Naira sobbed as she ran up the stairs towards the vestiges of light that escaped from what appeared like under the door. The bunny was snuggling into her chest, scared of the darkness. Although she was completely blank inside her head but she had an intuition that there was someone behind the door for sure. Perhaps he could help her and show her the way out. Naira's family was super protective of her, and they made sure that she always saw the world as a place that was filled with good people who are always willing to help. However they also made sure to inform her about the bad elements present around us. But maybe because she was stuck in a bad place that she clearly ignored the possibility that perhaps the people behind the door might be not super friendly or worse dangerous. Her anklets rang in the silent hall as she ran towards the door. The nearer she came to the door, clearer the voices inside the assumed room grew. There were multiple people behind the door, perhaps all men because the voices were gruff and manly. But she needed help ASAP and so she reached for the doorknob and failing to observe basic courtesies pushed the door open. Bright yellow light flashed into her eyes making her squint her eyes as the door swung open in front of her.
"I can't find my family." she cried innocently, her lips in a pout. Perhaps it was the sound of opening of the door or the voice of a crying girl which made the people inside the room turn their heads towards the door. They were peculiar faces in her opinion and none of them looked approachable to be honest. They fixed her with a curious gaze as she stood on the threshold with a small rabbit safely held in her arms. The bunny's nose twitched. Naira's eyes were filled with tears when she saw him.

She wasn't purposely watching him, I mean she was looking at each of them in hopes that one of them would try to help her. But he was somehow the most important person in the room therefore she looked at him hopefully, masking the fear in her eyes with helpless tears. He stood under the beautiful floral light, the light from which fell on his face. He was scarily tall, over 6'5 or more, more of a giant he was, had a robust build with thick, strong biceps and long, strong legs. He was dressed up in jet black pants, maroon half sleeve shirt over which was a black, double breasted waistcoat and his shoes were polished and black and looked expensive. But what stood out among everything else was his eyes, they were cold and had numerous emotions held in them. Honestly Naira felt uncomfortable under his stare, like why the heck was he not blinking. Perhaps he had some medical issue, oh poor man. Even if she wanted to be sympathetic towards him, something inside of her kept telling her otherwise. His mouth was very minutely parted but it was open for sure as he watched her keenly as if she was from some other planet. The men around, there were 10 of them, watched her with mixed emotions.
"Please help me find my family." she whispered, sobbing. She missed her parents, her grandparents, her siblings and even her friends.

Visheshwar was looking around the hotel anxiously. He couldn't find his little girl anywhere. His family was also looking for her but she was nowhere to be seen. As time was passing, he was growing more fearful and worried for his daughter.
"Dad she's not even outside. Is there any chance she might've gone to the other part of the hotel!!!!" Neil asked panting heavily. Visheshwar's face went pallid.

Naira watched the men as they looked at her rather displeasingly. Not their fault to be honest, they have never seen a little girl fooling around this part of the premises of the hotel.
"Find my father please..." she pleaded innocently, tears rolling down her chubby, baby like cheeks. The man in the front, with grey eyes was all set to voice his displeasure.
"Look girl...."
"Find her father." a thick, husky, low pitched masculine voice said from the centre of the room. Naira looked up and found the 'most important man' ,still staring at her with some curious emotions in his eyes, said from the centre. He was in actual, surrounded by these other men. Now all the other men looked up at him in shock. Naira felt slightly relieved but still much uneasy and scared.
"But boss....."
"FIND HER FATHER." he, for the first time, diverted his gaze to the man who was voicing his dissent and spoke threateningly. The men quickly stood up with a start and bounded outside the door to find her father.

Mahesh and his family were now scared for their precious little girl. They weren't able to find her anywhere. She just had vanished in thin air somehow.
"I told you not to come here. This place is dangerous but you just don't listen." Mahesh rebuked Visheshwar who had tears in his eyes after not finding his daughter anywhere.
"Relax guys we'll have plenty of time at our home to pin blame on each other, right now let's find Nayu. Neil come let us check in the other part of the hotel." Nilima declared as she firmly strode outside the door. Neil quickly followed her.

