𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙤𝙨

📍 NGO | Next Morning

The NGO was unusually noisy.

Children were running everywhere.

Someone was crying.

Someone was laughing.

And in the middle of all the chaos—

Shrishti: 😭

Shrishti: "WHO GAVE MARKERS TO THE TWINS?!"

The twins had painted a cat blue.

Priya: 😂

Priya: "Honestly? Improvement."

Shrishti: "PRIYA!"

Meanwhile…

Kartik entered the NGO.

And immediately stopped.

Because Shrishti looked adorable while panicking.

Messy bun.

Paint on her cheek.

Dupatta falling.

His eyes softened unconsciously.

Aryan: 😏

Aryan: "Boss."

Kartik: "What?"

Aryan: "You're staring again."

Kartik: 😐

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩

Shrishti walked backward while scolding the twins.

Shrishti: "No more painting walls!"

Suddenly—

THUD.

She bumped into someone.

And the paint tray in her hand spilled.

Directly.

On Kartik's white shirt.

Silence.

Complete silence.

Shrishti: 😨

Priya: 😳

Aryan: 😂

Aarav: 😂

Aarohi: 😂

Shrishti: "OH MY GOD!"

Kartik looked down at his ruined shirt.

Then at Shrishti.

Who looked one second away from fainting.

Shrishti: 😭

Shrishti: "I'm so sorry!"

Kartik: 😐

Aryan: (whispering)

"Boss is buffering."

Everyone tried not to laugh.

Shrishti: "Say something!"

Kartik suddenly removed his coat calmly.

Kartik: "At least it's not blood."

Everyone froze.

Shrishti: 😳

Priya: 😳

Aarav: 😳

Aryan: 😭

Aryan: "Boss! NORMAL PEOPLE DON'T SAY THAT!"

Kartik realized what he said.

Kartik: 😐

Kartik: "I meant… red paint."

Nobody believed him.

𝙅𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙮 𝙇𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙐𝙥

Later…

Shrishti was helping Aarav fix fairy lights.

Aarav: "Hold this."

Shrishti: "You hold it."

Aarav: "You're shorter."

Shrishti: 😭

Shrishti: "Why does everyone insult my height?!"

Everyone laughed.

Aarav suddenly leaned closer to fix a strand tangled in her hair.

Across the hall…

Kartik's jaw tightened instantly.

Aryan: 👀

Aryan: "And there it is."

Kartik: "What?"

Aryan: "The murder look."

Kartik: 😐

Aryan: "Relax, Romeo."

𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙮𝙖 & 𝘼𝙧𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧

Meanwhile…

Priya: "Aryan, catch this box."

Aryan: "Throw it."

She threw it.

Too hard.

The box hit Aryan directly in the face.

Aryan: 😐

Silence.

Priya: 😳

Priya: "Oops."

Aryan: "You assaulted me."

Priya: 😂

Priya: "You're alive."

Aryan: "Barely."

Everyone burst out laughing.

𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝘽𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨

Evening arrived.

Dark clouds covered the sky.

Then suddenly—

THUNDER.

Children screamed excitedly.

And heavy rain started pouring.

Shrishti: 😨

Kartik noticed immediately.

Because unlike everyone else…

Shrishti looked nervous.

Not excited.

Scared.

𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙊𝙛 𝙏𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧

Another loud thunder struck.

Shrishti flinched badly.

Her hands trembled slightly.

Kartik quietly walked toward her.

Kartik: "You're scared of thunder?"

Shrishti: 😳

Shrishti: "No."

Another thunder.

She almost jumped.

Kartik: 😐

Kartik: "Liar."

Shrishti: 😭

Shrishti: "I just don't like loud sounds."

Aarav: 😂

Aarav: "She used to hide under blankets during storms."

Shrishti: "AARAV!"

Everyone laughed.

But Kartik didn't.

Because he noticed something else.

Her hands were actually shaking.

𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 & 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘

Suddenly—

LIGHTS OUT.

The entire NGO went dark.

Complete darkness.

Children started panicking.

Kids: 😭😭😭

Thunder echoed loudly outside.

And at that exact moment—

Shrishti froze.

Her breathing became uneven instantly.

Priya: "Shrishti?"

No response.

Another thunder struck.

Shrishti: 😰

Her hands started trembling badly.

Aarohi: "Shrishti?"

Still no response.

She couldn't breathe properly.

Darkness.

She hated darkness.

Because darkness always made her feel trapped.

Alone.

Unsafe.

Her breaths became faster.

Shrishti: (shaking)

"I-I can't..."

Priya: 😨

Priya: "She's having a panic attack!"

Everyone immediately became serious.

Shrishti stepped backward blindly.

Tears filling her eyes.

Shrishti: "Please... the lights..."

Another thunder echoed.

And suddenly—

She felt someone hold her wrist gently.

Kartik.

Kartik: (softly)

"Shrishti."

But she couldn't calm down.

Her breathing became harsher.

She was trembling uncontrollably now.

Kartik: 😨

For the first time...

The Mafia King looked scared.

Kartik: "Look at me."

Shrishti couldn't.

Her vision blurred.

Then suddenly—

She collapsed forward.

Unconscious.

Priya: 😭

Aarav: "SHRISHTI!"

Before she could hit the floor—

Kartik caught her immediately.

Protectively.

Carefully.

As if she was something fragile.

Kartik: 😰

Kartik: "Shrishti!"

No response.

And for the first time...

Real fear appeared in Kartik Malhotra's eyes.

𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙠

Aryan quickly lit candles.

Soft light filled the NGO.

Kartik carried unconscious Shrishti in his arms.

Not caring who watched.

Not caring what anyone thought.

Priya: 😔

Aarohi: 😢

Aarav: 😔

Everyone could see it now.

Kartik wasn't just worried.

He was terrified of losing her.

A few minutes later...

Shrishti slowly regained consciousness.

The first thing she noticed—

Kartik sitting beside her.

Holding her hand tightly.

As if letting go wasn't an option.

Shrishti: 😰

Kartik: (softly)

"You're okay."

For the first time...

His voice didn't sound cold.

It sounded scared.

And somehow...

That affected Shrishti's heart more than anything else. 💖🌧️🖤