Page 120 of Since You Stole My Heart

Prateek stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘I mean, I couldn’t see properly because of the sunglasses. She hasn’t taken them off even once.’

It was dark outside now, so that did seem suspicious. An unsettling feeling began to take root in his chest.

Vihaan pushed away from the counter, but Dhruv raised a hand to stop him. ‘I’ve got it.’

He made his way through the room, stopping in front of the woman. ‘Hey, excuse me. Are you okay?’

She lifted her head slightly, and it hit him with sudden clarity.

Kashvi.

It took him a moment to recognise her because she looked nothing like herself. She appeared haggard. Her hair was dishevelled, her lipstick smeared to her chin, and she swayed slightly in her seat.

The oversized sunglasses hid her eyes completely, leaving him unable to tell whether she was even awake.

A sharp, protective urgency rushed through his veins, cutting through the initial shock as he stepped closer. ‘Hey, Kashvi. Look at me,’ he urged gently.

‘One more bottle,’ she murmured, her words barely coherent.

She didn’t recognise him.

‘Kashu, it’s me,’ he said again, shaking her a little more firmly.

Kashvi tilted her head as she looked up at him. ‘I didn’t know… you had an identical twin.’

‘Yeah,’ he said, playing along with her double vision.

She spoke unevenly, patting the empty seat beside her. ‘There’s only space for one, so one of you can sit somewhere else.’

A helpless chuckle escaped him, and he slid into the seat beside her. Up close, it was impossible to ignore the state she was in.

Dhruv glanced over his shoulder to catch Vihaan’s attention and gestured for water. He came over with a glass, but his smile slipped into concern the moment he caught sight of Kashvi.

With a quiet nod, he placed it on the table. ‘Call if you need me,’ he said before walking away.

Kashvi didn’t notice any of it.

‘You’re swaying,’ Dhruv said, catching her when she dipped sideways.

She rested her head on his shoulder, repeating what he said in slurred mimicry.

He smiled despite himself. She still teased him with the same childish tactics she used when they were kids. At least something hadn’t changed for the worse.

Dhruv nudged her arm to get her attention, but she swatted his hand away with more force than he expected. ‘Did Maithili send you?’

He frowned. ‘Am I supposed to know who that is?’

Instead, she asked, ‘Then what are you doing here?’

‘I partly own this place.’

‘You do?’ She hiccupped suddenly, her shoulders jerking. ‘There’s a lot I don’t know about you, huh.’

He tried to study her face despite the barrier of the sunglasses. ‘Yeah.’

They had become strangers who knew too much about each other to pretend they were nothing, yet not enough to know how to help.

She let out a quiet sigh. ‘She always says… if she’s not around, talk to someone. Friends, family. She’d say me running into you is a sign… that we’re supposed to fix things.’