Recap: Naveen cornered me in the alley.

"Talk about what?" I demanded, my voice wavering despite my best attempt to sound confident.

He didn’t respond immediately. His jaw tightened, his gaze drilling into mine, boring holes on my soul.I gulped, feeling the slightest creep. Okay, maybe not slight-est—but yeah.

"Do you hate me?" he asked suddenly, his voice low and steady.

I blinked, caught off guard. Hate him? My brain cells scrambled, flipping through every corner of my mind like they were frantically searching for a misplaced file. Did I hate him? The answer wasn’t exactly labeled and waiting for me to grab.

How was I supposed to answer it? Yes? No? Maybe? A bit!

"What are you talking about?" I shot back, sharper than I intended, my defenses kicking in. But I couldn’t stop the crack in my voice.

Couldn’t he hear it? Couldn’t he see the way my hands trembled as I waved them around in some vague, panicked gesture? Wasn’t that enough of a clue?

I didn't hate him, but I definitely fear him.

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t move. Just stood there, waiting.

"I didn’t steal the file,I would never steal it." he spat out all of a sudden, the words spilling out like they’d been caged for too long. His hands flexed at his sides, fingers curling, then straightening.
"Just think about it Aisha. We both worked on the project, pulled an all night, I had every opportunity to steal if I wanted to."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

"That a*sh*le Ryan framed me." His voice sharpened, but it wasn’t anger that cut through—it was frustration, raw and biting.

"He’s got everyone looking at me like I’m some kind of criminal. But I didn’t take it. I wouldn’t—" His voice cracked, and he looked away, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

"So do you hate me now?" He repeated, again. The shadows softened the hard angles of his face, but the pain there was impossible to miss. And yet... a part of me hesitated.

"Then why disappear right after the incident?" I pointed out, "You could’ve fought back."

He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head.
"They’ve taken everything from me, and no one listened. No one. There's no point, who'd believe me?"

"I would!" The words slipped out before I could stop them. My voice softened as I added, "What really happened that day, Naveen?"

For a moment, he didn’t answer. His gaze dropped to the cracked pavement beneath our feet, his shoulders rising and falling with uneven breaths.

"My landlord kicked me out the day before the file went missing." he began, his voice low, almost a whisper. Running a hand through his hair, his movements jerky, like he was trying to shake the memory loose.

"No calls, no warning. Just shoved my stuff out and changed the locks. I spent that night at the bus station. Do you know what it’s like trying to keep it together after that? To walk into work the next day like everything’s fine?"

My breath caught, as I imagined Naveen who's always so composed, so sure—sleeping at a bus station.

"By the time I found a room and came back, the office was in chaos. And Ryan..." He let out a slow, shaky exhale, his gaze fixed behind my shoulder. "Ryan was already planting seeds. By the time anyone bothered to ask me, they’d already decided I was guilty."

I stared at him, lost. The sudden disclosure, gnawed my heart.

"You could’ve said something—" I started, slow and meek.

"To who?" he cut me off abruptly, and looked at me again, his eyes hollowed by exhaustion. His lips pressed into a tight line. "Everyone looked at me like I was already guilty.”

"I didn’t know," I said, barely above a whisper.

"No," he agreed, his voice softer now. "You didn’t."

For a moment, we just stood there in silence. His shoulders rose and fell in uneven breaths, and so did mine.

"I didn’t fight back because I was scared, Aisha." he started again, his voice softened, barely above a whisper now, as though the words had been buried for too long. "Not just of Ryan, but of losing you. And when I saw the way you looked at me, like I was already guilty…" He broke off, shaking his head. "I didn’t know how to come back from that."

Guilt twisted in my chest, sharp and unrelenting. I opened my mouth to apologize, but he took another step closer, his voice trembling with a vulnerability I’d never seen in him before.

"I should’ve said this sooner, but I—" He paused, holding my gaze.
"I care about you, Aisha."

Wait! Hold up! Was he.. about to say what I think he's about to say?
Oh God! No. No. No.

"Naveen…" I tried to cut him off.

