AN : It was Ayaan "SEIKH" and not "MALIK". I've corrected it in the last chapter.

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Holding Khwaab in his arms Aahik was too lost to think anything else. He was in a daze, mesmerized as if the girl in his arms has cast some spell over him in her unconscious state.

Aahnik wanted the girl to open her big eyes and look at him with the innocence that her face screamed. She looked like nothing but a fragile doll in front of him.

How will it feel when she will gain her consciousness?  Will she talk with him?

This thought hit him hard to realize that he actually lost his mind.

DAMN!!!! He needed to check her pulse and take her to the hospital.

Anger rushed in his veins on thinking about his stupidity and the moment where he went weak due to the unknown emotions that the dark chambers of his heart started weaving.

What was wrong with him? How could he think that way for someone whom he met few mins back.

He freaking needs to put a control over his emotions that he has started to feel suddenly after that encounter with a stranger at the airport.

Keeping these thoughts aside, he checked her pulse and felt it beating very slowly.

He needed to take her to the hospital immediately.

He didn't wait much and thought to take her to the station because after the blast the city must have got closed and there would be danger everywhere.

He can face it all because he had got training for it and it's his work but due to him, the girl shouldn't suffer.

Picking her up in his arms he gently held her. His one arm was under her knees and the other at back of her body.

As he started moving her head gently tilted and got placed directly on his heart with her warm breath falling on his skin that was exposed due to the open button of his shirt.

Aahnik almost froze but didn't stop. He felt like his heart stopped beating for a moment as her head made contact with his heart.

He has never been in close contact with any female species other than his mother's exception being today.

Today literally turned out to be the most adventurous and this night will be the weirdest day of his life.

Firstly he bumped into that stranger who of course was some female but the strange part was that he didn't feel uncomfortable. Second, that scarf which he feels belongs to her because it had the fragrance which that stranger carried.

And now this girl in his arms. What a day!!!

Aahnik kept walking towards the station ignoring his heart which was thumping wildly as if had just returned from a marathon.

He knew it wasn't beating because he was exhausted or was carrying a girl.

This wasn't even one percent of exhaustion that one goes through while training for the Defence Forces and neither the girl was heavy. In fact, she weighed like a feather.

What was she made of? Paper? He thought.

Not paying attention to his heart anymore, Aahnik focused on reaching the station as soon as possible.

Reaching the station he quickly took Khwaab into the medical department of the station.

Indian Air Force Station mostly have their own dispensaries and IAF Srinagar being a fighting station got much higher facilities when it came to Medical because getting attacked was something normal for the defense forces in Kashmir.

Entering the passage of the building that had many rooms situated at one end and the passage and was open out in the big field, he took her to the operation theater directly because she was bleeding too much.

The doctor was already there and looking at the girl in Aahnik's arms be was beyond shocked.

Aahnik with a girl amused him at first. He knew Aahnik for just few months but enough to know how Aahnik actually was.

"Who’s she? Where did you get her from?" The doctor asked looking at Aahnik with suspicious eyes.

"She got injured in the blast outside the airport." Aahnik’s short reply didn’t please the doctor much but he didn't complain since he was used to this kind of short replies from him.

"Okay can you wait outside and I hope people are fine outside in the city?" The doctor asked with a worried face while wearing his sanitized gloves.

“I guess things are under control. I'll have to check for that.” Aahnik replied and turned to leave but his steps halted as something inside  urged him to look back at the sleeping beauty who managed to make him feel something called emotions that he didn't feel for a long time.

His eyes stayed glued at her face which was shining with the speckles of dust and smoke, and her long tresses hanging from the small bed of the OT.

Sighing at himself Aahnik turned on his heels and left the room after closing the door.

He received a call from Abhinav who informed him that the situation outside wasn't good. Ten people lost their lives and more than fifty are injured.

The whole city has been locked and there is a curfew to handle the situation safely.

The army is on the roads checking every corner of the city and ensuring people's safety while the other groups of the officer that he sent found two men with explosions.

He was supposed to inform the seniors and also that Abhinav will be out there handling everything.

Moving towards the conference hall he waited a few minutes outside as there was still some time left for the meeting to get over.

The first person to come out was Ayaan who looked at the worried Aahnik.

Looking at Ayaan, Aahnik quickly rushed to him and asked for the Marshal who was still inside as Ayaan informed him

"What happened Ayaan?" He could feel that something was wrong and it was more than what he was thinking.

"Sir there have been several blasts in different places of the city. We have lost ten lives and more than fifty are injured. We have even caught two men." Ayaan wasn't surprised. He was in Srinagar the capital of Kashmir. He was used to this kind of news.

He was definitely worried about the people but more than that for Aahnik who seemed really disturbed.

It wasn't about the blast. He had seen a much more calm and confident Aahnik last year during the Balakot strike but this Aahnik was something else totally.

He looked worried, confused, scared, and annoyed all at the same time.

What could trouble this calm sea to turn in into an ocean in the middle of a storm?

He didn't ask Aahnik anything but saw him going to the Marshal and informing him everything who quickly told him about his meeting with the Army heads in the Army base camp and that he'll leave for the meeting in few minutes.

