Chapter 44

Abhimanyu

For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel alone.

Subhi’s hand was still in mine, small and warm, and I couldn’t bring myself to let go.

I wasn’t used to this—to someone staying even after seeing the mess that I was. But she wasn’t running. She wasn’t giving me hollow reassurances. She was just… here.

With me.

I turned my head slightly, watching her. She was staring up at the sky, her eyes reflecting the moonlight, deep in thought.

“What are you thinking?” I found myself asking.

She blinked, then smiled—soft, almost teasing. “I’m thinking that maybe you should talk more.”

I huffed a small laugh. “Not my thing.”

“Well, it should be.” She leaned closer, her shoulder brushing against mine. “You’ve been holding everything inside for so long, Abhi. You don’t always have to be so strong.”

I exhaled, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t know how to be anything else.”

She was quiet for a moment before whispering, “Then let me be strong for you sometimes.”

Something inside me cracked at her words.

I had spent years believing that needing someone was a weakness. That the more you let people in, the more they could hurt you. But Subhi… she wasn’t like the others. She wasn’t looking for a way out.

She was here, even when she had every reason to walk away.

I turned to face her fully, my chest tight with emotions I didn’t know how to name.

“Why do you care so much?” My voice was quieter than I intended.

She looked at me then, really looked at me, and I swear, in that moment, I felt something shift in my entire world.

“Because you deserve it,” she whispered.

And before I could stop myself, before I could second-guess the storm of emotions raging inside me, I pulled her into a hug.

It wasn’t calculated. It wasn’t careful. It was raw, desperate, like I was trying to hold onto the only good thing I had left.

And she hugged me back—just as tight.

Maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t as alone as I thought.