Layers of Us

Chapter 94: Back to peace!✨️

Days passed, slowly folding into each other like pages in a well-written story.

Peace had returned - tentative, quiet, but real. The storm had passed, and life began to breathe again in its own soft rhythm.

Tripura sat at her desk, sunlight streaming through the wide windows, a pen tucked behind one ear and papers spread before her. Her new project had just been signed - a massive collaboration that had her excited, inspired, and slightly overwhelmed.

She leaned back, tapping her pen against her lip thoughtfully, already mentally blocking out the coming weeks.

Meetings, shoots, travel, promotions - her calendar looked like a battlefield, but for the first time in a long while, it didn't exhaust her. It thrilled her.

This is where I belong, she thought with a small smile.

Meanwhile, on the quieter side of things, Bhoomi and Merwin's bond continued to grow - not in dramatic leaps, but in quiet, precious ways.

A shared cup of coffee after rounds.
Scribbled notes left at her desk.
Her laughter echoing a little louder when he was around.
His gaze lingering a little longer every time she smiled.

One morning Merwin knocked on her door, arms full - fresh croissants, two iced coffees, and a single sunflower sticking awkwardly out of a brown bag.

Bhoomi opened the door, blinking in surprise.
"Are we dating or did I forget something?"

"Just... checking in," Merwin said, grinning. "Also, food. And moral support."

She eyed the sunflower.
"What's that?"

"It was either that or a cactus. The cactus felt like bad energy."

"You're weird," she said, letting him in.

"That's why we get along!"

Bhoomi nodded with a smile and got back to work, while Merwin watched.
He didn't talk.
Just sat on the floor, sipping coffee, handing her pins and pencils when she needed them.

At one point, she reached for a sketch she'd dropped.
He picked it up at the same time.
Their hands brushed.
A second of stillness.
Eyes locked.

Bhoomi smirked.
"Don't fall in love with me, Merwin."

He grinned.
"Too late."

She chuckled, rolling her eyes as she walked back to her table.
But her smile?
It lingered longer than she intended.

Early evening -

The light outside turned golden, painting warm streaks across the floorboards. A soft playlist played in the background - old indie songs, mellow guitar, a faint hum of calm.

Merwin now lay sprawled on the floor, head resting on a small cushion, legs crossed at the ankles, watching as Bhoomi moved around her desk, focused on stitching fabric to a dummy.

She looked peaceful.
Concentrated.
A little in her own world.
And he loved watching her like that.

"You always do this thing," he said, voice lazy.

She didn't look up.
"What thing?"

"Your lip twitches when you're about to change a design. Like your brain's fighting with itself."