Chapter 1

Author's POV

As the clock struck nine, the moon hung low, casting a soft glow on the deserted streets. Shree stepped out of the dimly lit cafe, her tired eyes reflecting the loneliness of the night as she hurriedly made her way to the rented apartment from her part-time job at the cafe.

Today had been unusually busy, and she couldn't wait to finally relax after a long shift. However, her plans for a peaceful sleep and sweet dreams were quickly interrupted by the sound of some muffled voices nearby. Curiosity got the best of her and she followed the sound and soon came upon a dark alley.

There, illuminated by faint glow of a nearby street lamp, stood a girl backed into a corner by three menacing figures. Her heart raced as she approached, her instincts urging to intervene.

"What's happening here?" She demanded, her voice firm despite the adrenaline coursing through veins.

The men turned towards her, their expressions shifting from predatory to amused as they eyed her up and down."Looks like we got ourselves some more fun to enjoy." One of them sneered, his voice dripping with malice, making the other two smirk.

Shree's blood boiled at the implication of their words and the creepy looks they were passing to each other while looking at her. Without a moment of hesitation, she lashed out her fist connecting with closest assailant's jaw. The man stumbled backward, caught off-guard by her sudden attack.

The other two men, realising they were dealing with someone who wouldn't back down easily, sprang into action. They lunged at her, fist flying, but she was prepared. Years of self defence training kicked in as she skillfully dodged their blows and countered with delicate strikes of her own.

Seizing a momentary opening, she reached into her bag and retrieved a small bottle of pepper spray. With finesse, she aimed at her attackers, causing them to move back in agony as the stinging mist clouded their vision.

The men blinded and disoriented, stumbled away cursing and clutching at their eyes. Despite her victory, her attention quickly turned to the girl who had been their initial target. She approached her cautiously, offering a hand.

"Are you okay?" she asked concern etched into her features and voice.

The girl nodded her head positively, her eyes wide with fear and gratitude. "Th-thank you" she stammered, her voice trembling. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up."

She offered her a comforting smile "It's okay, just glad to help."

But as the adrenaline began to fade, her gaze fell upon the girl's purse lying abandoned on the ground. Her heart sank as she realised what had happened. One of the attackers had managed to snatch it during the chaos of their escape.

"I'm sorry" she murmured, her voice weak and guilty. "They took your purse."

The girl's eyes filled with shock, but she shook her head. "It's totally fine. You saved me that's all that matters." she replied with gratefulness.

She nodded with little sadness for not being able to save her purse, but offered a small smile.

"Come let's get out of this alley" she said to which the girl nodded.

As they come out of the dark alley, she noticed the girl, she looks young maybe same or a year older than her and she is very pretty. As she looked at her closely she found her T-shirt's sleeve torn, maybe those attackers did it before her arrival. She retrieved a over-sized shirt from her bag as she keeps extra shirt with her in case of emergency at the cafe.

She moved towards her and handed her the shirt." You can wear it over your T-shirt, it might help you feel a bit comfortable." she said to her with a assuring look and small smile.

"Thank you " the girl replied.

She nodded and took out some cash from her purse and gave it to the girl.

The girl gave her a confused look and asked "What's this for?"

"Oh, well those cheaps stole your purse and you will need some money to return home so take this, you can take a taxi from the main road it's safe there." she answered"Now I take my leave, and don't worry it's safe here now. Okay, see you again."

As she was moving forward towards the road to her apartment, the girl called her from behind.

"Yes, you need something else?" she asked puzzled.

"Can you please drop me home? I am not feeling like I could go alone after everything happened " the girl asked nervously.

She looked at her for a few seconds and replied "Sure."

Even though she is already late and her besties might kill her for not coming yet. She doesn't have a heart to say no to someone who just faced something so risky and threatening.

They moved towards the main road while talking to ease the atmosphere.

"Ohh! I didn't even introduced myself. Hello, I am Shree" she said with a smile.

"Hello Shree, I am Aditi... Aditi Singh Rathore" the replied returning the smile.