Page 62 of Protect my Heart
I know she hates it when I mention this, but it’s true. No one eats as fast as Anika used to. She’d wolf down everything in seconds, leaving me to worry about her choking. It’s better now, I’m glad to admit. But I still remember those days—rushing to finish my food while keeping an eye on her.
“Okay, I agree.” Siddhant pats Samarth on the back. “Soulmates.” They both give us knowing smirks. Anika tensesagain, her hands fidgeting in her lap. She doesn’t want to accept it, not yet, but her body language says it all. She’s just not ready to confront it, to say it out loud.
But I’m ready to. I know it, and I know she feels it too.
Anika’s eyes flicker to the others, but she doesn’t meet mine. She tries to brush off the words, pretending they didn’t affect her, but the way her shoulders are tight, the way she inhales a little too deeply—she’s holding on to something.
I’m not going to let her off the hook that easily.
I don’t need her to say it. I already know. We’ve been through too much, been pulled apart by forces neither of us could control, only to find our way back to each other. We’ve fought too hard, both against each other and ourselves, to admit what’s real between us.
But here we are.
Soulmates.
She may not be ready to acknowledge it just yet, but deep down, she knows. And I know that too.
Because why else would fate, destiny, or whatever you want to call it, put us through so much just to bring us back into each other's lives?
CHAPTER 38
ANIKA
The lights go out exactly three seconds after I enter the room. I came in to have some me time. Don't get me wrong, I loved spending time with everyone, but with Aarav constantly being around, and me being on edge, it frayed my nerves. I needed a little break. "Ugh." I groan into the dark.
Of course. Of course. I freeze in place, waiting for my eyes to adjust, but all I get is the sound of rain pounding against the windows and a low rumble of thunder that crawls across the sky like it’s got something personal against me. It does feel personal, considering it’s raining; never in my life has it rained around Holi.
I fumble for my phone, blindly sweeping my hands across the bed. “Where is it?” I mutter, patting the sheets like an idiot. “Come on, come on—”
Another growl of thunder cuts through the quiet, louder this time, and I jump. My hand trembles a little, ridiculous as that sounds. I try to tell myself to chill. I’m not ten anymore. I’m not stuck outside school in the middle of a storm, scared and crying, waiting for someone to show up.
But some fears? They stay. Aarav knew that back then. He sat beside me without a word and held my hand like it was no big deal. I didn’t even ask.
He just knew. I shake my head. That was a long time ago. Still, I feel it—that same uneasy weight in my chest building again. I groan, frustrated now, reaching for anything—a switch, a lamp, my sanity—and instead, I bump into a body.
A warm, solid body. My breath lodges in my throat.
What. The. Hell.
I yank back on instinct, heart hammering so hard it hurts. I can’t see anything; it’s pitch black. My pulse screams danger, and without thinking, I grab the book I was reading off the side table and swing.
Before it connects, a hand catches my wrist mid-air. “Anu,” his voice says, low and calm, “it’s me.”
My entire body slumps in relief. “God, Aarav,” I whisper, clutching my chest. “Are you trying to kill me?!”
He lets go of my wrist, and I swear I can feel his smile, even if I can’t see it. “I did knock.”
“Oh please,” I snap. “It’s pouring, the power’s gone, and you’re sneaking up on me like some… storm-loving ninja.”
“Storm-loving ninja?” he echoes, amused. “That’s new.”
“I was two seconds away from breaking your nose.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time you hit me.”
“Yeah, well, maybe you deserve it,” I mutter, rubbing my wrist. “Seriously, you scared me.”
I can feel his eyes on me, even in the dark. His gaze burns through my soul. “You still hate thunder?” he asks, his voice gentler now. Quieter.
