Maahi sat gloomily on his bed. He was out since morning, though he cared to send a healthy breakfast for her on the bed itself. He even bought her dozens of clothes and somehow they all were right fit. The bathroom here was large and it also had a transparent shower cubicle. She always wondered why do people have a see-through cubicle installed in their bathroom. It was more like they were wanting people to watch them while they're showering. That's gross to be honest. Anyways, he hadn't shown his face since morning and, it wasn't that that it was a bad thing but somehow she wanted him to be around her. Given the wild surrounding in which she is 'living', having him around was a simple 'sign' of safety for her. Atleast he will defend her against a wild animal if she somehow chanced upon it. Besides, in this wild country, she knew nobody except for Karanvir here and when he's around, it's always like she has someone she knows. And while she was absently musing, the door swung open and incame the creepy Karanvir. Finding him on the threshold, she wasn't sure if she was correct in thinking that his presence was any bit of a relief in this dark Jungle. He smiled weakly as he came in. He was wearing a grey T-shirt which perfectly hugged his muscular frame, and black Adidas yoga joggers. His feet were actually unshod and he was standing bare footed on this cold wooden floor. Just by the look of it she could feel coolness bracing her.
"Good afternoon love. I'm sorry I was out since morning. I was actually in the valley buying some stuff for you. I-I think I can share it with you that your father has literally taken the valley by 'storm' in the wake of your disappearence. This morning when I ran into him he was like, 'I'm warning you, return my daughter to me'. I tried to assure him that you're safe with me and that I will always keep his daughter happy but no. Your father is really a pain in the ass to be honest. I'm sorry if I hurted you but that's what I feel about him." he told her as he came in. Tears build up in Maahi's eyes at the mention of her father. She really wondered what transpired after Karanvir abducted her and brought her here. What would be the condition of her mother??? What would have become of her father?? How were her brothers??? And how was vaishali??? Karanvir had literally snatched her world away from her.
"Dad..." she whispered, tears flowing down her beautiful eyes. Karanvir rushed to her and gently enclosed her in his big arms.
"Shhh!!! He's ok. I promise with time everything will be....."
"No it won't. You cannot even think what must be the condition of my father. I'm his only daughter, he loves me more than anything else. You can't imagine what a daughter is to a father." she spat indignantly. He looked her in the eye.
"I don't know what you mean to your father but maahi, even your father doesn't know what you mean to me. If your father loves you, so do I. I never said that he loves you lesser than me but countless times, your father yelled at my face that I don't love you. Parents are important maahi, even for me my parents are my world but.....a partner is equally important as well. Parents don't stay forever by your side, a partner will however. Your father thinks of me as a villian but you know what maahi, if I were a hero I would've relinquished our love for a greater good. But because I am a villian, I will fucking set this world on ablaze for you. I will literally eliminate anybody who'll threaten to hinder in our union. And that's what I am maahi, a bad boy. I never pretended to be anything else. If I am bad, the world knows me that way." he cups her cheeks and continued. Warm tears coursed down her eyes.
"Maahi, I may be a bad boy but I know how to love. I know how to protect the one I love. I know how to stand by you at every turn of your life. And I am ready to fight any battle for you and with you. All I need is your trust. Just a little trust in me. I don't want you eyeing me as if I am a monster who's just gonna snarf you up. Rather, I want you to look up at me with a sense of trust as if you know that I will never ever harm you in any way possible. I want you to see me as a human. As a man who just wants your love. A man who deserves to be loved. That's all I want maahi. I swear I can live my whole life with you knowing that you don't love me but if you trust me and you.....you are with me, I promise I won't ask for anything more." he paused as tears welled up in the corners of his deep, dark eyes. Maahi quietly heard him.
"My expectations with life are very small. Even if I don't have a huge bungalow, fancy cars, inexhaustible money..... I'll still be happy if only I have the woman I love, and my family by my side. I don't want anything else in my life if I have you. You're all I will ever want. You fill a void in my life maahi. And when I look at you, I just don't wanna see anything else. I'm not your dream boy or your 'prince charming' but for me you're my dream girl. A perfect girl a man can ever want. I am a Maverick gunner, I am a murderer, I breach traffic rules every other hour, I don't conform to the rules of the society..... I know I have all these bad habits in me but maahi, I am not a womanizer. I am not a Casanova if that's the way to put it. I have loved only one girl in my entire life and I will only love her till the last breath I take, and that girl is you. Just you. I'm not infatuated maahi, I am in love. A man knows the difference between an infatuation and true love. When you're infatuated with someone, all you want to have is sex but when you love someone.....you want to make that person yours forever. You dream of having a family with them. Even if I have to wait for an eternity to touch you, I'll do that. Because to take your virtue is not all I want. I want to spend my life with you......I want us to be happy together forever, till death do us apart." he completed, tears hanging in the dark corners of his eyes. Maahi was speechless. In this world, you can't trust people just on the basis of how often do they cry or how good of-a speech they give. But somehow, somehow..... this guy wasn't lying. Because listen, a decent man will lie as he's a reputation to protect, a woman will lie to prevent being 'canceled' by the society, but what would a bad guy achieve after lying. He has no reputation, no fear of being 'canceled' than what's the point in lying. Hence, he wasn't lying. Maahi looked at him innocently which literally turned him on. But ofcourse, he would never force himself on her. She's his princess and you don't hurt your princess.
