Prolouge

Raghav and Phayu were poles apart.

They came from two different worlds, lived by two different rules, and wanted completely different things from life.

But Raghav didn't know that yet.

For now, he was just another final-year engineering student trying to survive college.

Raghav came from India, a country where tradition and culture held an important place in people's lives. For some, it was comforting. It gave families a sense of belonging and kept generations connected.

But sometimes, tradition could feel like a double-edged blade.

There were things children were expected to do simply because they were considered right. Things they were expected to avoid because they were considered wrong. Sometimes, even when a child loved something deeply, they were expected to let it go if it went against what their family believed was acceptable.

Raghav had learned that lesson early.

He wasn't rebellious. He wasn't the kind of person who fought with his parents over every little thing.

In fact, he rarely complained at all.

His parents had sacrificed a lot for him. They had put aside many of their own wants and pleasures to give their son a better life and support his education.

Raghav knew that.

And somewhere along the way, their sacrifices had become more than something he was grateful for.

They had become a responsibility.

A silent pressure sitting on his shoulders.

He wanted to make them proud.

Not because they had forced him to.

But because he believed he owed them that much.

So, Raghav studied.

He studied even when he didn't feel like it. He studied when his friends were having fun. He studied because every good grade felt like proof that their sacrifices hadn't been wasted.

And somehow, despite being the last-bencher who could fall asleep during class without the slightest shame, he always managed to end up at the top of the class.

A teacher's pet?

Maybe.

Did he actually want to be one?

Not really.

He had simply gotten used to doing what was expected of him.

He had spent years pushing his own wants aside, convincing himself that there would always be time for them later.

Now, he was in his final year of engineering.

One year.

That was all he had.

He needed to secure a job within a year and finally give his parents the reason to proudly tell everyone that their son had made it.

One year sounded like plenty of time.

But a year was a long time.

Who knew what could happen?

Certainly not Raghav.

That morning, he sat at the back of the classroom, staring toward the professor and doing an excellent job of pretending to pay attention.

His notebook was open.

His pen was in his hand.

His eyes were pointed toward the board.

Everything looked perfectly normal.

His mind, however, was somewhere else entirely.

Beside him sat Vishwa, his best friend for so many years that Raghav had honestly lost count. Vishwa had been around for as long as he could remember, and apparently, that meant Raghav had no chance of getting rid of him.

As usual, Vishwa wasn't paying attention to the class either.

He was scrolling through Instagram reels.

Because apparently, attending college didn't require attending the classes.

Vishwa suddenly nudged Raghav.

"Raghav."

Raghav glanced at him.

"What?"

Vishwa turned his phone toward him, already preparing for another one of his endless rants.

Raghav wasn't particularly interested.

It was too early in the morning for him to stand outside the classroom because his friend had annoyed the professor again.

Still, Vishwa was his best friend.

So he listened.

"This Thai girl is so pretty," Vishwa said excitedly. "She's an idol. I'm seriously obsessed with her."

Raghav barely looked at the screen.

"Okay."

Vishwa stared at him.

"That's it?"

"What else am I supposed to say?"

"You have no interest in girls?"

"I have interest. Just not in your Instagram reels."

Vishwa rolled his eyes and continued scrolling.

Then, suddenly, he looked at Raghav with a grin.

"Why don't you get a girlfriend like her?"

Raghav nearly laughed.

"Her?"

"Why not?"

"Vishwa, I can barely talk to a girl in our own class."

"So?"

"So how exactly am I supposed to get a Thai girl?"

Vishwa laughed.

Raghav shook his head and turned his attention back toward the board.

The conversation was meaningless.

Just another stupid conversation between two friends during a boring morning class.

At least, that's what Raghav thought.

He had no idea that Thailand would soon become more than a country he had seen on Instagram reels.

He had no idea that an internship would take him far away from everything familiar.

And he certainly had no idea that the life he had carefully planned for himself was about to take an unexpected turn.

For now, though, Raghav had only one thing on his mind.

Finish his final year.

Get a job.

Make his parents proud.

Everything else could wait.

Or so he thought.

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