I don’t think. I don’t hesitate. I throw open the car door and rush towards them. The man is so focused on Sana that he doesn’t hear me coming. Then, in one swift motion, I grab him from behind, forcing him to drop the knife as I lock my arms around his torso in a crushing grip.
He jerks violently, struggling against me. “Let me go,” he shouts.
A fury unlike anything I’ve ever known erupts within me. My vision blurs at the edges as pure rage takes over. I fucking feel out of control, my body trembling with the urge to kill this bastard for daring to threaten the woman I love.
I tighten my grip, yanking him back as he continues to struggle uselessly against me. Leaning in close, my voice drops to a deadly whisper right against his ear, “No chance. You dared to scare my woman, and now you’re going to pay.”
I’m about to turn him around when he suddenly jabs his elbow into my ribs, the blow making me double over in pain. He slips from my grip and disappears into the darkness before I can recover from the blow.
“Aditya, are you okay?” Sana’s voice trembles as she takes two steps towards me, her hands gripping my shoulder, fear etched across her face.
I straighten, ignoring the dull ache in my ribs. My hands instinctively reach for her, cupping her face gently. “I’m fine,”I say, my voice steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through me. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes shimmer with unshed tears as she nods. “Yeah... just shaken up. I… I didn’t see him coming.”
“It’s okay. I’m here. You’re safe. I won’t let anything happen to you,” I whisper, my voice firm with promise. I pull her into my chest and wrap my arms around her tightly.
She exhales shakily against my chest, her fingers clutching my shirt. “For once, your stalking came in use,” she jokes, her voice muffled. “Thank you… for coming.”
I press a gentle kiss to the top of her head, holding her even tighter. “Always, Sana. Nothing in this world could have kept me from you.”
Her body goes rigid, tension seeping back into her frame before she pulls away, creating distance between us. Her eyes avoid mine as she whispers, “You need to leave.”
I shake my head, my jaw set with determination. “No. Not until we talk.”
Sana exhales sharply, shaking her head. “Aditya—”
“No,” I cut her off, my voice firm yet gentle. “I’ve given you space, I’ve given you time. But now, you need to address this—us. The kiss. Everything that’s been happening between us. No more avoiding.”
She wraps her arms around herself, her gaze flickering between me and the ground. Her voice cracks as she finally whispers. “I’m scared, Aditya. I’ve already told you this.”
I take a careful step toward her, my heart clenching at the raw vulnerability in her voice. “Scared of what?”
She swallows hard, her fingers tightening around her arms. “Scared of losing you. Of messing this up. Of… feeling so much, so fast. It’s all overwhelming, Aditya. You have started to mean something to me, and if this goes wrong… I don’t know if I could handle it.”
Her confession knocks me for a loop. I reach for her, gently prying her arms away from her body and holding her hands in mine. “Sana,” I say, my thumbs brushing over her knuckles, “I would never let that happen. I’m not going anywhere. And you don’t have to be afraid of how fast this feels.”
She finally looks at me, her eyes glassy with emotions she’s been holding back. “It’s too fast,” she breathes.
“Then we’ll slow down,” I say softly, squeezing her hands. “We take it one step at a time. We’ll do this at your pace. But don’t shut me out, please. Don’t pretend this doesn’t exist.”
Her lips quivers, and she just stares at me as if searching for something—maybe reassurance, maybe hope. And I give it to her in the only way I know how. I bring her hands up to my chest, letting her feel the steady, unshaken rhythm of my heart.
“I’m right here, Sana. With you. For you.”
A single tear slips down her cheek, and I catch it with my thumb, cupping her face. “We don’t have to figure it all out tonight. Just… don’t push me away.”
She closes her eyes, exhaling shakily before nodding. “Okay,” she whispers.
I smile. It’s not everything—but it’s something. And sometimes, that’s all a man needs to keep pushing forward.
Chapter 17
Sana
‘This is not a date. It’s just a simple lunch.’I’ve been repeating this to myself the entire drive to Central Restaurant, where Aditya asked me to meet him. I’m trying, like, really trying not to read too much into this. Not to think about how I ended up agreeing to this lunch simply because he insisted we had something worth exploring and that we definitely owed it to ourselves.
But somewhere deep down, I know the truth. I couldn’t bring myself to say no. Over the past few days, I tried my best to avoid him, hoping I’d eventually get over him. But all it took was one look for my resolve to crack. Especially when that stubborn man looked at me with such earnestness, it was impossible to turn him down.
