Airam didn't reply. She didn't even look at him.
Why should she? Harry wouldn't understand. He was still a stranger, a handsome, intrusive, overly talkative stranger she didn't trust.
The bus screeched to a stop in front of them. People poured in, pushing and squeezing until every seat was taken, and the aisle became a tight, swaying tunnel of bodies. Airam grabbed a pole near the back. Harry ended up right beside her, too close for her liking.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, leaning slightly so she could hear. The rumble of the engine was loud. "I only wanted to help. You have a very nice family and… I didn't mean to meddle."
Airam kept her eyes fixed on the dirty bus window, pretending she couldn't hear him.
Harry didn't give up.
"I wasn't judging you. Really. I just thought maybe you could use someone..."
She shut him out. The hum of the engine, the chatter of passengers, anything was easier than dealing with him.
The bus hit a sudden stop.
Airam lost her balance, and her hand slipped off the pole. She stumbled backward straight into Harry's chest. His hands shot out instinctively, steadying her waist.
"Got you," he murmured.
Their eyes locked in a brief, charged moment. It lasts for a short moment but long enough for the impact to be felt.
Airam jerked away instantly. "Don't touch me."
Harry opened his mouth to speak, but she had already pushed past other passengers, heading for the exit.
"Wait, Airam... please... I just want to talk... Please," Harry called, trying to catch up.
"This is my stop," Airam said coldly, not slowing down.
Harry froze. He looked around, disoriented, realizing he had followed her so closely he almost stepped off at the wrong place. Before he could form another apology…
The doors hissed and slammed shut.
Airam stepped onto the pavement without glancing back.
Harry stood inside the bus, palms pressed to the window as he watched her. Her figure grew smaller with each second, walking away briskly, determinedly, without turning once.
He didn't know what it was about her, her silence, her strength, her walls, but something in him felt pulled.
The bus rolled forward. Harry kept his eyes on her until she disappeared into the crowd.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry stopped by campus only briefly, enough to get an earful from his supervisor about his hopeless thesis idea. He pretended it didn't bother him, but by the time he returned to his small rented room, the words were clawing at his chest.
To clear his mind, he walked around the neighborhood. People liked him, the shop owners, even old women sitting outside, and kids playing football on the street. He smiled, joked, and greeted everyone. For a moment, he felt lighter.
But hunger eventually won, so he headed back home.
As he climbed the stairs, he heard soft voices coming from the open window of Airam's family apartment.
"Mama, can we have something different today?" the little girl whispered, sounding hesitant, almost guilty.
They were still shaken from the morning, anyone would be.
"Be a good girl, Jojo," Jane said gently, setting a plain meal on the table. "This is what mummy cooked today."
"Can we call Aunty Airam to get us pizza?" Mayo asked.
"No," Laila snapped, tired and overwhelmed. "Aunt Airam is busy. You'll eat what your mummy can afford to give you."
"It's fine," their grandmother added softly, trying to soothe them. "Eat your food. Tomorrow Grandma will make something delicious."
Harry's heart twisted. He could hear the strain in the adults' voices, the disappointment in the children. He hesitated only a second before walking to their doorway and giving a gentle knock.
"Hello… good afternoon," he said, peeking in with an awkward smile. "So, I was just about to go get pizza… but I really don't want to eat alone. Can you guys go with me? And well… the more the merrier. Please? Please?"
Jane and Laila exchanged looks.
They needed a break, just one small moment of joy, and it was hard to reject Harry.
"Alright," Jane said finally, relief hidden in her voice. "Thank you. That will make the kids very happy."
"Oh no," Harry said with a half-bow and a grin. "That will make me very happy."
And it did.
He insisted on taking the whole family, grandma included. They filled a large table at the pizza place, and the kids were instantly transformed, laughing, swinging their legs, competing over who could add the most toppings.
Harry, with his surprisingly gentle humor, had them all laughing. The usually stern grandmother cracked a smile.
Back at the mall across town, Airam and her boss were wrapping up a meeting when she caught a familiar sight, her entire family gathered around a table full of pizza and ice cream, laughing like they hadn't in months.
Airam's heart warmed and tightened at once. It had been so long since she'd seen them carefree.
Then her eyes shifted slightly. And found him. Harry.
Sitting confidently at the head of the table. Feeding one of the kids a spoonful of ice cream. Laughing with her mother as he belonged.
Her blood pressure spiked instantly.
Of course, he was the one who took them out. The arrogant, meddling tenant. Playing heroes again. Acting like he was part of the family, part of their life.
"The arrogant idiot," she muttered under her breath before she realized it.
"Did you say something?" her boss asked, brows raised.
"No, sir," she replied with the sweetest smile she could force. "Let's go."
But inside, her blood was boiling hot enough to melt steel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airam arrived home earlier than usual, expecting noise, children yelling, the TV too loud, her mother fussing in the kitchen as always, but the house was strangely silent.
Empty.
She showered, changed, and checked her phone. Still nothing.
Finally, she sat outside by the gate with her arms folded, trying not to imagine every worst-case scenario.
It wasn't long before she saw headlights appear, followed by laughter, tiny feet running, and voices bubbling with excitement.
"Aunty!" the kids shouted, tumbling toward her in a bundle of hugs.
Airam forced a smile. "Welcome."
One by one, they shuffled inside, still talking over each other about pizza, toppings, swings, and ice cream.
Harry came last, hands in his pockets, smiling like he'd done the greatest deed in the world.
"Hey there," he said. "You should've been there, we had so much fun. After eating, we went to the park. You should've seen the kids. They were so happy."
Airam nodded stiffly. No words.
"Goodnight," she said finally, turning away.
"Goodnight," Harry replied, raking a hand through his hair as he watched her walk off.
Inside, the whole family was gathered in the hall Jane, Laila, Aunty Maggi, her mother, and the kids, all flushed with leftover joy.
That joy sets something in Airam off.
"Really? Now we're just going out with a complete stranger? Someone we know nothing about?" She snapped, the words spilling before anyone could speak.
"Taking his charity, letting him get closer to the kids, what if he has other motives? Do we just open our doors like that? We don't know this guy or who he is or what he wants. So please, stay away from him."
There was total silence. When Airam was done, she turned and froze.
Harry was standing in the doorway. He had heard everything she had said. Every word.
His face shifted, not angry, not at first, but hurt. Betrayed. Then the wall came up.
Without a word, he turned and walked off, shutting his door hard behind him.
Inside his room, Harry tossed his keys on the table, muttering as he opened his laptop.
"Such an egotistic girl. So arrogant," he grumbled. "The nerve to call me names."
His fingers hit the keyboard, typing hard, as if his thesis could absorb his frustration.
A few minutes later, a soft knock. He closed his eyes, already irritated.
"Can we talk?" Airam's voice came from the other side of the door.
"Go away," Harry said sharply. "I'm not in the mood to argue with you. And for the record, I wasn't doing anyone a favor or giving out charity."
"I didn't mean," Airam began.
"Just leave," he cut her off. There was a long silence. Then her footsteps faded down the hallway.
Harry stared at the door, his jaw tight, and chest heavier than he expected.