Aahnik went to drop the Marshal giving him the necessary information who in returned praised him for his instant action. Aahnik replied nothing but just nodded in acknowledgment.

Aahnik came back to the campus only to find Ayaan at the same place but sitting on the concrete slabs made at one side of the field under the tree shed.

With long strides, he reached him and sat quietly beside him looking. His shoulders slouched and his face hung low.

"Whom did you save?" Aahnik's head snapped at Ayaan and he stared at him with his eyes filled with shock.

Ayaan wasn't looking at him but rather at the night sky with a soft smile on his face.

"Sir you..." Aahnik stopped in the middle realizing that it was Ayaan Sir he was sitting with.

Ayaan knows him so well that even without saying things he'll come to know that something is bothering him.

It amazed him to know that there was someone who knew him just like his mother. Sometimes even better than that.

They had just met two years back but the way they stayed together and the way he understood Aahnik made people think otherwise.

People often thought that these two were father and son and were left shock to know that they were wrong.

"She's no special. I found her on the lane which connects with the market." Aahnik answered without looking at Ayaan.

He could not look into his eyes while lying to him.

No matter how much he denies he knew that the girl is special. He didn't go oblivious about his surroundings just like that.

He didn't felt his heart thumping so fast like a running wolf for nothing.

It was HER. She made him feel like this.

Her mere presence has turned his emotions upside down.

Those emotions that’ve stayed confined under the dark walls of his heart.

Emotions weren't meant for him and he won't let some stranger affect him and his self-control this way.

She can't come into his dark and cold world out of nowhere and make a place. He won't let her do that.

She definitely was an angel but for him, she was a nightmare dressed in a daydream.

"Well, then why are you so tensed for someone not so special?” Ayaan stressed on the word special teasing the young man who was sitting beside him with frown lines marred on his face.

Ayaan looked at him closely when he didn't answer back. He sighed.

What would he do with this boy?

"Sir doctor is calling you" peon came to inform Aahnik breaking his chain of thoughts.

Aahnik was already too worried for her even if he was denying and now that he was informed about her, he wanted to rush to see her but he didn't.

Ayaan was sitting beside him and he didn't want to give him any ideas.

"Well, sir I need to look at that girl and inform her family too." Aahnik tried sounding normal and not desperate. Ayaan chuckled at his request.

"Let's go. I'll accompany you." Ayaan didn't say but just nodded his head in response.

Passing through the passage of the large building they reached the room where normally patients or soldiers are transferred from the OT.

Aahnik pushed the gates opened to see doctor Neil standing near the bed adjusting the blanket on the sleeping figure of the girl.

It wasn't his work but there was no staff with him so he did the work himself.

Aahnik looked at her who was sleeping on the bed with her eyes closed. No bandage could be seen on her face or head. Moving down her face his eyes rested at her right hand which had bandages wrapped.

It looked like a fracture and nothing more.

God knows why but yes he was relieved to see her in a good state.

"It seems you're not going to let me enter inside," Ayaan said in a bored tone and Aahnik quickly realized that he was standing behind him waiting for him to move aside.

He left the gate open and entered inside. He stood in a corner letting Ayaan enter inside the room.

Ayaan's steps halted at the threshold of the gate as his eyes stuck on the face of the sleeping girl.

"Khwaab" he whispered while his face turned pale.

He felt his heartbreaking looking at his precious doll who was sleeping on the hospital bed with bandages on her body.

Without wasting another moment he rushed to her side.

"Doctor is she fine? What happened to her? I hope she's okay." He asked all the questions without even waiting for the doctor to respond.

His face laced with worry and his eyes held fear which made Aahnik confused.

Did he know her? But how?

Sir don't worry she's fine. Just a minor fracture and few bruises else she's fine and ready to be discharged tomorrow morning." The doctor replied to an extremely worried Ayaan who felt his life coming back after listening to the doctor's word.

He looked at Khwaab's face and gently held her hand in his and rubbing it softly.

"You got me so worried doll." Leaning down he placed a kiss on her temple and left her hand gently.

“Is she your daughter?" The doctor asked looking at Ayaan. They surely must be as he thought. The man looked sick worried for her a few minutes back and almost lifeless but this news revived him back.

“Yes, she's,” Ayaan replied with a faint smile on his face as his hand carressed her tresses stroking them gently.

This new piece of information was too much for Aahnik to handle.

She was his daughter. She was Ayaan Sir's daughter but as far as he knew he just had a son who was as same as his age and they even shared same birth date.

Who was this girl whom he called his daughter?

Ayaan turned to Aahnik who had frown lines on his face. Reaching to him in few long strides he gently embraced him. Aahnik wasn't ready for this sudden hug stumbled a little but balanced himself in few seconds hugging him back.

“Thank You. Thank you so much Aahnik. You saved my life.” Ayaan spoke after breaking the hug to which Aahnik nodded with a smile.

"You don't need to thank me, Sir." Aahnik politely requested him and Ayaan looked at the boy in front of him with so much admiration.

"Let's go outside. We need to let her rest." Ayaan suggested and both left but not before sparing a glance to Khwaab.

One had eyes filled with love and the other had confused feelings floating in his eyes.

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