Page 50 of Protect my Heart
"Where to, Mrs. Malhotra?" she asks with a playful mock salute.
I laugh softly. "Let’s stick to your plan. Movie it is."
She hums, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. "Well, the next show’s in two hours. What do we do till then?"
She drums her fingers a little more before a mischievous grin spreads across her face. "Let’s go café hopping till then! Come on, it’ll be fun," she says, practically bouncing in her seat. I chuckle and nod. Her excitement is contagious. She cranks upthe music—Taylor Swift blaring through the speakers—and we both lip-sync dramatically, laughing like maniacs, like suddenly we are teenagers.
Honestly, Aarav really does know what’ll lift my mood. I make a mental note to thank him later.
Our first stop is this tiny, hidden café tucked away in a quieter part of Jaipur. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods hits us the second we step inside. It's cozy, with fairy lights strung across the ceiling and soft music playing in the background.
Aditi marches straight to the counter like a woman on a mission.
"I'll have a caramel macchiato and a slice of that chocolate cake," she places her order, grinning widely. Then she turns to me. "What about you, Anika?"
I scan the menu quickly. "Latte and a blueberry muffin, please," I reply, and we are told to wait for fifteen minutes before our order arrives.
We found a corner table by the window. Aditi immediately launches into a full-blown monologue about her college life and all the crazy plans she’s making for the weekend. I just sit back, listening, letting her words and the cozy café atmosphere soothe my nerves a little. But it's brief, because the thoughts of my stalker still linger in the back of my mind.
"So," Aditi says after a while, leaning forward, her voice dropping slightly. "What's really going on with you? You know you can tell me anything, right?"
I hesitate. The urge to just spill everything bubbles inside me, but the thought of dragging her into this mess holds meback. I plaster a smile on my face. "It’s nothing. Really. Just feeling a little overwhelmed lately."
Aditi narrows her eyes at me suspiciously. "Anika, I might not know you as well as Aarav does, but even I can tell when you’re lying."
Before I can come up with a weak excuse, our drinks and pastries arrive, saving me for the moment. I take a long sip of my latte, the warmth spreading through my chest, trying to push down the anxiety that's been my constant companion lately. Maybe... maybe for today, I can just pretend everything’s fine. Just for a few hours.
“Anika, hurry up,” Aditi calls, pulling me out of my thoughts, and continues taking huge bites of her chocolate cake.
We quickly finish up, pay the bill, and step out into the bright afternoon. Aditi and I are laughing about something stupid she said as we stroll down the sidewalk toward where her car’s parked.
A bloodcurdling scream tears out of my throat, raw and unrecognizable.
Aditi gasps, horror twisting her face as she grabs me, yanking me back. My vision reels, my knees buckling beneath me. Everything warps—light, sound, and time.
"Anika! Anika!" I hear her voice, desperate and cracking, but it sounds distant, like I’m hearing it through thick glass. "Oh my god! Somebody help! Please!"
The world spins around me—the pavement lurching, voices rising, my own breath coming in shallow, ragged bursts. The pain is everywhere, hot and alive, crawling across my skin like fire.
And all I can think, as darkness edges my vision, is—Not now. Not when everything was finally starting to feel okay.
CHAPTER 31
AARAV
There's been this gnawing feeling in my chest since last night, ever since I talked to Anika. I know there’s something bothering her. And even though I gave her space—because I wanted her to come to me on her own, to trust me enough to share whatever it is—I can’t wait anymore. I have to know. The scorching afternoon heat is making everything worse, making my restlessness unbearable.
I pull out my phone and dial her number, hoping to at least hear her voice. But it’s unreachable. I take a deep breath, trying to calm the panic rising inside me. She’s probably just with Aditi, having fun, her phone dead or forgotten somewhere. That has to be it. There’s no need to overthink. But still... unease coils tighter in my stomach. On second thought, maybe I should call Aditi too, just to be sure.
I hit the call button, and she picks up on the first ring. "Aarav!" Her voice rings out, shaky and urgent.
My heart skips a beat. “Where are you?” I ask, sitting up straight, my mind already racing with worst-case scenarios.
“Aditi, answer me. Where are you?” My voice sharpens, laced with panic now. “And where’s Anika?” I practically yell, unable to stop myself.
“We’re at the hospital, Aarav,” she whispers.
The word hits me like a physical blow. Hospital? My heart plummets into my stomach. No, no, no. A dozen horrific images flash through my mind, each worse than the last. I grip the phone tighter, my knuckles turning white. "What happened? Are you okay? Is Anika okay?" My voice shakes, barely more than a broken plea.
