ROYAL HIGHNESS

58. Belongings

The days after the proposal felt unreal, like they were moving through a dream wrapped in warm light. Everything around them slowed—conversations softened, arguments dissolved before they began, and even the silences between them felt full, stretched with a new kind of certainty. Ovie kept touching her fingers, as if checking whether the moment had actually happened, while Amyardh kept looking at her with a quiet pride he didn’t bother to hide anymore. They spent those days in a tender hush, walking through familiar streets with unfamiliar emotions, their hearts strangely calmer than ever. And when it was finally time to leave, they didn’t make a big scene; they simply held hands at the airport, whispering small promises in place of grand speeches. The flight back to their country felt different too—no longer two people struggling with unspoken feelings, but two souls carrying the same future, watching clouds drift beneath them like a soft blessing on everything that was coming next.

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Amyardh: “Ovie… chalo. Humein kahi jaana hai.”

Without questioning, she followed him.
And somehow, her feet already knew where he was taking her.

Tara’s house.
Kandhar.
The place Amyardh rarely went without a reason.

When they reached the old wooden gate, Ovie’s throat tightened.

Ovie: “Agar Tara hoti…"
Her voice cracked before she could finish.

Amyardh’s jaw clenched—just for a second.

Amyardh :“Toh bahut khush hoti. Mere liye… mere se bhi zyaada khush hoti wo.”

The silence around them held Tara’s memory like a soft ache.
Amyardh took a step forward, almost as if he were talking to the air.

“Tara… dekho.”
His tone softened—raw, honest.

“Main tumse milne aya hoon. Aur dekho… kaun aya hai mere saath.”
He glanced at Ovie, eyes warm, almost trembling.

“Tara… it’s Ovie.”

A small smile came on his lips—painful yet filled with pride.

“Ha ha, bhai… wahi. Wahi jisse tum kehti thi ki main kabhi door mat jaane dena. Tara, tumne jo himmat thi na… mujhe woh kam aa gayi. Lekin finally—finally—hum aaj ek hi line pe khade hain.”

His throat tightened.

“I miss you, Tara. Aur Ovie… Ovie tumse bahut pyaar karti hai.”

Ovie’s eyes burned, not from tears but from the weight of everything left unsaid.

Ovie:“…wo humare liye khush hoti.”

Amyardh turned to her—slow, serious, like every second mattered.

Amyardh :“Ovie… mujhe shaadi karni hai.”

The world stopped.

She stared at him—confused, scared, overwhelmed.

Ovie:“Amyardh… lekin—”

He stepped closer.
Close enough to hear her heartbeat tremble.

Amyardh :“Please, Ovie.”
His voice broke—completely honest, completely unfiltered.

“Mujhe pata hai tum abhi choti ho. Tumhare bahut sapne hain. Tumhe bahut kuch karna hai. Lekin meri baat suno… main tumhare saath hoon.”

He took her hands—tightly, as if she might disappear.

“Tumhare har sapne mein, har struggle mein… main rahunga. Tumhe kabhi rokunga nahi. Tumhe kabhi peeche nahi khinchunga. Mujhe tum chahiye… aur kuch nahi.”