Zeeshan’s Pov

I saw her walking away after that girl proposed to me, and I know it shouldn’t have affected me, but all I wanted to know was how she felt after witnessing it.

The band—it was a promise band.I had been wearing it on a chain around my neck, a gentle reminder of who I belong to, even if I hate her.

I couldn’t throw it away, not after that sacred bond we made that day.

And I think it is damn time, I start wearing that band around my finger.

A declaration to all those girls around here that I will never reciprocate their feelings because a certain someone had been having me on chokehold for more than a year and I don’t think I could ever move on.

Sighing, I grabbed my chain and unclasped it. The band fell into my palm—a reminder of what happened that day, a secret I’ve been keeping safely.

After putting the chain back on, I slipped the promise band onto my finger.

It felt strange.

The weight of the band didn’t feel scary; in fact, it felt like it was meant to be there.

Later, during training, I made sure to flaunt the band so those girls would stay away from me—and so she wouldn’t feel insecure, even if there’s nothing between us anymore.

And after training I took the band off, securing it once again around my neck, because I couldn’t let my family know about it. Not yet.

Ayesha's POV

I was taking a stroll in the dorm garden, alone, because I wanted some time to clear my mind. Today, during training when I saw him wearing that promise band, my heart skipped multiple beats, more than once.

What did that mean? Did he wear it just to keep the girls away from him? Or was he trying to tell me something?

My hand unconsciously went to my chain. I had been wearing this chain for more than a year now, with MY promise band attached to it.

I had kept it safe even though I thought he had thrown it away, because I just couldn’t get rid of it. It was the only memory of him that I could truly call mine.

The buzzing of my phone pulled me out of my thoughts. Sighing, I took a deep breath and picked up the call.

“Hello,” I said after answering.

“The man you are looking for. Stop it,” said a random voice before the call abruptly ended.

Huh?

I looked at the caller ID. It was an international number. I tried calling back, but the number was switched off. Who was that?

I quickly called Riti and asked her to come down. She arrived two minutes later, huffing and puffing. After giving her a moment to catch her breath, I told her about the call. We decided to take Vidit’s help to track the number.

“Hi baby, what’s up?” came Vidit’s voice as Ritika called him.

“Vid, we need your help,” Ritika said.

“What happened?” Vidit asked, his tone laced with concern. Ritika looked at me and nodded.

“Hi Vidit bhai, Ayesha here. We need your help to track a phone number. Can you do that?” I asked.

“Whose number? Is someone bothering you both?” he asked, and we could hear some shuffling on the other end.

“No, please don’t ask any questions and just help us,” I replied quickly.

“Fine, text me the number,” he said with a sigh.

We sent it to him, and after an hour or two, he called back saying the number didn’t exist.

“Ayesha Mehra,” came Zeeshan’s loud voice.

Vidit, you piece of shit, couldn’t you keep your mouth shut?

“You go back, I’ll see you in the room,” I told Ritika. She nodded reluctantly and left.

When I turned, I saw him walking toward me in long strides. As he reached me, he gently grabbed my wrist and dragged me into a room. It was the storeroom on the ground floor, a place no one really visited because it was quite dark.

“What?” I said, jerking my hand away from his grip. He caught my wrists again and pulled me closer.

“Are you in trouble? Is someone bothering you?” he asked, his voice soft yet deep.

“No.”

“Don’t lie. You wouldn’t get a warning call out of nowhere just for fun,” he said through gritted teeth, glaring at me intensely.

“It was probably a wrong number. Why are you getting so worked up?” I muttered, trying to move away, but his grip only tightened.

“What are you trying to do, huh?” he said, bringing his face closer…close enough to make my heart race.

“What am I trying to do?” I asked, confused. He didn’t answer, just kept staring with those composed yet soft eyes.

“Stop staring,” I muttered, looking down, my cheeks heating up.

He pushed me softly against the wall, trapping me between his arms, and said quietly, “Stop troubling others.”

..and left.

Zeeshan's pov

I felt like my world was collapsing when Vidit told me about the phone call. When we tracked that number, it turned out to be from Thailand, the same country where he is hiding.

I instantly left everything and went to look for her. Fortunately, I was still at the CBI office near their academy since I was investigating a case.

He is a part of my life that constantly reminds me of my failure, and I will not let him get anywhere near her. And her soft eyes are a reminder of what must be protected even if I die from inside.

Her red cheeks, her soft eyes- they urged me to hide her in my arms and that's why immediately after leaving her in that storeroom, I called my private investigator.

“Did you find out?” I asked as he picked up the call after two or three rings.
He sighed and replied, “We are on it, sir. It seems he has fled to another country again.”

“Am I paying you and your team to have a world tour? I need his whereabouts within the next ten days or consider yourself fired,” I snapped sharply.

“Yes, sir,” came his firm reply, and with that, I disconnected the call.

“You should stop shouting at people in front of a dorm building. People sleep at this hour,” came a voice that is etched into my mind and soul.

Turning around, I sighed and muttered, “Go back to your room.”

“And who are you to order me around? Last I checked, it wasn’t me dragging myself to that storeroom,” she replied, narrowing her eyes at me.

Damn this stubborn girl.

Softly grabbing her wrists, I pulled her toward me. She collided with my chest, squealing. “Do not interfere in my business. I am not obligated to inform you of everything or listen to your baseless talks.”

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, still in my arms, her voice filled with worry. I looked away from her. I couldn’t let myself soften.

“Zeeshan, can we forget our past and start over, please?” she asked softly, hesitation clear in her tone.

“You really think I’d repeat the same mistakes again?” I said firmly, though inside I was anything but that.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“What I mean is, Miss Ayesha Mehra, you are a mistake I’d never repeat,” I muttered, clenching my wrist, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Stay away from me, from my life.”And just like that, after steadying her, I left. I couldn’t stay there knowing I had hurt her again.

I made sure not to turn around, because I knew the moment I did, I’d end up running back to pull her into my arms.

But it’s better this way. She needs to stay away from me, from my life, and from the dangers that come with it.

I’ll be content if this distance means keeping her safe.