Just Friends

CHAPTER 48

"Some people fit you in such a manner as if they are key to your lock." 

- SANJH

^^^

"Are you ever planning to throw that human out of your house?" Harshad was growling staring at the source standing at the entrance. The aged figure was smirking at the car. The devil's smile on his evil face was making Kiara nervous.

Harshad glanced at Kiara's direction due to her lack of response. The minute his eyes met Kiara's state. He was filled with panic, Kiara was sweating in nervousness, her hands shivering, those set of orbs locked on the creature before her. Her face seemed pale as if she had forgotten to breathe.

"Kiara," Harshad called her out.

"Kiara!" Raised his tone but Kiara was lost. "Kiara," he nudged her shoulder, and Kiara's eyes met Harshad's. Her eyes widen in shock and soon she hugged Harshad tightly. She was gasping for breath as if she had run at high speed. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Harshad was dazed to react. He couldn't understand her sudden behavior. Could Ranbir's mere glance make her panic? How was it possible? What had Ranbir done to her that made her fear him so much? Why on earth wasn't she unfolding the truth to him?

"He... he..." she was gasping for breath, clenching Harshad shirt tightly in her fist. Kiara had nuzzled her face in Harshad's chest. "He... has... returned..." Harshad was trying to grasp her shattering words. He wrapped his arms slowly around her waist, pulling her slowly towards him. Caressing her hair softly, allowing her to express her frightening feelings. If he had voiced a word she might have pulled away from him.

"He... is... bad... he had returned again to harm me, to... to..." she paused as if gasping for breath. "I had thought he won't be back in my life. He had provided me with enough bad memories. He had used my coward self, enough. I don't want to go back to him. He scares... he scares... shit out of me..." Kiara was blabbering, tears rolling down as she pressed herself further into Harshad chest. "He had mentally as well as physically harassed me, Harshad." She choked, raising her eyes to face him.

Those black, round orbs stared at Harshad with fear of judgment. She kept staring at him for a response, cursing herself for voicing her troubles to him. Why she had to utter the truth? Harshad face was rigid, devoid of emotions. His eyes were staring straight as if he hadn't realized that Kiara was staring at him.

He clenched his fist, his orbs fixed on the human responsible for Kiara's devasted state. The inner-rage building inside was making it impossible for him to sit still. His eyes were finding it difficult to move from the culprit that had provided Kiara with trauma for life. Flashes of her broken, shivering self would constantly display before his eyes.

"Harshad," her faint murmur and a delicate touch on his cheek forced him to stare at the broken, fragile human staring at him with fear. His heart ached at the view. Only if! Only if, he could wipe away all her fear. Only if, he could erase all her bad childhood memories. He could see in those beautiful set of orbs that she had faced the pain alone.

"Sweetheart," he sounded so helpless. Nothing like the joyful, mischievous self, Kiara had witnessed around. The fear taking a better place in her heart, she attempted to move but Harshad held her tight. His set of intense orbs not leaving her for a minute. "Why did you shield him?" Harshad accused, glaring at her direction.

Kiara took a minute to register those words. Harshad wasn't going to back off, Kiara sighed. She lowered her gaze, "I didn't know what to do? It was confusing as a child. I knew, it was something wrong but I wasn't sure if anyone would believe me. They would think, I was mistaking it. He never behaved oddly in front of my parents. He acted nicely in front of them. My parents trust him like a part of a family. My dad considers him a brother. I just can't imagine how broken he will be if... if... he ever discovers..." Kiara shook her head, the thought itself scared her. "He won't be able to take it. He won't be able to believe that someone like him could harm me to such a level."