Dear Y/N,

We are sorry to inform that your internship is terminated as of today as per the decision of the Board of Members. Also, we revoke the offer letter for the permanent team lead job post given to you during the course of the internship. Your intern benefits will end in this week and you are required to submit your Identification Card within this timeline.

Thank you,

Regards,

Senior HR

Y/N's eyes welled seeing the mail she received this morning. In a few seconds she sucked the tears in and replaced it with pure rage. She directly called her editor and let her rage flow through the phone.

Y/N: Sir, how can you just fire me when I took the risk of--

Editor: Y/N Y/N please listen to me first.

Y/N: Don't give me your phony excuses, sir.

Editor: Y/N please! Even in the termination letter you wouldn't have seen any mention of the project. It's because nobody but you, me and the chief editors in board know about this and yet somehow the news have been leaked! We are receiving multiple threat calls from Ram's side to and surprisingly, from your DSP fiancée too!

Y/N: wait what?

Editor: Look Y/N, despite your excellence, I always felt guilty for involving young girls like you in this filthy mess. They're brutes! They would spoil your entire life and I can't let that happen. I'm sorry to do this.

Y/N: Sir, please don't do this.

Editor: DSP said he will pick you up from as ASAP. Stay strong Y/N.

The call ended.

Y/N's entire life is crashing in front of her eyes. The job she so depended on for her living. She NEEDED that job more than ever as she no longer want to be with her fiancé, or live in her aunt's house as a burden.

She is weeping, sitting on the terrace floor, with her back against the wall. Anbu arrives with a beer curled on his fingers and sits beside her.

"You have your beers here too?" He asks mockingly while opening the bottle. Y/N didn't feel like entertaining him. 'What's the use of all the misery I brought upon myself?' she thinks.

"Looks like you too have been betrayed." Anbu said casually, looking straight. Y/N, though she was surprised Anbu gets updates this quick, doesn't react as it doesn't really matter.

"I think it's my brother's doing, since you exposed him to me. I guess now, he'll be planning to end us both here itself." He says.

"We will both be burned into ashes, Y/N." hearing this from his deep voice twisted my stomach, as the image of my burning body conjured in my mind. Hairs on my arms raised up.

"My fia-- Ashwin would never let that happen. Well, he won't be interested in saving you right now but I can make him understand once he reaches here." I lied, once Ashwin reaches here its farewell to this gang. I don't care if the brothers hack each other to death or what not. I'm escaping.

"Your DSP fiancé? hahahaha. Don't you know he got sold to my brother as my replacement. Oh innocent girl." He laughed and chugs up remaining of the cold drink. My jaw dropped. I shook his shoulder, "What do you mean?"

Anbu: There are no good or bad people, Y/N. Just opportunists. Ashwin would have got two options, either become the new right hand to my dear brother and work for him, or get pushed to the ground, get blackmailed to do so. Either way he HAS to comply Ram, so why not do it along with some crores of fresh cash?

Before Y/N could open her mouth to say something, Anbu went on.

Anbu: Thank god I'm not a police but a rogue.

Y/N: That doesn't make the bad deeds you did go away Anbu. 

Anbu: Yeah, correct-tu thaan! Uppu thinnavan thanni kudichu thaan aaganum (Proverb which means those who sowed shall reap). I didn't really care before; I was like that Terminator robot! Beating up anyone my brother points fingers at. Never asked why what and all. I am well aware that multiple groups have their own sketches to murder me, and I never really cared, the most they can do is kill me, and it didn't bother me then, as I had no one.

Y/N was nodding subtly while listening to him. Anbu put his hand on top of her and held gently.

Anbu: Don't worry, I won't let anyone who trust me down.

Y/N's stomach tickles as she know that she is the last person on Earth to trust Anbu, and she started to feel guilty that she made him truly believe she is in love with him. 

"Why should I even keep up with this charade?" She thought to herself. But of course, she can't reveal the truth and also keep her head alive at the same time. So she stayed silent.

Anbu: Will they give me 14 years in prison, Y/N? 

Anbu asks as he scoots a little near Y/N.

Y/N: We can try to reduce to or 7 if we prove your brother's crime. You didn't actually kill anyone, did you?

Anbu: Not yet. 

He chuckled. Y/N nudged his shoulder. 

Y/N: Yah! What do you mean not yet? Do you want to see outside world or not?

Anbu: Now, I do.

Anbu locks eyes and gives her a soft, genuine smile. She tries to remember whether she saw Anbu like this ever before. Her heart sinks a little more.

Anbu asks her softly, "Y/N, do you really want to be with me?" Both of them facing each other, while resting their back on the wall. Y/N looks down, her throat aches. She sees Anbu's hand moving towards her face; he gently lifted her chin up and made her to face him.

Anbu: Enna aachu (What happened?) Are you scared of who might be coming for us? Don't worry, I will make sure no harm comes your way. Hey, quick question, killing in self-defence is not crime right?

Y/N's eyes could not hold it anymore, her blood-shot eyes started to ooze tears due to several emotions. Is she crying because her future career just got ruined? Or is she crying because her aunt may never let her meet her cousins again due to the problems she tangles herself into? Or lying to this man until he meets his death? Or a bit of everything?

Y/N does not know, and Anbu, visibly confused, tried to comfort her by patting her head - this is all new to him-. The feeling is her soft hair under his palm felt new. He is not sure whether it is his quee to hug her, or to kiss her, or to do both. 

He scratches his head, throws the beer bottle and just decided to sit beside her while holding her hand.

***********************************************

Raja's POV 

"Anga enna pudungitu irukinga da? (What the fuck are you doing there?)" Ram shouted through his phone, and Raja closed his eyes, wincing in the sharp pain his ear just experienced.

