Lathika stepped out of the shower, the warm steam curling around her as she quickly towel-dried her hair. The event of the evening had left her buzzing with energy—laughter still echoed in her mind from the dinner. She smiled to herself, realizing how much she had enjoyed hosting, how much she loved the feeling of bringing people together.

As she stood before the mirror, brushing through her damp hair, she glanced at the clock. Her brow furrowed. It had been a while, and Prashanth still hadn't come to the room. She set the brush down, its light clink against the counter barely audible. The quiet felt heavy now, and a knot of concern tightened in her chest.

His absence tugged at her. Throughout dinner, she had caught glimpses of him—distant, lost in thought, his eyes clouded. Something was off, and she knew it. She wasn't going to wait for him to come to her.

With a quick step, she walked towards the door, her mind set. Tonight, she wasn't going to let the silence linger. She needed to know what was wrong.

Across the hallway, the soft glow of light leaked from the crack in the library door. Lathika paused for a moment, her gaze falling on the slight gap. Taking a breath, she knocked softly before stepping inside.

Prashanth was sitting on the floor, his legs stretched out in front of him, leaning back against the long couch. His posture was relaxed, but his gaze was distant.

"Hey," Lathika said, her voice quiet, almost hesitant, as she joined him, settling beside him on the floor. They both leaned back, the silence stretching between them, only broken by the occasional car honk from the street below.

The stillness lingered, thick and uncomfortable, and Lathika couldn't stand it any longer.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice soft but urgent.

Prashanth exhaled slowly, his eyes unfocused. "Yeah, I think so."

Lathika studied him for a long moment, her gaze searching his face, trying to see the truth behind his words. "I wish you were telling me the truth," she said, her voice quieter this time. "I don't see it in your eyes. What's bothering you?"

She reached for his hand, entwining her fingers with his. His grip tightened in response, a silent acknowledgment of the connection they shared, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He remained silent for a beat longer, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.

Her heart began to race, each beat thundering in her chest. "Did something happen at the party?" she asked, gently cupping their entwined hands with her other.

Prashanth hesitated before speaking, his words coming slowly. "Not really, Lathika. I've just been... thinking about a lot of things lately."

Lathika tried to piece it together. Could it be because of the times she had snapped at him, the moments when her frustration had spilled over? Maybe he thought she didn't respect him anymore. She swallowed hard, the lump in her throat growing. Had she become the one driving a wedge between them?

She waited for him to continue, but he only sighed deeply, his breath heavy with unspoken words.

"You know..." Lathika began, her face softening with a hint of sadness, "if you have a complaint, just say it. I... I'll mind, but I'll understand."

Prashanth let out a deep sigh, his exhaustion clear. "It's not you, Lathika..."

There it was again—she was making it about herself. She squeezed her eyes shut, cursing herself for jumping to conclusions. "I'm sorry."

Prashanth's voice was quieter now, almost a whisper, tinged with hesitation. "I think... I'm jealous."

Lathika's heart skipped a beat. "Of who?" she asked, a vague suspicion stirring, though she was too afraid to voice it.

"Of Aditya, of course," Prashanth said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Lathika froze, her shoulders slumping in relief as she let out a breath, the tension in her chest lifting slightly. She couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Aditya? You're jealous of him?"

Prashanth frowned deeply, sulking, his brows knitted. "Isn't it obvious? He's everywhere lately. In your office, at events, helping you out. At dinner tonight, he was practically racing to do everything before I even could. It bothers me, Lathika. He's getting too close. Shouldn't that be my job? To care for you?"

Lathika couldn't help but smile. The thought she had briefly entertained earlier suddenly seemed to vanish, though she never imagined Aditya would be the reason. "You jealous of him? That's... kind of adorable, you know."

Prashanth's sulk deepened, but the tension between them had lifted, leaving room for a moment of shared understanding.

