"Hey Aryan, are you okay?" Raghav's voice jolted me back to the present.
"Yeah, I'm alright," I replied, trying to shake off the shock. "It's just... this is so sudden."
"I had a feeling something like this might happen," He admitted.
"How did you figure that?" I asked, still trying to process the news flashing on the TV.
"Well, think about it," He explained. "Arjun goes missing right after Sana's accident. That's too coincidental to ignore. My guess is Natasha's behind this. She's not afraid to get her hands dirty."
"Yeah," I replied softly, feeling a pang in my chest at the mention of Natasha, though not out of lingering affection. Those feelings were long gone, replaced by the love I had for Kabir, who was nothing short of an angel. Natasha, on the other hand, had shown her true colors.
"You're okay, though, right?" Raghav's concern brought me back to the conversation.
"Hmm?" I paused, gathering my thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Just checking," Raghav said. "You seemed to have grown close to her for a while."
"That was then," I clarified. "Not anymore. A criminal is just that—a criminal. No more, no less."
Kabir's voice interrupted the conversation, drawing my attention as he entered the room. He was dressed in his cricket practice attire, the jersey fitting snugly over his athletic frame, a duffle bag casually slung over one shoulder, and a cap adding a sporty flair to his look. He looked absolutely stunning, and I couldn't help but pause the call momentarily to address him.
"Oh my," I remarked, a playful tone in my voice, "who is this sinful man gracing my living room?"
His cheeks flushed slightly, a shy smile playing on his lips. "Stop it," he replied softly, his eyes meeting mine before he turned on his heels and left the room.
I chuckled at his reaction and resumed the call with Raghav. "Sorry about that interruption. Just had to appreciate the view for a moment."
Raghav's teasing tone came through the line. "The view of someone named Kabir, I presume?"
Surprised, I asked, "How did you know?"
"He's all you've been seeing lately," Raghav quipped with a chuckle. "You and Kabir are making me feel damn single, just so you know."
"Well, it's not my fault you can't seem to find a lover," I retorted matter-of-factly. "I mean, look at you, you're a model guy. How is it that you're still flying solo?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"It's not that I haven't had dates," He confessed with a sigh of exhaustion. "It's just that none of them stick around for long. They all seem to want someone adventurous and dominant, and well, I'm just your average, simple guy," he explained. "You know, someone who enjoys travelogues and flips through magazines."
"You're into travelogues?" I asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, ever since I started following your childhood friend, what's her name again?" He paused, recalling. "Ah, yes, Riddhi. I've developed a real interest in this whole travel scene."
"Is it the travelogue that caught your interest, or is it Riddhi herself?" I playfully asked.
After a brief pause, he responded, "I'm not entirely certain. She does intrigue me. She's straightforward and really cool, you know. But I'm still figuring it out."
"Okay, it's totally up to you," I said, "but just so you know, I think you'd make a great match for her. You have my blessing to go for it."
"Blessing? Are you her dad or something?" Raghav joked.
"No, more like a brother," I corrected him. "She's been like a sister to me all this time—teasing me, but also being there when I need her, and vice versa. So naturally, I care about who she dates."
"Got it," Raghav responded with understanding. There was a brief pause before I continued.
"Anyway," I started, my voice firm, "What's our plan now? With Arjun gone, we're at a dead end for information, and I'm concerned about Sana's safety."
"I agree, someone should stay with her today," Raghav suggested.
"Well, Kabir's off to practice," I noted, glancing outside the living room for any sign of him. "Looks like he's already left. And I have to head to work. Are you available?"
"Not really. I have a shoot scheduled," Raghav informed me.
"We'll need to figure something out," I remarked, feeling the weight of the situation. "Kabir's schedule can't be changed, and I can't afford to lose my job—it's only been three days since I started. That leaves you as the only option."
Raghav sighed. "I can stay until noon. After that, you'll have to take over."
"Okay, I'll manage from there," I agreed.
"Alright then, I'll head out now," Raghav concluded before ending the call.
After ending the call with Raghav, I set my phone down on the couch and got up to prepare for work. Lazily, I made my way to the bedroom, slipping into a crisp white button-up shirt, black pants, and a sleek black coat. A silver watch adorned my wrist, adding a touch of elegance. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I noted that aside from my slightly overgrown hair, I looked presentable as usual.
