Mafia's Heartbeat

16. Late Night Talks

K H U S H L E E N

I stepped inside, still lost in his thoughts.

His protectiveness....the way he looked at me....the way he said Little Panda... It all played on a loop in my mind. And then unknowingly, a wide smile crept onto my lips.

I bit my lower lip and closed my eyes, flustered, before lightly hitting my forehead with my palm.

"He's different...." I whispered to myself.

"Dangerously different. And maybe.... that's exactly why my heart won't stop racing."

I shook off my thoughts and walked toward the couch.

There she was...Meher, lying like a lifeless potato, hugging a pillow, completely zoned out while staring at the ceiling like it held the answer to the universe.

"Meher!" I called out.

No response.

I narrowed my eyes. "Meherrrr!!" I said louder this time.

Still. Nothing.

"What's gotten into her now?" I muttered under my breath, baffled by her trance-like state.

I sank down beside her and gave her shoulder a gentle shake.

"Huh...haan? What?" She blinked rapidly, snapping out of her daze as she sat upright.

"Oye, where exactly was your mind wandering?" I asked, brows still furrowed, staring at her as if she'd grown another head.

"N..nothing, just thinking about someone....I mean, something," she fumbled, her voice barely above a whisper as she diverted her gaze toward the floor.

Suspicion flared in my chest. There was a tremor in her voice she couldn't quite mask. But I let it go....for now.

"Alright," I murmured offering a small nod, though my eyes lingered on her face a moment longer.

Eager to change the subject, she quickly reached for my hands, clasping them gently in hers. "Tell me about your health. How are you feeling now?"

I smiled softly. "Relax, I'm perfectly fine. Honestly." I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "It's all thanks to Arjun. If he hadn't rushed me to the hospital in time...I don't even want to think about what could've happened."

She pulled me into an unexpected hug...tight and trembling with unspoken fear. "Thank God you're okay," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "For a second.... I thought I'd lost you."

She slowly pulled back, her eyes glistening as they met mine.

"And no doubt," she added, almost reflectively, "he's a good man... really. You should've seen him last night. His eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he could kill the man who shot you without so much as blinking. I was genuinely terrified."

She leaned back against the couch, still haunted by the image, her expression unreadable.

I hummed, trying to absorb her words . "Hmm...."

But then, something clicked.

My eyes narrowed as I turned to her sharply. "OYE! I was in the hospital last night...and you? Where were you ? "

"I...I was at home," she replied a little too fast. "Where else would I be?"

My suspicious only deepened. That tone. That hesitation. She couldn't even meet my eyes.

"Alone?" I asked, voice lower now, almost a whisper....but laced with steel.

I leaned forward, my eyes scanning her expression for even a flicker of a lie. "You stayed home.....ALONE ?"