"And I don't know how it gets better than this
You take my hand and drag me head first, fearless"
~ Fearless – Taylor Swift
~Two Days Later~
"You don't have to come if you're not ready," Aadya said for the third time.
We were video calling—her at the penthouse, me in my bedroom. The group was having a casual hangout tonight, and everyone kept saying I didn't have to come, which somehow made me want to come more.
"I know I don't have to. But I want to." I paused. "Is that weird? After everything?"
"Not weird at all. Sometimes the best thing after a bad day is being around people who care about you."
"What if I'm not good company? What if I'm too in my head?"
"Then you're too in your head and we deal with it. Kashvi, stop overthinking. We're ordering Thai food and watching terrible reality TV. Very low stakes."
She was right. I was overthinking.
"Okay. I'll be there by seven."
"Perfect! And wear something comfortable. We're doing a blanket fort situation."
"A what?"
"A blanket fort! Vihaan's idea. He says we're all too stressed and need to regress to childhood for an evening."
Despite everything, I smiled. "That's actually kind of sweet."
"Right? Who knew Vihaan had depth?"
~
"Is she coming?" I asked the second Aadya hung up.
"Yes, and before you ask—she sounded good. Tired, but good."
I'd been worried about Kashvi since Monday night. We'd texted throughout Tuesday, but she'd been quiet yesterday. Not pulling away, exactly, just... processing.
I wanted to give her space. But I also wanted to wrap her in cotton wool and protect her from everything that had ever hurt her.
"You're doing that thing again," Aadya observed.
"What thing?"
"The overprotective worry thing. She's okay, Yant. Shaken, but okay."
"I know. I just—" I stopped. "I wish she'd tell me what happened. So I could understand. So I could help better."
"She'll tell you when she's ready. Pushing will only make her retreat."
"I'm not pushing."
"I know. That's why she's starting to trust you." Aadya smiled. "Give her time. She's trying."
The doorbell rang an hour later. Everyone else had already arrived—Vihaan was indeed constructing an elaborate blanket fort in the living room, Shivansh was helping with structural integrity, Ritika was organizing snacks with her usual precision, Aashika was documenting the chaos in sketches.
I opened the door, and there was Kashvi.
She looked nervous but determined. Wearing comfortable clothes—leggings and an oversized sweatshirt (mine, I realized with a jolt). Her hair was down. Minimal makeup. She looked beautiful and scared and like she was forcing herself to be brave.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey. Come in."
She stepped inside, and I caught the scent of her shampoo—something floral and clean.
"Thanks for inviting me. Again. I know I've been kind of a mess—"
"Kashvi." I waited until she met my eyes. "You're always welcome here. Mess or not. Okay?"
She nodded, some tension leaving her shoulders.
"Now come on. You need to see what Vihaan's built. It's architecturally questionable but impressive."
~
The blanket fort was ridiculous and wonderful.
Vihaan had used every pillow in the apartment plus all the couch cushions and at least eight blankets to create this sprawling structure in the living room. There were fairy lights strung inside. Separate "rooms" for snacks, TV watching, and what he called "contemplation space."
"This is insane," I said, unable to help smiling.
"This is genius," Vihaan corrected. "And before you judge—get in. Experience the magic."
Inside the fort, it was cozy and dim and felt like being a kid again. Everyone settled in with plates of Thai food, the TV playing some reality show about people trying to survive on an island.
I ended up next to Aadyant, our shoulders touching in the cramped space. It should've felt claustrophobic. Instead, it felt safe.
"This okay?" he asked quietly, gesturing to our proximity.
"Yeah. It's nice."
Throughout the evening, I found myself relaxing. Laughing at the ridiculous reality show drama. Joining in the group's commentary. Letting Aadyant's presence ground me.
Around nine, my phone buzzed. I checked it without thinking—
Another unknown number. Indian country code.
My breath caught.
"Kashvi?" Aadyant noticed immediately. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just—" I blocked the number. "Nothing."
But my hands were shaking.
"Do you want to go outside? Get some air?"
I nodded, grateful.
~
We stepped out onto the balcony, the night air cool against our skin. Kashvi leaned against the railing, taking deep breaths.
"Your parents again?"
"Probably. I don't know. I blocked the number before checking." She laughed humorlessly. "I don't know why they won't just give up."
"Do you want them to give up?"
She was quiet for a long moment. "I don't know. Part of me wants them to keep trying. Wants them to prove they actually care. But another part of me is so angry that they think they can just call after three years and everything will be fine."
