Elaya's head rested on Ava's lap, her eyes puffed from two hours of silent, continuous crying. Ava's hand stayed over hers the whole time, a quiet and constant reassurance, but Elaya was lost somewhere far inside herself. "Hush, my little one," Ava murmured. "How much more will you cry?"
Elaya said nothing. The tears continued quietly. Ava sighed and leaned her own head back against the sofa.
"She would be proud," she said softly, "if she could see how much you have contributed in helping people."
A small smile line appeared on Elaya's face. She straightened slowly and looked at Ava, who was already looking back at her — warmly, with all the pride in the world sitting in her eyes.
"You are right," Elaya said, her voice still breaking at the edges.
She stood up — and the door opened to reveal Ayaan.
Both girls looked at him. He raised one eyebrow, taking in Elaya's red, swollen eyes with theatrical seriousness.
"Bunny with red eyes," he said.
Elaya let out a low chuckle and squinted back at him. "Really, Mr. Chipmunk." Ava laughed.
"Why are you here all of a sudden?" Elaya asked, standing straighter.
Ayaan paused and shrugged. "Let's have ice cream. We are off for today." He glanced between them both.
Elaya opened her mouth to protest and Ava immediately caught her hand, turning her with a look that left no room for argument. "Yes. We are off today." The look was deadly. Elaya pouted.
Ayaan, satisfied, gestured toward the door with exaggerated formality. "Ladies first."
Both of them laughed a little. All three stepped out.
They kept their distance from each other outside — enough space between them that no one watching would think they knew each other at all. They boarded the same bus, sat in separate seats, and rode to Elaya's flower stand lane without exchanging a word.
Ayaan and Ava stepped off together, falling naturally into conversation like two colleagues, nothing more. Elaya followed a few seconds later, unhurried, maintaining her distance.
The ice cream shop sat just ahead. Ayaan and Ava went inside. Elaya trailed behind at a careful gap — and then she stopped.
Across the lane, a few meters away, Karen and Lia were walking together.
Then a man appeared behind them and shoved Karen hard into the wall. Karen dropped to the ground and stayed there, still — eyes closed, playing unconscious, calculating.
Good thing I assumed she wouldn't open her stand today, he thought, since she hadn't arrived at her usual time.
The man turned and pulled out a knife, pointing it at Lia. She ran.
Elaya looked left and right, trying to cross. Lia spotted her across the road and veered toward her in panic. Elaya raised her hand quickly — motioning her to keep running forward, not to cross — but fear had already taken over and Lia kept coming.
Elaya stepped into the middle of the road and caught Lia in her arms. The truck came from nowhere.
Ayaan moved faster. He pulled both of them back in one sharp motion and the three of them went down near the walkside — but he twisted so Elaya and Lia landed on him, taking the impact himself.
His ankle twisted on the ground. He hissed through his teeth, eyes squeezing shut.
The man recovered and lunged again, knife raised toward Lia — but Elaya was already on her feet. Her right leg swung hard and connected with his stomach. He doubled over and Ava caught him from behind, gripping both arms.
He threw her off and ran.
A car came around the corner and hit him. He went down and did not get up. Ava crouched to check his pulse. Dead on the spot.
People gathered quickly around the scene. Karen, still on the ground, let a beat pass — then stirred. He pressed a hand to his head and groaned, blinking slowly as though pulling himself back to consciousness. He looked around with wide, disoriented eyes, scanning the faces crowding around him with carefully performed confusion — worry sitting on his face like a mask worn by someone who had practiced it many times before.
His eyes landed on Lia across the road. He was on his feet in seconds, moving toward her.
She glanced sideways at Karen. "You fine?"
"Yes," Karen muttered.
"You know that man?"
Karen shook his head. Ava studied him a second, then moved to Lia. "Dear, are you okay?"
Lia nodded, too shaken to speak. She looked across at Karen and moved toward him. Karen bent to her level and pulled her into a hug, his face twisting into something that looked like distress. It was not.
Meanwhile Elaya crouched beside Ayaan, reading his face. He was smiling at her — that calm, unbothered smile even now, even on the ground with a twisted ankle.
"You are not fine," her eyes spoke
She reached out and took hold of his arm, steadying him as he rose onto one leg. The touch lasted only a second.
But Ayaan felt it like the world had briefly paused. His breath caught. Everything around him seemed to slow and go quiet — as if something had landed very gently on him, something he had no name for yet and was entirely unprepared to feel. He said nothing. He just stood there on one leg and let her help him.
A cab was hailed. Ava and Elaya helped Ayaan in and they rode to the nearest hospital, checking him into the ward while a doctor was called. Ayaan was taken inside. Ava sat on the bench in the corridor. Elaya stood at the ward window, leaning against the frame, watching through the glass as the doctor spoke to him.
Her phone screen lit up.
We will meet you at Shah house. You need to leave before anyone gets suspicious. — Ava
Elaya read it. She pushed off the window slowly, moving through the corridor with unhurried steps as though simply stretching her legs, and slipped out of the hospital quietly.
Outside, she typed back.
Okay.