"You'll pay me back," he said, but before he could continue, he gently pushed me back so that my head landed on the pillow. He leaned over me, looking into my eyes with a quiet intensity.
"I want you to stay with me. Even if we fight sometimes… stay."
I nodded, feeling moved.
"I didn't hear you," he whispered, and began kissing my face — my forehead, my cheeks, my chin. Each touch was soft, sincere.
"Then he started tickling me.
"Yes," I murmured back.
Chak pulled away and sat up. I slowly sat next to him and said quietly:
"I'd follow you anywhere. As long as we're together."
He smiled and gently ran his fingers through my hair. I leaned on his shoulder and closed my eyes. His hand kept moving through my hair, slowly, comfortingly.
After some time, we heard I opened my eyes and suddenly felt embarrassed. I looked away.
"About earlier…" I started, but she gently interrupted me:
"I just want you two to be happy. That's all that really matters in life — finding someone who completes you, like you complete each other. Chak needed someone he could trust, and you… you found Chak, someone who makes you feel safe."
I looked at Chak. In his eyes, I saw something that warmed me — pride.
"You're not shocked… that your half-brother has a boyfriend?" Chak asked quietly.
Anamarija smiled. "Why would I be? Love is love."
She relaxed into the couch. For a few moments, silence settled over us.
"You're right," Chak finally said. "But please… don't tell anyone. No one can know we're together."
"I promise," she said calmly. "My lips are sealed."
"In two days, you'll meet the rest of the family," Chak continued. "I'm not worried about Chai and Malai. But mom… she can be intense. Her questions can feel like an interrogation."
"I'm not afraid," she smiled.
I turned to Chak. "Everything's going to be fine."
He looked at the time. "Vikran is coming in three hours. When he arrives, stay in your room. I don't want him to see you. I'll come get you when he leaves."
I nodded lightly.
"What do you think he'll want to talk about?" Anamarija asked.
"Probably about you two " Chak replied briefly.
Suddenly, Sun jumped onto the couch. Anamarija picked him up and gently stroked his fur.
"And who are you, little cutie? What's his name?" she asked sweetly.
"Sun," I answered.
"Can I play with him?"
Chak nodded. "There are toys in that drawer."
She found a toy wand with a little mouse dangling at the end, showed it to Sun and said, "Come on, let's go play outside."
A few moments later, Lon and Leo came in.
"Do you two want to play too?" she asked them with a smile.
After they all left, she closed the door behind her. Chak's gaze stayed fixed on the window, watching them play outside. His expression was calm, thoughtful… soft.
Watching him like that — relaxed, peaceful — I knew I had to draw him.
I stood up and went to my art room. I sat at the desk, opened my sketchbook, and began sketching his profile. The lines came easily, naturally. I knew his face by heart.
After a while, I felt a presence. I turned around and saw Chak standing behind me, watching me with a gentle smile.
I hadn't even heard him come in.
"What are you drawing?" he asked softly.
"I think you already know," I said, smiling slightly.
He stepped closer, standing right behind me. He looked at the drawing and said quietly:
"I like it."
"I like you more,"
I replied, then added:
"Every time I draw you, I feel calm. You mean so much to me. But no picture, no pencil line can replace your embrace — where I feel safe. Your voice calms me. And every day, I fall more in love with your touch, your kisses.
Every time you look at me, there's something new in your eyes. Something deeper."
For a few seconds, we just looked at each other. Without words.
Then Chak slowly leaned in toward me, his hand gently resting on my neck. He was so close. I closed my eyes.
The kiss was slow, soft, short — but in it were all the words we didn't need to say. Every unspoken feeling lived in that touch.
We both knew exactly what it meant.
When our eyes met, I slowly stood up and wrapped my arms around Chak's neck. My heart was pounding, but in that moment, all I wanted was to be close to him. I leaned in and gently touched his lips with mine.
The kiss started soft, almost careful… but quickly deepened. It held everything we felt. Everything we had kept hidden. Everything that now had the space to be seen.
Chak slid his arms around my waist and pulled me closer — tighter. His grip was firm, protective, almost hungry. It felt like our bodies were rediscovering each other. His touch was warm, familiar — like a safe place I had been waiting for.
