Reassurance in the quiet
Author's pov-
Purv didn't move his hand away. His fingers twitched slightly under Divya's touch, but he didn't pull back.
It felt strange-her warmth, her presence, her patience. He wasn't used to this.
Divya noticed the hesitation in his eyes, the conflict that warred inside him.
"You don't have to figure everything out right now," she said softly.
Purv exhaled, shaking his head. "That's not how it works for me, Divya."
She tilted her head. "Then how does it work?"
His jaw tightened. "I ruin things. That's what I do."
Divya frowned, her grip on his hand tightening slightly. "You haven't ruined anything."
"Yet."
The weight of that single word made her chest ache.
He was scared. Not of her, but of himself.
Divya leaned closer, her voice gentle but firm. "You're not your past, purv."
His gaze snapped to hers, and for the first time, she saw something raw beneath the coldness he carried-vulnerability.
"You don't get it," he muttered. "I-" he paused, looking away. "I've lost people before. I don't want to-"
He didn't finish, but she understood.
Divya didn't push him. Instead, she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "You won't lose me."
His eyes darkened. "You can't promise that."
"No, I can't," she admitted. "But I can promise that I'm here right now. And I'm not going anywhere unless you push me away."
Purv stared at her, and for a long moment, it seemed like he might argue. But then, his shoulders sagged just the slightest bit, as if something inside him had eased.
Divya smiled softly. "You don't have to do this alone, purv."
He didn't say anything, but when his fingers finally curled around hers, even just slightly, she knew she was getting through to him.
For now, that was enough.