The silence inside the car felt heavier than anything Aarohi had experienced before.
Not because there were no words.
But because there were too many—none of them spoken.
She sat by the window, her arms wrapped around herself, eyes fixed on the passing lights outside. Each flicker of brightness disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving darkness behind.
It felt familiar.
Too familiar.
Veer didn't try to speak.
For once, he didn't try to control the moment.
His hands rested on the steering wheel, his gaze fixed on the road—but his mind wasn't there.
It was on her.
On what he had said.
On what he had almost turned her into.
And for the first time—
It didn't sit right with him.
---
The car stopped in front of a quiet apartment building.
Not the club.
Not his usual world.
Something else.
Aarohi noticed.
"Where are we?" she asked, her voice low but steady.
"A place where no one will bother you," he replied.
She turned slightly, studying him. "Your place?"
"No."
A pause.
"Not everything I own is meant to control people," he added.
That made her look away again.
She stepped out without waiting for him.
---
The apartment was simple.
Clean.
Empty in a way that didn't feel cold—just… unused.
Aarohi walked in slowly, taking in the space.
"No guards?" she asked.
"No."
"No locked doors?"
"No."
She let out a quiet breath.
That mattered more than she expected.
---
Minutes passed.
Neither of them spoke.
Aarohi stood near the window again, her reflection staring back at her—tired, guarded, changed.
"You can rest," Veer said finally.
"I'm not tired."
"You're exhausted."
She turned sharply. "Don't decide that for me."
The words came faster than intended.
But she didn't take them back.
Veer didn't react immediately.
Then—
"Fine," he said. "You're not tired."
A pause.
"But you're not okay either."
That hit.
Harder than anything else.
Aarohi looked away, her jaw tightening. "And whose fault is that?"
The question hung between them.
Sharp.
Direct.
Veer didn't dodge it.
"Mine," he said.
No hesitation.
No excuse.
That… wasn't what she expected.
Her anger didn't disappear—but it shifted.
"Then what are you doing here?" she asked. "Trying to fix it?"
"No."
Another pause.
"I'm trying not to make it worse."
Silence filled the room again.
Different this time.
Less aggressive.
More real.
---
Aarohi walked toward the couch and sat down slowly, her hands clasped tightly together.
"I don't trust you," she said.
"I know."
"I don't understand you."
"That's fair."
She looked up at him, frustration building again. "Then why does it feel like you understand me?"
That stopped him.
For a second—
he didn't have an answer.
---
"Because I've seen what happens when people lose control," he said finally.
"And?" she asked.
"And I became the kind of person who never allows it."
Aarohi let out a quiet, almost bitter laugh. "That's ironic."
Veer didn't argue.
Because she wasn't wrong.
---
"Then what am I to you?" she asked.
The question came softer now.
But heavier than anything else.
Veer looked at her.
Really looked.
Not as a responsibility.
Not as a problem.
Not as a mistake.
Something else.
"You're someone I shouldn't have treated the way I did," he said.
"That's not an answer."
"No," he admitted. "It's the only honest one I have right now."
---
Aarohi leaned back slightly, her gaze drifting away again.
Nothing about this felt clear.
Not him.
Not herself.
Not what had happened between them.
And maybe that was the problem.
Or maybe—
that was the truth.
---
"Stay here tonight," Veer said after a moment.
She didn't respond.
"I won't come inside again," he added. "You'll be alone."
Her eyes flickered back to him. "And you?"
"I'll be nearby."
"Watching?"
A faint pause.
"Making sure no one else does."
---
Aarohi studied him.
Trying to understand.
Trying to decide.
Then she nodded once.
Not agreement.
Not trust.
Just… acceptance of the moment.
---
Veer moved toward the door.
But before leaving, he stopped.
"Aarohi."
She didn't look at him.
"I meant what I said," he added. "I was wrong."
No dramatic speech.
No justification.
Just that.
Then he left.
---
The door closed.
And for the first time in days—
Aarohi was alone.
Truly alone.
No noise.
No pressure.
No expectations.
She exhaled slowly, her body finally relaxing just enough to feel everything she had been holding back.
The fear.
The anger.
The confusion.
And something else—
Something she didn't want to name yet.
---
Outside, Veer stood in the hallway for a moment longer than necessary.
His jaw tightened slightly, his thoughts far from steady.
He had built his world on control.
On rules.
On distance.
And yet—
She had stepped into it and disrupted all of it without even trying.
For the first time—
He wasn't sure what came next.
---
Inside, Aarohi closed her eyes briefly.
Not to sleep.
Just to breathe.
Because whatever this was—
It wasn't over.
Not even close.
And deep down—
She knew something else was coming.
Something bigger.
Something neither of them was ready for.