Racing Heartbeats
1101 Words
At exactly six in the evening,
Aatish’s eyes suddenly snapped open.
At first, everything around him was a blur, but soon the white hospital ceiling came into view.
He frowned, and a sharp pain shot through his head.
Clenching his teeth, he grabbed his head, trying to contain the agony that tore through him. Yet he exhaled slowly, his face turning expressionless—as if the pain didn’t exist at all.
Somehow, he pushed himself up to sit. His gaze landed first on the machines around him, then on the drip attached to his hand.
Seeing his own condition, his eyes narrowed coldly.
With a flare of anger, Aatish yanked the drip out of his hand and stepped off the bed. He stumbled at first, but steadied himself, jaw tight with fury, and strode out of the room.His face was ice-cold. Outside, there wasn’t a single person in sight. Aatish’s eyes darkened, growing deeper and more intense.
He was about to take the lift down, but it wouldn’t open. Irritated, he turned toward the staircase instead.
He had barely descended two floors when his head began to feel heavy, and darkness clouded his vision. His body started to give way.
Suddenly, he stumbled and began to fall down the stairs—only to feel someone catch him just in time. The touch made his anger flare, and he pushed the person away. But since the stranger had grabbed his shoulder, neither of them could balance, and both tumbled down the stairs together.
Aatish could feel that the person was holding him tightly, which only fueled his rage further. As soon as they hit the ground, he was about to snap in anger—but then his gaze fell on the delicate girl lying beneath him.
His eyes froze. That fragile girl was Avya. Slowly, Avya opened her eyes, and her gaze locked with his.For a moment, time seemed to stop. Something stirred deep inside Aatish.
For five whole minutes, they just stared into each other’s eyes. Then suddenly, Avya pushed him away and stood up.
Aatish snapped back to his senses.
He was about to lash out in anger when Rudraksh came rushing toward them. Panic written all over his face, he asked, “Aati, are you alright?”
Aatish glared at him with those deadly eyes of his.
A little while later, Aatish was back in his ward, lying on the bed while the doctor examined him. The doctor turned to Rudraksh and said, “Mr. Rudraksh, I must say I’m quite surprised by Mr. Aatish’s recovery. With proper care, he’ll be completely fine in just a few days.”
Saying this, the doctor left the room.
Aatish’s lethal gaze was fixed on Avya, who stood quietly in one corner. She looked like a robot—rigid, unmoving—but her eyes were set only on Rudraksh. Still, there was something dark and unsettling about her aura.
Once the doctor left, Rudraksh placed a hand on Aatish’s shoulder and said in a calm but firm tone, “Aati, why do you always go to extremes? Leaving the house was foolish. How could you just walk out like that?”
Aatish brushed his hand away and said coldly, “You can explain that to them, not me. Aatish Ahluwalia does what he wants. You don’t need to lecture me.”
He tried to sit up, but Rudraksh snapped, “Aatish, you’re injured. If you had listened to me and kept security with you, this accident wouldn’t have happened.
You’ve already faced several life-threatening attacks—this has to stop now. I’m hiring you a personal bodyguard.”
Aatish’s eyes darkened with deadly intent. He shot Rudraksh a blazing look, one that could burn through steel.
Rudraksh spoke in a commanding tone, “I’m your elder brother. You never listen to anyone, but this time you’ll have to listen to me.
Whether I assign an entire squad of guards to you or just one personal bodyguard—that’s your choice.”
Aatish clenched his jaw tight.
Just then, several guards entered the ward. Rudraksh ordered, “From today, you’ll all stay with him.”
He had barely finished speaking when Aatish’s deep, resonant voice echoed through the ward, making the guards instinctively step back in fear.
“Personal bodyguard,” he said.
A devilish smile curved Rudraksh’s lips. Sliding his hand into his pocket, he smirked and said, “Alright then… Avya Rathore, from today, you’re my brother’s personal bodyguard. You’ll stay with him twenty-four hours a day.”
Avya didn’t react.
Rudraksh’s expression tightened as he stepped closer to her, while Aatish’s sharp eyes followed his movement and landed on her.
His gaze narrowed. With a small gesture, he asked, “Who is she?”
Rudraksh smiled faintly. “She’s your personal bodyguard.”
Hearing that, Aatish’s face darkened. His eyes swept over Avya from head to toe in disbelief before he growled, “Who is she supposed to be? A weakling?”
Rudraksh snapped back, “She’s not a weakling. She’s Avya Rathore—and she’s a woman. But then again, you’ve never really noticed any difference between men and women, have you?”
Aatish kept staring at Avya for a long time. He had never looked at a woman like that before—never with such intensity.
There were no women in his family. Even the servants in his mansion were all men.
Wherever Aatish went, his world was surrounded only by men.He had seen very few women in his life—and never paid attention to any of them.
For the first time, actually looking at one so closely felt strange to him.
But then, a devilish smile crossed his face as he said, “A weak little thing like her will be my personal bodyguard? She’s barely my height!”
With that, he stood up from the bed and started walking toward Avya.
Avya was standing pressed against the wall. As Aatish came closer, he placed his hands on either side of her, trapping her there.
His voice dropped low, rough. “You barely reach my chest… so thin, too. You’ll protect me? Interesting. What a joke.”
His eyes flicked to her fair neck—and he froze.
Something shifted in his gaze. Aatish had never been this close to a woman before. Abruptly, he stepped back and turned his face away.
A bead of sweat slipped down his forehead.
Rudraksh, watching the scene, smiled in an odd, knowing way.
Avya, though silent, clenched her fists tightly—as if holding herself back from striking him.
- Writer
