Beneath The Storm (Completed)

Chapter-64: More Than Strangers, Less Than Lovers

The dim glow of the bedside lamp cast long shadows across the room, painting the walls in muted shades of gold and amber.

The night outside was eerily silent, broken only by the occasional rustling of the trees against the window.

Inaara, with measured steps, placed her pillow and blanket on the couch-her usual sleeping place.

Atharv, standing by the bed, felt an inexplicable ache tighten around his chest.

His eyes, dark and searching, lingered on her form as she adjusted the blanket with practiced ease.

She wasn't hesitating.

She simply accepted the couch as hers, as if the bed no longer belonged to her.

A pang of something sharp-regret, guilt, sliced through him.

Walking toward her, he crouched slightly, bringing himself closer to her eye level.

His voice was low, almost uncertain.

"Inaara, can you please sleep on the bed?"

The words fell between them like a heavy weight.

Inaara froze.

The color drained from her face, and for a moment, she looked lost.

As if the very air around her had turned suffocating.

Atharv's chest tightened.

He knew exactly what was running through her mind-the echo of his own harsh words from the past.

The pain he had inflicted, the cruelty he had once justified.

She wasn't just hesitating because of discomfort; she was battling the scars he had left behind.

He swallowed hard, his fingers clenching at his sides.

"Inaara," he tried again, his voice softer, burdened with remorse.

"I'm so sorry for everything. For my words, my actions. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but please... please don't do this. Don't sleep on the couch. Not because I asked you to once, not because of me. It makes me feel like a cheap man, like someone who doesn't deserve to stand in front of you right now. I can't undo what I did, but I can at least try to fix what's left. Please, take the bed. I'll sleep on the couch."

Inaara exhaled shakily, her gaze still fixed on the corner of the room, avoiding his.

Silence stretched between them, tense and unspoken.

Finally, she whispered, "Atharv... it's not that simple. I... I'm not ready."

She swallowed, pressing her fingers into the fabric of the couch.

"The words you once said... they don't just fade overnight. They're still here."

She placed a hesitant hand over her heart, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm trying, but I need time."