Chapter 53

Subhi

Abhimanyu let himself hope.

I saw it in the way his shoulders eased just a little, in the way his fingers hesitated before finally tightening around mine instead of pulling away. It wasn’t much, but for him, it was everything.

I didn’t push. I didn’t rush. I just let us exist in that moment, in the quiet space we had carved out for ourselves.

“It’s late,” I said softly, not really wanting to break the silence but knowing we couldn’t stay here forever.

He exhaled slowly, rubbing his face. “Yeah.”

But neither of us moved.

I smiled a little. “Abhimanyu, we can’t just sit here all night.”

He finally looked at me, something unreadable in his eyes. “Why not?”

The way he said it—like he wanted this moment to last just a little longer, like he wasn’t ready to face whatever was waiting outside this bubble we had created—made my heart ache.

“Because I’ll get scolded if I’m out too late,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

He huffed a small laugh, shaking his head. “Of course.”

I nudged his shoulder. “Come on, walk me home.”

He hesitated for just a second before nodding. “Okay.”

We walked side by side, our steps slow, as if we were both reluctant to let this night end. The air was cool, and for once, the silence between us wasn’t heavy—it was comforting.

At one point, he spoke, his voice quieter than usual. “You meant what you said, right?”

I turned to him. “About what?”

His jaw clenched, as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to ask, but then he did. “That you’re not going anywhere.”

I stopped walking, making him pause too.

I looked at him—really looked at him. At the exhaustion in his eyes, the walls he was still trying to keep up despite everything, the small flicker of hope he was barely allowing himself to feel.

“I meant every word, Abhimanyu.”

He stared at me for a long moment, as if trying to find a lie, as if he still couldn’t believe someone could stay.

And then, with a quiet exhale, he nodded.

Maybe he still wasn’t fully convinced. Maybe it would take time.

But for now, he was trying to believe.

And that was enough.