𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬

XIII

Edited

-

I'm here. You can talk to me, or not, but I'm here.

-

Sara sat across from her best friend, Sakshi, in the bustling coffee shop, nursing her latte while Sakshi tapped away on her phone. They’d been there nearly an hour, but for half of it, Sara was just staring out the window, watching people pass by, while Sakshi seemed entirely absorbed by whoever was on the other end of her screen.

"Alright, I'm done," Sara announced, reaching her limit. She leaned forward and snatched Sakshi's phone in one quick movement. "Who has been texting you so much?" Her thumb hovered over the screen until her eyes took in the messages.

"Oh my god!" Sara nearly yelped, her cheeks instantly coloring as she processed not only who was messaging her friend but what exactly he was saying. She handed the phone back swiftly. "I need to bleach my eyes!"

Sakshi stifled a giggle, turning sheepish. "I, um... meant to tell you," she admitted.

"Dhruv?" Sara asked incredulously, still processing. "You're dating Dhruv?"

Sakshi hesitated, giving a quick shrug. "Yes… He's not what I initially thought he was," she said softly, an unspoken happiness in her eyes.

Sara took a moment to digest this, a little shocked that her best friend hadn’t mentioned this huge update. "Why didn’t you tell me?" Her tone softened, though she felt a pang of hurt.

"It just happened," Sakshi admitted, her voice quiet. "It was supposed to be casual. Just fun, you know? But then it turned into something more... and I didn’t know how to bring it up."

"Well, if you’re happy, then I’m happy for you." Sara forced a smile, still wrapping her head around it.

Sakshi gave her a grateful look, but then her eyes wandered past Sara's shoulder, her smile fading a bit. "Uh, is he always going to stand there like that?"

Sara glanced behind her, following her gaze to her bodyguard, Jay, who stood a few steps away, alert and attentive. "Probably," she muttered, an exasperated smile tugging at her lips. "I’ve tried to make him sit, but he refuses every time."

Sakshi let out a small chuckle, while Sara leaned in. "So, spill. I want to know everything!"

The next few hours flew by, and they were deep in laughter and stories until Sakshi glanced at her watch, realizing she was already late for a meeting with her agent. They hugged goodbye, promising to catch up soon.

As Sara walked back to the car with Jay close behind, she asked, "Can you take me to Celeste?" referring to a boutique she had been meaning to visit. Jay nodded, but just as they started moving, a sharp, piercing sound shattered the calm of the street—a gunshot. Instinctively, she felt Jay’s arm pull her down behind the nearest car, his body shielding hers.

Panic clawed at her chest as she crouched, the sounds of shattered glass and chaos around her. She tried to steady her breathing, her pulse racing as she processed what was happening. The gunshot had come from somewhere close, and now there was yelling, chaos erupting in all directions. She crouched even lower, clutching the hem of her skirt as she tried to steady herself.

"Stay here," Jay commanded, his voice low and firm.

"Where are you going?" She grabbed his arm, her fear tangible. She barely knew him, but the thought of him walking straight into danger made her heart lurch.

"I'm getting us out of here," he replied, his voice resolute. He assessed the scene carefully before disappearing, leaving her alone behind the car, her heart racing as she heard another shot, closer this time. Adrenaline surged through her, her body tense and frozen in place.