YOU ARE ENOUGH

"I love how you make me feel, like anything is possible."

- 10 things I hate about you

~ A A R O H I ~

The moment the hotel room door clicked shut behind us, the silence felt different.

Quieter.

Heavier somehow.

The playful energy from breakfast slowly faded as I slipped my sandals off near the couch, loosening the earrings from my ears while Paris sunlight streamed through the massive balcony windows.

Behind me, Advik removed his watch first.

Then his sunglasses.

Then sighed.

A real sigh.

Not one of his dramatic fake ones.

I glanced back instinctively.

And immediately noticed it.

That look.

Work. "Meeting?" I asked softly.

Advik looked mildly offended. "Am I that predictable?"

"Yes."

"Cruel."

Still, he walked toward the table near the window where his laptop rested, fingers absentmindedly adjusting the cuffs of his black shirt now.

"It's important," he admitted after a second. "A client flew in from Milan unexpectedly. I'll probably be gone most of the afternoon."

"Oh."

.

The word escaped before I could stop it.

Small. Disappointed. And annoyingly obvious.

Because Advik's eyes lifted instantly toward me.

"Aarohi.". ..

"I said okay."

"You said 'oh' like Victorian women receiving tragic war news."

I rolled my eyes weakly before turning away toward the mirror, pretending to fix my hair.

"It's fine."

And logically? It was fine. He had work.

I understood that. But still, something uncomfortable twisted quietly inside my chest.

Because Paris suddenly felt very large.

Very unfamiliar. Very lonely.

Advik watched me through the mirror for a few silent seconds.

Then slowly....Too perceptive as always...

His expression changed slightly.

.

"You don't want to go alone...."

Not a question. A statement.

I looked down immediately.

"That's not it."

"Aarohi."

I hated when he used that tone. Soft.

Patient. Impossible to dodge.

My fingers tightened slightly around the hairpin in my hand.

"It's stupid."

"Probably," he agreed casually. "Tell me anyway."

I laughed despite myself. Idiot.

But the memories still surfaced before I could stop them.

Malaysia. The club. My rebellion...Pulled into shadows by that man...That panic.

The feeling of not knowing I couldn't do anything alone... that I was naive

(Refer to chapter 'Rebellion gone wrong in case)

I swallowed quietly.

"The last time I went out alone..." I admitted slowly, "things went really bad."

The room fell silent.Advik didn't interrupt. Didn't joke. Didn't brush it aside.Which somehow made it easier to continue.

Because he had been there.

He was the one who found me.

The one who dragged that man away

from me with violence in his eyes.

The one who sat beside me afterward while I cried and insisted I wasn't a burden to him.

The idiot had even handed me a banana milk carton afterward because apparently that was his emotional support drink.

"I know it sounds dramatic," I whispered. "But after that... I just..."

"You got scared."

My throat tightened slightly. Because he said it so simply.

Without judgment.

Without making me feel weak for it.

I nodded once. Very small.

For a long moment, Advik said nothing.

Then finally he pushed away from the table and walked toward me slowly.

Not too close.

Not overwhelming.

Just enough.

"Aarohi," he said quietly, "you know what the problem with fear is?"

I looked up at him carefully.

"It grows," he answered softly. "The longer you avoid it, the bigger it becomes."

I looked away again.

"I know."

"No," he corrected gently. "You survived something bad. That doesn't make you incapable. It just means your brain is trying too hard to protect you now."

Something about the way he said it made my chest ache unexpectedly....

Because nobody had explained it like that before.

Nobody had made it sound normal.

Understandable.

He leaned one shoulder casually against the wall beside me now.

"You trust me?"

The question caught me off guard.

I frowned slightly. "What kind of question is that?"

"The kind requiring an answer."

I stared at him for a second.

Then sighed.

"Yes."

His expression softened almost invisibly.

"Good," he said simply. "Then trust my judgment when I say this...nothing is going to happen to you."

I stayed quiet.

And Advik, unfortunately, understood silence too well now.

"All without a man...you Killi'n it girl!!!!"

My jaw dropped......

"You think I'm sending you alone completely?" he scoffed lightly. "Mrs. Advik, I'm paranoid, not irresponsible."

That got my attention.

"What does that mean?"

"It means," he said calmly, pulling his phone out now, "the driver will stay with you the entire time. You'll have security nearby without it being obvious. Your location stays shared with me. You call me once every hour.

And if you don't want to be watched....That will also work.."

I blinked.

"You arranged all that already?"

"Aarohi," he deadpanned. "You think I'd let you wander through Paris unprotected?"

My heart did something strange again.

Stupid thing.

"I just..." I hesitated quietly. "What if I panic?"

This time his answer came instantly.

"Then you call me."

Simple. Immediate.

Like there wasn't even another option.

"And if you are busy?"

"I'll postpone everything for you."

I looked at him finally.

Really looked at him.

At the calm certainty on his face.

At the quiet patience underneath all his teasing.

And suddenly I realized something terrifying.

Somewhere along the way...

Advik had become the place my fear went quiet....

He noticed me staring and immediately ruined the moment.

"Besides," he added casually, "Paris women survive daily with worse problems."

I narrowed my eyes. "Excuse me?"

"You," he continued smoothly, "have me as a husband."

I threw the cushion at his face immediately.

He caught it effortlessly while laughing.

"There she is," he grinned. "That's my emotionally violent wife."

"I hate you."

"Liar."

Then unexpectedly...

His expression softened again.

Quieter this time.

He walked closer before gently fixing one loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"You don't have to become fearless overnight," he said softly. "Just brave enough for one afternoon."

And somehow

That sounded possible.

"You don't have to let one single moment define your worth....you are stronger then that. You are a warrior Aarohi. " He squeezed my shoulder lightly

"I will always be there to protect you...but their are some fights...which you have to fight alone. Not because you are alone....or abandoned."

His thumb brushed slightly against my shoulder

"But because you are a very strong, independent 21st century woman who doesn't need a man to be her knight in shining Armor."

The fear didn't go away....but I felt....good

"You are enough.

Bold.

And I will always be one call away...but this...is your fight against your fears.

And my wife.... she's fearless"

I never felt this kind of warmth before.....

This man...and his stupid words.

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