Airam's heart was racing when she got home.
"Hmmm… what's going on with you? Out with it," Jane said, narrowing her eyes.
"I may not have been lucky with men," Laila added, "but hey sis, I can certainly tell when a man likes you, and that hot cake likes you."
"Wait… have you two, you know…" Jane leaned in.
"What are you talking about?" Airam asked, confused.
"You know," Jane repeated.
"I know what?" Airam's brows furrowed deeper.
"Seriously, have you two kissed? Or, you know… taken it a step further?" Jane asked.
"You know what, I'm going to my room. And don't ever bring that up again," Airam said, almost yelling.
"Oh come on, what are you, five? You're twenty-six, sis! You can't keep acting like talking stages last forever," Jane shot back.
"Both of you are insane!" Airam said, covering her ears as she stormed off.
That moment felt like someone had pressed her factory reset button. All her emotions snapped back to the one dream that mattered, building her mother the biggest villa the world had ever seen.
In her room, she brushed her fingers gently over her model housing project, took a deep breath, and started sketching. Usually, she cleared her mind and returned to the design later, but tonight she didn't want to step out.
She didn't want to risk running into Harry.
She tried to hold herself back.
What? I'm not afraid. I've never been afraid a day in my life. Why should I hide? she thought.
With that, she grabbed her coat and walked out to the balcony again.
She didn't even get to breathe in the evening air before a hand pulled her back, pinning her against the wall.
Harry.
Exactly the person her mind had warned her about… and the one her heart had whispered she shouldn't be afraid of.
Standing that close to him, she forgot what self-control even meant. She wasn't the strong, unshakable girl she always was. In that moment, she was just a girl, a simple girl who wanted him to take the wheel, even if it was only for a second.
And Harry… he could always read the signs.
He leaned in without hesitation, without waiting for her to change her mind, without letting anything interrupt them this time.
Harry's breath brushed her lips, warm enough to melt the last piece of resistance she thought she had. Airam could feel her heartbeat everywhere in her chest, her fingers, her knees that suddenly felt like they weren't made to hold her up.
"Airam…" he whispered, and the way he said her name felt like a promise and a warning at the same time.
Before she could answer, think, or breathe, his mouth claimed hers.
It wasn't a gentle kiss.
It wasn't cautious.
It was fire, the kind she didn't know she had been starving for.
His hand slid to the back of her neck, drawing her closer as if he was afraid she'd disappear if he loosened his grip. Her fingers found the fabric of his shirt, clutching it like it was the only thing keeping her upright.
The kiss deepened, burning hot and desperate, yet somehow steady like he had been holding himself back for too long and finally let go.
Airam's mind went blank.
Not the kind of blank that comes from confusion the kind that comes from wanting something so much it becomes the only thing that exists.
She wasn't thinking of anything just that moment. She wasn't thinking of who she was supposed to be.
All she knew was that she wanted him. And that he wanted her back clearly, undeniably, impossibly.
Airam broke the kiss, hiding her face in his chest, catching her breath. Harry smiles, cupping her face as he presses his forehead against hers, catching his breath.
"You have no idea," he whispered, his voice rough, "how long I've wanted to do that."
Airam's eyes fluttered open, still dazed, wishing she could hide or run or something.
Harry's lips curved not into a smile, but something darker, something that made her heart flip.
"It's too late to run now," he said softly, "Because after that kiss, you are mine and I can't stop."
And then he kissed her again, fiercer, deeper, the kind of kiss that felt like it could rewrite every rule she had ever lived by.