Tum Dena Mera Saath (Complete)

Ch. 2

A few days later.

Rakshit felt an odd sense of unease. Naina, who had never missed a day of college, had been absent for two days in a row. Worry slowly crept in, and by the third day, Rakshit was visibly disturbed. Something was clearly wrong, and it was unlike Naina to just disappear.

Unable to shake the feeling of dread, Rakshit decided it was time to take action. He enlisted the help of their friends, Aalekh and Pooja. Together, they made a plan: Aalekh and Pooja would ring the front doorbell and keep whoever answered distracted, while Rakshit would sneak around to the back of the house. The goal was to check on Naina, and if something was wrong, they would get her help.

When they reached her house, the plan went into motion. Rakshit, now behind the house, carefully positioned himself near the back window. He peered inside, his heart racing as he searched for any sign of Naina. Finally, he spotted something. In a dimly lit broom closet, there was a figure sleeping on the floor.

With a sigh of relief, Rakshit realized that the window was open, and it was his chance. He made his way inside, carefully sliding into the room as quietly as possible. He moved closer, the air thick with anticipation. As he peered at the figure on the floor, his stomach twisted in horror.

It was Naina. But she didn't look like the vibrant, strong woman he knew. Her face was a mess. One of her eyes was swollen and bruised black, her lips torn, and a large bruise marred her cheek. Rakshit's breath caught in his throat. His knees buckled as a wave of shock and anger hit him. 

Rakshit had always known that Naina's family was abusive, but he had assumed it was just verbal. The painful reality in front of him was far worse. As he placed his hand on Naina's forehead, he realized with a sinking heart that she was running a high fever.

His worry grew as he quickly pulled out his phone, typing a message to Aalekh. He instructed him to stall Naina's uncle and aunt for as long as possible. Then, with a sense of urgency, Rakshit hurried to the kitchen to cook some instant noodles. While waiting for them to cook, he rummaged through the medicine cabinet, gathering pain relief medicine for Naina before heading back to her room.

"Oi, Naina? Wake up!" Rakshit said, shaking her gently but firmly.

Naina moaned softly in pain and blinked her eyes open, confused. It took a few moments before she could process what was happening. Her best friend was really there, standing in front of her. She sat up in surprise. "Ra-Rakshit? What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"I don't have time for questions right now. Here, eat this quickly," he said, pushing a bowl of hot noodles into her hands.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She had never felt so alone, but here her friends were, showing the care her family never did. "Thank you," she whispered, taking the bowl from him.

"Hurry up. Aalekh and Pooja are keeping your uncle and aunt busy, but I don't know how long they can manage," Rakshit explained as she began eating. Once she was done, he handed her the pain medicine, tucking the rest of the packet behind a box. "Take these later. I'll come back tomorrow," he said, giving her a reassuring smile before sneaking out the way he came.

Rakshit's heart was heavy with anger and concern as he headed back to Shikhawat house. He filled Aalekh and Pooja in on what he had seen. "I wish I could just take her away from those horrible people... isn't there any way?" Rakshit muttered, frustrated.

"There is a way... but it involves another party, and whether that party is good or not is another story..." Pooja trailed off, shrugging.

"What's the way?" Aalekh asked, curious.