Four hearts one story

The party

“Wait a minute.”

Dimple stopped walking.

Kai, who had been hoping the conversation was finally over, turned around reluctantly.

“Who is Lara?”

Kai stared at her. “What?”

“Lara,” Dimple repeated, folding her arms. “You said her name, Shreya threatened to tell her something, and suddenly you looked like someone had caught you committing a crime. So, who is she?”

“She's nobody.”

Shreya burst out laughing.

Kai shot her a warning look.

“Nobody?” Dimple repeated. “You have a nobody saved in your phone with a heart next to her name?”

Somesh nearly choked on his pastry.

“Wait. There's a heart?”

“Somesh, eat your food,” Kai muttered.

“I'm eating. I'm also listening. I'm a talented man.”

Dimple stepped closer to Kai, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

“Kai, I know you. You barely tell us when you've got a headache, and now there's a mysterious girl whose name makes you forget how to speak.”

“I'm not forgetting how to speak.”

“Then tell us who she is.”

Kai shoved his phone into his pocket.

“No.”

Shreya leaned against the wall, enjoying the spectacle.

“Dimple, leave him alone. Can't you see the poor boy is suffering?”

Kai glanced at her.

“Keep talking.”

“Or what?”

He simply stared at her.

Shreya grinned.

Dimple, however, wasn't ready to give up.

“Fine. Keep your secrets. But I'm telling you right now, Kai, we are coming back to this conversation.”

“Can't wait,” he replied flatly.

“You're lying,” Dimple said.

Kai said nothing.

Dimple sighed dramatically and turned away.

“Fine. We'll discuss it later.”

She pointed at Shreya.

“And you. Don't think I'm forgetting this.”

Shreya raised both hands innocently.

“I haven't done anything!”

“That's exactly what people say when they've done something.”

Somesh nodded thoughtfully. “She's got a point.”

“Somesh!”

“I'm staying out of this.”

He picked up his plate and walked away.

For a moment, the three of them watched him go.

Then Shreya laughed.

And just like that, the investigation was postponed.

Not cancelled.

Postponed.

By evening, the cruise had transformed.

The bright afternoon sun had disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving behind a deep indigo sky. The ocean stretched endlessly beneath the moonlight, its surface catching silver reflections whenever the waves rolled beneath the ship. Warm lights illuminated the decks, and music drifted through the corridors as passengers gathered for the evening party.

Inside her cabin, Shreya stood before the mirror, trying to decide whether her outfit needed anything else.

She had chosen a black crop top paired with sage-green shorts and a black jacket. Her long hair fell loosely around her shoulders, and a delicate touch of makeup completed the look.

She turned from side to side, examining herself.

“Good enough.”

Her phone buzzed.

Kai: Outside. Hurry up.

Shreya glanced at the message.

Shreya: Patience is a virtue.

Kai: Then you should try developing one.

She laughed, grabbed her phone, and headed for the door.

The moment she stepped outside, she found Kai waiting against the opposite wall.

He was dressed entirely in black—a black shirt, black trousers, and black shoes. The dark outfit made him look more serious than usual, and his hair was neatly styled for once.

His eyes moved towards her as the cabin door opened.

For a second, he said nothing.

Then he shook his head.

Shreya frowned. “What?”

Kai looked at her again, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

“I'm still trying to figure out how Ankesh managed to get a girl like you.”

Shreya blinked.

Then she looked away, smiling to herself.

“Seriously, Kai?”

“What?”

“You've been saying that all day.”

“Because I still haven't figured it out.”

She shook her head, but her smile remained.

“Maybe I'm just a terrible judge of character.”

“Clearly.”

She gave him a playful shove.

He barely moved.

“Come on,” he said, stepping away from the wall. “Before Somesh eats the entire buffet.”

Shreya fell into step beside him.

For a while, neither of them said anything. They walked through the softly lit corridor, their footsteps blending with the distant music and the steady hum of the ship.

Then Kai glanced sideways at her.

“You okay?”

The question was quiet. Different from his earlier teasing.

Shreya looked at him.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Nothing. Just asking.”

She understood what he meant. Beneath all the jokes about Ankesh, he was still checking whether she was genuinely all right.

She gave him a small, reassuring smile.

“I'm fine, Kai. Really.”

He studied her face for another moment before nodding.

“Good.”

And that was all he said.

It was one of the things Shreya appreciated most about him. Kai could annoy her for hours, tease her about the worst decisions she'd ever made, and make her question why she had ever become friends with him.

But when it mattered, he knew when to stop talking.

She bumped her shoulder against his.

“By the way, all black? Are you going to a party or a funeral?”

Kai turned towards her.

“Keep walking, Shreya.”

She laughed.

“I'm just asking!”

“And I'm just regretting inviting you.”

“No, you're not.”

He glanced at her, the smallest smile betraying him.

“No,” he admitted. “I'm not.”

The party was already in full swing when they reached the upper deck.

Coloured lights moved across the floor, music filled the open space, and groups of passengers gathered around the dance floor. Beyond the glass railings, the moon hung above the dark ocean, illuminating the waves in a soft silver glow.