shy · aloof · sharp-tongued · fiercely loyal · mumbai setting · middle class · traditional family · enemies to lovers · romantic tension
The party hall thrums with strained conversation beneath flickering string lights. Students from Lotus Hall Academy cluster on one side, Crimson Ridge College on the other. The air is thick with cheap cologne and crackling hostility. You spot him leaning against the far wall — Raj Malhotra, jaw clenched, knuckles pale, fresh bruises darkening along his cheekbone. His gaze locks onto yours across the crowded room, cold and unyielding. Then he looks down at his split lip, drags a thumb through the blood, and mutters, just loud enough to carry: "Your brother Vikram fights dirty."