The night air felt cool against Roshni's skin as she stood beside Kabir on the balcony. The city of Mumbai stretched out before them, its lights twinkling like distant stars in the vast expanse of the sky. The view was breathtaking, but Roshni's mind was far from calm. Kabir's words still lingered in the air, their weight sinking into her chest. He had just confessed to her what she had begun to suspect for some time now—his love for her was not just affection; it was an all-consuming need.
He had admitted to the things he had done for her, and Roshni could hardly wrap her head around it. She had felt the shifts in her life, the way she was being shaped and molded, but hearing him finally speak about it directly left her speechless.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke. The air between them was thick with tension, the kind that comes with unspoken truths and complex emotions. Roshni tried to focus on the view, but her heart was racing. She didn't know what to say. How could she put into words the confusion that had been clouding her thoughts?
She had always known there was something different about Kabir's care for her, but to hear him admit to watching her so closely, influencing her life so deeply—it was overwhelming. He hadn't just been there for her in the way a normal protector would. He had been her architect, silently pulling strings, shaping her life in ways she could hardly understand.
Kabir stood beside her, quiet, his face a study of emotion. He was so open now, vulnerable in a way he had never allowed himself to be before.
"I didn't know how to tell you," Kabir finally spoke, his voice low. "I've always been afraid that you'd leave. That once you knew the extent of my feelings... you would be scared of me."
Roshni turned to face him. His eyes were filled with a rare vulnerability, and for a moment, she saw him as he was—no longer the protector or the manipulator, but just a man who loved her, perhaps in a way that was too overwhelming, too intense for her to fully comprehend.
"I'm not scared of you," Roshni replied, her voice steady but with an edge of uncertainty. "I'm scared of what you've done. I don't understand why you had to do all this."
Kabir's expression darkened slightly, a flicker of guilt crossing his features. "I did it because I care about you, Roshni. I wanted to protect you from everything I feared would hurt you. I thought I could keep you safe by controlling everything around you."
"But Kabir," she interjected, shaking her head. "That's not what I want. I don't need to be protected like that. I need to make my own decisions, live my own life."
"I know." His voice softened, and his gaze never left her. "I didn't realize I was suffocating you. I thought I was helping, but I see now that I was wrong. I can't keep doing this. I've crossed boundaries I shouldn't have."
The truth of his words hit Roshni hard. She could see how much he cared for her, but the overwhelming pressure he had placed on her to conform to his ideal version of her was suffocating. And yet, there was a part of her that didn't want to lose him, that didn't want to let go of the connection they shared.
"Maybe," Roshni said softly, "I've let you. Maybe I've let you do this because I didn't know how to say no. But I need to figure out who I am on my own. I need space to breathe."
Kabir nodded slowly, his jaw tightening as if the words hurt him. "I understand. I'll give you the time you need, Roshni. But know this—I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here, watching over you, loving you in whatever way you'll allow me."
Roshni felt her heart tug at his words. She didn't want to hurt him, but she needed to step away to reclaim the parts of herself that she had lost in the whirlwind of Kabir's world. She wasn't sure what the future held, but she knew that she needed to take control of her life, even if it meant facing the pain of distancing herself from him.
To Be Continued...
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