Grabbing my ID card and wallet, I hurried to the kitchen. Knowing my pups would be hungry, I laid out plenty of treats and food for them to snack on. With that taken care of, I picked up the flat keys and Kabir's car keys—he had left his car for me to use—before locking the door behind me and heading out.
I hopped into the sleek black Mercedes, courtesy of Kabir's generosity. It was a sweet move, leaving it for me to use, kind of like a husband material thing, you know? I was definitely touched.
Starting the car with a satisfying rumble, I cruised along, enjoying the ride and the scenery. But my little drive-time bliss was interrupted by Kabir's call popping up on the car's screen. I answered, still keeping my focus on the road. "Hey, what's up?"
"Just checking on you," His voice came through softly.
"You're the younger one, remember?" I joked, hands steady on the wheel. "I should be the one looking after you."
"Well, what's stopping you?" He shot back, his tone light.
I couldn't help but let out a surprised laugh. "Oh? Want to be my baby?"
"Sure," Kabir replied, his voice sounding a bit flustered, hinting that he was blushing on the other end.
"Such a big baby," I teased, "Hang up the call. You know what the traffic police says, right? Don't call and drive."
"Isn't it 'don't drink and drive'?" Kabir pointed out.
"Nope," I countered, a mischievous smirk on my face, "Take care, and hit all those balls like you want to hit my..." I trailed off suggestively before abruptly ending the call, not giving him a chance to respond.
After twenty minutes, I pulled into my company's parking lot. I parked the car carefully, taking extra precautions because while Kabir had left me the car out of kindness, it was my duty to treat it with care. I made a mental note to return it to him in the same condition, without any dents or scratches.
Stepping out of the car, I adjusted my clothes and walked into the building with a confident stride and a serious expression on my face.
As I walked towards my cabin, a colleague from the first block greeted me with a nod, which I returned politely. I continued on my way, reflecting on my experience that had earned me a respectable position in the company. While I didn't want to boast, I couldn't deny that I had worked hard to get where I was. But let's not dwell on that too much.
Taking a seat in my cabin, I glanced fondly at the pictures on my desk. There was one of my parents, another of me and Riddhi as kids with ketchup mustaches, and the last one was a selfie with Kabir. However, I had made sure to mask his face in the photo.
I cleared my throat, shifting my focus back to the files scattered on my desk that required attention. Grabbing a pen from the holder, I delved into my work, making corrections to codes and crafting new ones for the computer system.
A little while later, Mahesh uncle, the tea vendor, entered my cabin. I greeted him warmly with a smile as he placed a cup of masala tea on my desk.
"Is there anything else you need, sir?" he asked.
I shook my head, gesturing for him to drop the formalities. "Please, uncle, call me by my name. No need for the 'sir'."
"But you allow others to address you that way," he observed.
"Well, not you. You're older than me, and here, we respect our elders. So, it's just Aryan for you," I stated firmly.
"Okay, understood, Aryan," he replied before leaving the cabin.
After being buried in work for what felt like an eternity, I glanced at my watch and was shocked to see it was already 3:20. Damn, where was Raghav's call? I fumbled for my phone in my pocket, only to realize it wasn't there. Shit, I must have left it on the damn couch!
"Fuck!" I cursed aloud, frustration mounting as I hurried out of my cabin, hastily explaining to the boss that I had an urgent matter to deal with. Racing to the parking lot, I grabbed the keys, started the car, and sped off towards the hospital, cursing myself for such a colossal mistake.
"God fucking damn it, how could I screw this up?" I muttered angrily, weaving through traffic to reach the hospital as fast as possible.
Half an hour later, I parked outside the hospital gates, my heart pounding as I noticed a firetruck roaring past me and into the hospital premises. Was there a fire in the hospital?
My eyes widened as I swiftly exited the car. "Sana, I have to find her," I muttered, urgency driving me forward as I dashed into the hospital. The staff were in a frenzy, evacuating patients to safety.
Stopping one of them in a panic, my face twisted with worry, I asked, "Where's Sana Rai?"
"She's likely in her room on the private side, quite a distance from here," the staff member replied anxiously. "We need to act fast and retrieve her before the entire hospital goes up in flames."
"I'll do it," I declared without hesitation, turning away from the crowd rushing out of the fire. Ignoring the chaos, I sprinted towards the private area of the hospital, where flames had already consumed part of the building.
Rushing into Sana's room, I found it empty. Panic surged through me. Where could she be? As I turned to leave, a burning plank from the ceiling crashed down, striking me and causing me to black out.