"What Are You Waiting For?" || ORIGINAL STORY.

Chapter Ninety-Three.

Tanya's POV.

"How are your parents?" I asked Darren on a walk in the middle of the night.

Darren's expression darkened at the question, his grip on my hand tightening slightly.

"They're.. okay, I suppose." he answered after a moment. "Still trapped in a cycle of self-pity, and constantly asking me to forgive them.."

He let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm not sure I ever will, though. Forgiving them won't make my life easier when they're constantly breathing down my neck, reminding me of their mistakes."

I squeezed his hand gently in a silent show of support, continuing to walk by his side.

"It's.. hard to forgive when the pain is still fresh." I offered quietly.

Darren nodded silently, his jaw clenching slightly.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, the night air cool and crisp against our skin.

Finally, Darren spoke up again.

"Sometimes I find myself wondering.. if they even understand how much they messed me up." he said, his voice rough.

I stayed silent, knowing that sometimes it was best just to listen.

Darren continued after a moment.

"I was a happy kid. A normal kid. But they.. they tried to make me into something I wasn't, and it messed with my head. I grew up being told that I had to be perfect, but no matter what I did, it was never enough for them. And that.. that just broke me.."

My heart ached for him as he spoke, revealing the pain and turmoil beneath the surface.

I gently pulled him to a stop, turning to face him.

"Darren.." I whispered, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of his face.

"You are enough. You've always been enough."

His eyes met mine, filled with a mixture of pain and vulnerability.

"Am I?.. Or am I just what they wanted me to be?" he asked quietly, his voice filled with uncertainty.

I gently cupped his face, making sure he was looking at me.

"You are so much more than what they wanted you to be. You're kind, smart, talented, and strong. You've been through hell and back, but here you are, still standing."

His eyes searched mine, looking for any hint of untruth in my words, but all he found was sincerity.

His expression softened slightly, and he placed his hand over mine, leaning into my touch.

"Sometimes I still hear their voices in my head, nagging me, criticising me.." he admitted quietly.

I gently stroked his cheek with my thumb, my heart breaking for him.

"Those voices.. they don't define you. They're just remnants of their own insecurities, their own failures, projected onto you." I said quietly.

Darren was quiet for a moment, absorbing my words.

He exhaled slowly, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"I.. I know that. But it's hard to shut them out sometimes. They've been in my head for so long, I don't know if I'll ever truly get rid of them.."

I pulled him closer, wrapping my arms around his waist in a loose embrace.

"You don't have to be perfect, Darren. You don't have to be what they wanted you to be. You just have to be you." I whispered against his chest.