Chapter 8 — Stay With Me
1671 Words
Chapter 8 — Stay With Me
“Mihir!”
The scream tore from Maya Verma before she could stop it.
Time fractured around her.
Gunfire echoed through the warehouse.
Metal containers crashed violently overhead.
Rain thundered against broken windows.
But all Maya could see was Mihir Raichand staggering backward with blood spreading across his shoulder.
Because he had taken the bullet meant for her.
“No—”
Maya caught him before he hit the ground.
Mihir inhaled sharply from the impact, jaw tightening hard against the pain.
“Mihir, look at me.”
“I’m fine.”
“You were literally shot.”
“Minor inconvenience.”
Maya stared at him in horror. “You are insane.”
Gunshots erupted nearby again.
AstraVex security teams forced the remaining attackers backward while warehouse alarms screamed overhead.
Naina rushed toward them, panicked. “Oh my God— is he okay?”
“He’s bleeding aggressively,” Maya snapped while pressing her hand against Mihir’s wound.
Warm blood soaked through her fingers instantly.
Fear clawed violently through her chest.
Not logical fear.
Not survival instinct.
Something worse.
The possibility of losing him.
Mihir looked up at her carefully despite the chaos.
And even injured—
he noticed her trembling.
“Maya.”
“Don’t talk.”
“You’re crying.”
She froze.
A tear slipped down her cheek before she angrily wiped it away.
“I am absolutely not crying.”
“You are.”
“Shut up.”
Mihir almost smiled.
Actually smiled.
While bleeding.
Psychopath.
Maya’s chest hurt painfully.
“Mihir, stay awake.”
“That’s dramatic.”
“You took a bullet for me!”
“Yes.”
“WHY?”
The question escaped louder than intended.
Silence flickered briefly between them.
Even the chaos around them seemed distant for one impossible second.
Mihir answered quietly.
“Because the thought of losing you was worse.”
Maya stopped breathing.
The honesty in his voice shattered every defense she had left.
Before she could respond—
Another explosion echoed somewhere deeper in the warehouse.
Maya snapped back instantly.
“We need to move.”
Security officers rushed toward them.
“Sir, the attackers are retreating!”
Mihir’s expression darkened immediately. “Raghav?”
“Gone.”
Maya swore under her breath.
Raghav escaped.
Again.
But right now none of that mattered.
Because Mihir was bleeding too much.
Maya grabbed his arm carefully. “Come on.”
Mihir stood with controlled difficulty.
His face remained calm, but Maya noticed the slight tension around his eyes.
Pain.
He was hiding pain.
And suddenly Maya wanted to destroy anyone who caused it.
Terrifying realization.
Absolutely terrifying.
—
Twenty minutes later, the safehouse medical room glowed under harsh white lights.
Rain still hammered outside while emergency medical kits covered every surface.
Naina paced nervously near the doorway while Maya cleaned blood from her hands for the third time.
Not because of germs.
Because panic had nowhere else to go.
Inside the treatment room, a private doctor stitched Mihir’s shoulder wound carefully.
Maya stood outside the partially open door watching silently.
The doctor finally stepped out.
“The bullet passed cleanly through the shoulder. He’ll recover.”
Maya exhaled shakily.
The doctor continued carefully, “But he needs rest.”
Maya almost laughed at the idea.
Mihir Raichand resting voluntarily sounded fictional.
The doctor left soon afterward.
Naina immediately hugged Maya tightly.
This time Maya hugged back without hesitation.
“You came for me,” Naina whispered emotionally.
“Obviously.”
“You looked ready to kill people.”
“I probably still am.”
Naina pulled back slightly and studied her face.
Then softly—
“You love him.”
Maya nearly malfunctioned.
“What?”
“The CEO.”
“No.”
“Maya.”
“He sanitizes fruit before eating it.”
“That’s not a denial.”
“He alphabetizes disinfectants.”
Naina crossed her arms knowingly.
“And you still looked terrified when he got shot.”
Maya opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
Because she didn’t have an answer.
Not one she was ready to say out loud.
Naina squeezed her hand gently. “Go to him.”
Maya looked toward the treatment room quietly.
Then finally nodded once.
—
Mihir sat alone on the edge of the bed when Maya entered.
Fresh bandages wrapped around his shoulder beneath a black t-shirt.
His hair was slightly messy for once.
He looked exhausted.
And unfairly attractive.
Again.
Maya closed the door softly behind her.
“You should be resting.”
Mihir looked up immediately.
The coldness in his expression disappeared the second he saw her.
Dangerous.
That reaction was becoming dangerous.
“I could say the same to you,” he replied quietly.
Maya walked closer slowly.
Then stopped near him.
Silence settled softly between them.
Not awkward anymore.
Just full.
Heavy with things neither fully understood yet.
Mihir finally noticed dried blood still staining her sleeve.
His blood.
