9 | When They Think She's Smitten (1)

During the entire ride, Dhara couldn’t stop thinking about what Jasmine had said.

“All your life you’ve tucked yourself away from the crowd, with a fear that you’ll put your faith in the hands of the wrong people and they wouldn’t think twice before crushing it underneath their feet. It’s a constant fear that you live in. But you never let it show.”

Constant fear.

Never let it show.

It was all too personal for someone to know so much about her. It felt wrong. On so many levels. It was as if someone barged into her privacy and left her bare. No one had ever said something like that to her. No one ever read her like an open book. And the thought alone pushed her to the edge. Perhaps that was the sole reason she couldn’t stay a second longer in that god-forbidden place.

She felt exposed.

Vulnerable.

As if someone had broken down the walls built around her heart and now there was no way to protect herself.

However, there was also a part of her that wasn’t convinced enough. Perhaps what Ja