As they reached the old abandoned house, their hearts were thumping in fear. They decided to split up and search in different directions. Siddharth stepped cautiously, his eyes scanning every inch of the dimly lit corridor. He noticed a large wooden door and tried to peek inside through a crack. Suddenly, he felt the sharp pain of a metal rod striking his head. Everything went black.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself tied to a chair—wrists and ankles bound tightly. His head throbbed in pain, but his mind was immediately consumed by worry. He turned his head and saw Avneet a few feet away, unconscious and tied up like him.
"Avneet! Wake up!" he yelled, repeating her name desperately. A familiar voice interrupted him. Struggling to turn, Siddharth saw Rohan tied up as well, looking equally disoriented.
"God, how did you end up like me?" Siddharth asked.
"I don't know. Someone hit me hard on the head... I blacked out and woke up here," Rohan replied with a groan.
Suddenly, a weak voice called out, "Sid..."
Siddharth's eyes lit up in relief. "Avneet? You're awake? Thank God!"
Just then, a man wearing a cowboy hat, smoking a cigar, and draped in a tacky cheetah-print jacket walked in, smirking.
"Still alive, huh? Aren’t you going to thank me for sparing your tiny lives?" he mocked.
Siddharth glared at him. "Fuck you. Just untie my hands and see what happens."
The man chuckled, resting his foot on Siddharth's thigh. "Ooh, scary. Maybe I should just let you rot here."
He cleaned his ear with his finger lazily and added, "Stop screaming, or I’ll shut you up for good." He roughly cupped Siddharth’s face before finally turning to leave.
Suddenly, the door burst open. Police stormed in, weapons raised. Ashi entered with her mother Nandini, along with Sonia and Vibha. One of the officers shouted, "Surrender or we will shoot!"
The man raised his hands and dropped his weapon. He was swiftly arrested.
Ashi rushed to untie Siddharth while Abhishek and Vaishnavi helped free Rohan, who collapsed into Abhishek’s arms from exhaustion. Sonia quickly untied Avneet, who could barely stay conscious and slumped into her mother's embrace.
Siddharth, too, was exhausted. Without even glancing at Avneet, he closed his eyes.
---
Avneet slowly opened her eyes in a hospital bed. Her mother and Siddharth were beside her.
Before Sonia could speak, Siddharth held Avneet’s hand and kissed it. "Thank God you’re okay," he said softly.
Avneet smiled faintly. "Thanks for saving me," she whispered.
Sonia watched them with teary eyes.
---
A week later, Avneet had recovered fully. But her peace was shattered by a text from Ashi:
"Hope you enjoyed that surprise. Now stop with the drama. I’ll go to any extent for my best friend. Think about your safety. I can handle Siddharth. You coming back into his life is just confusing him. It doesn’t matter."
Avneet’s heart sank. She sat on her bed, staring blankly.
"What went wrong? Me coming back into his life... Maybe I shouldn’t have. But... ugh, I can’t think straight. Sid is confusing too. What does he even feel for me?"
She lay down, eyes on the ceiling, lost in thoughts.
---
Siddharth had just returned from a friend’s place when Vibha approached him.
"Betu, we’re going to Ashi’s house this evening," she said.
He frowned. "Why? What’s the occasion?"
"I don’t know. Nandini said we’ll know once we’re there," Sonia replied.
He sighed and agreed. Being Ashi’s boyfriend, he had no choice.
Dressed in a traditional kurta-pajama—thanks to his mom’s insistence—Siddharth left with his family. Abhishek and Vaishnavi joined them, mumbling their usual complaints.
---
They arrived at Ashi’s house, which was beautifully decorated with flowers and warm yellow fairy lights. Nandini greeted them with hugs and her usual overly sweet smile.
"Thank you for coming again," she beamed.
"We’re always here for you. We’re like family," Vibha replied kindly.
Nandini’s eyes gleamed. "Speaking of family, I actually have something to discuss."
As they entered, she asked Siddharth to call Ashi.
He nodded and went to her room.
---
Nandini took Vibha’s hands in hers. "They’ve been dating for four years. They’re inseparable. Isn’t it time we made it official?"
Vibha hesitated. "I’m not sure, Nandini. It should be their decision."
"I spoke to Ashi. She’s ready. Now it depends on Siddharth. You know your son best," Nandini said hopefully.
Vaishnavi and Abhishek remained quiet, uneasy about the conversation.
---
Siddharth’s POV:
I knocked on Ashi’s door. "Ashi, can I come in?"
"Hmm," she replied. I stepped in.
She looked stunning in a golden lehenga, finishing her earrings. She twirled around. "How do I look?"
"You... look gorgeous," I said with a smile. She kissed my cheek, and I kissed her back.
But ever since Avneet returned, something inside me shifted. I didn’t feel the same with Ashi anymore. I pushed the thought aside.
---
We walked into the living room where our parents were seated. Vibha gestured for me to sit beside her.
Ashi sat next to Nandini her mom. And my mom holding my hands with hopes in her eyes.
"We were thinking... maybe it’s time to turn this relationship into something forever. What do you say?"
My heart skipped a beat.
˚˖𓍢🌷✧˚.🎀⋆
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with love,
—the authors" ☆
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𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝚰𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃 (𝐑𝐄𝐕𝚰𝐒𝐄𝐃)
FanfictionThey were childhood best friends, inseparable until fate tore them apart. Years later, Avneet returns-hoping, longing-for even a flicker of recognition in Siddharth's eyes. But he looks at her like a stranger. Every memory... gone. Every promise...