"More than I should. More than I thought I could."

Oh my God, this was happening.

"Please—" I tried again, but the man was on a roll.

"I love you, Aisha. I’ve loved you for longer than I care to admit. And maybe it doesn’t matter now—not after everything—but I needed you to know."

And there it was. The L-bomb. My ears buzzed, my palms went sweaty, and my brain crashed harder than my laptop during an important deadline.

Love? He loved me? ME?

"I'm sorry but I need air!"I blurted,without waiting for a response, I spun on my heel.

"Aisha!" Naveen’s voice echoed behind me, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.
What was I even supposed to say?

‘Oh, wow, thanks for loving me, let me just hit restart on my brain real quick’?
Yeah, no. Not happening.

I marched down the alley like my life depended on it, my bag bouncing against my side. Except my legs couldn’t decide if I was walking, jogging, or doing some awkward in-between shuffle that made me nearly trip over.

"Aisha!" Naveen called again, worried and exasperated, but I waved a hand without turning around.

"It’s fine! I’m fine! Just need a minute!"

It was not fine. I was not fine. My brain kept replaying the moment on a loop.

'I love you, Aisha. I’ve loved you for longer than I care to admit.'

The words felt too big to fit in my head, let alone my chest. I've always wanted to hear it, but now... I just want to run.

Behind me, his footsteps quickened. He was following me.

Oh no. Oh no no no—

"Naveen!" I whipped around, nearly stumbling again. He froze a few feet away, eyebrows raised, his face etched with concern.

"Stay there!" I ordered, pointing a shaky finger. "I just need—uh—space. Oxygen. Time to—digest things!"

"Digest?" Naveen’s brows furrowed, and he let out a breathless, sarcastic laugh. "Aisha, you’re panicking—"

"I- I’m not.. panicking!" I shot back, gesturing wildly. "This is just… processing. Loudly. And with movement."

"Aisha, please," Naveen said, stepping closer, his voice cracking under the weight of his desperation. "You don’t understand. I’ve been holding this in for so long, and I can’t anymore. Not when everything’s falling apart." His hand reached out, brushing against my arm. The contact sent a jolt through me— but surprisingly not the kind that made my heart flutter, but the kind that made my skin crawl.

I instinctively took a step back, raising my hands as a barrier between us. "Naveen, no," I said firmly, my voice steady despite the panic rising in my chest. "Stop there."

He froze for a moment, his face crumpling, but then he shook his head, his desperation bubbling over. "I didn’t mean— I just—please, listen to me! I’ve already lost everything—my job, my reputation. I can’t lose you too, Aisha. You’re all I have left"

His hand reached out again, hovering as if unsure whether to push further or pull back. My heart pounded as I stepped back once more, my voice sharper this time. "No. Stop it."

"I- just...please," he whispered, his eyes glassy, as he tried to inch even closer. "I need you to understand. I can’t do this without you. I just need—"

"She said stop."

The interruption made both of us freeze. The voice was sharp, authoritative, and so startlingly familiar I didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was.

"Ryan!" I yelped, spinning toward him, my tone landing somewhere between disbelief and relief.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Naveen spat, his tone defensive as he straightened to his full height, trying to match Ryan’s imposing presence.

Ryan ignored him, his piercing gaze fixed on me as he walked towards me.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, once he was done checking for any wounds on me.

I swallowed hard, my head spinning as I nodded.

"She’s fine," Naveen cut in from behind, a sharp hiss following his words.

"She’s not fine," Ryan growled, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Naveen. "Not with you breathing down her neck like that." He took a deliberate step closer to me, his posture rigid, his tone dangerously calm. "She told you to stop. So I suggest you obey her."

"You don’t get to tell me what to do," Naveen shot back, his voice rising, fists curling at his sides.

Ryan tilted his head, his jaw tightening as a dangerous smirk tugged at his lips.
"Want me to show you why I can?"

Oh shit. This was escalating way too fast.

I stepped forward, waving my hands between them in hope I could somehow swat away the ridiculous tension crackling in the air.

