I sighed, feeling the weight of her words as she paced back and forth in the room. "Listen, I have to meet Arvin. I'm pregnant with his child and I can't do this without him. Please bring me to him! I'm begging you, Shivina!"

I looked at her, seeing the worry etched on her face mingled with determination. "I will, trust me! You and your baby are very important to me."

As I grabbed my keys to head out, she paused and turned back to me. "I'm gonna check that drive, Are you okay with that?"

I nodded, a knot of anxiety forming in my stomach. "Yes, please do. We need to figure out what's going on."

I hunched over the desk, my fingers flying over the keyboard as I accessed the contents of the drive. Suddenly, my eyes widened in shock. "Oh my god..." I whispered to myself.

Hurriedly, I rushed back to where she was waiting. "I started checking the drive as there might be something I could find out. And you won't believe what I found. Arvin... he's involved in something much bigger than we thought. He's been holding evidence for the previous terrorist attacks, and the mastermind isn't who we thought it was. He's been helping the terrorists pass information through media news channels for the next attacks."

Her eyes widened in horror. "What? Arvin? I can't believe this..."

Taking a deep breath, I tried to compose myself. "I was so shocked. I decided to tell everything to Abhimanyu and Rohan. I decided to call him tomorrow and ask him to meet at a restaurant to hand in the drive. I made Deshna fall asleep while I watched over her. Suddenly, Rohan called me which alarmed me."

Rohan's voice came through the phone, tinged with concern and a hint of frustration. "Shivina, I know you're in Mumbai with Arvin's girlfriend. Abhi has told me everything just now. Why you didn't tell me anything?"

I bit my lip, feeling guilty. "I-I-IIII really wanna tell you. But I thought you might be busy with the interrogation and I don't wanna disturb you. Besides, I was afraid that you might misunderstand me. So Sorry!"

Rohan's tone softened, understanding in his voice. "I know you, cupcake. I'll never think wrong of you. Trust me. From now on, you should update me every day on everything." He couldn't help but add with a teasing tone, "And I mean everything, even if you just had a really good cup of coffee."

I chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation. "Alright, alright. I promise to keep you in the loop. And I'll even include coffee reviews, just for you."

I launched into the purpose of my call. "Rohan, I have something urgent to share. Arvin has this girlfriend who happens to be my college mate. I rushed here because of her desperate call."

Rohan's voice remained steady as he listened intently to my account of the events that brought me to Mumbai. "After Abhi's directive, we headed to the safe house. Abhi had previously mentioned a drive belonging to Arvin. Deshna handed it to me, and what I discovered inside was chilling—an atom-nuclear bomb. They're planning attacks on various locations in Mumbai. The guy you've apprehended is one of the sleeper cells passing information through media news."

There was a moment of palpable silence on Rohan's end before he responded. "Cupcake, you've got the wrong idea. He was captured by the terrorists and was held hostage at his own house. He was passing information to the ATS squad. Since he complained to the local police, they didn't seem to believe him. We managed to rescue him from the terrorists' clutches."

My eyes widened in disbelief. "Oh my god! How did he get involved in this mess?"

Rohan's voice carried the weight of exhaustion. "Well, he's an undercover journalist who's been working with the terrorists. How's the girl? Is she alright? He's been worried sick about her."

"Don't worry, Rohan. She's fine. Can you patch me through to him? I'll show his girlfriend to assure him to cooperate with you," I requested.

"One second,... Arvin, you wanna see your girlfriend?" Rohan's voice resonated through the phone.

Arvin's voice sounded fraught with concern. "Can you?"

I nodded even though Arvin couldn't see me. "Here you go!" I said, handing the phone to Deshna.

"Hi Arvin, I'm Shivina here; Deshna's friend. There she is; sleeping," I explained softly.

"What happened to her? Why is she sleeping so uneasy?" Arvin inquired anxiously.

"Oh, she's tired due to pregnancy. She vomited a lot which made her tired," I explained, casting a worried glance at Deshna.

"What? She's pregnant?!" Arvin's voice was filled with a mixture of surprise and joy.

I chuckled softly. "What, didn't you know she was pregnant? Don't you keep track of her period?"

"Oh okay, I promise to take care of her after all this is over!" Arvin declared with determination.

"I'll make her talk to you tomorrow like how we're doing now," I assured him.

"I've got a drive about the attacks and proof. Please ask her to give the drive to the army people," Arvin requested.

"Don't worry, I've forwarded the details to Rohan's mail. I'm sure he would do something about it. You just take care of yourself. Congrats for being a father," I replied warmly.

Arvin's tone turned more serious. "How did you know about the drive?" he inquired.

I hesitated for a moment before responding. "Didn't you tell about the drive to Abhi?"

"Oh! Got it! Thank you for taking care of her on behalf of me! I'm giving you a lot of trouble, right?" Arvin's voice was filled with gratitude.

"No... No, it's my pleasure to take care of her. Take care! I'm sorry as I misunderstood you," I reassured him.

"It's okay, I got it. Please take care of Deshna for me! Thank you so much for all your help. Bye," Arvin said before hanging up the call.

THE NEXT DAY

The following day dawned with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety swirling inside me. I knew Deshna needed to talk to Arvin, to hear his voice and feel his reassurance. So, I dialed Rohan's number and initiated a video call, hoping to bridge the distance between them.

"Deshna, sweetheart, it's gonna be okay," I whispered, rubbing her back gently as she clung to me.

"But what if something happens to him, Shivina?" Deshna's voice trembled with fear, her fingers clutching my shirt.

I pulled back slightly to look into her eyes, trying to convey as much reassurance as I could muster. "Arvin's strong, Deshna. He'll make it through this, I promise."

Deshna nodded, but her eyes still held a glimmer of doubt. "I just miss him so much, Shivina."

"I know, sweetie." I murmured, pulling her into another tight hug.

As we held each other, the sound of Arvin's voice filled the room, and Deshna's breath caught in her throat. She quickly wiped away her tears and took the phone from my hand, her heart pounding with anticipation.

"Deshna, Arvin's here online. You wanna talk to him?" I said, holding out the phone to her.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What, really?"

I nodded, a gentle smile playing on my lips. "Yes, he's here. Go ahead, talk to him."

As Deshna took the phone from me, I could see the mixture of emotions dancing across her face—hope, fear, longing. She pressed the call button with trembling fingers, and Arvin's face appeared on the screen, filling her heart with warmth and relief.

"Arvin, how are you? Are you okay? What's going on? I'm so scared, here! Please come back soon," Deshna's voice quivered with emotion.

Arvin's calm and reassuring voice echoed through the room. "Hey-hey, relax! I'm safe and fine. You don't worry about me and take care of yourself and our baby, okay? I'll be coming back to you soon after I finish all this mess. I promise!"

Desna's eyes filled with tears of relief and joy as she listened to his comforting words. "Wait, how do you know about my pregnancy?"

Arvin's smile was evident in his voice as he responded. "Shivina told me everything yesterday, and don't get mad at her. She didn't want to wake you as you were sleeping out of tiredness. I watched you sleeping and could see how much you missed me in your sleep. Now, I gotta go! Love you! Bye."

As Deshna ended the call, she wrapped her arms around me, her tears mingling with mine. I held her close, feeling the weight of her emotions and the depth of her love. Though her teary eyes held a myriad of emotions I couldn't decipher, I knew that somehow, hearing Arvin's voice had brought her a measure of comfort she desperately needed, especially during her delicate condition.

"You don't have to thank me, Deshna. We're in this together, always," I reassured her with a heartfelt smile.