𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧

📍 NGO Guest Room | Morning

Soft sunlight entered through the curtains.

Shrishti slowly opened her eyes.

Her head hurt slightly.

Then she realized—

Someone was holding her hand.

She looked down.

And froze.

Kartik was sitting beside her bed.

Still awake.

Still holding her hand.

As if he never left.

Shrishti: 😳

The movement woke him up.

Kartik: "You're awake."

His voice sounded tired.

Very tired.

Shrishti: "Did you stay here all night?"

Silence.

Aryan: (entering suddenly)

"He threatened everyone who tried to move him."

Kartik: 😐

Aryan: "Including me."

Shrishti: 😳💖

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

Shrishti suddenly noticed something.

She was still holding Kartik's hand too.

Immediately—

Shrishti: 😳

She pulled her hand back quickly.

Priya: 😏

Priya had entered with Aarohi.

Priya: "Awwww."

Shrishti: 😭

Shrishti: "Stop it."

Aarohi: 😂

Aryan: "Honestly, just get married already."

Both Kartik and Shrishti looked away instantly.

𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙖𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙠

Later…

Everyone sat together for breakfast.

Kartik was busy on his laptop.

Typing continuously.

Not even eating properly.

Shrishti: 😐

Shrishti: "You're seriously working right now?"

No response.

Shrishti: "Kartik."

Still typing.

Shrishti: 😤

Without warning—

She closed the laptop.

Everyone froze.

Aryan: 😳

Aarav: 😳

Priya: 😳

Because nobody…

NOBODY…

Touched Kartik's laptop.

Ever.

Kartik slowly looked up.

Kartik: 😐

Shrishti: 😤

Shrishti: "Eat first."

Silence.

Aryan: (whispering)

"Boss is about to either fire her or marry her."

𝙐𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨

Instead of getting angry…

Kartik quietly started eating.

Everyone stared.

Shocked.

Priya: 😳

Aarav: 😳

Aryan: 😳

Aarohi: 😳

Priya: "Oh my God."

Aryan: "She controls him."

Kartik: 😐

Shrishti: 😳

For some reason…

That made her heart beat faster.

𝙅𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙮 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙚 𝘼𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣

Later…

Aarav and Shrishti were arranging books together.

Aarav: "You okay now?"

Shrishti: "Yeah."

Aarav: "You scared us yesterday."

He softly tapped her forehead.

Across the room—

Kartik noticed.

And instantly looked irritated.

Aryan: 😏

Aryan: "Possessive mode activated."

Kartik: "Shut up."

𝙎𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙃𝙪𝙜 𝙈𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩

A little later…

Shrishti accidentally slipped on scattered papers.

Shrishti: 😨

Before she fell—

Aarav quickly caught her.

This time in a side hug.

Aarav: 😂

Aarav: "How do you fall THIS much?"

Shrishti: 😭

Shrishti: "Gravity hates me."

Everyone laughed.

Except one person.

Kartik Malhotra.

Whose jaw tightened immediately.

Priya: 👀

Aryan: 👀

Aarohi: 👀

Everyone silently looked at Kartik.

Because the jealousy was painfully obvious now.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨

Evening.

Rain started pouring again.

Shrishti stood near the balcony quietly.

Lost in thoughts.

Kartik walked toward her slowly.

For a few seconds…

Neither spoke.

Then—

Kartik: "Are you scared?"

Shrishti: "Of thunder?"

Kartik: "Of darkness."

She looked down.

Silence itself became the answer.

Shrishti: (softly)

"I don't like feeling trapped."

For the first time…

Kartik understood something.

Her fear wasn't childish.

It was deeper.

Much deeper.

𝙏𝙤𝙤 𝘾𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚

Suddenly…

A strong thunder echoed.

Shrishti flinched badly.

Without thinking—

Kartik gently pulled her closer.

Protectively.

One hand on her shoulder.

Kartik: (softly)

"Relax."

Their faces were dangerously close again.

Shrishti: 😳

Kartik: 😳

The rain.

The silence.

The closeness.

Everything suddenly felt intense.

Shrishti: (whispering)

"My heartbeat is very loud."

Kartik looked directly into her eyes.

Kartik: "I know."

Both froze.

Because he wasn't talking about fear anymore.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩

Later that night…

Everyone was asleep.

Except Kartik.

He stood in his office silently.

Looking at Shrishti's medical report.

One line caught his attention again.

"Severe anxiety triggered by darkness and isolation."

Kartik's expression darkened.

Because now he understood something important.

Shrishti wasn't just scared of darkness.

Something in her past had taught her to fear it.

And Kartik was going to find out what.

No matter what it cost him.