Broken but Alive

14

  Everyone was looking for Shraddha but nobody could figure out who Siddharth was. Aditya and Vikram told the others he could be the only possible reason Shraddha was missing. It was hard for Aaryan and Alia to believe she was abducted from her room. 

"Aditya, Vikram, has any one of you seen him? Why would this person take our sister away? She has not harmed anyone", Alia spoke with tears in her eyes.

Aditya and Vikram exchanged looks. They wanted to tell them everything as Kiara was also present with Aaryan. Ranbir knew they were hiding something and came to Alia's and Aaryan's aid and decided to get it out of them. 

"Guys, spit it out. She's our little sister. Can't you see how tensed we all are?" Ranbir was angry.

"Okay, here's the real thing, Siddharth threatened Shraddha to take her away if she wouldn't break up Aaryan and Kiara's relationship. We know she would never do that", Aditya said. "She came to us for help but we failed. We'll get her back. Just please don't lose hope. We'll find her together", Aditya assured them.

Meanwhile, Shraddha was having the time of her life. She wanted to make sure if Siddharth would actually let her do whatever she wanted at home, first she took the cycle out to the yard and had a long ride for an hour. Then she went to the kitchen and began the preparation for baking a cake, which she always wanted to do but never could because her mother never encouraged her for anything. She kept it in the oven and waited until it was done. Siddharth did not come out of his room.  She began exploring the huge mansion. She was in Vikram's house many times but this one was even bigger than that. She wondered how he lived alone here, even though she understood he preferred his own space rather than people. She roamed downstairs and headed up when she heard the door open. He caught her standing in the middle of the stairs.

"What are you doing?" he asked, curious.

She pointed up.

"I can see that. I asked what are you going to do upstairs?", he raised an eyebrow.

She gestured she was going to look around. He gestured her back to come down. She walked back down the stairs and stood before him. At the exact moment the oven bell went off. He went to the kitchen surprised and she followed closely behind. He looked around and figured it was the oven. Siddharth opened it and peeped inside. It smelled so good. He grabbed a pair of mittens and took the beautifully baked cake outside. It made him feel good. He kept it on the counter, appreciating her.

"This smells wonderful. Is there anything more left to do?" he asked.

She picked up the chocolate ganache and sprinkles and began decorating the cake.

"Hey Shradds, there's cream and other things if you need in the pantry".

She gave him a thumbs up and continued decorating. He watched her do it like a professional. When she was done, she immediately cut a small piece and served it to him.

"Thank you", he took a bite and closed his eyes. The taste had got him.

Shraddha saw the child in him, the guy who pretend to be a terrifying beast was after all a man who longed for love. He opened his eyes and found her staring at his face. He waved his hand in front of her face, bringing her back to her senses. He gave her a thumbs up pointing to the cake and her reaction surprised him. She hugged him in return for the thank you. He stood still for a few seconds, processing what happened. She cut another piece and gave it to him and took one for herself. She held his hand and took him outside to the table. She sat down and so did he beside her. All her fear vanished into thin air. He was a friend to her now. She didn't mind if he called her Shradds or whatever he wanted to. She began writing on the note as he watched. A minute later he read it out.

"Dear Sid, thank you for being a good friend. You can call me Shradds by the way. I love your house. Even if you let me go, can I come here to stay or visit you? Sorry if I'm embarrassing you but I really like you. I know you love Kiara but I guess there's nothing wrong in liking someone. You don't have to like me back. But seriously, only if you weren't in love with Kiara, we could have had a chance. Just kidding. Can I call my folks and tell them I am ok? I'm pretty sure they must be going mad looking for me. At least let them know I'm safe. Please". 

"Yes, you can call them and let them know you are safe. But if you do that, they wouldn't understand the seriousness of the situation".

She agreed by nodding her head.

"In that case, pretend you are hurt and scared. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded again but wrote down something along.

"I need to know your love story first. If I feel your love is true than my brother then I will help you out", he read. "Fair enough Shraddha. I will tell you my story and I am so sure that in the end, you will be on my side. So why not talk to your brother first?" he asked keeping a phone in front of her.

She took it and dialed Aaryan's number.

The men and women were at Vikram's house, stuck without a clue when Aaryan's phone rang breaking the silence. It was a video call form an unknown number. He took it, it was Shraddha and they were surprised to see her.

"Shraddha!!! Shraddha!!!!", Aaryan broke down. 

Alia held him close. "Shraddha, are you okay?"

She nodded her head from the other side. Vikram began writing down things so she could nod a yes or no. He made a clever move.

"Are you with Siddharth?"

She said yes.

"Did he hurt you?"

She nodded no.

"Do you know where you are?"

She nodded no and Siddharth came on video taking the phone from her. Kiara lost it on seeing him.

"Siddharth! Why are you doing this?" she asked.

He laughed at her. "Seriously Kiara, From Sid to Siddharth? You thought there wouldn't be any consequences when you dumped me without even letting me know? It was that easy to break me wasn't it? Well, I'm stronger than ever Kiara". He noticed Aaryan. "Hey Aaryan, trust me she will leave you stranded just like she did to me. I'm not saying this because I want you to leave her and go. Well, you'll know in a while. She is not the one she seems to be. Vikram, you are cleaver but not as me. Aditya, Ranbir, Alia, I'm no stalker. Your sweet sister told me everything by her own will. I'll take care of her until you two break up. Bye, Shraddha say bye". 

He moved the camera to her face and she waved a bye at them. The call was cut. Aaryan tried calling back a couple of times but it never went through. He was broken, in a dilemma not knowing what to do. He wanted his first love but his little sister was the love of his life and more important than his lover. He would do anything in the world to get Shraddha back and made up his mind with a strong decision.