Fire In Hearts

Chapter 6

"Yeh kya kar diya maine?" Kartik thought while checking his schedule for the day. He was on his car.

It felt like time was both his enemy and motivator. He was fully aware of how packed his day would be. He himself did that to keep himself busy the previous night.

Though it made him blush unknowingly thinking about the events of previous night.

His phone buzzed with notifications, meeting reminders, and his manager sending him a detailed schedule for the day. He sighed as he scrolled through the endless list but was resolute.

On the other hand, Sara was busy with her writings. She didn’t get the time to think anything apart from the topic she was working on. At one point of conversation with her publisher, her publisher told her,

"Do you know you should do acting apart from writing...the way you portray emotions...It's magical. If you can portray them in real...nothing can beat you becoming the most loved artist"

"Thanks mam" Sara just smiled shyly.

To everyone’s unknown, she wanna join film industry apart from her writings. That's a hidden wish of her that no one knew. She was engrossed in her work.

But there was a line that caught her attention,

The lines said,

"Kal gulaab ne pucha ki kiu uska rang mujhpe utar aya hain....

Maine jawab diya kiuki ishq ne dil main dastak diya hain...."

She blushed profusely. She knew that why but wasn't ready to admit.

Between constant meetings, brand shoots and others, Kartik could sip on his coffee once, but even then, he was responding to emails, checking in with his manager, and updating tasks on his to-do list. He knew he needed every second to make it in time for Sara.

When the meeting finally ended earlier than expected, Kartik breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to wrap everything up with just enough time to rush home and get ready. It wasn’t easy, but the thought of seeing Sara’s smile kept him going all day. His efforts had paid off.

By the time he was stepping out of the shower, hair still damp, Kartik checked his phone. A quick glance at the time told him he was right on schedule—he wouldn’t be late. He chose a simple but stylish outfit, something casual yet put together. As he ran his fingers through his hair and grabbed his keys, his heart raced in anticipation.

She was watching herself in the mirror while Ibrahim came from the back.

"Date?" he grinned.

"Nahi to kisne kaha?" Sara replied but flustered

"Dikh raha hain" he sighed.

"Esa kuch nahi hain"

"To kesa hain di...please explain"

"Just going out...random roaming around!"

"And who's the lucky guy?" He asked and she turned. She didn’t know that Ibrahim didn’t know. That was good in a way though.

"Someone" she said walking towards him like a butterfly and hit his head playfully before leaving.

When he arrived, Sara was already waiting, seated at a cozy table near the window, her face lighting up the moment she saw him.

"Sorry I’m late...last minute bhi ek call aa gaya aur late ho gaya" Kartik apologized, sitting opposite her, his breath slightly uneven from rushing over.

"You’re not late. Just on time...main thodi jaldi aa gayi," Sara reassured him, her understanding evident. "Busy day?"

"Insanely busy," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "But I wouldn’t miss this for the world"