Page 68 of Since You Stole My Heart

‘Thanks, that would be great.’

The uncertainty in his voice made Swayam add, ‘I do think she’ll call you back.’

‘Yeah?’ Dhruv asked, hopeful. ‘Well, I’ll be waiting. Goodnight.’

‘Goodnight,’ he repeated, ending the call.

Silence settled over the room again as he lowered the phone. Swayam glanced at his watch just in time to see it tick past midnight.

He looked towards the door, hoping it would open so he could see his birthday girl. When a minute passed and Kashvi still didn’t appear with her angelic smile, tension eased out of his shoulders. She must be asleep.

Reluctantly deciding to wait until morning, Swayam dropped back onto the sofa. He tucked one arm beneath his head, trying to get comfortable against the lumpy cushion. When he couldn’t, he let out a slow, frustrated breath, watching faint shadows flicker on the ceiling.

Swayam closed his eyes, and his thoughts drifted, as they always did, to his favourite person. The melody of her laughter, the spark in her eyes whenever he teased her, the unyielding strength she carried… all of it had burrowed deep within his chest.

If he ever tried to put what he felt for her into words, every language he knew would fail him, each one falling short of capturing the depth of it.

Happy Birthday, baby.

Hoping to dream of her, Swayam was about to drift off when he heard the sound.

At first, he almost missed it, but then it came again. A soft, broken mewl curled through the air, raising the hair on his arms.

Swayam pushed himself up onto his elbows, straining to hear it again, but there was only the steady hum of the ceiling fan. He dragged a hand over his face, wondering if he had imagined it. He stretched back onto the cushion, trying to even out his breathing.

But then his heart jolted into his throat as he caught the unmistakable pain in the long, broken wail that rang through the silence.

Swayam pushed himself to his feet immediately, trying to locate the source of the sound. He glanced towards the glass balcony doors, wondering if a stray animal had been hurt or trapped.

His body went rigid as another drawn-out, raw cry filled the space, and he realised it wasn’t coming from outside.

It was coming from Kashvi’s room.

A surge of fear hit him hard enough to spike his pulse, and he ran across the room. He knocked twice, hard enough to make the door vibrate. ‘Kash? Are you okay?’

A long, aching wail rang out from the other side, and his blood ran cold.

Was she having another nightmare?

He had been worried this might happen, which was why he had slept on the sofa close to her room. One way or another, he was going to make sure her father paid for triggering this.

‘Kashvi, I’m coming in, okay?’ he called, then pushed the door open.

Her room was dark, except for the warm light spilling from the bedside lamp, illuminating her on the bed.

When Swayam saw her, the air froze in his lungs because he finally had his answer.

This was no nightmare. Every other time, she had been trapped only inside her mind, but her body had stayed under her control. This was different.

Kashvi lay on her side, thrashing in sharp, uncontrollable jerks. Her shoulders convulsed so violently that the thin bedsheet twisted beneath her. The pain in her cries was unbearable, tightening his chest until it physically hurt.

Swayam rushed to her side as she jerked again. Her head tilted back as another fractured, painful cry tore out of her.

The sound ripped his heart apart. ‘Hey, hey, Kashvi. I’m right here. Can you hear me?’

Her breathing, uneven and strained, with broken cries slipping between each violent jerk, was the only response he got.

His hand hovered over her as Swayam struggled to catch up with what was happening.