"Andha nandri ketta naai yen da phone eduka maatran? (Why that ungrateful dog is not picking up my calls?) Neeyum unoda kaadhali ya thookuna aprm thaan phone na edukura (You too pick up my phone only after abducting your lover huh?)

"Anne.. venam nae (brother.. no brother..) You're taking wrong decisions." Raja frets on the phone. He is still shaking, seeing Ammu tied up in a chair in her dorm room. It seems like that Peter guy got sold out and is holding her hostage under Ram's orders.

"What do you want me to do?" Raja asks, and Ram answers that everyone get in the jet he sends without any sound and hangs up.

"Only God knows how all this gonna end up."

*********************************************************

Y/N's POV

"Ashwin, please come and take me as soon as you can. Or atleast do something and help me hide somewhere away from them until you can come fetch me." I whispered on the headphone's microphone so Ashwin could hear during our video call.

"Y/N, why are you crying? Did they touch you?" Ashwin asks.

"Jesus Ashwin! Pain doesn't only come through physical means. My life is destroyed. How will I ever face my aunt again?" I wanted to shout but I can't risk getting caught while secretly calling Ashwin inside my bathroom.

"About that Y/N, Aunty and your cousins..." Ashwin stretched.

"Ashwin what happened to them?" I asked sternly.

"They are very safe I promise nothing will ever happen to them if you guys follow Ram sir's instruction." He says in a very casual tone.

"Ennadhu Ram "sir" ah? (what ram sir?) Oh, you got sold out huh? I know you're not someone who's mesmerized by money. So, single or double promotion?" I asked mockingly.

"Don't see it that way Y/N. I am doing it all for us only. Also I especially demanded that our Aunt and cousins should not be locked and all. They're just in their houses.." He says.

"Expect Ram's men will surveill them every minute. The eyes of those rougues are enough to make my sisters feel violated. Would you have sent men to your mother's house if Ram gave a few more millions Ashwin?" I asked slyly, and it hit the right nerve on Ashwin.

"Watch your mouth Y/N." Ashwin shouted.

"Anbu's right." I blurted out, but it's true.

"Oh... Anbu! Your mortal enemy, now your friend? How did her manage to turn you like this? Well I mean... you've been alone with three men for three weeks. So tell me who gave you that hickey? My guess is Anbu, but who knows it could also be Raj--"

I hung up unable to tolerate the cheap words. I just said two words, just two, and he now spits venom at me saying disgusting things about me. Is that all it takes?

**knock knock knock**

Oh no. I quickly hid the phone and headphones in the compartment where I keep my napkins and turned on the tap.

"Wait a min!" I said as I quickly washed my face. I flushed the toilet and opened the door to see Raja.

"What took you so-- hey were you crying?" he then pulled a chair beside my bed and made me sit. He sat on the bed.

I dried my face with my duppatta and told him what happened, cutting out the final remark made by Ashwin, since Raja would feel more bad.

"Gosh Y/N, I thought he is one of those rare genuine police men. Did he tell you how Ram was also arranging an engagement for him and Banu?" Raja said and I rolled my eyes. 

Raja looks at the scars he gave me and I covered it with my duppatta, making him change his gaze quickly.

"They got Ammu too Y/N." Raja said scooting near me and showing the picture.

"Pack your bags Raja, we're going to save her." I got up, took my bags and arranged my clothes.

Raja stood up but didn't move away. He looked like he was about to cry.

"I am scared Y/N." He said as his hands started to shake. I did not know what I was thinking, but I hugged him as I too, needed a support as I'm starting to wear out too. Tear also started to well from my eyes. I guess Raja got scared seeing Ammu tied up, with bruises on her hands and neck, and her swollen face. I patted his back, saying its okay, as he tightened his hug even more while weeping like a child.

"Anbu will beat up everyone who did this to our Ammu, okay va?" I said as I pulled him out as we need to move fast. His eyes look sunken, and he looks at me like he depends on me.. or what not I don't know. 

I heard a cough and saw Anbu at the doorstep, looking at us. We told him everything and he agreed to fly Rome through 'some means'. 

*************************************************

"Dei, Modern age friendship la hugging laam saadhaaranam Anbu! ( Hugging is very normal in modern age friendships Anbu!)" Kingsley told Anbu as he arranged the table with dinner. Anbu did not ask about it to either of us, but he knows deep down he knows he feels jealous.

Jealousy need not stem from suspicions. Anbu was so nervous even to touch her hair but Raja hugged her. Anbu is not alien to platonic relationships as his Banu is practically like his Godchild, even though he gets weirded out by her playful flirting and dirty jokes.  

Anbu was there the entire time, even before Y/N hugged Raja. Twenty five seconds till Y/N herself broke it. Anbu knows it's petty, but he walked upto Y/N's room to get twenty-six seconds of a comforting hug, as he too, needs one, given his situation.

**********************************

****knock knock**********

Y/N: Come in.

Anbu closes the door behind him. He sees that Y/N has packed everything.

Anbu: Is everything... good?

Y/N: yes, I disposed my phone earlier, so everything clear. When are we going? 

Anbu is thinking what to say before he goes for a hug, or will it be too creepy to ask for one? Will she thinks of him cheaply?

Y/N shook Anbu's arms to wake him up from his deep thoughts. Anbu removed his moon pendant chain and tied it in Y/N's neck and walked out without saying anything.

Before closing the door, he says "Come down at 3 AM sharp." and closes the door.

Y/N looked down at the pendant, and remembers how close she used to be with this, when she was carried by him, her head resting on his chest. She does understand the gravity of the situation she herself lead to.

"One at a time Y/N. First we're saving Ammu, then let's see what will happen."