I didn’t move at first.
Neither did he.
But his mother nudged him gently, smiling, “Go say hello. She’s grown up so much, no?”
That smile turned into a teasing laugh that made my cheeks heat.
Laksh took a slow breath, like he was bracing himself, and stepped forward.
I felt the air shift with every step he took — as if the space between us was tightening, folding, pulling us closer after years of pretending nothing existed.
Tarav noticed too.
His eyes flicked between us from across the hall, that familiar smirk fading into something unreadable.
But all I could see was Laksh.
He stopped in front of me. Close, but not too close. Just enough for his presence to swallow the air around me.
“Hi, Shresta,” he said softly.
My name on his lips felt like something fragile being unwrapped after years.
I swallowed. “Hi, Laksh.”
He tried to smile — that gentle, quiet curve I remembered — but it wavered, as if he wasn’t sure he deserved to smile at me anymore.
His eyes dropped to my hand.
To the bracelet.
His breath caught, sharp and involuntary.
“You… still have it.”
It wasn’t a question.
Just disbelief.
And something deeper — something that hurt.
I nodded, a small smile tugging at my lips. “Some things you don’t forget.”
Laksh’s fingers curled at his sides, subtle but visible. As if he wanted to reach out. As if he was fighting the instinct.
Before he could respond, before the moment could settle—
Tarav stepped right beside me, throwing an arm casually (and very deliberately) around my shoulders.
“Laksh!” he exclaimed too loudly. “Long time, man.”
Laksh’s jaw tightened, barely noticeable unless you’d memorized him once.
I had.
“Yeah,” Laksh said, voice steady. “Long time.”
Tarav smirked. “You met our star guest already?”
My cheeks warmed. “Tarav—”
But Laksh’s eyes were already on me again.
Not angry.
Not jealous.
Just… wounded.
And so unbelievably soft.
“Well,” Laksh said quietly, “it’s good to see you, Shresta.”
Before I could reply, someone called him from across the hall. He gave me a small nod and walked away — polite steps, steady breathing, controlled silence.
But not before stealing one last glance.
A glance that said everything he didn’t.
Everything he couldn’t.
Everything that was waiting to come undone.
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