"Both things can be true. You can want them to care and be angry that they didn't when you needed them."
"How are you so good at this? At saying exactly what I need to hear?"
"I'm not. I'm just trying to understand." I moved to stand beside her. "Kashvi, you don't have to tell me what happened. But I need you to know—whatever it is, it doesn't change how I see you. It doesn't change how I feel about you."
"You say that now. But what if—" She stopped, struggling.
"What if what?"
"What if I tell you everything and you realize I'm too damaged? Too much work? What if you—" Her voice broke. "What if you leave?"
"I won't."
"You can't know that."
"Yes, I can." I turned to face her fully. "Kashvi, I know what I feel. I know that whatever you tell me, whenever you're ready to tell me, it's not going to change the fact that I—"
I stopped. Too much. Too soon.
But she was looking at me with those eyes, waiting.
"The fact that I love you," I finished quietly.
~
The world stopped.
"What?"
"I love you." He said it simply. Certainly. "I'm in love with you, Kashvi. I have been for weeks, probably. I wasn't planning to tell you like this, but—" He smiled sadly. "I need you to understand that whatever you're afraid of telling me, whatever you think will make me leave—it won't. Because I love you. All of you. The parts you're ready to share and the parts you're still holding back."
Tears spilled down my cheeks. "Aadyant—"
"You don't have to say it back. I'm not asking for that. I just need you to know. So when your parents call and make you doubt yourself, you remember—someone sees you. Really sees you. And loves what he sees."
I couldn't speak. Could barely breathe.
"I'm sorry if that's too much," he continued. "If I'm pushing too hard. But I can't keep pretending I don't feel this. Can't keep watching you doubt your worth when to me, you're—" He stopped, emotion thick in his voice. "You're everything."
"I don't know how to—" I struggled for words. "No one's ever—"
"Said they love you?"
I shook my head.
His expression broke. "Oh, Kashvi."
"I mean, my parents did. Before. But it felt conditional. Like they loved who they wanted me to be, not who I was. And after—after everything happened, even that stopped."
"I'm so sorry."
"And now you're standing here, saying these words, and I want to believe you but I'm terrified. Because what if I let myself believe it and then—"
"And then what? I stop?" He stepped closer. "Kashvi, I'm not going to stop loving you. Not when you have bad days. Not when you push me away. Not when you're scared or angry or any of it. That's not how this works."
"How what works?"
"Love. Real love. The kind that doesn't run when things get hard." His hand came up, cupping my face gently. "I'm not your parents. I'm not the people who hurt you. I'm here. And I'm staying."
I broke.
Sobs tore through me—three years of pain and fear and loneliness pouring out. Aadyant pulled me into his arms, and I collapsed against him, crying into his chest while he held me like I was something precious.
"I've got you," he murmured. "I've got you. Let it out."
We stood there for a long time. Me crying. Him holding me. The city lights twinkling below us, indifferent to my breaking heart.
When I finally pulled back, his shirt was soaked with my tears.
"Sorry," I managed.
"Don't be. I meant it when I said I'm here for all of it. The good and the bad and the messy."
I looked up at him—at this person who loved me, who saw all my broken pieces and chose to stay anyway.
"I'm not ready to say it back," I whispered. "Not because I don't feel it. But because I'm scared. Because I don't know if I know how to love someone without being terrified of losing them."
"That's okay. Take all the time you need."
"But I want you to know—" I took a shaky breath. "You're important to me. More important than anyone's been in a very long time. And that terrifies me but also—" I smiled through tears. "Also makes me feel less alone than I've felt in three years."
"That's enough, Kashvi. That's more than enough."
~
They went back inside eventually. Kashvi's eyes were red, but she was smiling. Aadyant kept her hand in his, solid and reassuring.
The group took one look at them and, with that intuition that comes from good friends, didn't ask questions. Just made space for them in the blanket fort and continued the night as if nothing had happened.
But something had shifted.
Kashvi had let Aadyant see her cry. Had let him hold her while she broke. Had heard him say he loved her and, instead of running, had stayed.
It wasn't everything. But it was progress.
And as the night wore on, Kashvi found herself leaning into Aadyant, his arm around her shoulders, feeling safe in a way she hadn't felt in years.
Maybe healing wasn't about fixing yourself. Maybe it was about finding people who loved you while you figured it out.
~
FOLLOW ME!! 😄
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