Chapter 45

Subhi

I didn’t want to let go.

Abhimanyu’s arms around me felt like a silent plea, like he was holding onto me as if I was the only thing keeping him from falling apart. And maybe… maybe he was.

I could feel his heartbeat against my cheek, erratic at first, then slowly settling. His breath was warm against my hair, uneven, but calming.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, tightening my hold around him.

He didn’t reply, but I felt the way his fingers curled slightly against my back, like he was anchoring himself.

I had never seen him like this before—so vulnerable, so open. Abhimanyu had always been the boy who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, never letting anyone see when it got too heavy. But tonight… he wasn’t hiding.

And I wasn’t going to let him go through this alone.

After a while, he pulled back slightly, his eyes searching mine. There was something in them—a mixture of hesitation and something else I couldn’t quite name.

“Subhi…” his voice was rough, uncertain.

“Hmm?”

He swallowed, as if struggling with what to say. “Do you think… things will ever be okay?”

I met his gaze, unwavering. “Yes. Maybe not right away, maybe not even soon. But someday… they will.”

His lips pressed together, his jaw tightening like he wanted to believe me but wasn’t sure if he could.

I reached up without thinking, brushing a strand of hair away from his forehead. “You don’t have to figure everything out right now, Abhi. You don’t have to have all the answers.”

He let out a small, almost bitter chuckle. “I wish it were that easy.”

“It’s not. But that’s why I’m here.”

His eyes softened. “Why are you here?”

I smiled a little. “Because you matter to me. And I’m not leaving.”

His breath hitched for just a second before he exhaled deeply. Then, in a voice so quiet I almost didn’t hear it, he whispered, “Thank you.”

And in that moment, with the night wrapping around us, I knew.

This was just the beginning.