The Calm She Brings. 

The Calm She Brings. 

 

It took him barely a few seconds to reach his destination—her room. 

His hand paused on the door for a fraction longer than necessary, as though the moment might slip away if he rushed it.

With a calm mind and a thudding heart, he entered almost soundlessly, a stark contrast to his imposing form.

And there she was.

His breath stilled at the mere sight of her. He didn’t move—afraid that even the smallest step might break whatever fragile reality this was. His fingers curled slightly at his sides, grounding himself in the moment.

Six months.

Six months of distance—undone in a single glance.

Six long months! 

It had taken him six months just to catch a glimpse of her. 

His breath caught the moment he truly saw her. He had imagined this moment countless times. None of them had felt this real. As if he had been holding his breath all this time, only to finally exhale now.

The room was quiet—too quiet—filled only with the faint rhythm of her breathing.

If she had been beautiful before, she was now absolutely enthralling.

He realized this as he stood there, staring at her small, curled form in the middle of the bed. Her brother was nestled safely against her midriff, while her other arm was wound protectively around his smaller frame, holding him close, as if even in sleep she refused to let him go.

“How adorable they look,” he whispered into the stillness of the room.

Something in his chest tightened at the sight—so simple, so fragile, yet enough to still him completely.

“She’s dazzling,” he stuttered, his gaze fixed on her delicate, curled-up form.

That same innocence still radiated from her in the moonlight, captivating him even more than it had years ago.

He stood in the corner of the bedroom, watching them quietly, a small—very gentle—smile resting on his lips. The sight of her like this did something to him he couldn’t quite name. As though even now, she remained just out of reach—something to be admired from afar.

He ran his tongue softly over his lips, lost in thought. He didn’t dare step closer, afraid the moment might slip away.

How did he get so lucky? It was the only question that lingered in his mind.

He didn’t know how long this peace would last—but for now, he let himself believe in it. 

He really really hoped, quietly, that this calm and peace would last longer.. 

He sighed, trying to shake off the tiredness from his heavy eyes. The same hands that had once trembled with rage now remained still at his sides almost—relaxed.

Six months had gone by. Leaning against the recliner, half-hidden behind the light blue curtains billowing in the breeze, he kept his gaze fixed on the bed—more precisely, on the two figures lying on it. There was a strange sense of peace in his hard, cold eyes as he remained concealed in the shadows.

He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel that hollow ache in his chest—the memory of her agonized state when she had first been brought here.

He hadn’t had a choice. Not then. Not when he had seen her being struck like that.

Something in him had snapped—a beast he rarely allowed to surface, rising without restraint.

He hadn’t stopped himself. He couldn’t—not when it was unfolding right before his eyes. It had all happened so suddenly that he didn’t realize it until it was over.

And so, he had taken her in—forcefully, without hesitation.

He didn’t know if what he had done was right—but he knew he would do it again. For her—he’d do it all over again. Every single time. Even knowing exactly how it would end.

For the first time in a long while, he felt… at peace. But now, watching them after all these months, something within him finally eased.

It wasn’t the silence that calmed him—it was her.

And for once, he didn’t question it.

Yes, he was at peace watching them sleep so peacefully and soundly. They looked content—and that alone was enough for him. The house had never truly felt like home without them in it. The tiredness in his bones suddenly felt heavier now that he was finally home.

Gone was the agony she had carried on her face six months ago. In its place was something softer, something closer to relief.

Watching them quietly, he felt his own sense of relief slowly flood through him.

Rubbing a hand over the overgrown beard lining his jaw, he exhaled quietly. The roughness suited him more than it should have, adding a rugged sharpness to his already imposing features. The beard only added to the dangerous charm he carried so naturally, softening nothing yet somehow making him even harder to look away from.

The slight overgrowth along his jaw spoke of sleepless nights and exhaustion, yet it suited him far too well. He found himself thinking about how painfully slow those days on the mission had passed—alone, endless, and exhausting. 

Not entirely alone anymore—but still.

He had definitely missed them.

All of them.

But if he was truly honest with himself, it was the emptiness left by her absence that had stayed with him the longest.

Perhaps that was what frightened him the most. Some absences settled too deeply to ever be ignored. And no amount of distance had managed to dull it.

He sighed tiredly.

Letting out a long, weary yet strangely tranquil breath, he tilted his head one last time toward her curled-up sleeping form. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed seeing her like this—alive, calm, untouched by fear. She slept peacefully while exhaustion clung stubbornly to him. Perhaps this was the closest thing to peace a man like him could ever hope for. Seeing colour return to her face had done something to him he hadn’t expected.

Then he slipped a hand into the pocket of his suit pants, searching. The moment his fingers found the packet of branded cigarettes he had been craving, he turned to leave the room—though not before stealing one final glance at Raddhika.

Amusement flickered quietly within him.

She looked almost chubby now. Almost.

A subtle nod escaped him.

A low, gratified chuckle rumbled from his chest at the thought.

Good.

At least she doesn’t look malnourished anymore.

Seeing life return to her little by little had eased something restless within him—something he had carried for months without realizing.

She looks so delicate even in her sleep. Another voice whispered from somewhere at the back of his mind.

He shouldn’t have felt this affected just by her presence—and yet he did. Somehow, her existence alone softened the edges of him. For once, he allowed himself to simply stand there and feel nothing but this moment.

With a sharp exhale, he let out a slow breath of hot air from his mouth.

Silence.

Everything around him carried a strange sense of calm, a soothing stillness that felt almost tranquil.

It soothed him.

It quieted the storm brewing inside him. And perhaps that was what unsettled him the most—how effortlessly she could calm a man like him.

Perhaps it was because his bambolina was near. Or maybe it was the innocence radiating from her sleeping face that calmed him far more than he cared to admit.

It disturbed him sometimes, how easily she could quiet the chaos within him. Somehow, without even trying, she had become the only place where his mind ever truly rested.

And perhaps that was what unsettled him the most—how effortlessly she could calm a man like him.

He exhaled slowly.

He shouldn’t have felt this affected just by her presence—and yet he did.

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