The moment Rudransh stepped into Hungry Birds Café, he hadn’t expected to see her.

But there she was — sitting in the corner, a mug cradled in her hands, laughter soft and fleeting amidst the hum of the cafe.

Hazel.

That was what he had decided to call her in his mind — the girl from the temple, the one whose eyes had met his in quiet defiance before words ever had.

He wasn’t here for her. Not today.

He and Ridhan had followed a lead — another thread in a trafficking case they’d been tracing for weeks. This café was supposed to be just another stop, another face among too many.

But fate had other plans.

Two men sat a few tables away — hoodies, sunglasses indoors, the kind of overconfidence that made you notice them before you wanted to. Rudransh wouldn’t have cared if it weren’t for one small detail.

A phone.

Lifted. Tilted. Click.

His eyes sharpened.

That camera wasn’t aimed at coffee or scenery. It was aimed at her.

Ruhi.

The soft laughter that had drawn him now turned to unease as she shifted slightly in her chair, oblivious to the silent danger that hovered a few feet away.

Rudransh’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in quiet fury. He’d seen this pattern too many times. Pictures taken. Sent. Approved. Targets marked.

The man’s thumb moved across his screen — a message sent.

“There they're, He just clicked her photo,” Rudransh muttered to Ridhan, voice flat and lethal.

“You sure?”

“Positive. Same faces from the footage.”

And just like that, the restraint in his body snapped.

He rose from his seat, calm and composed, his movements too measured to look like rage. Only his eyes betrayed him — cold, controlled, ready to burn.

Across the café, Ruhi’s laughter faded. She noticed him — the same tall frame, the quiet storm in his expression. He walked like he owned the floor beneath him, each step echoing with purpose.

Before anyone could register what was happening, Rudransh reached the men’s table.

He grabbed the one with the phone by his collar and dragged him out of the café in one swift motion.

No shouting. No chaos. Just violence wrapped in silence.

Ruhi’s breath caught.

Her mug stilled midair.

She’d never seen anyone move like that — all power, no hesitation.

The café froze for a heartbeat, then — strangely — life went on.

No screams, no panic. People shifted awkwardly, whispered maybe, but then returned to their coffee like this was just a Tuesday thing.

Ruhi turned to her roommates, wide-eyed. “Did no one else just see that?”

“It’s normal,” Siya said, casual as ever. “Happens sometimes.”

“That’s not normal,” Ruhi whispered.

“It is here,” Advika replied, sipping her drink. “They’re not bad people, Ruhi.”

“Who?”

“The ones who do the dragging,” Mihika said softly. “They don’t hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it. That guy must’ve done something shady.”

Ruhi blinked, her confusion deepening. Shady? What could that possibly mean?

Outside, Rudransh slammed the man against the alley wall, his tone low and dangerous.

“You made a big mistake today.”

His men emerged from the shadows, waiting for orders. “Take them to the den,” he said coldly. “I’ll deal with them later.”

He snatched the man’s phone, stared at the blank screen for a long second before walking away.

Inside, Ruhi was still trying to process what she’d seen — the sharp flash of blue eyes, the way he’d moved, the silence that had followed.

She didn’t know why her heart was still pounding.

By the time Rudransh got into his car, Ridhan had already read the tension in his face.

“So... care to explain?” he asked, leaning back.

"Explain what exactly?"

"Why you're soo angry?, I mean that you always are; but still today you seem out of character. What happened?"

“Nothing you should be bothered about, Khurana.”

“Oh, really? You nearly tore a man in half. Over a girl.”

Rudransh exhaled through his nose, trying to rein in the heat in his blood. “He took a picture. That’s all.”

“Right, that they clicked of many girls. And you just happen to lose your temper that much over some random girl?”

Rudransh shot him a look. “Drop it, Khurana.”

Ridhan grinned, amused. “Love at first sight, hmmm?”

“I regret being friends with you.”

“You didn’t say that when I took a bullet for you years ago.”

“That bullet just grazed your arm, Khurana. It was barely a scratch.”

Their banter eased the tension, and by the time they reached the office, Rudransh had managed to push the chaos in his head aside — at least for now.

He deleted the photo of her from the man’s phone.

He didn’t know who she was.

But he knew one thing — no one would ever dare touch her.

Meanwhile, back in her apartment, Ruhi lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

The café scene kept replaying in her mind — the man’s sharp eyes, the calm fury, the silence after.

Was that really normal?

Was he?

“Mahadev…” she murmured softly, closing her eyes. “What do I do?”

And somewhere across the city, the man with the storm-blue eyes thought of her too —not knowing her name, but already unable to forget her face.

Two strangers.

Two worlds that should never have touched.

But fate had already drawn another line — in a café filled with silence, violence, and something dangerously close to destiny.

♛┈⛧┈┈•༶༶•┈┈⛧┈♛

All the reader girls to their fictional men

सुनो जान .....

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