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My breath catches in my throat. “What exactly do you mean by, ‘cross any border’?”

Meher chuckles, but there’s a note of seriousness in her voice. “Vishnu has left for New York just an hour after he found out what happened.”

I shoot up from the couch, startling Leila, who gives me a disapproving meow.

“What? Meher, why is he cominghere? There’s no need! The NYPD is handling everything. We don’t even know if this is a real threat or just some sick prank. Please ask him to go back to India. I don’t want him here.”

“That’s not my call to make, Simran,” Meher says gently. “You know how Vishnu is. And what’s the harm if he comes to check on you himself? I thought you’d be happy. It’s been, what, eighteen months since you two last met? And how can I forget all those times you used to openly flirt with him?”

I squeeze my eyes shut, memories I’ve tried so hard to suppress rushing back. “That was in the past, Meher. Things are different now. I don’t want him here. Please... do anything, just—”

The doorbell interrupts my plea, and my heart leaps into my throat. Who could it be? Claire is out grocery shopping, and she’s the only one who can reach the door without using the intercom. She must have forgotten her keys.

“Meher, I have to go. My housekeeper’s back. I’ll call you later, okay?” I hang up before she can respond, rushing to the door.

I swing it open, ready to tease Claire about her forgetfulness, but I freeze, the words stuck in my throat. Standing before me isn’t Claire, but the very man I’ve been dreading to see.

Vishnu.

CHAPTER 2

VISHNU

My heart thunders as I stand at Simran’s apartment door, the 14-hour flight from India to New York already a distant blur in my memory. Every fibre of my being pulsates with urgency—the threat to her life pulling me across continents. No distance is long enough to keep me away from her when she needs protection. I am here, ready to shield her from whatever danger lurks in the shadows.

I take a deep breath to steady myself and press the doorbell. I wait for someone to open the door, the seconds stretching into eternity. Then, without warning, the door swings open, and there she is.

Simran.

Seeing her steals the air from my lungs. She’s even more stunning than I remember—her long, ebony hair softly cascading over her shoulders, those dark eyes widening in shock as they meet mine. For a heartbeat, neither of us moves. We’re both frozen, drinking in the sight of each other after all this time.

Simran’s beauty has only grown more striking during our time apart. She’s always been graceful, but now, there’s something new—her figure has taken on curves that weren’t there before, and the soft lines of her face seem just a bit sharper. There’s a new glow to her skin, as if the city’s lights have kissed her with their sparkle. I notice the subtle changes in her posture. She stands taller now, more confident, yet there’s a wariness in her stance that wasn’t there before. Her lips, still as full and inviting as ever, are pressed in a thin line of surprise and something else... apprehension, maybe?

As my gaze travels over her, I catch a flicker of something in her eyes. For a fleeting moment, I see the spark of the old Simran—the one who used to flash that teasing, flirty smile whenever she saw me. It’s quickly masked, but it’s enough to send a jolt through my body.

She’s watching me, too. I can feel it—the way her eyes trace over the changes these months apart have brought. I’ve grown stronger and filled out a bit more. I wonder what she sees when she looks at me now. Does she still see the man she once knew, or has time turned me into a stranger?

I can’t help but marvel at how she still affects me and how my body instinctively leans towards her, like a sunflower seeking the sun. Despite everything, despite the time and distance, Simran still has the power to leave me breathless. And judging by the slight tremor in her hand gripping the doorframe and the quick rise and fall of her chest, I’m not the only one affected by this unexpected reunion.

But then, as quickly as it came, the moment shatters. Simran’s eyes harden, and her body language closes off. The woman I glimpsed—the one who still held a trace of the old Simran I knew—disappears behind a wall of caution and distance. And I’m left wondering how we’ve come to this, standing on opposite sides of a threshold, feeling both incredibly close and yet miles apart.

“Vishnu?” she finally whispers, her voice a mix of disbelief and something else I can’t quite identify. Anxiety? Fear?

“Hi,” I reply, my voice low and steady despite the turmoil inside me.

“What... what are you doing here?” she stammers, her grip on the doorframe tightening.

“You know why I’m here,” I reply without hesitation. “We need to talk. Inside.”

I take a step forward to enter, but she hesitates, her body language screaming reluctance. It’s as if she’s seen a ghost, and the last thing she wants is to let it cross the threshold.

“I... I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she murmurs, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Her resistance ignites a spark of confusion within me. I expected surprise, maybe even a bit of shock, but this? This level of wariness wasn’t what I anticipated. “Simran, I’ve flown across the globe to make sure you’re safe.”

She bites her lip, a gesture that still captivates me after all this time. “The NYPD is handling everything, Vishnu. Thanks to your quick alert, everything’s under control. There’s really no need for you to be here in person.”

Her words sting, but I refuse to be deterred. “We both know no one can protect you like I can.”