— Word Count: 1950

October 18, 2022

JIMMIE, utterly exhausted from a day spent battling the chaotic streets of Delhi, couldn't fathom why people in this city disregarded all rules when navigating through the crowded hustle and bustle.

Struggling through the labyrinth of Khan Market, it took him a nerve-wracking twenty minutes to finally locate his cab. The driver looked rather irritated, like he was ready to abandon Jimmie, but thankfully, he stuck around. To Jimmie's surprise, the cabbie even lent a hand with his bags.

As Jimmie stood before the cab, he felt the driver's suspicious gaze upon him. He pondered briefly whether this old man recognized him, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Despite being a star in his own country, he knew India held misconceptions and prejudices against South Koreans, particularly idols like himself, a fact he was all too aware of.

Dreaming of holding an international concert, Jimmie's timing couldn't have been worse. However, he was determined to leave his teammates with a triumphant memory and a sense of accomplishment. He accepted the offer only and especially for Bow-Wow! As the leader of the group, it was his responsibility to ensure that they all had a cherished last memory.

Although unknown to many, Bow-Wow! still boasted a considerable fanbase in India. He had made sure that his company chose a place where he wouldn't be swallowed by an overwhelming crowd. It was easy to convince them because of that incident, when his hate for his fans reached his thresh hold.

The total journey was supposed to be twenty minutes, but the traffic made it worse. Jimmie marvelled at the busy street at night, his eyelids feeling heavy as he continued to look out of the window. He did not know when he drifted off to sleep.

"Mister Dooly," he heard an unfamiliar voice ring through his ears, "aapka phone baj rha h!"

After a few fleeting seconds, the car's pace decelerated, and a gentle nudge on his knees snapped Jimmie awake. He peered at the perpetrator, who had dared to steal his precious sleep.

Dooly? He wondered for a second before remembering that he was not supposed to be using his real name, and his secretary had probably entered his name as Dooly in the app.

Bastard.

"Your phone," the driver locked eyes with him, a hint of mockery in his smirk. "Dooly Ji," he added.

Jimmie shifted lazily in his seat, retrieving his phone from the depths of his black leather jacket. His entire attire, except for a yellow t-shirt, was draped in dark shades.

Despite the late hour, the traffic showed no signs of easing. The car halted at a stubborn red light.

Ignoring the driver's taunting comments, Jimmie focused on his phone's screen, discovering a flurry of missed calls and numerous messages. His phone's display showed a time slightly after half-past midnight.

"Wow," he reacted with a mix of surprise and amusement, raising his eyebrows and pouting his lips.

As he scrolled through the messages, all from the same person questioning his whereabouts and unresponsive phone, the last message stood out: 'Make sure you cover your face in public.'

'Dozed off. Sorry. Remember to wear your mask during the journey. Will join you soon. Don't forget to pack the clothes I left.' Jimmie typed and pressed send.

His gaze drifted to the outside world, observing an unending line of cars trailing one another. Despite functioning traffic lights, the road remained jam-packed.

"It must be because of the hospitals," he mused, mentally noting the two prominent medical centers on the left. Ambulances lined up, and anxious crowds surrounded the hospital gates.

As the signal turned green, the driver attempted to speed up, but the engine groaned and came to an abrupt stop.

The sudden halt caused Jimmie's head to collide with the back of the front seat, and he let out a curse, feeling the pain shoot through his nose. "What on earth just happened?!"

His heart pounded as he glanced at the panic-stricken driver. Following the driver's terrified gaze, his eyes fell upon a mysterious figure, a woman, right in front of the car. Her face was obscured by a cascade of hair, but her presence exuded an air of desperation. She clung to the car's bonnet, as if desperately trying to save herself from some unseen danger.

Jimmie saw the tears first. Her lip color was smudged across her face in an attempt to wipe the tears. The red of her lipstick contributed to the dramatic effect emanating from her expression. Her brown eyes looked lost; scared.

The cacophony of car horns broke his trance, and the driver's agitated shouts jolted him back to reality. He was clearly agitated, but not enough to get out of the car.

Driven by a surge of empathy, Jimmie reached for the car door, his mind set on leaping out to assist her. However, he hesitated for a moment, realizing he had removed his mask during the cab ride. Swiftly, he covered his face, then threw open the car door, rushing toward the girl.

She had released her grip on the bonnet and now crouched down, clutching her left bare foot. Abandoned high heels lay nearby, seemingly discarded in haste. The chill of the night engulfed her scantily clad figure, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.

"Are you okay?" he walked closer to her, genuinely concerned.

"I killed her, Sammy!" her voice croaked, shaky. She looked up and their eyes met. Instantly, she craned her neck towards the hospital and frantically searched for someone.

The idol was stunned for a moment. He recognized her immediately. He hadn't had a good look at her face from the back of the car, but seeing her up close; he was sure it was her.

The girl who tried to attack me with a pen.

Without wasting a second, he removed his jacket and put it on her. His body was moving on its own. He helped her get up, supporting her dainty shoulders.

The driver also exited the car but instead of helping her, started shouting. "Dekh kar nahi chal skti?! What if something happened? I would have been blamed!"

