Stay with me

Chapter Eleven: Nandini/Manik

"P-please help" the voice was familiar yet different. His touch sent chills down my spine.

"Please help, they are after me" I immediately turned around hearing the voice again.

My whole body froze.

I felt numb.

I didnt know whether I was dreaming or just imagining things.

I couldn't even open my mouth to say I was just in shock.

The person who stood in front of me asking me for help was beyond my understanding. How could this be true?

"Y—" I began to spoke but couldn't find words, I could literally feel myself shaking.

"please just help me" he begged

"Aarav" those words finally left my mouth.

I felt this whole world just freeze at this moment, aarav—it was aarav who stood in front to me. How is that possible? He died that day in the car blast which was done by rishi but he's standing right in front of me.

He didn't look like the Aarav I knew, but he was rather changed. He was skinnier and pale, he looked lifeless. If this is real and I'm not dreaming then Manik, Cabir Dhruv everyone would feel like their world is complete yet again.

Without thinking anything else I threw a hug, as tears started flowing out of my eyes. "Aarav" I say between my cries "I can't believe it's you please tell me this is real"

He doesn't hug me back but I stay hugging him.

"You know me?" He says which stops me "how do you know me?"

I break the hug looking at him confused. Why is he saying like that?

"A-aarav I'm Nandini" I say wiping my tears and nose.

"I'm sorry I don't know you but I really need your help" his words deeply confuse me. Why is he saying that he doesn't know me?

But I ignore that at the moment, he looked like he needed help.

"Who is after you?" I ask him.

"The people who have held me captive, I ran away but they are after me please help me please" he begs.

My heart broke seeing him in this condition. This means rishi and his mother had Aarav captive the whole time and they made us think that he was dead.

"Okay" I say. I was about to take out my phone from my purse to call Cabir or manik but we heard them get closer. I don't have time if I stay here and make a call they will get him again, I just need to keep aarav safe and this time I'm not letting anything happen to him.

"We have to go now!" I quickly take my heels off and hold them. They were pencil heels so there was no way I could run without me falling and that would be a problem. I hold his hand and we run to an alleyway, it was dark there. We hide there and I could hear the steps getting closer and hear their voices.

"Find that boy or else he will kill us!" I heard one of the guy speak

"He shouldn't have gone far, the shops are closing he can't go anywhere" I heard another one speak.

I look at Aarav telling him to not say anything. I was scared but I know I had to stay calm to keep aarav safe. I couldn't believe that till this time it was like Aarav wasn't no more, and it pained us but now it feels like everything just changed within a second. Aarav is alive, and I will make sure he meets his brothers soon.

The bottom of my feet hit many sharp objects as we were running and it was stinging too.

I heard them run further away.