For a moment, we stayed like that, our foreheads resting together. His breath was fast, just like mine.
"I'm not going anywhere," I whispered.
His eyes lit up.
"Neither am I."
Chak softly said to me,
"I love you."
"I love you too," I whispered back, wrapping my arms around him gently.
For a moment, we just stood there, holding each other — saying everything without words.
Then he said,
"Finish the drawing. I'll be in the living room."
As he turned to leave, I reached for his hand and said quietly:
"Let's finish it together."
Chak smiled and sat down on the chair.
Without a word, I walked over and gently sat down on his lap. He didn't flinch — he just looked at me, as if this moment felt natural, right. I picked up the pencil from the table, turned toward him, and placed it in his hand.
He accepted it without hesitation.
Then I reached out, wrapped my hand around his, guiding his fingers with mine.
Our hands moved in sync, slow and steady, as we traced the final lines of the drawing together.
The sound of the pencil gliding across paper was the only thing between us. There was something deeply calming about it — the rhythm, the closeness, the way our bodies fit together without effort. His chest rose and fell steadily behind me. I could feel his breath near my neck.
He didn't say anything, but I could sense how present he was. Every time our fingers moved together, it was like we were carving something more than just a drawing — we were sketching trust, one line at a time.
In that moment, I realized something I never dared to admit out loud:
Drawing was always the safest way for me to say the things I couldn't voice. But now, with Chak, I didn't need to hide behind the lines. For the first time, someone was holding the pencil with me — not just watching from a distance, but choosing to be part of the picture.
"You're good at this," I whispered with a small smile, my head resting lightly against his cheek.
I let out a soft laugh, leaning my head slightly more against him.
"I guess... we make a good team," I whispered.
He didn't respond immediately, but I felt his lips press lightly against the side of my head.
"You give me peace," he murmured, almost like it wasn't meant to be heard.
My fingers loosened around the pencil, and I let it drop gently onto the table. The drawing was done — but somehow, I didn't want to move away from him yet.
We sat in silence, his arms still around me, my body resting against his. The soft afternoon light filtered through the window, casting a golden hue over the paper in front of us.
It was quiet, warm, perfect.
For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like I was hiding a part of myself.
For the first time... I felt whole.
I turned my head slightly to look at him and said softly,
"Thank you… for letting me love you."
He met my gaze — steady, sincere.
I leaned my head against his chest and smiled.
Chak looked down at me and said softly,
"Do you have a folder?"
"A folder?" I asked, glancing up. "Why?"
"I want to keep all the drawings we make together.
Put them in one place. Like… memories."
Something warm bloomed in my chest.
"I love that," I whispered, and kissed his shoulder.
I reached into the drawer and pulled out a folder — nothing fancy, just a simple one — and carefully placed the sketch inside.
Chak gently ran his hand over my hair, stroking it once, slowly. It made me close my eyes for a second.
As I held the folder in my hands, a thought crossed my mind:
Maybe this wasn't just paper and pencil.
Maybe we were sketching our story, page by page. Together.
Time slipped by as we sat wrapped in each other's arms. Then Chak looked at the clock and softly said, 'Vikran will be here soon.'
Chak was waiting for me by the door. I walked over to him just as he said,
"Let's go find her."
When we entered the living room, she was sitting on the couch reading a book.
Lun, Leo, and Sun were curled up beside her, peacefully asleep in soft little balls of fluff.
Chak stepped closer and said seriously,
"Put away all your things from the hallway. If Vikran sees them, he'll immediately suspect you're here."
I nodded, and with Anamarija we headed for the hallway. We quickly gathered our shoes and jackets.
"Take them to the room," Chak added.
Just as we reached the fifth step on the stairs, the doorbell rang.
In that same moment, Chak turned and said,
"Go to her room and stay there until I come get you."
Without a word, we slipped into her room. I set my shoes by the wall and placed my jacket on the desk. I sat on the edge of the bed, but I couldn't sit still.
"Don't be nervous, Niran," Anamarija said quietly.
"I can't help it. I don't like him," I admitted.
She looked at me with sympathy but said nothing.
"I wish I could hear what they're talking about," I mumbled, more to myself than to her.
After a while, the door slowly opened.
Chak stepped inside, looked at us, and said in an icy voice: