Finding Ourselves

heal

Shehnaaz stood in front of the door to Siddharth's room, her heart racing, hands trembling slightly as she hovered near the doorknob. The mansion felt eerily quiet after the chaos of the night, the sound of the car engine fading into the distance, the whispers of the paparazzi silenced now that they were behind closed doors. And yet, she couldn't shake the weight of what had transpired between them. It wasn't just the flashes of cameras or the whispers of the media it was something deeper. Something neither of them had the courage to address, but it was there, thick in the air between them.

Shehnaaz wanted to comfort him, to be the safe space he needed. She wanted to ease the pain in his eyes, but she hesitated, her mind still caught on the past, the hurt, the distance that had grown between them. The whole revenge thing and kiss with the girl, the look on Siddharth's face when he had pulled away from her. Was he really okay? Was he ever okay? She feared that any attempt to reach out, any sign of vulnerability on her part, would just hurt her again. She had already gone through so much—his coldness, the distance, the emotional wall he'd built around himself. Could she handle breaking her heart a second time?

But as she stood there, torn between her fears and her longing to help him, something inside her shifted. She couldn't just stand by. Not when she knew he was broken, too. She knew what it was like to feel like everything around you was crumbling, to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. And though Siddharth's walls were high, though he never let anyone close, she also knew that he was hurting. He wasn't immune to the things that had happened. He wasn't the invincible CEO everyone saw-he was just a man, a broken one, trying to keep it all together.

With a deep breath, Shehnaaz made up her mind. She would go to him. She would take care of him the way he needed, even if it meant risking her heart.

She hurried to her room and changed out of her dress, opting for something more comfortable a pair of yellow cotton shorts and an oversized t-shirt that fell loosely around her frame. She took a deep breath, standing in front of the mirror for a moment, trying to calm the nerves that were threatening to overwhelm her. She had to be strong, for both of them. She couldn't keep letting the silence and the distance eat away at her. Tonight, she would make the effort.

Shehnaaz stepped out of her room and made her way down the hallway toward Siddharth's room, her footsteps hesitant but determined. The closer she got, the more the knot in her stomach tightened. She had no idea how he would react. She knew how he was stubborn, reserved, protective of his emotions. Would he push her away? Would he refuse to let her in? But she couldn't let that stop her now. She needed him to know that he wasn't alone. Not tonight.

When she reached his door, she knocked gently, her heart pounding in her chest. "Sid?" she called softly, her voice almost lost in the silence. But there was no response. She took a step back, a flicker of doubt crossing her mind. She knocked again, this time louder. "Sid?" She tried again, raising her voice just a little. "Sid, please. I want to speak to you."

Another long pause. The silence stretched on, thick with the tension that had been building between them for days now. Just when she thought he wasn't going to answer, the door slowly creaked open. Siddharth stood there, his face as hardened as ever. His posture was defensive, his arms crossed over his chest as if he were trying to shield himself from whatever it was she was about to say. His brow was raised, and his eyes, though not unkind, were guarded. The walls he'd so carefully built around himself were up again, taller than ever.

Shehnaaz took a moment to study him. She wasn't sure what she was looking for maybe some sign that he was willing to let her in, maybe just a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. But all she saw was a man trying to hold everything together, someone who was unwilling to crack, unwilling to break.