"Okay, time out," I said, forcing a laugh that sounded far more hysterical than I wanted.
"Will you both calm down? Remember.. uh- someone.. said spread Love, not hate? Huh? So.. don't fight. It's.. bad!" My eyes flicked between them.

They didn’t even flinch. Typical male!

Naveen’s shoulders were squared, while Ryan stood there with the kind of quiet, dangerous calm that screamed 'try me'. And here I was, stuck between a storm and a brick wall, questioning every life choice that had led me to this.

I've already witnessed their brawl, the very last thing I wanted was to witness it again.

Honestly, I've seen Naveen fighting Dhruv( in case you've forgotten, he was my suitor.) but Naveen and Ryan? This was way more intense, and scarier than most of the flights I've seen in my whole life.

"Naveen," I started, turning to him first because, frankly, he looked like the more immediate threat to common sense. "You need to take a deep breath and walk away."

"I’m not walking away from this," he snapped, his voice sharp. "Not when he's—"

"Oh my God, save it!" I cut in, throwing my hands up. "Ryan, do not open your mouth."

But of course, Ryan opened his mouth.

"I mean, she’s got a point," he said, his tone maddeningly calm, but his words carrying a lethal edge. "You’re not exactly coming out of this looking great."

Naveen’s jaw tightened. I groaned. Why God? Why?

"Ryan, will you shut up?" I hissed, spinning toward him.

He raised a brow, his lips twitching in what might’ve been a smirk if the situation weren’t so dire.
"What? I’m just stating facts."

"Okay, you're making it worse. Do you really want to see me worry, is that what you want?"

His smirk vanished, and his gaze flicked to me, softer now. For a second, I thought he might back down. Silly me.

"You don’t have to worry about me," he said, his voice low enough that it sent a shiver up my spine. Then he turned his attention back to Naveen, his tone sharpening again.
"But you..you should worry about yourself."

And there it was. They were back at it, glaring like their lives depended on it, the space between them shrinking with every second.

Panic clawed at my chest. This was getting bad. Really bad. I had two options: let this spiral into a full-on alley fight or intervene and end up taking few punches myself.

Neither was a great option. And I realised that I can't save both of them, I can only take one. My eyes flicked between Naveen and Ryan.

Okay. I've got this!

Without giving a second thought, I hurried over. My heart pounded vigorously, but I had to make this move. It was the only safest thing I could think/do. Setting my eyes up on the target, I braced myself and curled my toes to launch myself.

Leaping high enough to set a world record, I grabbed Ryan by the ear and yanked. Hard.

"Hey—ow! Ow! Ow!" he yelped, his eyes wide as saucers.
To be honest, he could've swat me away like a fly, but did he?

No.
Instead he cower in his knees to my level, wincing and whining.Without wasting any second I started dragging him toward the street, while he walked stumbling after me.

He tried to pry my hand off, but I tightened my grip. "Is this really necessary?"

"Oh, you don’t get to complain," I snapped, not slowing down. My heart was still pounding, but at least I was moving us out of the danger zone. "You brought this on yourself."

Behind us, Naveen sputtered something that made me take a swift glance back.

And that’s when I saw it.

Crap! F*ck! Crap!

Naveen wasn’t just sputtering—he was charging towards us, his face twisted in rage and a knife gleaming in his hand.

Time slowed. My heart stopped. Ryan was oblivious, still grumbling under his breath, but all I could focus on was the weapon swinging up, aimed right at him.

"Ryan, RUN!"

*******

Hi guys! Please vote.
And the story might be dumb now, but it'll get dumber/dumbest by the end of it. I promise.

Because. Who's here for a serious, life lessons, philosophical blabber?
Anyone? If yes, I sincerely apologise, and ask you to not read a rom-com, silly, not melodramatic love story of Aisha.

She's Aisha. What do you expect?

Oh! One more thing.

Warning ⚠️
I strongly warn children,(although I know you're not) to not play with sharp things.

Wait! I don't need to censor knife. Do I?

Please comment if I have to.

That's all.. I think..

~bye