Oh, God.
“Sweetheart,” I whisper, guilt crashing into me like a fucking freight train. “Don’t cry.Pleasedon’t cry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to show up like that. Iswear.”
Her voice cuts through the line, jagged and furious. “Then why the fuck were you there?!”
I shut my eyes. Her anger’s a relief. It’s the tears that are shattering me. Bringing my own in their wake.
“I just... I needed to see you. That’s all. Just to look at you. I wasn’t planning on... I didn’t mean to crash your night. I’m sorry. I was going to talk to you properly tomorrow. Your mom said you were out. I swear, Aarohi, I didn’t—”
She groans—a sound between frustration and grief. It rips through me.
“Why, Lucian?” she demands. “Why are you doing this? You vanished for weeks. And now, suddenly—”
“It’s not sudden,” I say quickly. “I wanted to see you every single day. I wanted tobegyou to hear me out. But I needed to understand myself first. What I did.WhyI did it.”
She goes quiet. Long enough that I think the call’s dropped. But then...
“You’re not going to tell me anything I don’t already know.”
“Aarohi... I was going to explain why I did what I did that night.”
A harsh, bitter laugh. “Whichnight? Between the two of us, there are too many fucked up nights. You’ll have to be morespecific.”
I clear my throat, trying to sound less like I’m falling apart. “The night you walked in on me and... the woman.”
Her next word is a growl.
“Arghhh! Why, Lucian?! If it wasn’t revenge, then why?! Tell me right now and then book a flight and fuckingleave.”
I pause, heart racing with panic. Not at her yelling. At the thought of this being it. The last chance.
“I’ll tell you when you’re not drunk. I promise,” I murmur.
She snorts. “Are you seriously telling me you flewallllthe way to India to tell me thereason?”
There’s a hiccup in her voice.
“No,” I say softly but my voice breaks anyway. “I came because the thought of not being able to touch you, hear you,seeyou... it gives me a panic attack.”
She goes silent.
“Well... get used to it,” she whispers. “Because I’m not coming back.”
I nod, even though she can’t see it. My voice breaks anyway. “I’ll learn. I will. But right now I just... I needed to breathe long enough to tell you that what happened that night... it wasn’t out of malice.”
I hesitate.
Then—
“Did you get a job here? In India?”
Instant regret. “Sorry. That’s none of my—”
“You think I’ve moved here?” she asks, surprised.
“Yeah...” I admit, quietly.
She lets out a wet laugh. “I’m not moving back here. I can’t afford the student loan on an Indian salary.”