"Please my father must be so worried for me." she whispered timidly, not knowing what or how to say anything else. He drew in a breath and wiped off her tears with his thumb.
"Maahi I don't want to keep you as a hostage here. But I have no choice. I can't let you go maahi. I'm a coward. I'm scared of losing you. I'm scared of seeing you falling for another man. I don't know if I'll jump off a cliff or gulp down poison after seeing you in the arms of another man. But I will surely kill you first and then shoot myself thereafter. I know you'll say this is not love but for me it is. I only have you maahi and I don't think I can survive without you." he said grimly. Maahi was silent. He sniffed and continued.
"I'll take you back to your house maahi BUT we've few conditions. You'll have to give our relationship a chance. And that you'll keep a distance with other guys unless you wish me to do that for you. Lastly, maahi you won't run away from me. I swear it kills me when I see you freaking out at the sight of me. I'm no demon maahi. My mother didn't give birth to a bad boy, I chose to be one. And you go for the extreme when you've got no other choice." he whispered the last part to himself. Elated at the thought of going back home, she quickly nodded her head.
"I-I'll try. Just take me to my family." she pleaded. He kissed her forehead.

So, maahi was inside her home late in the night. Karanvir, as promised, dropped her home. Her father quickly captured her in a hug and also Mr. Khandewal and Karanvir squabbled for more than an hour but in the end reached to no conclusion. Mr. Khandewal accused him for kidnapping her and he accused him for being a jerk and not accepting his marriage proposal. But all in all, they both terminated their skirmish only after Mrs. Khandewal interfered. She asked Karanvir to leave but Karanvir in turn, threatened Mr. Khandewal that if he tried to come between him and maahi, than things will get messy, before he left. Somehow the situation was controlled. Currently maahi was watching TV with her brothers. Her father was working on his laptop and her mother was in the kitchen. Boom!!! Boom!!! And comes the bad boy. But this time with luscious bundle of red roses in hand.
"Maahi..." he cried. Maahi gasped loudly as Mr. Khandewal glared down at the black silhouette.
"She's not home." cried Mr. Khandewal, even after seeing that Karanvir had already seen maahi. Karanvir rolled his eyes as he walked over to maahi and placed the flowers in her hands. Maahi nervously looked up at him.
"Hi." he blushed. Luv Kush looked at him in disdain.
"That's enough of conversation now you can leave Mr. Roy." snapped Mr. Khandewal. Karanvir looked at him in incredulity.
"All I said was Hi. How does it even make a conversation??? You're literally acting grumpy." spat Karanvir. Mr. Khandewal looked at blankly.
"I don't like you in my house and that's all I have to say." affirmed the man of the house. Karanvir chuckled.
"Aww, you think I am such a good boy that you'll ask me to leave and I'll bound off with my tail between my legs. Grow up father-in-law, Karanvir listens to no one." Karanvir said smirking. Mr. Khandewal frowned.
"Ofcourse, had you listened than you wouldn't be a crank as you're now. Besides, what are you here for??" asked Mr. Khandewal. Karanvir looked at him blankly as he drew out a pack of strepsils from his jacket pocket.
"Maahi told me that Mrs. Khandewal is experiencing soreness in her throat so I got these as I was driving down the downtown." he told him poker faced. Mrs. Khandewal upon hearing this, came straight to him.
"Oh thank you so much......"
"He kidnapped your daughter please keep this in mind." interjected Mr. Khandewal. Mrs. Khandewal looked up at him sheepishly.
"That's ok Mrs. Khandewal, you don't have to thank me. Besides, my mum too sometimes has a sore throat so I fetch her these. This gives relief within a night." he told her. She smiled weakly, taking every measure to not provoke her husband. Maahi quietly watched them all.
"So now will you...."
"Can you please stop for once?? Like you're annoying me now. And maahi, I'll pick you up tomorrow. Goodnight. Bye... take care." he blushed and said. Maahi whispered good night. Now he turned towards Mr. Khandewal.
"Smile I'm leaving." he said grumpily before leaving. Mr. Khandewal frowned.
"Ill-mannered." he muttered under his breath.
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