Chapter 30

Aria's POV 

Aria's heart pounded against her ribs, so loud she swore it echoed in the space between them.

Stay.

One word.

One impossibly simple word.

And yet, it sent her entire system into panic mode.

She had spent her entire life running.

Running from expectations. From the suffocating plans others had made for her. From the idea that her life belonged to someone else.

And now, here she was, standing in front of Kabir Oberoi, a man who never asked for anything, watching him ask her for something she didn't know how to give.

Her instinct was to bolt.

To laugh it off, throw out a sharp, cutting remark, turn on her heel, and walk away.

Because if she left, she wouldn't have to deal with this—whatever this was.

But then she met his gaze.

And suddenly, the panic in her head stilled.

Kabir Oberoi was looking at her with nothing but quiet expectation.

There was no power play in his eyes. No calculated move, no arrogance.

Just vulnerability.

A man who had spent his whole life controlling every outcome was, for the first time, giving the outcome to her.

Her fingers clenched at her sides, nails digging into her palm.

She didn't trust herself to answer.

She needed to think. To breathe.

"Give me two hours," she heard herself say.

Kabir's brows lifted slightly, but he didn't look surprised.

"Two hours," he repeated, as if testing the words on his tongue.

She swallowed, her voice barely steady. "Yeah. I just… need to think."

For a second, he just looked at her, like he was trying to understand something deeper than the words she was saying.

Then he gave a small nod.

"Two hours," he agreed simply.

And then he turned and walked away.

The second he was gone, Aria felt like she could breathe again.

But it didn't feel like relief.

It felt like she had just walked away from something important.

Aria pushed the door open, letting the quiet of the villa swallow her whole.

Trek was curled up on the couch, ears perking up the moment she walked in.

She sank onto the floor beside him, stroking his fur absently. "What the hell am I supposed to do, Trek?"

The puppy blinked up at her before letting out a small yawn, nuzzling into her lap.

She exhaled shakily. "I don't do this. I don't—" Her voice broke before she could finish the sentence.

Her chest tightened, constricted.

Breathe, Aria.

But she couldn't.

Because if she admitted she wanted to stay, what did that mean for her?

Did it mean she was losing control? That she was letting someone in, letting him have power over her?

Or did it mean something far worse?

That she had already let him in.

The realization hit her so hard, her hands trembled against Trek's fur.

She curled forward, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes, as if that would stop the overwhelming tide crashing through her.

She didn't even hear the door open.

Didn't register Paul's voice until she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, hey, hey—breathe." His voice was gentle, but firm. "Look at me."

She pulled her hands away from her face, blinking rapidly, struggling to focus.

Paul crouched in front of her, his usual teasing nowhere to be found.

"Good," he said softly. "Now name five things you can see."

Aria frowned, voice raw. "Paul—"

"Five things."

She swallowed, her breath still uneven. "The couch."

"Good."

"The coffee table."

"Keep going."

"Trek. The floor. The stupid painting on the wall."

Paul nodded. "Now four things you can touch."

"My shirt," she murmured. "Trek's fur. The couch cushion. My bracelet."

Her breathing was slowing.

Paul sat down across from her. "Talk to me."

She wiped at her face. "I don't know what's happening to me."

Paul exhaled. "I do."

She looked up at him.

"You've spent your whole life making sure no one has a hold on you," he said. "And now you've found someone who might."

Aria felt her throat tighten again. "That's what scares me, Paul."

Paul studied her for a moment. "Then ask yourself this—does it scare you because you don't want it? Or because you do?"

She didn't answer.

Because she already knew.

She wanted it.

And that terrified her more than anything.

Paul sighed, leaning back against the couch. "You don't have to decide anything, you know. You don't have to figure out what this means, or what comes next. But tonight?" He met her gaze. "You just have to ask yourself if you want to stay."

Silence stretched between them.

Then, finally—she nodded.

Paul smirked, the teasing creeping back in. "You know, Kabir's probably losing his mind right now."

Aria let out a soft, breathy laugh.

Paul nudged her phone toward her. "Call him."

Kabir answered on the first ring.

He didn't say hello.

Just, "Aria."

Her stomach flipped.

She took a slow breath. "I'll stay."

A pause.

Not long. But long enough that she knew he had been holding his breath.

When he finally spoke, his voice was lower than usual.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to hear that."

Her fingers curled around the phone. "I needed time to… process."

"I know."

She exhaled, staring at the ceiling. "I wanted to say no."

"I know that too."

She hesitated before continuing. "I wanted to say no because I'm terrified."

Kabir was silent.

But not the kind of silence that felt empty.

The kind of silence that meant he was listening.

She swallowed. "Because I've spent my whole life making sure no one could control me. Making sure no one could tell me what to do, where to be, how to live. And the second you asked me to stay, I felt like… if I did, I was giving up a part of myself."

More silence.

Then—softer this time—

"I don't want to take anything from you, Aria."

Something in her chest cracked.

She closed her eyes. "I know."

Another pause.

Then, almost cautiously, he asked, "So why did you stay?"

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

"Because I don't want to leave."

This time, the silence stretched.

And for once—it didn't scare her.

Because she knew, somewhere on the other side of it, Kabir Oberoi was standing in the quiet of his villa, feeling the exact same thing she was.

And for tonight, that was enough.