But knowing that Prashanth had this side to him, possessive and protective, amused Lathika. There was something comforting in knowing he cared enough to feel jealous, even if it seemed silly at times.

She gently cupped his face in her hands, guiding his gaze to meet hers. "Prashanth," she said softly, her voice soothing, "that guy is married, with three daughters. He grew up with four sisters, so he's always stepping in to help when he can. It's just in his nature to be supportive. And trust me, Aditya loves his wife more than anything. She would've come tonight, but she went to her mother's a few days ago. That's why he stayed until everyone else left."

She watched as his expression shifted, from sullen to surprised, then understanding. His shoulders relaxed, and Lathika could see that he was letting go of his worries.

Prashanth frowned for a moment, still trying to grasp his emotions. "But still," he murmured, though his words trailed off, failing to keep up with his jealousy.

Lathika smiled wider, amused by the way his jealousy had made him so human. "It's nice to see you actually expressing something," she teased. "Otherwise, I wouldn't know what's really going on inside that head of yours."

Prashanth rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched with the hint of a smile. After a moment, he sighed, his tone softening. "Sorry I made you worry."

Lathika's hands slid down to his chest, her fingers tracing small, soothing circles on his skin as she rested her head against him. "It's okay," she whispered, her voice warm. "I had too much running through my head too."

Prashanth's arms wrapped around her instinctively, pulling her closer.

"I also fear that..." His voice filled the room, trailing off for a moment as if he were struggling to find the right words.

Lathika lifted her head off his chest, her gaze focused on him, waiting for him to continue.

"This distance... this unavoidable distance," he murmured, pausing again as if the weight of his thoughts were hard to put into words. "My absence in your life might make me emotionally distant from you."

Lathika sat still for a moment, feeling the heavy silence between them. She couldn't quite grasp the depth of his doubt. She took a moment, processing what he had said, trying to untangle the jumble of his words in her head.

She shook her head slowly, a small frown pulling at her lips as she finally understood what he was trying to say. "No, that's not true," she replied softly, her voice firm yet gentle. "How, Prashanth? How can this distance, which is punctuated by your short breaks, pull you away from me emotionally? What makes you think like that?"

Her words hung in the air, challenging the fear he had voiced, yet her own heart was conflicted. She wanted to ease his doubts, to show him that no distance—physical or emotional—could change the bond they shared.

A flash of embarrassment crossed his face as he looked away, shrugging. "I've always loved freedom, loved being away, loved not having any attachments. It's what allowed me to be spontaneous, to move through life without anything tying me down." He took her hand gently in his. "But now... I have come to love you too. And I want to be there with you in every step, but my passion for flying seems to pull me away," Prashanth said, his words wrapped in quiet contemplation.

As he spoke, he turned to meet her eyes, and the weight of his confession sank in. A wave of warmth swept through Lathika, a shiver that ran deep. His gaze was steady, intense, as if everything he had said was laid bare between them. She felt her heart stumble in her chest, her breath caught in the electric stillness of the moment. Every time he looked at her this way, it unravelled something inside her.

"But I also came to realize that where I used to be loose and free, everywhere and anywhere, now I've found my anchor. My anchor amidst the fleeting skies. I don't want to lose you because of my divided love."

Her heart raced at his words, a storm of emotions crashing through her chest. Her lips parted, but no words came. She tried to form a response, but it felt like the very air in the room thickened around her. How could he think that she would let him slip away? This man here, who had just casually confessed that she was the one thing grounding him in this whirlwind of freedom?

Prashanth's gaze swept to the bookshelves, his voice quieter as he continued, "I fear I'd become like my mother—emotionally distant, consumed by my passion. When I saw Aditya so effortlessly helping you, being around you... it made that fear real. I fear that, without meaning to, I've started drifting away from you."