"I am sorry!" she exclaimed, flustered.

Amidst the growing crowd and incessant car honking, her eyes welled up with tears as she continued to apologize to the driver. She attempted to pick up her sandals and walk away, but her trembling legs gave way, causing her to collapse to the ground again.

Whispers rippled through the gathering onlookers, and some couldn't resist taking out their phones to capture the dramatic scene. Her whole body shook with vulnerability.

Jimmie recognized the pain etched on her face; he had experienced it before. As the crowd's presence suffocated him, he felt an overwhelming desire to escape, but not at the cost of leaving her stranded. Jimmie's heart raced, and his breathing grew shallow, but he knew he couldn't abandon her in distress.

His hand trembled as he finally mustered the courage to bend down, pulling her close into a tender embrace, shielding her from the prying eyes. She tensed up initially, trying to break free, but he held her firmly, offering a comforting haven from the surrounding chaos.

"Breathe..." he whispered in her ear. "Just breathe."

As he held her close, he felt the tension slowly ebbing away from her body, and her breaths became long and steady. In that tender moment, a curious thought crossed his mind—did he smell okay?

As her trembling subsided, she looked up at him with inquisitive eyes, taking in his appearance for the first time. Her brows furrowed, as if trying to decipher a puzzle, but then they shot up in recognition. A spark of familiarity twinkled in her gaze, and he couldn't help but feel a warm rush of affection toward this intriguing stranger.

"Where were you headed?" he asked her.

"My car..." she mumbled.

He paused for a second and then asked, "Can you walk?"

She separated herself from his support and looked down at her feet. He followed her gaze. It was swollen.

"I guess not," she replied.

"Then you can't drive either," he declared, and suddenly swooped her up in his arms.

"Wha—" she started but the growing murmurs around her made her hide her face in his neck.

Once he settled her into the back seat of his cab, the driver stared at them with a dumbfounded expression. Undeterred, Jimmie closed the door after making sure she was comfortable and then positioned himself in the front passenger seat.

The driver returned to his spot, his eyes still wide with disbelief and curiosity.

"What?" Jimmie exclaimed, "I know her. She tried to attack me with a pen."

The driver's disbelief was evident, but he shook his head, seemingly unable to comprehend the situation, and started the car.

"Are you kidnapping me?" the newest addition in the car asked, her voice feeble.

Jimmie chuckled, "Just relax."

He noticed how she pursed her lips, shying away from his gaze, and then averted her face before finally closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

✿

SAMARTH paced back and forth in front of his nani's bed. She had calmed down as soon as the nurses had walked in, with Tara behind them. They administered her some medicines and warned her not to shout again.

Tara looked upset with the whole situation. She still had Niti's phone with her.

"Nani, why would you do this to me?" He rubbed his face with his hand. "You know how much I love her. Why do you keep making me choose between you and her?"

"Don't talk about this in front of Tara beti." she said.

"No!" Sam exclaimed. "She absolutely needs to know. She is a part of our family."

Tara looked from Sam to Nani, confused.

"Do you not like her?" she asked her grandma. When she didn't get any verbal response, she looked at Sam and questioned him. "Why though?"

"She thinks Niti just wants to show off her wealth."

"It is not just that!" Nani practically spat the words out.

"Of course not! It is about our castes, isn't it?" Sam finally let it out. "It's the 21st Century Nani. No one cares about that shit now! Plus, if they did, Niti should be the one not associating with us!"

"Bhai," Tara interjected, "Niti di was crying when she left the room."

"I should call her. I didn't mean to shout." he sighed.

"You can't. I have her phone." Tara passed the phone to him.

"Uh Tara, why didn't you tell me sooner?" he complained and dashed out of the room.

She might still be here.

He sprinted at full tilt, driven by the urgency to reach her. He had to make things right, and the tickets he hadn't given her yet remained tucked securely in his pocket.

Sam rushed out of the hospital, his breath heavy from the exertion. As he emerged onto the road, he noticed a crowd had gathered, and his mind briefly questioned if it was because of an accident.

His primary focus, however, was on finding Niti. Relieved to spot her car exactly where they had left it, he eased his pace, hoping she was safe.

His curiosity couldn't resist a glance back at the accident site.

And then, in an instant, his heart skipped a beat—Nits?

He started to move toward the crowd, but he froze in his tracks, disbelief washing over him as he saw Niti cuddling up against a stranger, who was now taking her into his car. The world seemed to blur around him, as if time itself had slowed, and he was left there, torn between confusion, heartache, and the unyielding desire to understand what was happening before his eyes.

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A/N

Hello again, kawaiis! Hope you all are well. I have been going through some rough patch, but writing this is one thing I wanna keep doing.

I hope you liked the chapter. What do you think of Jimmie How do you feel about Niti and Jimmie's interaction? What about Sam? Comment below!

There were some sentences in Hindi. I chose sentences that, even if not understood, don't impact the reading. I will comment inline with the translations if you wanna know :) 

Please feel free to point out grammatical mistakes or any other problems that you face. I hope to finish and edit everything based on the reviews. Just be nice, guys (:

Love you all!

Votes and shares are much appreciated!