Preeta walked down the hallway, her mind still swirling with Pakhi’s request. As she approached Rishabh’s room, she paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She had agreed to try and talk to him, but she wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole situation. The uncertainty tugged at her as she knocked softly on the door.

"Come in," Rishabh’s voice called from inside, sounding distracted.

When Preeta stepped inside, her gaze immediately landed on Rishabh. He stood near the mirror, a slight frown on his face as he struggled with his tie, trying to adjust it around his collar. His suit was sharp, and he looked every bit the successful businessman—elegant, confident, yet something about the way he was fumbling with the tie made him appear so… human.

Without thinking, Preeta moved closer. "You need help with that?" she asked softly, standing behind him.

Rishabh’s shoulders tensed slightly as he turned his head to glance at her. He gave her a small, sheepish smile. "Yeah, I can never seem to get this thing right."

Preeta smiled, a little amused. "I’ve seen my fair share of people struggle with ties," she said, stepping in front of him. She gently reached for the tie, her fingers brushing his chest in the process, and for a split second, the touch seemed to linger longer than it should have.

Rishabh's breath hitched ever so slightly as she adjusted the tie, her fingers deftly working with the silk fabric. There was a strange, palpable energy in the air—something unspoken, something magnetic between them. His gaze followed her hands as she looped the tie around his neck with practiced ease, her proximity making him aware of every small shift of her body. The air between them thickened with unacknowledged tension, and Preeta could feel her heart beat a little faster as she smoothed the fabric.

"You know," Rishabh said in a low voice, almost a whisper, as if testing the silence between them, "you’ve done this before, haven’t you?"

Preeta’s fingers froze briefly before she finished adjusting the tie and stepped back, forcing a smile. "A few times," she replied, her voice steady but her thoughts running wild. She couldn’t help but notice how close they were, how the scent of his cologne seemed to cloud her senses, how his deep brown eyes were watching her intently. There was something undeniably magnetic about him, something that made her pulse quicken.

When she pulled away, she realized that he hadn’t moved, hadn’t broken the tension. He was still standing there, his eyes lingering on her, as though he hadn’t quite snapped out of the moment either.

Preeta cleared her throat, trying to focus. "There you go," she said, her voice a little lighter than before. "You’re good to go."

Rishabh gave her a slow, almost appreciative smile, but the intensity in his gaze remained. "Thanks, Preeta," he said quietly, as if it was more than just a thank you for helping with a tie.

Feeling the weight of the moment, Preeta decided to shift the conversation. "So, Rishabh… I wanted to talk to you about something," she began, trying to make her tone casual, even though her heart was pounding. "I was wondering if you’d be open to going on a date sometime soon."

Rishabh raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "A date?" he repeated, his voice laced with curiosity, though his expression remained composed. "You mean… like, with someone?"

Preeta hesitated for a moment before responding. "Well, yeah," she said, her voice soft but steady. "You know, just… a date. Maybe someone you can spend some time with, get to know better. I think it might be nice."

There was a slight pause, and then Rishabh’s lips curved into a slow smile, as if the idea were a pleasant surprise. "Are you asking me out, Preeta?" he asked, his voice teasing but with an unmistakable edge of interest.

Preeta blinked, caught off guard by his response. "No, I just meant… you know, a date," she stammered slightly, unsure how to navigate the sudden shift in the conversation. She had meant it casually, trying to get him to consider the idea, but Rishabh’s interpretation was entirely different.

Rishabh’s smile deepened, and he took a step closer to her, his eyes locking with hers. "Well, if it’s you asking… then I don’t think I can say no," he said, his voice dropping to a lower register, the implication of his words not lost on her.

Preeta’s heart skipped a beat. His close proximity was making her nervous, the tension between them so thick she could almost feel it like a physical force. She suddenly realized that the date he was agreeing to wasn’t with some other woman—Rishabh thought she was asking him out.

The air between them seemed to hum with the electricity of unspoken possibilities, and Preeta fought to keep her composure. She hadn’t expected him to respond like this. She had just been trying to encourage him to open up to the idea of dating, but now… it seemed like she had unknowingly stepped into something much deeper.

Rishabh took another small step closer, the distance between them narrowing even further. "So, when do you think we should go on this date?" he asked, his voice a little huskier now, his eyes scanning her face with an intensity that made Preeta’s pulse race.

For a brief moment, she just stood there, caught between her intentions and the overwhelming reality of the situation. She hadn’t planned for this, hadn’t thought it would go this way. But now that it had, she felt a swirl of emotions, all tangled together—confusion, excitement, and something else… something warmer.

"I… I’ll let you know," Preeta finally said, her voice barely a whisper as she quickly stepped back, breaking the proximity that was making her feel far too much all at once.

Rishabh didn’t move away, though. He only smiled a little, a knowing look in his eyes. "I’ll be waiting," he said softly, the warmth in his tone making her cheeks flush.

Preeta turned to leave, her heart racing, her mind a swirl of emotions. She hadn’t expected that response, hadn’t expected him to take her suggestion as an invitation. But now that the idea was out there, she couldn’t help but wonder: Was this just a simple conversation about dating, or was there something more between them that neither of them had fully acknowledged yet?