Truths and Lies

All that mattered was the truth between them.

Aksh's hands gently cupped her face, his touch warm and reassuring, but his eyes—his eyes told her everything. He didn't need to say the words, not now, not when the silence between them was thick with unspoken promises.

She felt the intensity of his gaze, the weight of his presence, and in that moment, something inside her shifted. She had come here, out into the night, feeling lost and unsure of everything, but now... now there was something in the way he looked at her, something that made the doubt fade away.

His voice was soft, his tone steady, but there was a rawness there that sent a shiver down her spine. "You're not alone in this. You never will be. Not while I'm here."

Her breath caught in her throat, and though the words "I love you" never left his lips, she could feel it. She could feel the promise in every syllable, in every touch.

Her heart pounded, and for a moment, she forgot about the world, about the distance she thought existed between them. All that mattered was what they were right here, right now.

Her hands found their way to his chest, gripping the fabric of his suit, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't need to hear the words, Aksh. I just need to know you'll stay."

He didn't pull away. Instead, he pressed his forehead against hers, his breath mingling with hers in the cold night air. His voice was quieter now, a promise more than anything. "I'm not going anywhere."

The way he said it, so certain, so unwavering—it settled the storm in her chest. She didn't need declarations. She didn't need him to prove anything.

With a soft sigh, she let herself lean into him, her eyes closing as she felt his arms slip around her, holding her close, keeping her grounded.

There were no grand confessions, no fireworks, but in that simple moment, surrounded by the quiet of the city, she found what she had been searching for—comfort, safety, and something deeper than words.

And for the first time that night, she felt at peace.

Aksh stood still, his arms wrapped around her as they both stood in the quiet of the street. She was so close, the warmth of her body grounding him, making him feel alive in a way he hadn't in years. And yet, in the midst of this closeness, a dark shadow lingered in his mind.

He had never expected this. He had never anticipated that the girl he had taken in as a means to an end—the key to the nightmares that haunted him—would become so much more.

When he first brought her into his world, it was never meant to be this way. He had watched her from the shadows, his every move calculated, all of it driven by the desperate need to unlock the mystery of his past. She had shared his nightmares, and for reasons he didn't fully understand, he had believed she was the key to finding answers, to breaking free from the torment that had plagued him for so long.

But now... now he didn't care about the nightmares. He didn't care about the shadows of his past.

He cared about her.

Her presence had wormed its way into his heart without his consent, without him even realizing it. She wasn't just a tool for his answers anymore. She was his—his protection, his reason for wanting to keep breathing, his anchor in a world that had once felt like it was slipping from his grasp.

He didn't know when it had happened. Maybe it was the way she had quietly challenged him, the way she had forced him to see the world differently. Or perhaps it was the softness in her eyes when she looked at him, the way she made him feel like he wasn't beyond redemption.

But what terrified him now was the thought of her ever discovering the truth—the truth of why he had kept her close in the first place. That he had used her. That, at the beginning, she had been nothing more than a means to an end.

If she ever knew...

His throat tightened at the thought.

She deserved the truth, yes. But what if it drove her away? What if the very foundation of their fragile bond crumbled under the weight of the lies he had built it on? He didn't think he could bear losing her. Not after everything.

His heart skipped a beat as he felt her stir in his arms, pulling back just enough to meet his gaze. She was studying him now, her eyes searching his face as if she could sense something was off.

"What's wrong?" Her voice was soft, laced with concern.

Aksh swallowed hard, his jaw tightening as he fought to keep his emotions in check.

"Nothing," he said, his voice betraying him with its hoarseness. "I just... don't want to lose you."

She raised an eyebrow, her expression thoughtful. "Why would you lose me?"

He hesitated, unsure of how to answer without revealing too much. Without shattering the fragile illusion he had worked so hard to create.

"Because you're everything to me," he said, his words rough but genuine. "I never expected this... never expected you."

Her eyes softened, and for a moment, he saw the hesitation in her gaze. The same hesitation she had when she had questioned his feelings earlier.

"I'm here, Aksh," she said quietly, her voice full of sincerity. "I'm not going anywhere."

But the fear still lingered in his chest. He knew how fragile things were. The truth, the darkness of his past—it was always just a heartbeat away from tearing them apart.

He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't.

But what if, one day, the truth came to light and she realized he had only kept her close because of the nightmares they shared? What if she hated him for it?

The thought of losing her to his lies was too much to bear. So, he did what he always did when things got too heavy. He buried the fear deep down and held her tighter, as if to remind himself that, for now, she was still his.

He just prayed that the day the truth came crashing down, it wouldn't break them beyond repair.