The Rhythms Of Her Dreams✨️

18. Before Time Runs Out✨️

Two Days Later,

The room was calm, almost too calm. The soft hum of machines and the occasional shuffle of nurses outside were the only sounds breaking the silence. Shubman stood by the window, his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the view outside. The sun had dipped low, casting a golden hue across the hospital parking lot. But inside the room, the warm glow seemed to fail in reaching the depths of his heart.

He had been standing there for what felt like an eternity. Time seemed to have warped ever since Kaira’s accident, every second stretching longer than the last, every minute a reminder of how fragile everything could be. The weight of her being in this bed, struggling, fighting to regain her strength, gnawed at him relentlessly. His heart was torn in two—half of it still aching for the girl lying in that bed, the other half driven by the desire to protect her, to make sure she was never hurt again.

But it wasn’t just about protecting her anymore. It wasn’t just about being there for her through her recovery. It was about more than that. It was about the truth he had kept buried for too long. The truth he couldn’t wait to share anymore.

Kaira, despite everything, had been the one to make him question his own feelings, his own fears about love and relationships. She had made him open up to emotions he had long kept locked away. But now, as he watched her rest, pale and fragile, something in him snapped. The fear of losing her, of never having told her the truth—what if it was too late? What if the time they had been given was running out?

He turned back towards Kaira, her face still soft in sleep, a slight frown creasing her forehead. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. His thoughts were all over the place. But one thing was certain: he couldn’t keep pretending. Not when it felt like time was slipping through his fingers.

Kaira stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open. She blinked slowly, her gaze immediately searching for the familiar face in the room. When her eyes met his, a weak smile tugged at her lips.

"Shubman?" Her voice was soft, strained, but still warm.

He stepped forward, unable to resist the pull of her gaze. “Hey, how are you feeling?” he asked, though the question felt hollow compared to everything that was racing through his mind.

She nodded slightly, her throat too sore to answer fully. “I’m okay… I think.”

He pulled the chair closer to the bedside and sat down. His fingers brushed against hers, a comforting gesture, but it did nothing to ease the tight knot of anxiety in his chest. He couldn’t keep this to himself anymore. He had waited too long already.

“I’ve been thinking a lot, Kaira,” Shubman said, his voice barely above a whisper. “A lot about everything.”

Kaira looked up at him, sensing the change in his tone. There was something serious in the way he spoke, something that made her heart flutter.

“About what?” she asked, her eyes searching his face, wondering if he was about to drop some bombshell on her.

Shubman took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his words, knowing that there was no turning back now. “About us,” he began, his voice shaking ever so slightly. “About how much you mean to me... how much I need you in my life. How I can’t just stand here and pretend that I’m not afraid to lose you.”

Kaira’s breath caught in her throat. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

“I’ve been scared for so long, Kaira,” Shubman continued, his hand tightening around hers. “Scared of getting hurt, scared of giving myself fully to someone. But after everything... after seeing you here, after all the things that happened to you, it hit me.”

He paused, his gaze locking with hers, as if searching for some sign that she understood. “I can’t wait anymore. I don’t want to wait for the right moment, or the right time. I don’t care if it’s too late. I need you to know that I love you, Kaira. I love you in a way I can’t even explain. I’ve always loved you... I just didn’t know it. But I do now. I can’t imagine my life without you.”

The room seemed to hold its breath, the seconds stretching on like an eternity. Kaira’s mind was racing. Was this really happening? Was this the confession she had been waiting for, praying for? The words that had been stuck in her throat for so long now felt so perfect in his.

But before she could respond, her mother stepped into the room, her presence a gentle interruption, though her eyes flickered between the two, sensing the shift in the atmosphere. Her eyes softened, but she said nothing, allowing Kaira and Shubman to have their moment.

Kaira’s heart was racing. She opened her mouth, her voice a shaky whisper, “Shubman... I never knew you felt this way. I thought... I thought you were just being nice. I never thought you...”

Shubman’s fingers squeezed hers. “I didn’t know it myself until now, Kaira. I was afraid, but now... I’m just not afraid anymore.”

Tears pricked at the corners of Kaira’s eyes. She wasn’t sure if they were from the pain or from the overwhelming emotions coursing through her. All she knew was that everything felt so right, so real, so overwhelming.

“I love you, too,” she whispered, her voice trembling, but steady in the truth that rang out with each word. “I love you, Shubman. I’ve always loved you.”

His heart soared at her words, and before he could think, before he could say anything more, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, as though sealing this moment, this confession, in the most intimate way possible.

It was as if the world had stopped. The weight of everything that had happened—the accident, the uncertainty, the pain—faded into the background. In this moment, all that mattered was the truth they had shared, the love that now felt more real than ever. And as Shubman pulled back, Kaira looked up at him, a smile tugging at her lips.

“So... we don’t have too much time left, huh?” she teased softly, a playful glint in her eyes, her body aching with the effort to keep the mood light, but her heart full.

Shubman chuckled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “No, we don’t. But I’ll make sure we make the most of every single second.”

In that moment, with time no longer an obstacle but a gift they would cherish together, Shubman knew that everything he had been afraid of—the unknowns, the uncertainties—had all faded. The only thing left to hold onto was the truth of how deeply he loved her and the certainty that, no matter what happened, he would never let her go.

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-Miss. Fable.

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