CHAPTER 47（MAHI）
For a few seconds...
I couldn't say anything.
Because every word Aryan said reached the place I was trying so hard to hide.
The part of me that was scared.
The part of me that was tired.
The part of me that loved him so much that leaving felt easier than watching him get hurt again.
My hand was still in his.
His warmth.
His presence.
Everything I was trying to run away from.
"Aryan..."
My voice broke.
I looked down.
"I was scared."
The words finally came out.
Not the strong version.
Not the version that always said she was fine.
Just me.
"I was scared that one day you would look at me and regret choosing me."
His expression changed instantly.
"No, Mahi—"
I shook my head slightly.
"Let me say it."
My eyes filled.
"Because I kept thinking..."
I swallowed hard.
"Every time something happens, you are the one standing in front of me."
A tear fell.
"Raj came because of my past."
My voice trembled.
"You got hurt because of me."
Aryan's eyes softened.
"That is not—"
"It is how it feels."
I whispered.
"And I can't lose you because of my life."
Silence.
I looked at him.
"I have already lost so much."
My voice became smaller.
"I lost people."
"I lost pieces of myself."
"And then I found you."
A shaky breath escaped me.
"And the thought of losing you..."
I couldn't finish.
Aryan gently squeezed my hand.
"Mahi."
I looked at him.
"You didn't save me by leaving."
His voice was quiet.
"You just made me feel like I was losing you all over again."
That broke me.
The tears I was holding finally fell.
"I don't want to be the reason you hurt."
Aryan looked at me.
"And I don't want you to be the reason you suffer alone."
A sob escaped.
I looked away.
"I don't know how to stop being scared."
He shifted closer.
"Then don't do it alone."
Those four words.
They hurt more than anything.
Because that was exactly what I had been doing.
Carrying everything alone.
Running away alone.
Trying to protect everyone alone.
I looked back at him.
"I'm scared, Aryan."
His expression softened.
"I know."
"I really thought leaving would make things better."
"I know."
"But it just hurt more."
A small sad smile appeared on his face.
"Exactly."
I looked at him through tears.
And for the first time...
I stopped trying to convince myself that leaving was love.
Maybe staying was love too.
Maybe letting someone stand beside me was not weakness.
Aryan lifted my hand gently.
"You don't have to promise me that nothing bad will ever happen."
His eyes stayed on mine.
"Just promise me you won't disappear when it does."
My lips trembled.
And slowly...
I nodded.
"I promise."
And for the first time in days...
I felt like I was finally home.
A few weeks had passed.
And somehow...
Life started feeling normal again.
Not the same as before.
Different.
Softer.
The kind of normal where I didn't wake up every morning wondering if something bad would happen.
Because now I knew something.
I wasn't alone.
I walked into the room with a cup of tea in my hand.
And there he was.
Aryan.
Sitting on the bed, looking completely bored.
Which honestly was more dangerous than anything else.
Because a bored Aryan meant trouble.
I placed the cup beside him.
"Your medicine."
He looked at me.
Then at the medicine.
Then back at me.
"No."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Aryan."
"No."
I stared at him.
"Are you seriously arguing with your medicine?"
He shrugged.
"I don't like it."
I crossed my arms.
"You literally fought Raj, but you are scared of medicine?"
He looked offended.
"Excuse me?"
A small laugh escaped me.
And the second I laughed, his expression softened.
I noticed.
He noticed.
Everything between us had changed after that day.
Before, I thought loving someone meant protecting them by leaving.
Now I understood.
Sometimes loving someone meant staying.
Even when you were scared.
I picked up the medicine again.
"Take it."
He sighed dramatically.
"You have become very strict."
I smiled.
"You deserve it."
He looked at me with fake shock.
"This is how you treat someone who almost—"
I immediately looked at him.
"Don't."
His smile disappeared slightly.
Because he knew.
I still hated remembering that day.
He reached for my hand.
"Mahi."
My eyes met his.
"I'm okay."
I nodded.
"I know."
And I did.
I was learning.
Slowly.
I was learning not to live in fear of losing him every second.
He squeezed my hand.
"You know something?"
"What?"
"You are a terrible nurse."
I narrowed my eyes.
"What?"
He smiled.
"You argue too much."
I gasped.
"You are impossible."
"And you still take care of me."
The words were simple.
But they stayed.
Because he knew.
I wasn't taking care of him because I felt guilty anymore.
I was doing it because I loved him.
Because he was my person.
I looked at him and smiled.
"Drink your tea before it gets cold."
He smiled back.
"Yes, doctor."
I rolled my eyes.
But I couldn't stop smiling.
Because a few weeks ago...
I thought loving Aryan meant walking away.
Now I knew.
It meant sitting beside him.
Annoying him.
Taking care of him.
And choosing him.
Every single day.
A few weeks had passed.
And somehow...
Life started feeling normal again.
Not the same as before.
Different.
Softer.
The kind of normal where I didn't wake up every morning wondering if something bad would happen.
Because now I knew something.
I wasn't alone.
I walked into the room with a cup of tea in my hand.
And there he was.
Aryan.
Sitting on the bed, looking completely bored.
Which honestly was more dangerous than anything else.
Because a bored Aryan meant trouble.
I placed the cup beside him.
"Your medicine."
He looked at me.
Then at the medicine.
Then back at me.
"No."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Aryan."
"No."
I stared at him.
"Are you seriously arguing with your medicine?"
He shrugged.
"I don't like it."
I crossed my arms.
"You literally fought Raj, but you are scared of medicine?"
He looked offended.
"Excuse me?"
A small laugh escaped me.
And the second I laughed, his expression softened.
I noticed.
He noticed.
Everything between us had changed after that day.
Before, I thought loving someone meant protecting them by leaving.
Now I understood.
Sometimes loving someone meant staying.
Even when you were scared.
I picked up the medicine again.
"Take it."
He sighed dramatically.
"You have become very strict."
I smiled.
"You deserve it."
He looked at me with fake shock.
"This is how you treat someone who almost—"
I immediately looked at him.
"Don't."
His smile disappeared slightly.
Because he knew.
I still hated remembering that day.
He reached for my hand.
"Mahi."
My eyes met his.
"I'm okay."
I nodded.
"I know."
And I did.
I was learning.
Slowly.
I was learning not to live in fear of losing him every second.
He squeezed my hand.
"You know something?"
"What?"
"You are a terrible nurse."
I narrowed my eyes.
"What?"
He smiled.
"You argue too much."
I gasped.
"You are impossible."
"And you still take care of me."
The words were simple.
But they stayed.
Because he knew.
I wasn't taking care of him because I felt guilty anymore.
I was doing it because I loved him.
Because he was my person.
I looked at him and smiled.
"Drink your tea before it gets cold."
He smiled back.
"Yes, doctor."
I rolled my eyes.
But I couldn't stop smiling.
Because a few weeks ago...
I thought loving Aryan meant walking away.
Now I knew.
It meant sitting beside him.
Annoying him.
Taking care of him.
And choosing him.
Every single day.