Heartbeat

Chapter 1

"well you can have that thing as long as it stays away from me" said the eight year old while rubbing his butt where the porcupine's spikes must have pricked him.

Krish Sahni, the apple of his parents eyes, the prince of Sahni house and the little prankster of his buaa, Shehnaaz.

They both stuck their tongue out at each other, while making faces at each other. seeing this the queen of Sahni house and Shehnaaz's Bhabhi, Anita Sahni rolled her eyes and said "sometimes I feel i don't have one but two kids" making them laugh.

"okay, now I am going to put him in my room because I am getting late for work" Shehnaaz said while grabbing the glass box to carry it to her room.

"arey kiddo breakfast toh acche se kha le" Anita said giving shehnaaz a bite of pancake with a fork.

"umm bhabhs, I got go, and don't wait for me; people are coming today to adopt Toby, so I am going to the shelter after work" she answered with a mouthful while going towards her room to grab her work laptop.

Shehnaaz Sahni, a simple girl with an extraordinary soul, if you look at her you will see a beautiful petite girl with a smile that melts even the hardest of stones. When she giggle it feels like living your childhood again, the carefree nature, the 'I will conquer the world' attitude. Her beautiful almond shaped eyes full of kindness towards others, that shed tears when people abandon the little beings she rescues. Her kind heart that forgives easily.

But no one ever feels the broken cries of that soul, no one sees the pain in her smile, no one hears long lost stories behind her giggles, no one ask about the horrors that those eyes has witnessed, no one hears the breaking of her heart when she rescues those animals; when she feels just like them.

abandoned.

Is there anyone in this universe who will listen to her cries and stories, feel her pain, wipe her tears, mend her broken heart, give her home and lastly love her?

"Are you even listen to a word I said" Zara Rossum, Shehnaaz's best friend said, crossing her arms and glaring at her. She looked up from her laptop and gave a sheepish smile to her best friend who reached to her when no one could.

"yeah, of course I was listening" Shehnaaz lied looking at her friend.

"AHAAN! SO TELL ME WHAT WAS I SAYING" Zara inquired raising her brows looking at her. Shehnaaz could not take anymore and said "okay fine I was not listening, but in my defence I have to complete this report by tomorrow for which I am already a week late"

"I knew it. YOU WERE THINKING ABOUT THAT GUY. WEREN'T YOU?" Zara wriggled her brows at Shehnaaz teasingly.

"What are you taking about?" Shehnaaz asked confused. "AREY, THAT GUY THAT YOU WROTE ABOUT IN YOUR DIAR-" Zara suddenly stopped taking like she said something she wasn't suppose to; Shehnaaz looked at her shocked and shouted "YOU READ MY DAIRY!!!!"

Zara cringed but compossed herself and said "well that wasn't the first time" making Shehnaaz gape at her "BUT THATS NOT THE POINT RIGHT NOW; I mean the way you described him in your diary, phew I was lucky I didn't melt away" she gushed making shehnaaz blush, "tell me the whole story; was he THAT hot?" Zara asked.

Shehnaaz looked at her friend and thought about that encounter with that stranger that happened a month ago and still could not understand how she can still remember the whole thing, how she still remembers his baritone voice laced with concern and awe, she still remembers the way her hand trembled when he gave her his neck cloth. She felt his aura and was so flustered that she could not look up at his eyes but she did looked at him. He was tall, with an impressive built; she was looked so small in front of him, he was wearing a blue suit, black hair styled with a few hair falling on his forehead, full plump lips and-

she was suddenly woke from the trance she was in and looked at Zara who was taking all this time and took a sip of her coffee.

"AND YOU ALSO WROTE HE HAD A SEXY BUTT" Zara exclaimed while Shehnaaz spit her coffee when she heared her words.

"I DID NOT WROTE ANYTHING LIKE THIS" Shehnaaz claimed while wiping her mouth with a napkin. She pouted "I didn't got chance too look at his butt as I ran from there"

"I- I don't know what to say, better luck next time" Zara laughed at her sullen friend who did not get to see the butt.

Shehnaaz got home late at night and she was exhausted, her report is still not complete and she was also sad as today Toby, the sweet little pug was adopted. She still remembers day when the shelter's rescue team brought him. He was so frightened and weak, there were bruises on his little body his hind legs were broken. He was whimpering and scurrying away from the people but then she calmly sat in front of him and extended her hand, he hesitantly smelled her, trying to know if she will hurt him like the people who owned, the people who were supposed to love him.

Shehnaaz didn't know she was crying at the memory until she felt a hand wiping her tears. She looked up at the person and hugged him.

"It's okay kiddo." Arjun hugged his baby sister while rubbing her back and head. "you should be happy that he got a family he deserves" Arjun consoled her.

She hugged her brother for a long time and then she composed herself and wiped her remaining tears. She was happy for Toby but sad for herself.

"I am okay" she tried to smile for her brother but how can she forget he's her elder brother and he doesn't need any explanations to know why his little sister was crying.

"I know." he assured her with a soft smile and added "and if you weren't; then you would be because your brother is always there for you kiddo"

"Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about something" Arjun stated nervously, he didn't know how she is gonna react to the news.

"what is it, veere?" she asked and then after what he said brought back all the memories, pain, happiness, excitement and dread of the past.

"It's time for me to complete my promise that I made to dadi"