HER SAFE PLACE

Trust you?

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Rocky's POV

The tension was palpable as I carried her from the living room, ignoring the curious stares and whispers that followed us. Shivangi's eyes were wide with shock and anger, her hands clutching my shirt as if she couldn't decide whether to push me away or hold on. I made my way to the guest room, my heart pounding as adrenaline coursed through my veins. I put her down with deliberate care but immediately turned to lock the door, the click echoing like a final decision.

Before she could react or protest, I stepped back toward her, pinning her against the nearest wall. The air between us crackled with unresolved tension as I placed my hands on either side of her head, trapping her between me and the wall. I leaned in, our faces inches apart, and the intensity in my gaze made her swallow, her defiance faltering for a split second.

"You like testing my patience, don't you?" I growled, my voice low and filled with frustration. "Why do you always do this to me, Shivangi?"

She glared back, defiance sparking in her eyes as she tried to push me away, but her efforts were futile against my hold. "What am I doing, huh? Tell me, what am I doing?" Her voice shook with barely controlled rage. "It's you who cannot understand a simple thing. Arun is my friend. Why don't you get it? Why do you have to make things so complicated, Rocky? He is just my friend."

"But I don't like him near you," I snapped, my tone harsh and desperate. "Why don't you get it, Shivangi? I don't like him when he comes near you, when he touches you, when he talks to you. Because I... I fucking love you." The confession spilled out, raw and fierce, my breath hitching as the weight of my words settled in the space between us.

Her eyes widened, and for a heartbeat, everything stilled. Then she spoke, her voice trembling but firm, "Love doesn't mean caging someone, Rocky. It's not about suffocating the other person with your fears."

I tightened my jaw, her words slicing through my frustration and stirring up something deeper-something vulnerable. "Then tell me, how do I love you without feeling like I'm going to lose you?"

Shivangi's eyes glistened with unshed tears as my words settled between us. Her gaze softened for a moment, the anger giving way to something more raw, more vulnerable. She looked down, biting her lip as if to hold back her emotions, before meeting my eyes again.

"Rocky," she whispered, the sharpness in her voice now replaced with a trembling edge. "I never meant to hurt you. I never wanted you to feel like this... like you weren't enough for me."

"Then why, Shivangi?" My voice cracked, betraying the pain beneath my frustration. "Why do you keep things from me? Why does it always feel like there's a part of you I can't reach? You say you trust me, but your actions... they don't show it."

She exhaled shakily, her hands still pressed against my chest as if she needed to feel the steady beat of my heart to ground herself. "Because I'm scared, Rocky. Scared that if I let you see everything-my fears, my doubts, the parts of me that are messy and complicated-you'll walk away. You'll see that I'm not the perfect person you think I am and you'll leave."

Her confession hit me like a punch to the gut. I stared at her, stunned by the raw honesty in her voice. The walls we'd built between us suddenly seemed more fragile, more breakable than ever.

"Leave?" I echoed, my eyes narrowing as I leaned closer, our foreheads almost touching. "Do you really think I'd walk away from you? After everything? I'm here, Shivangi. I'm here fighting for us, for you. But I need you to fight with me, not against me."