Lathika's hand reached up, gently turning his face to meet hers. "I want you to understand something, Prashanth," she said, her voice firm but soft, "your job... it's not something either of us can change. It's what it is. Your work demands long hours, and yes, sometimes it pulls you away. But do you think I'm going to just walk away from you because you can't be available every second?" She sat up straighter, her eyes locking onto his. "I want you to be present, yes, but not at the cost of abandoning what you love to do."

Prashanth tried to look away, but Lathika held his face, forcing him to meet her eyes again. She continued, her voice a comforting but unwavering conviction. "You are not your mother, Prashanth. You're nothing like her, and you never will be. You are so much better. Because unlike her, before you let anything pull you away, you always keep me in your thoughts. You worry about me. You care for us. That fear you're holding onto—it's not fear. It's your answer to your own doubts."

"Answer?" he asked, his voice tinged with curiosity, the confusion in his eyes starting to lift.

Lathika smiled softly, her fingers still wrapped around his. "Whenever you have doubt, you feel fear, right? But that fear is just a sign that you don't want it to happen. It's your way of protecting what matters to you. And I won't let it happen. I won't let you slip away." Her voice was steady, unwavering as she squeezed his hands. "We've come too far, Prashanth. We've stepped out of our comfort zones together. We can't go back to what we were before."

Prashanth's lips curled into a smile, a quiet chuckle escaping him. "That's true," he murmured, his heart lightened by her words. He took her hand in his, lifting it gently to his lips. The soft kiss he pressed against her palm sent a shiver down her spine, and for a moment, everything else faded away.

Heat blossomed on her cheeks, a mix of surprise and something deeper. She couldn't help but reflect on the conversation they'd just had. To speak like that, so openly, so honestly—it wasn't her usual way. If she and her friends had ever dived into something serious, it was always them offering the deep, intense insights, not her. Yet, there she was, opening up about things she hadn't even fully understood. The thought stunned her, but also made something else clear—she couldn't imagine her life without him.

Their eyes locked again, and another wave of shiver washed over her, more intense this time. Her breath hitched as he moved closer, the weight of his gaze making her heart race. Without a word, he leaned in, capturing her lips with his. Soft at first, then deeper, more desperate. His lips moved with a purpose, a rhythm that spoke of something much more than just desire.

Lathika's arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, fingers threading through his hair as she pulled him closer. Their kiss deepened, and she could feel the heat between them building, every touch sparking a wave of longing. His lips were everywhere, kissing her jaw, her neck, trailing lower, and then back to her parted lips. She had never been so consumed before, never so willing to let go of every barrier.

Her mind clouded with sensation, and in that haze, for the first time in what felt like forever, she didn't want to hold back. She wanted to surrender, for herself, for him, for them. Perhaps this closeness could finally bridge the gap that had quietly lingered between them, creeping back whenever they seemed to drift apart. Maybe, this was what they both needed—what she needed. To remind him that she wasn't going anywhere, and more importantly, to show him that he didn't have to pull away either.

When he pulled back, his eyes were dark with a question, as if waiting for her to stop him. He was waiting for her to say "Not beyond this." But the words didn't come. Instead, she breathed, her voice barely a whisper, "I think we can take this a little further."

His pulse quickened under her touch, and a smile tugged at her lips. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice low and full of raw emotion.

Lathika nodded, her hand resting on his chest, feeling his heartbeat match hers. A smile spread across her lips, and she answered, "Yes."

And that was all the assurance he needed. With the urgency of a man who had been starved for too long, he kissed her again, more fiercely this time. But even as he deepened the kiss, there was a tenderness that softened the intensity. His hands moved gently, guiding them both to the floor, where they were consumed by the fire of their passion, lost in the moment.

❁ ❁ ❁

😎😎😎😎

Hope you enjoyed reading! Don't forget to vote and comment!!! 

I know the announcement had shocked you but it's always best to end the story at the right point. No dramatic breakup, no dramatic fight just mature understanding of two mature adults. 

And I'll update the remaining 2 chapters by tonight.

Cheers!!!