I never ran so fast in my life as I do now. I know he's not standing far but the way I felt just ten minutes before makes me forget everything but his engendering eyes that's cutting through everything, beseeches me towards him. I know that look, it's when I fell on the school grounds and students laughed that made Kiyansh look at them, that stopped all the laughing. It's the look before he punched a guy straight on the face because he was trying to look under my skirt. Goosebumps erupt on my skin, it's the look before Kiyansh literally split opened Nishkarsh's head. And before I know, I ram straight into him and he picks me straight into his arms. How are you here? I want to ask him. But the words won't come out. It's clogged deep inside my throat. The arms wrap so tightly around me that it's like we are one body. I have never felt so grateful in my life as I do right now. I put my face on his neck and breath the familiar woodpines, chocolates and cinnamon. I feel him shake under me, take an uneven breath before I am passed to another arms and feel the cass of being wrested away from the most important thing in my life. The feel of not being allowed to breath, I want to drench in the smell of him and never ever leave those arms. I want the smell of woodpines chocolate and cinnamon settle into me.
"What, what are you doing? " I ask Kiyansh who turns to me, moving his hands on my hair, giving me full attention with those burning gold brown before turning towards Arundhati who I notice is the one holding me back and says in that imperative tone that can cut mountains, "If anybody else touch her you are done for."

I freeze and see Arundhati backing me from the door a little. Kartik takes the front and for a horrendous second I know what he is gonna do. I scream before I allow myself. " Kiyansh Stop!"

And I know, I know, I know. I know before Kiyansh crosses the room and throttles the neck of the man in the jacket. I try to jerk away from Arundhati but she holds me so tightly that even pushing at Kartik's back doesn't budge him or me. The man with the knife slashes his hand once and it goes beside Kiyansh's ear and I am sure my heart just throttles outside my throat. Men move beside us from both sides like marching army but my vision is stuck to that point of knife that moves towards the neck that I know every small curve and arc of. I feel faint until the knife flies out of the man's hand in one clean sweep of Kiyansh's left wrist. I am just preparing to wretch my gut out the floor when I remember Kiyansh flaunting his moves of Krav Maga on the lanes in front of me. Before I can think of anything else the guy is on his back on the floor and he is kicked straight on face by Kiyansh's sole of shoes. I see him kicking and kicking until blood runs to my face, he is not going to stop. No No No. My eyes swipe through the room, Nishkarsh is reeling in a corner, the four guards or whatever they were standing near him as if protecting him. The other four of which three were on the floor are hunched up from the collars and stranded up in holds of new men. And another set of those new men are just standing in the corner just staring at Kiyansh and letting Kiyansh kick after kick that man again. He is going to kill him and no one is going to stop him.

"Leave me! Leave me. He is going to kill him, you don't know him, he is going to kill him, leave me! " I shout at Arundhati's face who seems shocked by my shouting, her hold on me loosens and I take the time to drag Kartik aside and run inside the room towards Kiyansh. Kiyansh is bent down now punching the man with bloodied hands. Without knowing what to do, I do the only thing I think that can stop him. I grab his right arm. I know it's wrong before I can feel him turning with a force that he will never use on me, I feel his left arm flying towards me and I close my eyes in fright. But it never comes. I open my eyes tentatively. He is staring at me as if he is woken up from a nightmare. All the blood is drenched away from his face. I have never seen his face so full of colour, turned to so white. He is pale as if he is biting his face, his breath uneven, his eyes wide. It's like there is no one else in the room but us. His hands are shaking when it touches my cheek so softly that I hardly believe it. "I am so sorry. " A single tear escapes his eye. " I am so sorry. " He says again. " I..." He gulps as if he is in pain. "I failed to protect you. I am so sorry. "

I shake my head, putting my hand on his clasping it tight, my own throat clogs up. " You didn't, I am fine. I am sorry for not listening to you. "

His eyes fall down to my neck and his whole demeanor stills. " He did this to you. " His voice cuts through like scythe on the ground, I hear a thunder rumbling in the distance. And just as Kiyansh moves to turn towards the man again I clutch both his arms and make him look into my eyes.

" I need you." The voice comes pleading naturally, my chest thumping wildly in agreement.

I see all the anger, all the doubt vanish from his face. His eyes are intergalactic when they meet mine, I convulsively move in his arms, his arms latch around mine. His hands moving to my neck touching the pendant so unsurely as if to make sure if it's still there. His touch is so innocent and vulnerable that I feel I might kiss him right there until the most stupid person in the room clears his throat and says "I never knew the secret of how you tame such a wild animal Shanvi."

