chapter 23

The Matthews house was quiet that morning, the usual bustle of its inhabitants replaced by a calm stillness. Arjun had taken the rare opportunity of his day off to catch up on rest and some light reading in the sunlit drawing room. Grace, however, had other plans.

As she entered the room with a gentle smile, Arjun immediately rose from his seat. “Good morning, Mrs. Matthews.”

“Grace,” she corrected with a soft chuckle, placing a tray of tea and biscuits on the table. “You’ve been here long enough to drop the formalities, Arjun.”

Arjun smiled sheepishly. “Habit, I suppose.”

She gestured for him to sit back down and poured tea for both of them, her movements graceful and deliberate. “I wanted to talk to you about something,” she said, her tone casual but carrying an undercurrent of seriousness.

Arjun straightened slightly, sensing the shift. “Is everything all right?”

Grace nodded, handing him his cup. “It is. But I’ve noticed something—about you and Elias.”

Arjun’s grip tightened on the cup, his heart skipping a beat. “Elias?” he echoed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Grace gave him a knowing smile. “Yes, Elias. My son is not the easiest person to understand, is he?”

Arjun didn’t know how to respond, so he stayed silent, his gaze fixed on the swirling tea.

Grace leaned back, studying him. “You see, Arjun, Elias has always been... different. Even as a child, he struggled with emotions. Where other children would laugh or cry freely, Elias would observe. It wasn’t that he didn’t care—he just didn’t know how to express it.”

Arjun glanced up, curiosity replacing his earlier hesitation. “He’s always been so composed,” he said. “I assumed it came naturally.”

Grace smiled wistfully. “Oh, no. That composure you see is something he learned, something he perfected. As the eldest son of the Matthews family, he was born with a weight on his shoulders. Expectations, responsibilities... They shaped him. But they also left little room for him to be anything other than what people needed him to be.”

She paused, her expression softening. “I remember trying to explain emotions to him when he was young. ‘Elias,’ I’d say, ‘your heart will tell you what to feel.’ But he’d just look at me with those serious eyes and ask, ‘What if it doesn’t?’”

Arjun’s heart ached at the image of a young Elias, so earnest yet so lost.

“For years, he faked it,” Grace continued, her voice quiet. “He learned how to smile when it was expected, how to offer comfort when it was required. But it was never real—not until you.”

Arjun’s breath hitched. “Me?”

Grace nodded, leaning forward. “You’ve changed him, Arjun. All those emotions he couldn’t feel before—he’s feeling them now. And it’s overwhelming for him, but he’s trying. He’s trying because he doesn’t want to lose what he has with you.”

“I…” Arjun trailed off, his thoughts spinning. “I don’t know what to say.”

Grace reached over, placing a comforting hand on his. “You don’t have to say anything right now. But I want you to know that you’re special to him. More than he probably knows how to say.”

The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of her words settling over them.

Arjun finally looked up, his voice tentative. “Do you think… Do you think he’s too different? That it might not work?”

Grace’s smile was warm and reassuring. “I think love doesn’t follow rules or expectations, Arjun. It finds us where we least expect it. And when it does, it’s up to us to decide if it’s worth the risk.”

---

That evening, still processing Grace’s words, Arjun found himself dialing a familiar number. The sound of his father’s voice on the other end of the line was like a balm to his restless heart.

“Arjun, beta! How are you?”

“I’m fine, Papa,” Arjun replied, his voice soft. “I just… I needed your advice.”

His father’s tone shifted, becoming gentle and attentive. “Of course. What’s on your mind?”

Arjun hesitated, running a hand through his hair. “There’s someone… Someone who’s been very kind to me. But they’re also very different from anyone I’ve ever known. I’m not sure if I should…”

“Ah,” his father interrupted, his voice laced with amusement. “You’re talking about love, aren’t you?”

Arjun’s cheeks flushed, even though his father couldn’t see him. “Maybe,” he admitted quietly.

His father chuckled. “Love is never simple, beta. But it’s always worth it if it feels right. Does this person make you happy?”

“Yes,” Arjun admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Do they respect you? Support you?”

“They do.”

“Then what’s holding you back?”

Arjun exhaled, his chest feeling lighter. “I guess I just needed to hear that.”

His father’s voice softened. “Arjun, you’ve always been so brave, chasing your dreams halfway across the world. Don’t let fear stop you now. If this person makes you happy, then hold on to them.”

Tears pricked at Arjun’s eyes as he whispered, “Thank you, Papa.”

“Always, beta,” his father replied warmly. “Now go and tell them how you feel.”

---

Later that night, Arjun sat on the edge of his bed, Grace’s words and his father’s advice echoing in his mind. His heart felt full, a mix of fear, hope, and anticipation swirling within him.

Across the hall, Elias stood in the shadows of the dimly lit hallway, his sharp ears catching the tail end of Arjun’s quiet phone conversation. A rare smile graced his lips as he turned away, retreating to his room.

For the first time in a long while, Elias felt a flicker of something he had never been able to name before: hope.