One of the odds of having a large family was the fact that nothing went unnoticed. Airam arrived home and went straight to her room. Her cheerful, usual greeting was gone, and everyone could tell.
"Did something happen at work?" Laila asked.
"Are you okay? How was work?" Jane added.
"Wait, this one, your face is moody. I hope they didn't fire you from your job?" Aunty Maggi said.
"Mum, what do we do about my tuition fee?" Aunty Maggi's youngest daughter cried out.
"I'm fine. I just need a minute, okay?" Airam said.
"Go to your room and rest, my dear," her mother said. Only then was she able to leave the hall and go to her room.
She was in a complete daze as she took off her clothes and entered the shower. She wasn't aware of herself until she bumped her head against the shower wall.
Lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, she whispered into the darkness, "I'm falling for him."
Saying it didn't make it any less terrifying, but it made it real.
And somewhere deep inside her chest, beneath the fear, something warm unfolded. Something like hope.
She couldn't sleep. The evening felt too quiet for its own good.
The kids were asleep. Her mother and sisters were in their rooms. The house, for once, wasn't buzzing with chaos or complaints.
Airam stepped outside to take in a breath of fresh air. She leaned on the railing of the balcony, staring at the street where the streetlights glowed like shy fireflies.
She didn't hear Harry come out behind her until he spoke. "Can't sleep?"
His voice was soft, almost careful. She turned slightly. "Yeah."
"Me too."
She shrugged. "I can imagine."
Harry chuckled under his breath. "You ran away again."
"Yes, I did," she replied, but there was no bitterness in her voice. Only truth.
He walked toward her and stopped beside her at just the right distance. Close enough for her to feel his warmth. Far enough for her to walk away if she needed to.
There was silence for a while. Comfortable. Quiet. Safe.
Harry looked at her the way he always did and said in a low voice, "You know, you don't always have to carry everything alone, Airam. And you don't have to run away from me."
She let out a small laugh. "I'm not running. I've been carrying things alone for so long, I don't even remember how to do it any other way."
"Let me love you. Let me help you," he said gently.
Her heart clenched. She looked up at him, ready to deflect, ready to brush it off with a joke, but the words got stuck in her throat.
Because his eyes were too honest. Too open. Too full of something she wasn't ready to name.
Their gazes locked. The air shifted.
Something pulled between them. Slow. Magnetic. Unmistakable.
Harry's voice dropped to a whisper. "Airam…"
She didn't know what came over her. Her chest tightened, her breath caught, and suddenly the world felt too small for the storm inside her.
"Harry," she whispered back.
He took a small step closer. She didn't move.
Another step. She still didn't move.
His hand lifted slowly and carefully, his fingertips brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
Airam's breath hitched.
She felt it. Something deep, warm, terrifying, spreading through her chest.
His thumb grazed her cheek.
She closed her eyes for half a second.
When she opened them again, his face was inches from hers.
Their breaths mingled. Their hearts raced. The moment felt suspended, soft, fragile, dangerously sweet.
Harry leaned in.
Airam didn't stop him. Her lips parted just slightly, her pulse loud in her ears, just a breath away