Hearts In Harmony | On Hold

13 | Butterflies.

| VIKRAM |

As we stepped out of the restaurant, I couldn't shake off the lingering sense of irritation as Kiara continued to sniffle beside me. I shot her a sideways glance, wondering why she was still upset.

But my attention quickly shifted to Reshmi when I noticed her wincing slightly. Concern gnawed at me as I followed her gaze down to her ankle, which was visibly swelling.

My irritation towards Kiara momentarily forgotten, I knelt down beside her. "Are you okay?" I asked softly.

She forced an awkward smile, but I could see the pain in her eyes. "I'll be fine," she murmured, trying to downplay the severity of her injury.

But I wasn't convinced. "Let me take a look," I insisted, gently examining her ankle to assess the damage.

As I inspected her ankle, Kiara hovered nearby, her expression filled with concern. "Is it bad?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

I frowned, noting the swelling and bruising around Reshmi's ankle. "It's definitely swollen," I replied, slowly grazing my fingers on her ankle, "we need to get you some ice and elevate your foot. Can you walk?"

Reshmi nodded hesitantly, wincing as she tried to put weight on her injured ankle. With Kiara's help, I supported Reshmi as we made our way to a nearby bench, where she could sit and rest while I went in search of some ice to reduce the swelling.

Leaving Reshmi and Kiara at the bench, I hurried off towards the nearest convenience store. As I entered the store, I made a beeline for the freezer section, scanning the shelves for a pack of ice.

Spotting a pack of ice, I quickly grabbed it and headed to the checkout counter. The cashier gave me a curious glance as she rang up my purchase, but I didn't have time to explain. I paid for the ice and dashed back outside.

"Here," I said softly, handing the pack of ice to Reshmi. "This should help reduce the swelling."

Reshmi took the pack of ice from me, offering a small nod of thanks before carefully applying it to her swollen ankle. As she did so, Kiara reached out and gently took the ice pack from her.

"Here, let me help you with that," Kiara said, her voice steady as she began applying the ice pack to Reshmi's face instead.

Reshmi blinked in surprise but didn't protest, allowing Kiara to tend to her injuries while I watched silently from beside Reshmi.

"Wow, Vikram, I never knew you had a soft side," Kiara remarked, her grin teasing as she glanced at me. "First, you offer to help Reshmi with her ankle, and now you're practically nursing her back to health. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks at Kiara's teasing, but I tried to play it cool with a shrug. "Yeah, yeah, very funny," I replied, attempting to maintain my usual composed demeanor despite the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

Reshmi's soft voice broke through the banter, “um… thanks Vikram.” This is the first time she thanked me, genuinely thanked me herself, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

"It's no big deal," I muttered, trying to downplay my actions. "Just doing what anyone would do."

Kiara's eyebrow shot up at my modest response, clearly finding amusement in my sudden humility. "Wow, Vikram, I almost didn't recognise you," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Who knew you had it in you to be so caring and compassionate?"