The Diamond Code

The Date that was not supposed to happen at first place, to Rhea’s surprise, was going remarkably well.

She hadn’t been expecting much—actually, she had been expecting nothing because she was practically forced into this by Nisha, and to add more to her dismay, Aryan Khanna was late. He had left her waiting, debating whether she should just leave and send him a strongly worded text about valuing people’s time. But then he had arrived, looking almost too good for her to stay mad.

And now, thirty minutes into the date and she had to admit that he was good. Too good.

The conversation flowed effortlessly. Aryan wasn’t just attractive—he was interesting. He had this way of making her feel like she was the only person in the room, as if every word she spoke actually mattered.

He asked thoughtful questions, not the usual 'What do you do?' or 'What’s your favorite color?' but ones that made her pause.

“What’s the one thing you swore you’d never do, but ended up loving?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

Rhea blinked. “That’s… an interesting question.”

Aryan smiled, waiting for her response.

She thought for a moment, then sighed dramatically. “Fine. Yoga.”

Aryan’s brow lifted. “Yoga?” he asked amused and curious to know the backstory for her answer.

“I hated it at first,” she admitted. “I thought it was just a bunch of breathing and stretching. But then my best friend dragged me to this one class, and I nearly died. Apparently, it’s actual work!!

Aryan chuckled. “So, you enjoy nearly dying?”

“I enjoy proving myself wrong.” She smirked. “Your turn.”

He pretended to think, then leaned in conspiratorially. “Dancing.”

Rhea’s eyes widened. “You dance?” She asked, her voice little louder than she intended clearly expressing her disbelief.

He chuckled at first amused and then laughed wholeheartedly at her reaction that made her embarrassed, her cheeks turning into the slight shades of pink as his laugh sounded like a melody to her ears.

"Sorry!" he apologised, still in after-effects of his laughing session.

Rhea met his gaze, as he stopped laughing, waiting for his response to her question but inwardly admiring how carefree and handsome he looked right now.

Aryan smiled, pinching the bridge of his nose as he straightened his posture sensing her gaze at himself.

“Well, love is a strong word. I tolerate it. Barely. But I used to think I had two left feet. Turns out, I've only one and I'm not a total lost cause- just a little misplaced.” He said flashing a toothy grin.

Rhea laughed at his choice of words and surprised at how easy he was to talk to. “What changed your mind then?”

Aryan smirked. “Long story. Let’s just say it involved a bet, a very persistent dance instructor, and a bruised ego.”

She could picture it—Aryan, trying to keep up in some dance class, all charm and frustration. The image made her smile.

He caught her looking and smiling. “What?”

“Nothing,” she said, sipping her drink, though she was still grinning. Aryan shrugged giving a toothy smile.

“So, you’re a consultant?” she asked after a moment. “That’s… vague.”

Aryan chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, it’s not as glamorous as it sounds. Lots of travel, late nights, and boring meetings.”

Rhea arched a brow, giving him a curious yet calculating glance. “And yet, you make it sound mysterious.”

Aryan smirked, his gaze holding hers just a little longer than necessary. “Maybe I like keeping a little mystery.”

Rhea’s stomach did something strange. A little flip. Goosebumps erupting on her body as his gaze remained unwavering.

She broke the eye contact, not able to meet his gaze.

Damn it. No, Rhea. You're not going to be charmed by a man who couldn’t even show up on time. She thought taking a bite of the white sauce pasta she'd ordered before.

And yet, here you are, being all mushy and blushing. Her subconscious mocked at her. She mentally rolled her eyes at her subconscious mind as she savoured the authentic flavours of the iconic Italian dish.

Just when she was about to say something sarcastic—something to bring the conversation back to safe territory—his phone buzzed on the table.

His expression shifted—so subtly that most people wouldn’t have noticed. But Rhea did.

The warmth in his eyes cooled ever so slightly. His jaw tensed, his fingers tightening around his glass for just a fraction of a second before he smoothly reached for his phone.

“Excuse me for just a second,” Aryan said, standing up.

Rhea nodded at him. And then he walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

Rhea sighed, stirring the ice in her drink with her straw.

Maybe it’s work. Maybe it’s his mother demanding to know when he’s getting married.

She shrugged as she focused back on savouring her food.

She checked the time. Five minutes.

She scrolled through her phone for a bit, resisting the urge to overthink.

Ten minutes.

She tapped her fingers against the table, glancing toward the crowd where he had disappeared.

Fifteen minutes.

Her irritation creeping back in.

"Maybe he got lost on the way back", she whispered to herself mocking him and chuckled dryly.

By the time twenty minutes had passed, she was done.

Signaling the waiter, she paid for her order, grabbed her purse, and stood up.

She wasn’t about to waste her time on a man who couldn’t even finish a damn date.

If Aryan Khanna wanted to vanish, then he could stay gone.

"Nisha is so getting an earful for setting me on this disastrous date", Rhea muttered to herself, as she stormed out of the restaurant.

But what she didn’t know was that Aryan wasn’t running from her.

He was running toward danger.

And soon, it would come for her too.

To be continued...

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