly gone. She sees the honesty in his eyes and feels a sudden warmth. She looks down at her hands.)

Oh.

RUDRA:

(After a silent beat, he stands up, all business again, trying to mask the moment. His voice is firm.)

You should try a real meal instead of that chemical energy boost you call coffee.

ISHITA:

(She looks up, a soft smile returning as she watches him walk away.)

I'm working on it, Your Majesty. I'm working on it.

(Ishita watches him until he is out of sight, her smile a little wider now. She whispers to herself.)

ISHITA (V.O.):

He's learning to change. And somehow... that's making me change, too.