Naira was alone with that strange man. He still was staring at her face without blinking and without shame. She was still standing on the threshold, hesitant to come in. But thankfully he ushered her inside with his hand. Naira was very tired, therefore she quickly relented without any argument whatsoever. There was nothing to argue honestly, I mean he was just being polite. She was too frightened of him to speak or even extend a simple gratitude for his chivalry, hence she quietly took a seat on the couch kept close to the window. The bunny was shaking in her arms.
"Ooh poor bunny....it's ok. Don't panic. They'll find my father and then I'll take you to my home." she whispered caressing his fur to ease him. Her eyes looked up and she found a slight curve on the lips of the man. Was he smiling??? No way, you don't smile like that after all. His stare gave her chills and she decided to keep her eyes averted for the same reason. He still was standing, there were plenty of chairs to sit on but he chose to stand for some reason. There was utter silence in the room and even outside the room. She wanted to ask him why was everything so dark and monotonous here but she thought better of it. I mean the man looked too creepy to start a conversation in the first place. On the other hand, she could feel her limbs feeling stiff and her eyes heavy.
*********
The wind howled in the silent backyard of the hotel. The leaves swirled in the eddies of wind as the wind transported them to places far away and sometimes far less trodden. A sickle shaped moon peaked from between the cleft of clouds surrounded by a vast sea of twinkling stars. Naira had fallen asleep on the couch, the bunny on the other hand was biting the shoes of the man who sat kneeling beside her, watching her mesmerised. Poor little rabbit was trying all he could to ward off this sinful creature but he just was no match to him. He watched her as she slept peacefully on the couch, her head leaning on the arm of the couch and her stomach rising up and down slowly. He recalled how she came into the room, eyes clouded with tears, wearing a beautiful pink floral lehenga with silver motifs carrying that cursed creature in her pretty arms. Jealously is a human thing, which is why he waited for a perfect time to wrench that bunny out of her little arms, taking full caution not to hurt her even a little, before throwing him on the floor. He recalled her little, quivering lips pushed up in a cute pout, a kissable pout if you ask him. He brought his hands up, his fingers trying to reach her face. Something inside him pulled him back and he chuckled smoothly. He placed his arm on the head of the sofa enabling himself to lean closer to her and study every single feature of her perfect face. She had a baby face and a childlike innocence in her eyes. She stirred something inside him, something called a burning desire....a desire to hold her, to touch her, to kiss her, to punish her, to protect her and to immure her even if it was against her will. He very gently pushed away few strands of hairs from her face, taking full caution not to wake her up. All of a sudden his eyes fell down on the floor. He caught sight of her dupatta skimming the floor. Quickly he picked it up and deposited it safely on her tummy. A smile appeared on his lips as he saw her scrunching her nose in sleep, her lips once again in a pout.

As he was smiling, he remembered that he hadn't checked her dupatta for any dirt. Quickly he grabbed the dupatta and scanned it carefully with his eyes, there was not even a speck of dirt but just to be extra sure he rubbed her dupatta on his Armani waistcoat so to remove even the ghost of any particle of dirt. Once satisfied, he placed the garment back on her tummy. The rabbit was still trying to attack him in every way possible. The little creature wanted this danger to stay away from his precious human. He could watch her all day long and still wouldn't feel bored. She was so damn beautiful after all.

All of a sudden there broke a babel of voices downstairs. The man was irked. They're going to wake her up and he would kill them if she's up. He looked down at her anxiously, she was shifting uncomfortably on the couch. He leaned more closer to her, ready to catch her in his arms if she turns towards his side. Naira was still half asleep when the noise reached her ears. She was at someplace which was absolutely warm and comfortable. However she could feel a hot breath right upon her nose. Maybe it was because of the noise or because of the slightly uneasy feeling of a body hovering over her, she woke up with a start. The man stood up and stepped back, straightening his waistcoat. He wasn't really sure how she would react after finding a total stranger staring at her as she slept, therefore he believed it was better if she woke up and found no face directly over hers. Amongst the confused cacophony downstairs, she identified her father's voice and quickly sprang out of the couch.
"Dad....." she whispered relieved as she ran out of the room, cleanly forgetting the man who took her in and sent for her father.

Visheshwar shouted for his daughter while the men who came and told him his daughter's whereabouts pleaded him not to shout like a donkey. Suddenly he saw his daughter running downstairs, crying pitifully.
"Oh my little girl!!!" he whispered as he captured her in his big, warm arms, thanking God for giving his daughter back.
"Papa..... I was so scared....." she hiccuped as she sobbed snuggling into his arms. How safe it felt to be around him, unlike the creepy and totally unsafe feeling she was having when she was with that strange man.
"Thank you so much sirs!!! Thank you!!" he thanked the men who looked pissed off with both daddy and daughter. After all they never wanted to go and launch a search operation for the father  of a little girl, they were made to do all this. When the men looked up, they found their boss standing behind the parapet of the corridor upstairs and gesturing them to come up. The men nodded at once and ran upstairs. Shortly afterwards, Naira and her father left from there.

Naira was sitting in her grandparents room, her head on her grandmother's lap.
"We told you not to wander away!!! You will take our lives one day" her mother scolded her. Naira pouted.
"I never wandered away mom it was the bunny......HAWWWWWWW!!!!" she sat up on the bed with a start. Her family looked at her anxiously.
"What is it dear???" asked her father. Naira made a crying face.
"I forgot the bunny. Oh God now what will happen to him!!!" she said plaintively. Visheshwar sighed.
"He's a wild animal. He knows how to survive. But you tell me one thing, how did you asked those men to come searching for us???" asked Nilima. Naira yawned.
"It wasn't me. It was that man....he helped me. He was creepy but he was kind you know." she told her sister innocently.
"And why would he do that??? Dispatching an entire unit of men just to search for a perfect stranger's family, it doesn't sits well with me at least. There's something odd here!!!" said Nilima seriously. Neil huffed.
"Oh come on Sherlock!!!! Sometimes people are nice for no reason. And look, Nayu is back with us safe and sound. There's nothing to worry anymore. Let's not think about him or those men." Neil said calmly. Nilima was still not fully convinced.
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