Chapter 20: Trusting the Future

We didn't need the world to understand us. We didn't need to be perfect. All we needed was each other—and we had that.

Time had a way of slipping past us, almost unnoticed. The more I spent with Amir, the more it felt like the world outside didn't matter as much. We were growing into each other, learning what it meant to really be together—not just in the fun, lighthearted moments, but in the moments where everything felt raw, vulnerable.

It was easy to be happy when everything was going well. It was easy to laugh when we were joking around, joking about our inside jokes, poking fun at each other. But sometimes, it was those quiet moments that left the most impact. The kind of moments where we didn't need words to know how the other felt.

That Saturday night, we had ended up at Amir's place after a long day of hanging out with friends. Everyone had been busy with schoolwork, so we'd decided to just have a quiet night. A night of taking it easy.

I sat on his couch, his head resting against my shoulder, our legs tangled under the blanket. The TV was on, but neither of us were really paying attention to it. The only thing that mattered in that moment was the way his body was pressed up against mine, the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

"I'm glad you're here," he said quietly, breaking the silence. I could feel the sincerity in his words before they even hit me.

I turned to look at him, his face just inches away. His brown eyes met mine, and for a second, everything else faded away. No distractions, no barriers, just us. I didn't need anything else.

"I'm glad I'm here too," I whispered back, my heart beating a little faster. It had taken us a while to get here, but I knew, in that moment, that we were both exactly where we needed to be.

Amir's hand reached up and brushed some of the hair away from my forehead, a touch that felt gentle, intimate. He was quiet for a while, his hand still resting on my cheek, just staring at me.

I could see the uncertainty in his eyes, the lingering hesitation that still hadn't fully gone away. But there was something else there too—trust, maybe? Or at least the beginnings of it. The walls he'd once put up were starting to crack. Slowly, but surely, he was letting me in. I could feel it, and it felt like progress.

"I want this," Amir said after a long pause, his voice almost a whisper. "I want us... to be something real. I don't want to hide anymore."

My breath hitched in my throat at his words. The vulnerability in his voice hit me hard. It wasn't just the words—it was the way he said them. Like he wasn't just speaking to me, but to himself too. Like he was finally starting to believe it.

I leaned forward then, closing the distance between us. My lips found his in a soft kiss, one that was full of everything we hadn't said yet. There was no rush this time, no uncertainty. Just the quiet understanding that we were both in this, together.

When I pulled away, I smiled. "I want that too," I said, my voice steady, warm. "I want us to be real."

For a moment, we just stayed like that, our foreheads pressed together, sharing the same air. Neither of us moved, neither of us broke the moment.

But then, I felt Amir's fingers trail down my arm, soft and slow. He was still hesitant, but I could tell it was more out of uncertainty than fear now. It was the kind of touch that said, I'm here, but I'm still figuring it out. And I didn't mind. I was still figuring things out, too.

"I'm not perfect," Amir whispered, breaking the silence again, his voice tinged with insecurity. "I'm still scared sometimes. But I know... I know I want to try."

I kissed him again, this time a little longer, a little more sure of myself. "You don't have to be perfect," I murmured against his lips. "We're both figuring it out."

And that was enough. Just being with him, letting him know he wasn't alone in all this.

We stayed in that embrace for a while longer, just being there, not needing to rush anything. I knew that things wouldn't always be easy, but I also knew that we were growing stronger, and that gave me hope.