They kept walking, Tara still lightly teasing Maya, who was trying her best to act normal now.
On the way, Tara suddenly stopped for half a second. Her eyes widened when she saw a store board that said "BREAD PITT."
It was literally a bakery named after her favorite actor.
Brad Pitt… my Brad Pitt…Her fangirl heart was ready to scream.
But she quietly looked away, pretending she hadn't seen it. Because if Maya noticed she would tease her for the next three days straight.
So Tara stayed silent. Maya, of course, didn't notice anything, she was lost in her own chatter, not noticing anything around her. Tara just nodded along, ignoring the store. they walked ahead crossing that store.
They entered the store, picked up a few snacks, noodles, and some random cute things they didn't really need.
They were returning home, and Tara had a strange feeling, like someone was following them. She looked around — just her, Maya, and their shadows under the dim streetlight.
"I don't know… I feel something weird," Tara confessed.
Maya snorted. "Boooo! What could it be? A horrific ghost?" she teased.
Then she turned to the right — and saw a store called Bread Pitt.
Maya literally lost it. Maya couldn't hold her laugh. She burst out laughing so hard that she started hiccup.
"Wa… wa… wat? Water!" she gasped, still laughing.
Tara rolled her eyes. "Keep laughing, you pig," and handed her the water bottle. Maya leaned forward to grab the water bottle. Suddenly, a moving van appeared from behind and grabbed her. Her laughing expression vanished in an instant. Within seconds, the cheerful atmosphere disappeared, swallowed by a cold, suffocating silence. Tara ran after the van, her heart pounding, but it was too fast. She couldn't catch it — all she could do was watch helplessly as it disappeared into the darkness. "Just a minute ago, they were laughing — now tears streamed down their faces."
Not knowing what to do, Tara spotted a telephone booth. She called Lav numerous times, but he didn't pick up. Frustrated, she tried calling Vedh. After a few rings, he finally answered.
"Hello? Who's this—" Vedh spoke.
"Thank God! At least you picked up my call," Tara interrupted. Vedh recognized her immediately. "Wait… Tara? Is everything alright? What happened?". "With a shaky voice, Tara told him everything, her heart aching with each word."
Vedh arrived and said, "Tara, it's late already. Why don't you leave? I'll take care of everything, and your parents must be waiting for you."
Tara replied with a straight face, "I called them — no problem. Let's go."
As she walked, Vedh slipped his hand into hers from behind. "Anything you want to say?" he asked softly.
She stared at the ground. "Nothing," she whispered.
Then, slowly, she lifted her head and met his gaze. She couldn't hold back anymore and threw herself into his arms.
Meanwhile, butterflies seemed to be having a full-blown party in Vedh's stomach.
Tara buried her face in his chest, her voice barely audible. "It's all because of me… I shouldn't have gone…".
Vedh gently lifted her chin. "You haven't done anything wrong, Tara. We'll find her, okay?". Tara nodded and slowly parted from the hug. Vedh held his chest, thinking, Oh God… what just happened? A small blush crept across his cheeks. Vedh took some time and contacted a few people. "Finally, he found someone who knew the areas where trouble often happened. He tried calling him, but the phone was switched off. Grabbing his bike keys, he sped toward the man's house, Tara hopping on behind him. Midnight streets stretched ahead, dimly lit, the cool breeze brushing through their damp hair as they rode through the quiet night."
They reached the man's house, and he was fast asleep. Vedh tried to wake him—calling his name, nudging his shoulder—but nothing. Not a single response.
Tara, fed up to the max, said, "Vedh! Move aside. Let's see how stubborn he really is!"
Vedh got the hint, stepped back, and covered his ears.
Then Tara let out a yell so loud it could wake the dead:"AARRRGHHHHH! GET UP, YOU LAZY POTATO!". The man woke up, confused, just staring at Tara with blank eyes. Tara gave a sweet, fake smile and said to Vedh, "You tell him," then walked away. Vedh sighed and quickly explained the situation to the man, who was still half asleep, hoping he would understand.
The man suggested a few places to search. A breeze ruffled Vedh's hair as he tried to fix his gloves on the bike, and he looked lowkey hot. Tara froze, watching him, completely mesmerized. A car honked nearby, snapping her out of her thoughts. No, no… it's Lav. No other guys, she told herself, quickly sitting on the bike. Vedh caught her in the side mirror and, like an idiot, started blushing. Th
They went through every dark alley the man had mentioned, peeking into corners, doorways, and narrow lanes where a kidnapping could have happened. Street after street, shadowed side paths, and empty backstreets—they tried everywhere. But no matter how hard they looked, there was still nothing—no clue, no trace, nothing to guide them toward the missing person.
They were all disappointed. Tara sat on a bench by the side of the path, and out of pure frustration, she slapped herself hard. "It's all because of me… it's all because of me… it's all because of me," she muttered, blaming herself. I shouldn't have gone… why did I go… , such a brainless creature I am. Her nose was runny, and tears poured down her cheeks.
Vedh sat beside her and gently handed her a napkin. "Hey… it wasn't intentional, Tara. Stop blaming yourself. I promise—we'll find her. We'll search every day until we do."
After a pause, he added softly, "It's already late… we should head home."
He comforted her quietly, and before she even realized it, she had fallen asleep in his arms. Vedh patted her head gently, then carefully lifted her and made her sit properly on the bike without disturbing her sleep. One hand stayed on the bike, steadying it, while the other rested protectively on her as he drove them home.
"Tara's parents were strict, but she had left in the evening when it wasn't dark yet. None of them expected the search to take this long."
So now Vedh couldn't lift her up like before. He leaned closer and tried waking her gently.
"Heyyy… hellooo… wake up, princess," he whispered, brushing her hair back from her face.
The moment she heard princess, Tara blinked awake. Her face was bloated, eyes half-closed, lips puffed from crying. Vedh's heart melted.
"Aww, look at you… so cute," he said, smiling as he lightly pinched her nose.
Tara shot him a side-eye and walked off toward her house. Vedh wanted to stay with her, maybe walk her to the door, but he couldn't.
She slowly turned back at the same moment he did, and both said, "Hey," at the exact same time.
Vedh raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What? You're already missing me or what?"
Tara gave him a disgusted look and rolled her eyes. "Ugh, keep dreaming. Nobody's missing you. I was just saying—we'll continue the search tomorrow."
Vedh placed a hand on his heart dramatically. "As you say, Your Majesty."