In the evening, Darshan calls Jaimi. She answers it after a few rings. 

Darshan: Hey!

Jaimi: Hi. You needed something?

Darshan: Uh- tum so rahi thi?

Jaimi: Yeah. 

Darshan: Mein puchna chahta tha ki tum mere saath raat ko Manek chowk aaogi?

Jaimi: I don't know. 

Darshan: Jay, come on! Pure din ghar mein kya karogi?

Jaimi: Fine. What time?

Darshan: Ek ghante mein. 

Jaimi: K. Bye. 

She hangs up before he can say anything. They both get ready. Darshan's cousins pile up in his car while he is adjusting his hair. Esha, one of his cousins, gets into the front passenger seat. 

Darshan: Eshu, piche baith jaa. 

Esha: Kyu?

Darshan: Hum kisi aur ko lene jaa rahe hain iss liye. 

She makes a face before transferring to the back seat. Darshan pulls out of the gate and starts towards Krishna Riverfront House. After about half an hour, he pulls up on the side of the ride not wanting to go through the security check. He rings Jaimi. 

Darshan: Neeche aa jo! Meri ghaadi tumhari building se kuch hi doori pe park ki hain. 

Jaimi: K. 

She makes her way outside of the gates of the building. She looks around trying to spot his car. He steps out of the car and she walks towards him. He scans her petite form from top to bottom. She is wearing a spaghetti strap black romper that looks like a dress. It reaches mid-thigh and has a net insert close to her waist, acting as a belt. The back of the romper is a criss-cross strap. She has a small bag and is wearing white sneakers. She takes a seat in the front and is surprised by whispers in the back. She looks at Darshan with furrowed brows. He can see that confusion on her face even with the mask on. 

Darshan: Yeh mere cousins hain. Esha, Bhakti, Ankit, Jai, and Nikhil. 

He points to each as he introduces them. 

Jaimi: Hi. 

They all reply with a hi. She buckles up and Darshan starts the car. A few minutes into the drive, Jaimi's phone rings. It's a facetime call. Darshan stops the car at a traffic signal and looks over to see the same male he saw Jaimi talking to in Shimla. 

Jaxon: Hey Jay!

Jaimi: What you want Jax?

Jaxon: I'm actually at Madrid airport and have been trying to book a cab to the hotel, but got a problem with translation. Mind helping?

Jaimi: Yes!

Jaxon: Patel!

Jaimi: Yes Harper?

Jaxon: Please. 

Jaimi: Fine. Name of the hotel?

Jaxon: Hotel Preciados. 

He turns the phone towards another man. 

 Jaimi: ¡Hola señor! Este caballero necesita que lo lleven al Hotel Preciados. Hágale saber la tarifa en inglés si es posible o simplemente escríbala numéricamente en una hoja de papel. ¡Gracias! (Hi sir! This gentleman here needs a ride to Hotel Preciados. Let him know the fare in English if possible or just write it numerically on a piece of paper. Thank you!)

Man: Lo dejaré en el hotel. Estaba teniendo problemas para entender antes si estaba pidiendo un aventón o una dirección. La tarifa debería ser de cincuenta y cinco euros. Gracias señorita. (I'll drop him off at the hotel. I was having a problem understanding earlier if he was asking for a ride or direction. The fare should be fifty-five euros. Thank you, Miss.)

Jaimi: No hay problema. ¡Que tenga un buen día! (No problem. Have a good day!) Jax?

Jaxon: Yes?

Jaimi: The fare will be fifty-five Euros. And, he'll drop you at the hotel. 

Jaxon: You're the best Carebear!

Jaimi: Jaxon!

Jaxon: Sorry. Thanks!

Jaimi: No problem. Be safe and don't act impulsively. 

Jaxon: K. Bye!

He hangs up the call. She looks to her side to see Darshan stealing a quick glance of her before focusing on the road again. She looks ahead as well. After weaving through the evening traffic, he parks his car a few minutes away from the market. Darshan puts on a cap before stepping out of the car. They walk towards the market. 

Esha: Bhai, hum Pav Bhaaji khaane jaa rahe hain!

Jai: Mein Omelet!

All of his cousins leave to get the food of their choice. 

Darshan: Tumhe kya khana hain?

Jaimi: Pakodi (Pani puri or golgappa). 

Darshan: Chalo. 

He takes hold of her hand and takes her towards a stall. She doesn't pull away and follows him through the crowd. They order a plate each. Darshan sees Jaimi a bit hesitant to lower her mask amongst the crowd. He stands beside her in a way, so no one can see her. He chuckles seeing Jaimi struggle to fit the whole puri in her mouth. The pani escapes the corner of her mouth. He takes out his handkerchief and wipes it off. 

Darshan: Bhaiya, inko choti puri dijiye.

He struggles to keep the smile from forming on his face. She glares at him. 

Jaimi: Very funny!

They move toward the Pav Bhaji stall where Esha and Bhakti are enjoying their meal. 

Darshan: Bhaiyaa, two plates!

Jaimi: No!

Darshan: Don't tell me you're full from eating one plate of Pakodi!

Jaimi: I can't eat a whole plate of Pav Bhaji. It would be a waste of food. 

Darshan: Ek plate de dijye. We'll share!

They take a seat across from his cousins. 

Esha: Tumhara naam kya hain?

Jaimi: Jaimi. 

Darshan and Jaimi dig into the food. After some time, they all move towards the area where the dishes are made using eggs. The smell of eggs triggers Jaimi's senses. She frees her hand from Darshan and moves through the crowd. Darshan follows after her and sees her by a trash can as she empties the content of her stomach. He grabs a bottle of water from his car that is parked nearby. 

Darshan: Jay, you ok?

Jaimi: I'm ok. 

Darshan: Let's go! I'll take you home. 

Jaimi: But-? Tumhare cousins-?

Darshan: Mein unko baad mein lene aaunga. 

She rinses her mouth with the water. The aftertaste of throwing up leaves a bitter expression on her face. 

Darshan: Tum car mein baitho. Mein mere cousins ko bata ke aata hoon.

Jaimi nods and moves towards the car. Darshan helps her into the car and locks it. He finds his cousins amongst the crowd. 

Darshan: Mein Jay ko uske ghar drop karne jaa raha hoon.

Jai: Par mujhe abhi ghar nahi jaana. 

Darshan: Tum nahi! Jay matalab meri secretary. Mein usko uske ghar drop karne jaa raha hoon.

Bhakti: Kyu?

Darshan: Uski tabiyat bigad gae hain. Mein tum sab ko baad mein lene aata hoon. 

Ankit: Thik hain par hume yaha bhul mat jaana. 

Darshan nods and goes towards the car. He walks towards but stops seeing Jaimi takeout a pill from her purse and take it. He sighs and gets into the driver's seat. He pulls away from the market and starts towards the riverfront. He stops the car a few minutes away from her apartment complex. 

Jaimi: Kya hua?

Darshan: Thodi derr riverfront ke paas tehalte hain. 

Jaimi: I'm really not in a mood for it. 

Darshan: Please Little Warrior!

He pouts and makes a babyface. She sighs and shakes her head. 

Jaimi: Fine. 

They step out of the car. Darshan grabs a jacket and a cap. She grabs her purse and phone. They stroll along the river. He sees Jaimi rubbing her arms. He takes off his jacket and wraps it around her shoulders as he stands in front of him. Jaimi sees a few people walking towards them in her peripheral vision. She places her head against his chest and closes her eyes. On the cue, he reluctantly wraps his arms around her expecting some kind of withdrawal from her, but it never happens. She snuggles close to him and listens to his heart which is beating faster with every passing second. He places his head on top of hers. 

After a few minutes, the group passes by them. Some saw awww while the others continued with their conversation. Darshan wraps his arms tightly around her and secures her to his body. After a few minutes, he feels her weight on his body. He looks down to see her eyes closed and she is breathing evenly. He smiles and kisses the top of her head. 

Darshan: Jay?

She hums in reply. 

Darshan: Let's go! Mein tumhe ghar pe chod deta hoon. 

She further leans into him. He wanted to pick her up and carry her to the car, but he couldn't with people around them. He was able to wake her up after a few minutes and walked her over to the car. He drove towards her building while she was fast asleep. He was about to wake her up when they were in front of her building but saw her purse sitting on the center console. He looks at her and waves his hand in front of her face. He earns no response. He unzips her purse and takes out her medicine bottles. He sees that there are three bottles. He takes a picture of each bottle's label and takes out a pill from each bottle. He puts the pills in a Ziploc bag and stuffs it in the center console. He puts the bottles back in the purse the way they were. 

Darshan: Jay?

She flinches at his voice and sits up in alert mode. 

Jaimi: Huh?

Darshan: Tumhara ghar aa gaya. 

Jaimi nods and takes off the seatbelt. She grabs her purse and steps out of the car. As she was about to close the door, he stops her. 

Darshan: Take tomorrow off and aaram karo. 

Jaimi nods. 

Jaimi: Let me know if you need any help. 

Darshan: I will. Goodnight!

Jaimi: Night. 

She remembers his jacket and takes it off. She thanks him before leaving. He picks up his cousins and drops them off at their designated place before making his way home. 

The next day, he makes his way to the clinic of his family physician. 

Darshan: Hello uncle!

Doctor: Darshan beta! Tum kaise ho?

Darshan: Mein thik hoon. Aap kaise ho?

Doctor: Bilkul thik. Aaj kaise aana hua?

Darshan: Aap se kuch kaam tha. 

Doctor: Haan bolo.

Darshan: Mere paas kuch medicine hain aur mujhe pata lagana hain ki yeh medicine kis liye li jaati hain. 

Doctor: Haan zaroor. Mujhe woh medicine do. 

He hands over the Ziploc bag. 

Darshan: Actually, I have a friend. Woh humesha yeh medicine leti hain like every time I see her. I'm just worried and want to know. 

Doctor: Mein aise hi test nahi kar sakhta. Woh tumhe pata hain. Mujhe consent chahiye hoga jiski yeh medicine hain. 

Darshan: Uncle, please. Mein uski help karna chahta hoon. She's very like introvert aur kisi ke saath kuch share nahi karti hain, so...?

The doctor thinks for a minute before looking at Darshan. 

Doctor: Thik hain. Mein yeh dawaai laboratory mein bhejta hoon. Tum apna email likh do taaki reports mein tumhe send kar sakhu. 

Darshan: Of course. 

He pens down his email and number. 

Darshan: Mein aap ko medicine ki bottles ki kuch tasveerein khichi toh woh bhejta hoon. 

The doctor nods and looks at the pictures. He could only see the patient's name. The medicine name and other things are a bit blurry. 

Doctor: I'll send them to your email. Tumhe 20th tak mil jaane chahiye. 

Darshan: Ok. Thank you!

He leaves the clinic afterward. 

On the other hand, Ayesha drops off lunch for Jaimi in the afternoon. She comes back again to visit her in the evening. They sit by floor-to-ceiling glass windows on the floor and look at the evening sky stretched across the Sabarmati River. The hues of yellow, orange, pink, and red are spread across the sky. Ayesha sees that Jaimi is a bit concealed and quiet. It is a little more than usual. 

Ayesha: Jay, thik hain?

Jaimi is lost in her own thoughts. Ayesha nudges her and repeats her line. 

Jaimi: I'm fine. 

Ayesha: Toh itna kya soch rahi hain?

Jaimi: Mein soch rahi hoon ke meine kaise bhi Darshan aur baaki sab ko apne saath connect kar diya hain. Especially Darshan! Uss ko kuch hua toh?

Ayesha: Itna negative kya soch rahi hain?

Jaimi: I don't want more people to be harmed. 

Ayesha: It's all in the past!

Jaimi: It's a past that will follow me to the end of my life. 

Ayesha: Jay. 

Jaimi: I'm sorry! I dragged you into my mess. 

Ayesha: You didn't drag me into anything! I chose to stand by you and always will. Meri ek advice maan aur Darshan ko sach bata de. He will understand!

Jaimi: I can't put him in the way of harm. The less he knows the better off he is. If something happens to him... I won't be able to-

Tears roll down her cheeks as the flashbacks play in her mind. 

Ayesha: Please don't cry! Tum bahot strong ho. 

Jaimi: I'm exhausted from being strong! Ahmedabad wapas aana meri sabse badi galti thi. I shouldn't have come back after what happened 7 years ago. 

Ayesha's heart pain seeing Jaimi cry. She wraps her hands around herself and leans back. Ayesha wants to console her, but she also knows that Jaimi likes to be alone. She places her hand on her shoulder. 

Ayesha: Hey, it's ok. You know? Darshan sahi kehta hain! Woh tumhe Little Warrior bulata haina? Tum toh warrior ho toh aaj kyu haar maan rahi ho? Ab toh sirf kuch din hi reh gae hain. Phir tum dono ko apne past mein jeena chod dena hoga. 

Jaimi: We cannot! 

Ayesha: Why?

Jaimi: We cannot stop living in the past because most of our life is in the past. 

Ayesha: You two will get through it. I know you will!

She has Jaimi eat dinner. Then, she gives her medicines before leaving. Jaimi locks the door and checks the house. She goes to bed. 

**********

Thank you for all the love you guys have given to this book. It really means a lot to me. And to all those who vote and comment, keep doing it. I really love reading your comment, so comment not just at the end, but also in between the lines. That's my favorite part of writing. I love hearing what you felt about a dialogue a certain character has said or the emotion you felt after reading a particular scene. I just love it and look forward to it every time I update. Thank you so much, everyone! I love you guys a lot!