The week after that conversation with their friends passed quietly.

For the first time in days, Akanksha isn't constantly thinking about what happened in Mumbai. She keeps herself busy with shoots, meetings, travelling-and now, a much-needed break.

She and Sorab have cleared their schedules for the entire week.

Sorab's fashion show is on Sunday, and until then, they have decided to spend the week doing nothing but eating, exploring, meeting family, making reels, taking pictures, and simply enjoying each other's company.

At least, that's the plan.

Mumbai - Sorab's Apartment

The clock on the wall already shows 9:00 p.m.

Their flight is at ten.

The airport is almost forty minutes away.

And yet, Akanksha is still inside the bedroom.

Their bags are already packed and kept near the door. Sorab sits on the sofa, repeatedly checking his watch before looking toward the bedroom door.

He takes a deep breath.

"Akku!"

No response.

He waits for a few seconds before calling again.

"Akku, please bata de ki tu ready hai. Mujhe false hope mein mat rakh."

From inside comes her voice.

"Bas five minutes!"

Sorab looks at his watch.

"Five minutes?"

He laughs in disbelief.

"Yeh wohi five minutes hain jo pichhle aadhe ghante se chal rahe hain?"

"Ho gaya! Aa rahi hoon!"

"Tu har baar yahi bolti hai!"

"Toh aa toh rahi hoon na!"

Sorab shakes his head.

"Flight das baje ki hai, airport forty minutes door hai, aur madam ko abhi bhi 'bas five minutes' chahiye."

"Bas do minute aur!"

"Do minute?"

He leans back against the sofa.

"Akku, tere do minute aur Indian Standard Time ke do minute mein bahut difference hai."

From inside, she laughs.

"Drama band kar. Ready ho rahi hoon!"

Finally, a few minutes later, Akanksha emerge from the room.

She is dressed simply in a tank top and joggers, her handbag hanging from one shoulder.

Sorab looks at her and then at the clock.

He stares at her for a moment.

"Itna time?"

Akanksha frowns.

"Kya?"

"Matlab... itna time laga aur tu itni jaldi ready ho gayi?"

She looks down at herself.

"Toh kya main fashion show ke liye ja rahi hoon?"

Sorab smiles.

"Nahi, but mujhe laga itna time laga hai toh at least red carpet entry toh milegi."

Akanksha rolls her eyes.

"Very funny."

"Seriously, kya kar rahi thi?"

"Mere baal sukh rahe the."

"Again?"

"Haan, again."

She sighs and adjusts her bag.

"Morning mein shoot ke liye already late ho gayi thi, toh baal wash nahi kiye the. Abhi ghar aake wash kiye. Naturally dry hone mein time lagta hai."

Sorab shakes his head.

"Tum ladkiyon ka na ek alag hi system hai."

Akanksha raises an eyebrow.

"Kaisa system?"

"Hair wash ka. Pehle decide karo wash karne hain ya nahi. Phir wash karo. Phir sukhne ka wait karo. Phir dekho theek lag rahe hain ya nahi. Phir agar theek nahi lage toh..."

"Achha?"

"Haan."

"Abhi Niharika bhabhi ko call karun?"

Sorab immediately stops.

"Uska ismein kya lena-dena hai?"

Akanksha smiles.

"Main bas unko bataungi ki unke bf ko ladkiyon ke ready hone ki process se bahut problem hai."

"Tu mujhe dhamka rahi hai?"

"Dhamka nahi rahi. Bas reminder de rahi hoon ki ghar mein kiski chalti hai."

Sorab laughs.

"Achha meri maa, maaf kar de. Tere baal duniya ka sabse important kaam hain. Happy?"

"Ab aaya na line pe."

"Chal ab. Please. Mujhe airport pahunchna hai."

Akanksha starts walking toward the door.

"Haan, nahi toh flight miss ho jayegi aur phir tum poore raste mujhe blame karoge."

"Main?"

"Haan, tum."

"Flight miss hui toh sabse pehle main airline ko blame karunga. Uske baad traffic ko. Tujhe last mein."

