For a few seconds, neither of them moved.
Aarvi's hand rested gently over his, and Riyan's fingers curled under her touch like he was afraid she would disappear if he didn't hold on.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't intentional.
It wasn't even romantic in a loud way.
It was quiet.
Raw.
A moment between two people who had been carrying too much for too long.
Aarvi was the first to realize what she was doing.
She pulled her hand back suddenly, as if she'd touched something she wasn't supposed to feel.
"I—I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice shaky.
Riyan stood before she could step away.
"Aarvi, don't apologize for comforting someone."
"But I'm crossing a line—"
"There's no line left," he said softly.
"Not between us. Not anymore."
Her breath stilled.
His voice…
His eyes…
His posture…
Everything felt too close.
Too sincere.
Too dangerous.
She looked down, trying to hide the tremble in her lips.
But Riyan saw it.
He always did.
"Aarvi," he murmured, stepping closer, "look at me."
She shook her head slightly, the emotions inside her too heavy to tame.
He gently reached out — not to grab her, not to force her — just to lift her chin with two fingers.
Her eyes met his.
And everything inside him broke a little.
---
She was hurting, and he couldn't bear it
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
His voice wasn't commanding anymore.
It was pleading.
Aarvi inhaled, but the breath came out uneven.
"I'm scared," she whispered.
His expression changed instantly — the strong, controlled CEO replaced with someone terrified of losing something precious.
"Of me?" he asked quietly.
"No," she said, shaking her head.
"Of… everything happening between us."
Riyan's chest tightened.
He stepped closer, slowly, giving her time to pull away.
She didn't.
"Aarvi," he said, barely above a whisper, "I'm scared too."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"I don't know how to do this," he continued.
"I don't know how to feel anything without messing it up. And with you, everything feels… deeper."
Her breath hitched.
He wasn't confessing love.
He wasn't saying anything dramatic.
He was saying the truth.
The real truth.
That she mattered.
That her existence shook him.
That he didn't know how to control what she made him feel.
Aarvi felt her eyes sting with tears she didn't mean to show.
And that was the moment he broke.
He stepped forward, closing the distance between them in one quiet, careful movement.
Then—
without thinking, without planning, without deciding—
he pulled her into his arms.
---
The hug wasn't tight, but it was everything
Her cheek rested lightly against his chest.
His hand moved instinctively to the back of her head.
His other arm circled her waist gently, as if afraid she would break.
Aarvi froze for a heartbeat.
No one had held her in years.
Not like this.
Not with this kind of trembling tenderness.
Her hands hovered near his chest, unsure if she should touch him back.
"You can hold on," he whispered.
"I won't push you away."
Her heart cracked a little at those words.
Slowly… very slowly… her fingers closed around the fabric of his shirt.
Riyan exhaled shakily — a breath that sounded like relief, pain, and desire to protect, all tangled into one.
"I shouldn't be doing this," she whispered against him.
"I know," he murmured. "But I couldn't stop myself."
She closed her eyes, feeling the steady beat of his heart under her ear.
Too fast.
Too real.
Too affected.
"Just for a moment," he said softly, his lips near her hair.
"Let me hold you… just for this moment."
Aarvi didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
Her silence, her trembling breath, the way she leaned into him—
It was the closest thing to yes.
And in that quiet, fragile embrace, something irreversible happened:
Riyan realized he wasn't just falling for her…
He already had.