Layers of Us

Chapter 119: Hold On to Me

The door clicked shut behind him, the sound echoing a little louder than usual in the quiet of the house.

Ram stood there for a moment before reaching for the switch.

Light spilled into the space, warm and familiar, and suddenly the silence didn't feel empty anymore.

His gaze lifted instinctively to the walls, lined with frames that told a story only he truly understood.

Wedding pictures, movie stills where they had performed love before they had ever allowed themselves to feel it.

And then the candids, those rare, stolen moments where she laughed without restraint and he looked at her like she was something he was still learning how to hold.

A soft smile curved his lips without permission as he walked past them, his fingers brushing lightly against a frame as if acknowledging the journey they had taken.

He made his way into their room, switching on only the bedside lamp. The dim glow wrapped the space in a quiet intimacy.

Without wasting time, he stepped into the washroom, splashed water on his face, and looked at himself in the mirror for a second longer than usual.

When he reached for the towel, he paused-hers. A faint shift crossed his expression, but he used it anyway, wiping his face slowly, almost absentmindedly, as if it carried a comfort he didn't want to question.

Stepping out, he didn't go toward the bed. Instead, his feet carried him to the wardrobe.
Opening his section, he pulled out a file-one he didn't need to open to remember its contents.

His jaw tightened slightly, a quiet sigh escaping him as the weight of it settled in his hands.

Without another thought, he turned and walked out of the room, heading straight to the guest room.

The air there felt colder, detached, almost like it didn't belong to him.

He moved to the stack of old, unnecessary files-papers that existed but didn't matter anymore-and slipped the file in between them, burying it deep enough to be forgotten by anyone but him.

He stood there for a second, staring at the stack, as if convincing himself that some things were better left untouched. Then he exhaled and walked back.

Back into their room.
Back into something that finally felt like his.

He sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes falling onto his phone lying nearby. He picked it up slowly, the screen lighting up to reveal the wallpaper-him and Tripura. Close. Smiling. Real.

His thumb hovered over the screen, unmoving, as he simply looked at it. A quiet smile settled on his face again, softer this time, deeper.

There was no rush, no noise, no chaos-just him, sitting there in the stillness, holding onto a moment that felt certain in a way nothing else ever had.

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Morning didn't arrive gently.
It barged in.

Tripura's eyes opened at exactly six, her body already aware of the routine before her mind could catch up. The room was still wrapped in soft sleep, blankets tangled, limbs sprawled, quiet breaths filling the space.

But reality waited for no one.

She turned toward the little bundle beside her and leaned down, brushing Siya's hair back gently.
"Kutty... yendri... you need to go to school," she murmured softly.

Siya frowned in her sleep, turning her face away.
"Amma... please... no school..." she mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

Tripura sighed.
"No kutty, get up now," she said, patting her lightly, trying to pull her out of that stubborn sleep trance.