She laughs.

"Jhootha."

"Chal na."

They pick up their bags and finally leave the apartment.

As they step outside, Sorab glances at her again.

This time, there is no teasing in his eyes.

"Waise..."

Akanksha looks at him.

"Kya?"

"Tu theek hai?"

She knows exactly what he means.

For a moment, her smile becomes quieter.

"Haan."

Sorab doesn't immediately believe her.

"Pakka?"

Akanksha nods.

"Haan, Sorab. Pakka"

He looks at her for another second.

"Main bas pooch raha hoon."

"I know."

"Tu jab chahe bol sakti hai. Mujhe har cheez ka answer nahi dena hoga. Kabhi-kabhi sirf sun lunga."

Akanksha looks at him and gives him a small smile.

"I know."

A brief silence follows.

"Thank you."

Sorab smiles.

"Ab thank you bolke mujhe emotional mat kar. Mujhe already flight ka tension hai."

Akanksha laughs.

"Flight ka tension hai ya meri wajah se late hone ka?"

"Both."

"Chal."

And with their usual bickering, they head toward the airport.

They reach the airport at around 8:45 p.m.

Their flight takes off at 10.

By the time they land in Jaipur, it is already past midnight.

Because it is late and Akanksha's home is considerably farther from the airport, they decide to go directly to Sorab's house.

The moment they reach, exhaustion takes over.

The next five days pass almost like a dream.

They explore Jaipur.

They visit beautiful places, wander through the streets, try different food, laugh over silly things and make countless reels and pictures.

Sometimes they don't even have a plan.

They wake up and decide where to go.

And those unplanned days somehow become the best ones.

For Akanksha, Jaipur slowly becomes a place where she can breathe without constantly feeling the weight of everything that happens in Mumbai.

She still remembers.

She hasn't forgotten.

But she isn't carrying it every second anymore.

She can laugh without forcing it.

She can take pictures without pretending.

She can sit quietly without feeling like she has to figure everything out.

She also visits her home.

Her relationship with her mother and father is fine, and she spends some time talking to them.

But her relationship with some of the other family members has never been particularly close.

And now, after everything that happens on Splitsvilla, she doesn't have the energy to sit through endless questions.

Especially questions about Yogesh.

She has already spoken to her parents about everything.

For now, that is enough.

She doesn't want to keep explaining something she is still trying to understand herself.

So she doesn't stay for long.

Instead, she returns to Sorab's place.

And somehow, that is easier.

There are no uncomfortable questions there.

No one asks her what she feels.

No one asks whether she has moved on.

No one asks what happened between her and Yogesh.

She can simply be Akanksha.

And slowly, day by day, the heaviness she carries from Mumbai seems to become lighter.

At least for now.

She is laughing again.

She is enjoying again.

She is living in the moment.

And she isn't thinking about him.

Not today.

Saturday Night:

Tomorrow is the day of Sorab's fashion show.

The sponsor has arranged a hotel for him, and they decide to move there in the morning.

Akanksha plans to stay there too.

After the show, they will simply leave for the airport from the hotel and return to Mumbai on Monday.

That evening, Sorab is checking the next day's schedule while Akanksha is going through her things.

He looks at her.

"Achha, sun. Kal subah 7 baje nikalna hai."

Akanksha immediately looks up.

"Seven?"

"Haan."

"Subah ke seven?"

Sorab laughs.

"Haan, Akku. Din ke seven baje toh hum already lunch kar rahe honge."

She throws a cushion at him.

"Very funny."

He catches it.

"Seriously, mujhe early jaana hai. Fitting hai, rehearsal hai, preparation hai... kal ka din kaafi hectic hoga."

Akanksha nods.

"Okay. Main bhi ready rahungi."

Sorab gives her a suspicious look.

"Tu?"

"Haan, main."

"Seven baje?"

"Yes."

"Without me calling you ten times?"

"Yes."

"Without 'bas five minutes'?"

Akanksha smiles.

"Okay, woh promise nahi kar sakti."

