Romans & histoires Reluctantly Yours

Thinking about it, where is that man off to again? • • • • "Ugh. My hips hurt so bad." I grumbled as I sat on the couch. I'm really thankful that Ate July and I bought Modess napkins with wings last time. I'm also glad that we aren't somewhere else right now. It would be a very hard day and I would be in a very grumpy mood if we did.

I replied. “You are coming with us.” I heard Aarti screaming in background. “I'm sorry but I'm not done with my work yet,” I replied. “Want any help?” Rahul asked but I declined it politely. “Are you ok?” He asked and I felt more tears forming in my eyes now. “Yes yes. I'm good. You go now. I will talk to you later.” I said and ended the call. Why is Rahul so sweet? Why does he understand me so well?

Griffin asks, obviously still annoyed about my earlier outburst. "Three words my friend." I say looking over at him. "Micah said 'I love you'?" He asks and I snort. "Oh no. Way better. States. Largest. Bookstore."

Relief trickles through me like warm tea down a chilled spine. "I'll give you one," I say softly, the promise emerging before I fully realize I'm speaking. "An answer. Just not tonight." Pendwick nods once, almost solemnly. “I don’t mind waiting.” It's not a line calculated to charm. No thread of pressure. It's not strategic maneuvering disguised as courtesy. It's simply the truth, spoken so gently it hurts to hear, honest as prayer. So much like Pendwick, himself. Ever considerate, matching my pace.

Regards Alpha Thorne I read it twice. Calm. Detached. Too detached. There's no aggression, no insults, none of the blunt distaste that Thorne so openly voiced in the past. This isn’t a refusal to the alliance itself, just a pass on participation. His message is wrapped so tightly in diplomacy it leaves no exposed edges to challenge.

“You’re not alone in this.” She hesitated. “It doesn’t feel like that.” Dennis frowned. “I’m here.” “At night,” she said gently. “When no one’s watching.” The words landed between them, heavy and unavoidable. He ran a hand through his hair. “You know why I’m careful.” “I know why,” she said. “I just don’t know if I can keep paying for it.” Silence stretched. Then Dennis said, “So you’d just go?” Rihanna nodded slowly. “If I stay, I’ll keep shrinking. And I promised myself I wouldn’t do that again.”

I should close the app, pretend this never happened. But the thought that he had noticed me made me feel ‘seen’ sending shivers through my body. I hesitated, my thumb paused over the message button. If I tap, everything changes. If I don’t… I’ll probably regret it. And then I did the one thing I couldn’t undo. I pressed “Message”.

Her hand still occupying the space towards my hesitant-beating heart. I sigh, resigned. "It's a pleasure. I'll see you to the door" Nihara responds. We walk in silence to the exit, but before opening the door, she turns, facing me at a short distance. Her eyes show empathy and genuine concern as she speaks: "I'm really sorry for everything you're going through. I know problems seem insurmountable when they arise, but believe me, everything will be fine. If you need a friendly shoulder or a lap to lay your head on" she smiles gently " I'm here."

So she’d know I was still with her. That I’d always be with her. I slid the pendant into the envelope I had in my pocket and scribbled a note on the back of a bakery receipt I found in the glovebox earlier today. For protection. For strength. For you. Always yours—S. I folded the paper carefully and tucked it inside the envelope, then gently slipped it through the slot in her door. Axle calmed instantly. “She’ll know,” he rumbled in satisfaction. “She’ll feel it.”

“Kyran, I’ve already made an offer like this despite being a woman, so don’t decline my offer anymore. I’m not trying to do anything to you, and I’ll be fine lying on the same bed with you till the morning. It’s too cold outside.” Kyran swallowed a gulp of saliva. “I know you’re not trying to do anything to me…” ‘It’s me who is scared I’ll do something to you.’ He could not bring himself to type that. He remembered how she resisted him in the past, and he had already done everything he could to avoid being that disgusting self. He did not wish to let Deirdre find out about the kind of person he was. Kyran felt his throat choked up, and it was difficult to make a sound. In the end, he relente