Something tightened painfully inside his chest.
“You were hurt?”
Maya blinked. “What?”
“Your arm.”
She looked down dismissively. “It’s nothing.”
Mihir’s gaze sharpened instantly.
“That’s my line.”
Despite everything, Maya smiled faintly.
Then the smile disappeared again.
“Mihir…”
He looked at her carefully.
And suddenly Maya’s composure cracked.
“You scared me.”
Her voice came out smaller than expected.
Honest.
Real.
“I thought—”
She stopped herself immediately.
Mihir stood slowly despite the injury.
“Maya.”
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Yes, I should have.”
“You got shot.”
“I know.”
“You could’ve died.”
His eyes locked onto hers intensely.
“But you didn’t.”
Silence.
Maya hated how much that mattered to her.
Hated how relieved she felt hearing his voice.
Seeing him standing here.
Alive.
Mihir stepped closer carefully.
Close enough to touch.
Neither moved away anymore.
“You were shaking,” he said softly.
“You were bleeding.”
“You cried for me.”
Maya looked offended instantly. “We are never discussing that again.”
A faint smile appeared on Mihir’s face.
“There she is.”
Maya stared at him quietly.
God.
That smile ruined her ability to think.
Then her expression softened again.
“Why would you do that?” she whispered. “Why risk yourself for me?”
Mihir answered without hesitation this time.
“Because you matter to me.”
The words hit harder than any bullet.
Maya’s heartbeat became chaos again.
She looked away quickly, overwhelmed.
Nobody had ever said something like that to her before.
Not without conditions.
Not without eventually leaving.
Mihir noticed the fear flickering behind her eyes.
And understood immediately.
“You don’t know what to do when someone stays,” he said quietly.
Maya looked back at him sharply.
Again.
Too accurate.
Too observant.
“That’s rude,” she muttered weakly.
“It’s true.”
“Yes.”
The admission slipped out before she could stop it.
Mihir’s expression softened further.
And suddenly Maya felt exposed in a way hacking government systems never made her feel.
Dangerous.
Terrifying.
Safe.
Worst combination possible.
Mihir lifted his hand slowly toward her face again.
Still hesitant.
Still careful.
Like touching her remained something precious.
Maya leaned into his palm this time intentionally.
Neither looked away.
The room became painfully quiet.
“Maya,” he whispered.
The way he said her name nearly destroyed her.
She could feel his heartbeat beneath her fingertips where her hand rested lightly against his chest.
Strong.
Warm.
Real.
And then Mihir quietly confessed the one thing he had spent days fighting against.
“I can’t stay away from you anymore.”
Maya’s breath caught sharply.
Every wall inside her cracked further.
“Mihir…”
“I tried to treat you like a problem to solve.”
A soft bitter smile touched his lips.
“Instead you became the only thing I think about.”
Maya stared at him speechlessly.
No performance.
No arrogance.
Just truth.
Raw and terrifying.
Then softly—
“You became mine too.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Mihir looked at her like the world had stopped turning.
And maybe it had.
Because suddenly nothing existed except this room.
This silence.
This impossible feeling growing between them.
Mihir’s hand slid gently to the back of her neck.
Careful.
Giving her time to move away.
Maya didn’t.
Not even slightly.
Their foreheads touched softly.
Both breathing unevenly.
Mihir closed his eyes briefly.
“You have no idea what you’re doing to me.”
Maya whispered shakily, “I think you’re doing the same thing.”
A quiet laugh escaped him.
Warm.
Real.
Then finally—
Mihir leaned closer.
Slowly.
Like he was afraid this wasn’t real.
Maya’s fingers tightened slightly against his shirt.
Their breaths mixed.
Closer.
Closer—
A loud knock slammed against the door.
Both jerked apart instantly.
Maya looked genuinely murderous.
“What.”
The security officer outside sounded terrified.
“Sir… we traced Raghav’s server activity.”
Mihir closed his eyes briefly in visible frustration.
Maya pointed accusingly at the universe.
“This is personal now.”
Even Mihir laughed softly at that.
The officer hesitated outside. “Sir… there’s more.”
Mihir’s expression hardened immediately. “Speak.”
“Raghav uploaded a public file thirty seconds ago.”
Maya frowned. “What file?”
The officer answered carefully.
“Photos of you and Miss Verma.”
Silence.
Cold dangerous silence.
Maya’s stomach dropped instantly.
Mihir opened the door sharply. “Where?”
The officer handed over a tablet nervously.
Mihir’s jaw tightened violently.
Maya stepped beside him.
And froze.
The screen displayed multiple stolen surveillance images.
Mihir touching her face in the car.
Holding her hand in the warehouse.
Looking at her like she mattered.
Below the images was a headline spreading rapidly online:
THE ICE COLD CEO HAS A WEAKNESS.
And underneath—
HER NAME IS MAYA VERMA.
- Writer