Sorab bursts out laughing.

"Exactly! Mujhe pata tha."

She laughs too.

"Main time pe uth jaungi, okay?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Sorab nods.

"Good. Kyunki kal mujhe fashion show se zyada tumhe time pe hotel pahunchane ka tension hai."

Akanksha smiles.

"Don't worry. Main sambhal lungi."

Then she picks up her bag.

"Main ek baar check kar leti hoon. Kuch reh toh nahi gaya."

Sorab watches her for a moment.

"Akku."

"Hmm?"

"Tu sach mein enjoy kar rahi hai na?"

Her hands stop for a moment.

She looks at him.

"Haan."

"Matlab... genuinely?"

Akanksha thinks for a moment before answering.

"Haan, Sorab."

She smiles softly.

"Pata hai, Mumbai mein mujhe lagta hai ki main bas sab kuch manage kar rahi hoon."

Sorab listens.

"Kaam karna. Logon se milna. Smile karna. Sabke saamne normal behave karna."

She pauses.

"Par andar se dimaag ek second ke liye bhi chup nahi hota."

Sorab doesn't interrupt.

"Yahan aake asa lagta hai ki main bina kisi explanation ke bhi normal reh sakti hoon."

He smiles.

"Good."

Akanksha looks down at her bag.

"Main bhooli nahi hoon."

"I know."

"Bas..."

She takes a slow breath.

"Har waqt yaad bhi nahi karna chahti."

Sorab nods.

"Kar bhi mat."

She looks at him.

"Kaise?"

"Jab yaad aaye toh yaad aane de. Bas uske saath poora din mat jeena."

Akanksha remains silent.

Sorab continues softly.

"Jo hua, woh tumhari life ka ek part hai, poori life nahi."

Her eyes soften.

"Tu kabhi-kabhi surprisingly mature baatein karta hai."

"Sometimes?"

"Very rarely."

"Achha, emotional moment khatam. Ab so ja."

She smiles.

"Okay."

Sorab stands up.

"Chal, ab so jaate hain. Kal long day hai."

"Goodnight."

He starts walking toward his room before turning around.

"And haan..."

Akanksha looks at him.

"Subah jaldi uth jaana."

She rolls her eyes.

"Haan baba, uth jaungi. Tu hi late karega."

Sorab immediately points at himself.

"Main?"

"Haan, tu."

"Behen, sabko pata hai kaun late karta hai."

"Kal dekh lenge."

"Kal sabit ho jayega."

Akanksha laughs.

"Goodnight, Sorab."

"Goodnight, Akku."

He disappears into his room.

Akanksha lies in bed that night, staring at the ceiling.

Tomorrow is going to be fun.

She will get ready.

Watch Sorab's fashion show.

Take pictures.

Make reels.

Maybe explore the hotel.

Maybe annoy Sorab before his show.

For once, her thoughts aren't circling around Mumbai.

They aren't circling around Yogesh.

She isn't asking herself why things happen the way they do.

She isn't replaying old conversations.

She isn't wondering what he is doing.

She is simply looking forward to tomorrow.

And that feels good.

For a few days, Jaipur gives her something Mumbai can't.

Silence.

Distance.

And a little peace.

She closes her eyes with a peaceful smile.

Unaware that tomorrow isn't going to be an ordinary Sunday.

Because while Akanksha lies there, imagining how much fun tomorrow will be...

somewhere else in Mumbai, another person is making plans too.

Plans that could change everything.

Maybe tomorrow, two people who spend days trying not to think about each other will finally stand in front of one another.

Maybe they will talk.

Maybe they will walk past each other without a word.

Maybe one look will bring back everything they have tried so hard to bury.

Or maybe...

fate will keep them apart for a little longer.

Tomorrow is Sunday.

A fashion show.

A hotel.

A city full of people.

And sometimes, fate doesn't need a warning.

It only needs the right place.

And the right time.

Tomorrow...

will they come face to face?

Or will destiny keep them apart just a little longer?

Only tomorrow knows.