Dehshat-E-Ishq

Chapter 15

"...from there, we were unable to track them because of the crowd and we also check the back exit of the college, they weren't there also."

Advit listened to his guards as they dictated exactly where they lost track of Abhaya and Mahira.

Advit smiled and said, "You people couldn't keep track of two females who are in their twenties while I can still accept Abhaya escaping, you guys couldn't handle Mahi? She is practically the easiest to track!"

"..." The guards lowered their heads and none of them spoke another word when Advit ordered them.

"Check out the shopping mall they frequented the most." The guards nodded and left when Advit's cold voice was heard again. "Don't let them know even if you find them. Let them think that they did outwit me."

The guards then left, and Advit stood up to enter the side room where he usually stays when he does overtime in the office.

His eyes stared at the framed picture of Mahi and him playing in the orphanage.

Mahi looked at Advit who was coming towards her with her hands hidden behind her back. The 10-year-old was seemingly an angel unless you really know her well. Her mischievous behavior has only been flamed by Advit's unconditional agreement to her deeds. Now, sometimes even Advit himself regrets his indulgence.

"Mahi? Why are you outside?" Advit spoke as soon as he reached her when Mahi moved forward and Advit knowingly bend down to her level when her hands touched his face and a mischievous smile bloomed on her face.

"Happy Holi, Adit!" Her laughter blinded his world as she ran inside and he stood there watching her running.

Advit touched his cheek to see a beautiful blue staining his hand and looked towards the little girl who ran inside before picking his pace.

"Mahi stop!" His shouts rang inside the orphanage but this was an area completely made for Mahi where nobody was allowed. Since the time the kids bullied Mahi, Advit created a perfect world for her. Nobody was allowed in it to disturb her peace. His Nanaji disagreed with this behavior of his and thus, Mahi attends classes with the other kids but when he saw the little girl and got more attached to her, even he closed one eye at her behavior.

Now-a-days, Mahi has another person who would indulge her to bits, his dear Nanaji. Her Nanu.

It has been an year since she has started speaking and for now, even though she can't speak too much, she is still able to talk whenever she wants rather than for just an hour or two.

"Mahi," Advit said as he stood right at the door of her room and Mahi ran behind the bed while Advit followed her in as he said, "ab kahan jaogi?"

Mahi smiled and said, "vahi toh, where will you go now?"

And a whole bucket of colored water fell on Advit as she pulled a rope harshly. Advit who was wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans looking dapper was now looking completely different from when he came.

His white T-shirt was covered in blue color stains and his face was stained with red and blue while his hairs that were set now dropped over his forehead dripping with water.

Nobody could say anything with how his whole self looked and the guards who were following him looked away to hide the laughter bubbling in their throats and hurried left to avoid being killed by their always angry boss.

"Happy happy happy Holi, Adit!" Mahi came to him and hugged him. She didn't care if he was covered with color or wet with water. Her hands wrapped around his waist and in her childish tone she said, "Now it seems like it's Holi, otherwise, you made it seem like just any other day."

Advit who wanted to shout at her kept quiet at this and patted her head while she moved away from him to see him after which Advit too applied color on her and they ran outside to play.

When they were running throwing water on each other was the time when his Nanaji also arrived, and this picture was taken. This came out so well that his Nanaji printed this out to be framed.

-

"Abhaya, why didn't we think of this before? Running from the seminar hall's top exit." Mahira said as they were about to reach the shopping mall.

"True. But leave it, Dr. Ankita should be waiting for us. Finish it fast, don't waste too much time." Abhaya said as she finally parked her bike outside the mall.

"I'll wait here. Go." Abhaya said and Mahira, leaving her in the car park, hurriedly reached where she knew Dr. Ankita was and soon after finding her, they decided to go to the washroom to have their talk.

"I know you came here to ask me about those things, but your father would kill me if I even dared to tell you anything about that." Ankita said as she looked around the washroom to make sure nobody was there.

"You should be more afraid of what would happen if my father knew you came here to meet me." Mahira said as a smile enriched her face. It was one chilling smile.

"You know, I hope you never remember what you were, because you are too clueless at times yet too clever at others." Ankita said as she shook her head and finally, she asked, "What do you want to know?"

"Who was it that kidnapped me?"

"I don't know. All I know is, she wasn't going for you but for someone else, you got caught in this because of your own act of saving. That's all I know and even this was known because your father was raging the entire time you were in the hospital." Ankita said as she stared straight at Mahira.

"Who was it? Who did I save?" Mahira asked as a dull ache penetrated her head again.

Ankita shook her head and said, "I don't know. But all I know about this is that your mother was involved in all this. Mrs. Mannat Mittal knew where you were, but she didn't tell your father." And so, she died...

Mahira looked at Ankita in shock as a memory burst into her head.

A beautiful woman dressed in a royal blue saree looked at her little daughter playing with her dolls smiling at something her father said with hatred in her eyes but smile at her lips. She touched the girl's head with her hand and kissed her forehead before saying how she wanted to go out for a meal and the three got ready to have a picnic outside.

Within an hour, the little girl who was having the time of her life was close to losing her life as her mother let go of her hand and she was taken away from them. Her father was searching for her in the myriad of people, but she was struck hard at the back of her head with a rod, and she fell. With her eyes closed, she knew she was soon in a car and then a blast killed her probably.

But she didn't die, and soon was saved.

By whom?

She didn't know.

She didn't care.

She felt loved by someone she didn't remember.

All she saw were eyes that haunted her.

All she saw were the faces of people she had never seen before.

She was saved by... him.