~WITHOUT A WORD~
I woke up earlier than anyone else, and the first thing I saw was her.
She was lying beside me, her arm still draped around me from the night before. For a second, I forgot how to breathe. She looked so peaceful, so fragile… and something in me whispered, *last night was the best night of my life*.
Why? Why was I feeling this way? She wasn't supposed to have this effect on me. But she was so pretty, so innocent, that I couldn't imagine anyone not falling for her.
*Love?*
My own thought startled me. Do I… love her?
Her words came back to me, sharp as a blade: *"I can't let myself love you."*
So, she *does* love me? Or is she just scared?
No. Impossible. She can't love me. Not me. Her standards are so high, and I don't fit anywhere near them. And i am not enough for her. She deserve a better person than me not me who can't even confess his own feelings to her precious girl.
I slipped away from her quietly. The thing I didn't wanted was for anyone to walk in and see us like this. We weren't a couple, and I couldn't let anyone get the wrong idea. I headed to the bathroom, washed my face, and stared at my reflection. What the hell was happening to me?
By the time I was dressed, I had forced my thoughts back under control. I took out my phone and called one of my guys.
"Any update?" I asked in a low voice.
"Yes, we found them," he replied.
"Good. Just follow them. Don't let them see you. Keep watching."
"Okay, boss."
I hung up and shoved the phone back into my pocket, pushing that part of me deep down again.
When I stepped back out, she was awake. Sitting on the couch, rubbing her messy hair with one hand, blinking like a baby who had just woken up. Something in me froze. I sat on the sofa, staring before I even realized it. She lifted her head—and our eyes met.
Her expression faltered, stunned, like she suddenly remembered something. Then she quickly buried her face in the pillow. Regret?
I rolled my eyes. *Why regret? Am I the only one who doesn't?*
She bolted up and dashed to the bathroom. By then, the rest of the group started waking up—except for Zain, who was snoring like a truck. The room filled with noise. I hated it.
"Can't you guys talk slowly?" I snapped. "Zain is sleeping."
Ayan smirked, "Getting worried for Zain or just irritated?"
I rolled my eyes again. Annoying idiots.
But then the bathroom door opened—and everything else disappeared.
She stepped out, and I swear time stopped. She was wearing a sharp, bossy outfit: a fitted black blazer over a tucked-in white top, paired with a short pleated skirt and long boots. Her hair was tied into a loose, effortless ponytail, with strands falling to frame her face. Elegant but bold. Fierce but soft. She looked like… an angel pretending to be untouchable.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror and suddenly screamed, "This doesn't suit me!"
She rushed over to Maheen and Zara, tugging at her sleeves. "How's it?"
"It's perfect!" they both grinned.
I couldn't stop staring. My chest ached with something I didn't want to name. When she turned her head and glanced at me, I instantly dropped my gaze to my phone, pretending to be busy. Thank God she didn't catch me.
Zain finally woke up, and soon everyone was getting ready. Maheen and Zara looked stunning too, but I don't know why… she was different. She wasn't just pretty—she was *my type*.
Downstairs at the buffet, the couples were being their usual selves.
The table was loud. Too loud. Ayan was laughing with Maheen, Zain was busy with Zara, and the whole place felt like a stage for couples to perform their little dramas.
And then there was her.
She was sitting there quietly, forcing a smile, trying to act like she was fine. But her eyes… her eyes told another story. She was shrinking into herself, uncomfortable, left out.
Something in me snapped. I couldn't watch her like that.
I leaned back casually, acting bored, scrolling through my phone. Then, as if it was nothing, I said loud enough for her to hear, "Wateen, come with me. I need you to check something."
She blinked, confused. "Me?"
"Yeah, you. Don't just sit there." I didn't even look at her, just stood up like it was no big deal.
She hesitated for a moment, then pushed her chair back and followed me. I could feel her eyes on me as we walked out of the noisy hall.
The moment we stepped into the quiet corridor, her shoulders relaxed. She didn't even realize it, but she was breathing easier. I caught it.
"What did you want to check?" she finally asked, tilting her head.
I smirked, slipping my hands into my pockets. "Nothing. Just saving my ears from their noise. You're welcome."
She rolled her eyes. "You're so dramatic."
"Maybe." I shrugged, trying to keep my voice steady. "But I know you hate it too."
For a second, she just looked at me—like she wanted to argue, but couldn't. Instead, she smiled. A real one this time.
And that was enough.
I didn't need her thanks. Didn't need her to know what I was doing. As long as she wasn't sitting there alone, feeling small, it was enough for me.
When the voices around the table grew too loud, I excused myself and slipped out quietly. My phone was already in my hand before the door even closed behind me.
The line connected.
"Any update?" I asked, keeping my voice sharp but low.
"Yes, boss," the man replied immediately. "We followed as you instructed. We've been watching her parents closely. It's… not a pretty picture."
My chest tightened. "Go on."
He hesitated for a second before speaking again. "The father… he's unpredictable. Strict, almost cruel in the way he talks to everyone expect her wife and younger daughter. The mother… she's quieter, but doesn't intervene. And the younger sister—she's clearly favored,the most spoiled one, It's obvious the girl—your friend—has been sidelined for years."
I closed my eyes, gripping the phone harder. Exactly what I feared. Exactly what she'd never tell me herself.
"Keep watching," I ordered, my jaw tight. "I want every detail. Every word. But don't get seen. If she ever finds out, it'll destroy her. She can never know I'm doing this."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
I ended the call and leaned against the wall, trying to steady myself. My reflection in the glass window looked back at me—calm mask on the outside, storm raging inside.
I thought of her laugh at the table, the way she tried so hard to act fine, to act normal. Nobody there saw the cracks, but I did. And now… I knew the truth behind them.
She wasn't just strong—she had been *forced* to be strong.
She wasn't just reserved—she had been *taught* to stay quiet.
My fists clenched. *How can she still smile after all this?*
I turned back towards the dining hall, my expression carefully blank. But my eyes searched for her instantly. She was sitting between the others, pretending to belong, pretending to be okay.
And I knew right then—whatever it cost me—I'd never let her carry that weight alone again.
~(Wateen's POV)~
I was sitting at the table, fork in my hand, pretending to be part of the chatter. Maheen was laughing at something Ayan said, Zara was glowing under Zain's attention, and I… well, I was just there. Smiling when I needed to, nodding when someone looked at me, but inside I felt invisible.
I hated this part. When everyone seemed paired, cherished, wanted. And me? Just the leftover piece of the puzzle.
I tugged at the cuff of my sleeve, staring down at my plate as if the scrambled eggs were the most interesting thing in the world. My chest tightened the way it always did when silence wrapped around me too tightly—silence only *I* could hear in the middle of all the noise.
And then, just like that, Raffy appeared. He slid into the seat next to mine so casually that no one noticed. Not even me at first. But when his shoulder brushed against mine, I felt it.
He leaned back in his chair, smirking at something Ayan said across the table, but his hand… his hand rested on the edge of my chair, close enough for me to feel the warmth radiating. He didn't look at me, not once, but suddenly I didn't feel so misplaced anymore.
It was strange, how he did that. Pulled me out of my silence without dragging me into the spotlight. Made the world less heavy without saying a single word.
I let out a slow breath I didn't know I was holding. The knot in my chest loosened, just a little. I glanced at him quickly, but his eyes were fixed on his phone, like he hadn't done a thing.
But I knew.
He knew too.
And that was enough.