"We've covered sixty per cent of hospitals in the city," Ishan said. "The ones in the outskirts are being monitored too."

"What about clinics?" The mafia boss asked, leaning against the mahogany table in his office while going through the file in his hand.

Your uncle was a bartender. And the file had information that he was part of the staff in the event that Shubman took you to.

That's how he found you, then tailed you both all the way here.

"Would he stop by a clinic with a bullet in his leg?" Ishan asked.

"If he knows about my reputation, he'll know that we'd look for him," Shubman said as he placed the file on the table. "And he'll know that there'd be people looking for him in hospitals because he's injured."

"He could easily threaten a local who's a medical practitioner to treat him," the older one added. "And we checked in Y/n's hometown. There's a missing person complaint filed nearly six months back."

"Well, he seems to be really trying," he said and was about to add something when he paused suddenly.

"Are you glitching?" Ishan asked again.

"That's Y/n's voice," Shubman said, able to faintly hear your voice outside the door. "Ishu, di was making something for you in the morning."

"Is this your way of asking me to leave?" He questioned and earned a nod in response. "At least Shahneel cares about me."

"Not more than me," the younger one said and the door opened with you peeking.

"Am I interrupting?" You asked, looking at them.

"Of course not, baby," Shubman said and Ishan walked out, mouthing a 'bye' to you on his way.

Walking towards each other as the door behind you closed, he wrapped his arms around you and placed a kiss on your forehead.

You got your sleep schedule back on track in the past two days.

Shahneel was there with you when you woke up again that day, and you honestly think she tried so much to control her tears as she hugged you.

Sharing your emotions has made you feel less stressed while also providing a sense of comfort.

You raised your head up to face him, smiling a little as he pecked your lips before you laid your head on his chest.

When you weren't looking, Shubman silently placed the file he was reading earlier under another one so there was no chance of you seeing it.

You haven't gone out in four days either.

If it was because you genuinely didn't like getting outside, it was fine.

But so far, you've always loved it and you were holding back now only because of what happened at the mall.

He wanted to make sure you knew you didn't have to accept something you don't desire.

"Baby," Shubman called and you hummed in response. "Do you want to go somewhere outside?"

"Outside?" You repeated for confirmation, pulling away from the hug and he nodded in response. "Where?"

"Anywhere you like," he kissed your forehead again. "Only if you want to. I haven't taken you out in a long time."

You thought about it for a moment. "Okay," you said, bringing a smile to his face.

He walked you both outside, holding your hand all the way to the bedroom.

"So, where do you want to go?" Shubman hugged you from behind once you stood near the closet.

"The beach when you took me out for the first time, you know, that restaurant," your eyes scanned through the clothes hanging before they halted. "Shubi."

He only hummed in response, kissing your cheek as he still back-hugged you.

"Aren't you upset that I kept it from you for too long?" The small part of you kept thinking it ever since you opened up to him, nudging you in the back of your mind.

You felt his eyes on you and looked away, but your fingers were still on his arms that were wrapped around you.

"Would you have loved me the same if you knew this before?" You asked and heard nothing for a moment until Shubman turned you around.

"I would never force you to push your boundaries and talk to me," he held your cheeks, making you look into his eyes. "You needed that time to build the trust in our relationship and I will never hold it against you."

You stared at those brown hues, hoping to learn something from his thoughts. But even in his thoughts, you only found yourself.

"The minute I looked at you for the first time, I promised myself I'll love you in spite of anything that can ever come between us," his words tended to your doubts along with those orbs that love you deeply. "I love you, scars and all. More than our differences, more than my life."

And he said all that with the most sincere eyes that looked at you as if you were a sacred force among all that existed.

"Okay?" Shubman asked and you felt a rush of serotonin and oxytocin within you, happiness and optimism surging through your body.

"Okay," your voice came out in a whisper and he smiled again.

Leaning forward, he captured your lips with his in a passionate kiss.

Your fingers pressed against his nape, kissing him back as he explored depths within you no one has ever reached.

You felt him take slow steps forward and your back pressed against the wall.

Your skin tingled with his touch and you weren't about to make it any better.

When his lips parted from yours, it felt like someone was separating the stars from the night sky.

Shubman made up for your sense of loss with another kiss to your cheek.

"Do you want me to change into something else?" He asked while caressing your cheek.

"Maybe," you answered. "What about that shirt with the Cuban collar?"

His lips mumbled a 'done' against your cheek before he unwrapped his arms around you.

You walked to the bed while he got hold of the Casablanca shirt.

Taking off his blazer, Shubman placed it at the end of the bed and was about to walk away.

"You don't have to leave," you said abruptly, stopping him in his tracks.

He turned around as you sat on the edge of the bed with your legs crossed.

"I mean, you don't have to leave somewhere else every time you take your shirt off. You could change right here," you said, glancing at his face. "If you feel comfortable," you mumbled in the end.

You shrugged, watching as Shubman looked at you intently.

Neither of you said anything for a few seconds until he nodded, placing the shirt on the bed.

As he reached for his shirt buttons, your heart did a little flip.

Oh, your conscience was such a hypocrite. It was telling you to look away now.

You controlled the urge to swear as he unbuttoned his shirt completely, eyes still on you.

'Don't look,' your conscience said again. Who cares?

You kept a straight face and tried to keep your eyes on his.

But it also felt like your eyes were the heaviest thing in the world because their gaze kept falling down.

'Damn,' you looked at his abs. So this is what you've gotten yourself into.

You swear you saw a glint of mischief in Shubman's eyes before he once again grabbed the shirt he placed on the bed earlier.

Turning your head just slightly, you watched his movements before your gaze trailed up his arms. From the steely veins along his biceps to his well-built chest.

Your conscience felt disappointed when he put on his shirt again. Honestly, it was just you at this point.

"Shall we leave?" He asked and it was only then you looked up into his eyes.

"Yeah," you said with the same straight face. "Let me just grab some spare clothes," you got off the bed, coughing a little before walking back to the closet.