One month.
Thirty days of messages.
Thirty nights of late conversations.
Countless smiles through a screen.
But today was different.
Srikant had sent a simple message in the morning:
"Can we meet today?"
Sasmita's fingers froze above her phone.
Meet?
Her heart started beating faster. She had never met a man like this alone. She was not that type of girl. But this wasn't "any" man anymore.
After ten minutes of hesitation, she replied—
"Okay."
They decided to meet near her college campus. A quiet café that had just reopened after lockdown restrictions eased.
Sasmita wore a simple light blue salwar suit. No heavy makeup. Just kajal and tied hair. She looked innocent… pure.
She reached first.
Every passing car made her nervous.
Then—
A black luxury car slowly stopped in front of the café.
The door opened.
Srikant stepped out.
Black shirt. Dark sunglasses. Confident walk.
He looked… more powerful in real life.
For a moment, their eyes met.
Everything around them felt silent.
He removed his sunglasses.
"You look exactly how I imagined," he said softly.
She lowered her eyes.
"And you look… different," she replied honestly.
They sat inside. Conversation felt natural, yet there was an invisible tension in the air. Seeing him physically so close made her heartbeat uncontrollable.
He noticed her nervousness.
"Relax. I don't bite," he smirked.
She smiled slightly.
Suddenly—
Outside the café, loud shouting was heard.
Three rough-looking men surrounded a bike rider. One of them pushed him violently.
Sasmita flinched.
Srikant's expression changed instantly.
Cold. Sharp. Alert.
Before she could say anything, he stood up.
"Wait here," he ordered — not requested.
He walked outside.
The men were arguing aggressively. One of them grabbed the rider's collar.
In the next second—
Srikant held that man's wrist tightly.
His grip looked painful.
The atmosphere shifted.
The goons recognized him.
Fear flashed in their eyes.
"Sorry, bhai… we didn't know…"
Sasmita couldn't hear clearly, but she saw something terrifying.
Those men… who looked dangerous… were now silent in front of him.
One of them even lowered his head.
Srikant leaned closer to the leader and whispered something.
The man nodded nervously.
Within seconds, they left.
Just like that.
Srikant came back inside, calm as ever.
"Small misunderstanding," he said casually.
Sasmita stared at him.
"Who were they?"
"Local troublemakers."
"But… they seemed scared of you."
He smiled faintly.
"Respect works everywhere."
His answer didn't satisfy her.
On the way back, she noticed something else.
A black SUV was following them from a distance.
Maybe coincidence.
Maybe not.
When she reached home, her stepmother was unusually silent.
Strange.
Later that night—
In a dark warehouse, the same three men stood tied to chairs.
Srikant stood in front of them.
"You showed attitude in front of her."
His voice was dangerously calm.
"She must never see this side."
One of the men whispered, trembling—
"Sorry… King…"
The word echoed in the empty warehouse.
King.
And somewhere in her room, Sasmita was smiling at his "Good Night" message… completely unaware of the storm she had just stepped into.