Prologue: Ek Haseena Thi
Dev had noticed her the first time he had seen her; she was statuesque and striking, but more than that, he could see that this was a woman who knew all the cards that she held, while keeping them safely hidden from prying eyes. He had met such women before, but even the most confident of them had that tinge of uncertainty, that smidgen of insecurity that came from knowing their own flaws and fears, just part of being human, he had always allowed. She seemed removed from mere mortals then, as she had none of it. Or if she did, it was none that he could find. She was perfectly composed, polished, sophisticated... in a perverse sort of way, she reminded him of his older brother, Tej. A plane removed from the rest of them.
They were at a party, some highbrow event where the elitists of this city came to show off. Such affairs generally bored him, but it was a boredom he tolerated for the women, the crème of the crop generally. Tej and Varun were here too; Tej, he knew, would be too busy mingling with his business associates, while Varun stood to the side, leaning against some column, watching, just like he always did. Both of them did not care for these events, Dev knew. They only suffered through them for the sake of work.
She was moving, he saw now. He followed her discreetly until she was at the edge of the room and in the spot where he wanted her. He tried the age old bump-and-apologize routine before introducing himself by first name. She responded in kind, courteous and gracious, but disinterested nonetheless, he could see. He floundered for the first time in his life. Not because he couldn't think of something to say, but because he could see now that whatever he said, she would have the same polite disinterest. He was saved from making yet another attempt when Tej came up behind him, asking him whether they should wait for him or if he would find a way to get home himself. He took the latter option, not wanting to leave until he talked to her some more. As he finished with Tej, he turned back around to face her again, and saw what had been missing only a few moments before… interest… he saw it light her eyes as she watched Tej walk away from them.