Kiyansh's head flanks up and dissects right to Nishkarsh who is smiling amusingly, tilting on the wall as if he is posing for a portrait. Kiyansh's eyes meet mine. He picks us both up from the floor still holding me in his arms. " Just a minute baby. " He moves forward and kisses me on forehead.

And before I can open my mouth to say anything. Kiyansh crosses the room so fast that all the guards flanking Nishkarsh move away in fright. And Smack! Kiyansh punches Nishkarsh who groans with a cut lip. " What man? I saved Shanvi. "

Kiyansh raises his arm. " Kiyansh Stop!" I screech.

His arms stop midway. I move towards him and drag him back. " He did. He did save my life. "

" You think I don't know that? That is the only reason he is breathing right now. " Kiyansh says an incensed tone, his eyes staring, poking holes into Nishkarsh's who if got the option would have disappeared from the wall at his back precariously. Kiyansh moves forward in Nishkarsh's personal space who backs away debilitating.

" You planned all this, you let this happen." Kiyansh grits through callously.

For the first time in my life I see Nishkarsh being flustered in front of Kiyansh. Like he is thinking before speaking up. " No...no...I stopped this. She is the one who planned this and you know it. I just got involved for Shanvi."

I look between them in confusion. She? Who are they talking about?

"Don't take her name from your mouth." Kiyansh snarls like a lion. "You manipulated her in London. You forced her to be with you, fed her lies. You knew I loved her since you even came into our lives. You touched her forcefully, I am going to kill you. " Kiyansh hands jabs to Nishkarsh's stomach. The last line is said through such vehemence that I think he is going to kill him through his words.

Nishkarsh blushes red his eyes cast towards me. I see sadness and guilt in them he doesn't have to say to define them, but he does. " I am so sorry. " His eyes cast downwards. "What I did on your birthday.." he whispers. " It kills me."

"But it doesn't make it right Nishkarsh. " I whisper.

He closes his eyes and inhales forcefully. "I know. I know it doesn't, I am sorry. I know Shan..." He voice cracks. " I know it's not an excuse but I was so drunk that day. Everyday I tried to...tried to ignore the feeling when you looked at his pictures, when you thought I wasn't noticing . I tried to ignore when you skipped classes just to talk to him. I tried to ignore when you checked yourself on the mirror hundred times and fidgeted in the aeroplane before landing to India when you never did with me. I tried to ignore when we landed on the airport and you ran straight to him without looking once behind. We were together for one year and I thought maybe, maybe you could give me a chance once. And I don't regret it. " Nishkarsh holds his chin out in defiance. His eyes move to Kiyansh who is hardly breathing like a tickling time bomb.

" I don't regret it. " Nishkarsh says again looking straight at Kiyansh. His spine stiffens and he looks a bit uncomfortable when he says it but he does. " I don't regret it because when we were kids you never gave her the chance. You never let any other guy come near her. You showed off like you owned her and it pissed me off. And I thought maybe you did it just because you liked it and not her."

Kiyansh eyes looks like a tsumani that's going to destroy everything in front of it it. Then, " But I was wrong. " Nishkarsh closes his eyes and sighs. " I was wrong about both of you and I regret that. I shouldn't have done that. You both.." Nishkarsh stops for a moment like it takes all his will to utter the next words. And maybe it does because an ache pass through my stomach when he laughs weakly, "You both don't even notice anyone around when you two are together. I should have known by that. But stupid me, wanted a chance. Wanted those eyes on me. I am sorry." Nishkarsh's laugh fades away as if it was just a thin cover on a shell, just to protect himself.

My stomach is tied in knots. I don't know what to say. I know that I won't ever forget the feeling when Nishkarsh tried to touch me the wrong way. But I also knew, deep down inside. He was just a kid who wanted to be loved. I can't forget what he did. But maybe I could forgive. And just right that moment Kiyansh looks at me and something pass between me and Kiyansh. It's an unspeakable thing that speaks dimensions. And he leaves Nishkarsh who looks up at him in shock.

We all stand in silence for moments before I clear my throat and jitter. " Well I don't know about you all. But I need a cup of coffee and a loaded plate of chocolate pancakes. "

Kiyansh mouth turns mirthfully upwards and he opens his arms.

Thank you for everything. ❤️