Everything was quiet for a while. Nothing was moving, they were just staring at each other not even breathing. It was a moment; they didn't want to ruin it.

Alaric lifted his hand and placed it on Amulya's, waiting for her to pull away. When she didn't, he intertwined their fingers.

Amulya was staring at their joined hands. She could feel the tingles up her arm. Not the way they say in book, but it was as if some sort of electricity passed through her hand. It wasn't the first time he held her hand; but it was the first time after she accepted her feelings.

"Amy, I like you" her eyes snapped to his blue eyes. "I really, really like you."

He was still staring at her, trying to find what she was thinking. Her face was blank and paler than it used to be before. She didn't know what to say.

"Alaric..." she started and it was like a few bricks were dropped on him. The tone, he knew that was the tone which gave bad news. He has ruined it; whatever they had, he ruined it now.

"It's okay, I'm sorry" he said before she rejected him.

When he first wrote a book, he wasn't sure how it was. He didn't have an editor, he didn't want to tell Hilary either. She was already working as an editor, but if he told her he wrote a book, she was going to want to read it. And if she publishes it, he wouldn't be sure it was because he was good enough, or if he was her brother. He didn't want that.

So he consulted a few publishing houses, who rejected him. His manuscript wasn't that good. There were a few too many plot holes or errors that need to be corrected.

The rejection would always start the same, Alaric they'd say you have the talent, the potential, but we don't know if we can do you justice. Or it was it was really good, but we aren't looking for this type of story.

If he was good enough, why didn't they publish him? Just because he was young, were they thinking he wasn't going to take it seriously? No matter what, he wanted to get published now. He took the job at the firm, and hired an editor.

The job was paying him good, he could rent an apartment, the one he is living in now, and he didn't have to worry about money that much. But it wasn't what he wanted.

With the help of the editor, he rewrote the whole book, and this time sent it into publishing. It took him almost half a year to do that.

To say that Hilary was surprised after she read his book is an understatement. She was mad at him for a second because he went through all the trouble hiring an editor, if he could have just called her. But she understood how he felt.

Rejection wasn't something new to Alaric. But for the first time, he was scared of it.

"I ruined everything. Didn't I?" he asked, when she didn't speak for a while.

"No, Alaric. You didn't I was just thinking" she said.

Stop overthinking. She heard Reagan's voice in her head. Was she over thinking again? Alaric, the guy she accepted that she has feelings for, just told her he liked her and she didn't say anything back.

Say yes.

"Alaric, I..." she liked him, but why was she hesitating? He wasn't a part of her future. He wasn't a part of her plan. She was supposed to leave her small town, go to London, finish her specialization, get a job and marry a guy her parents chose. She wasn't supposed to meet him, or start having these weird feelings for him.

Did she like him? She didn't know. Was she ready to find put? She wasn't sure.

She took a deep breath.

"I like you too" She told him. His face lightened up. She liked him back. But why did he feel a 'but' coming?

"But, I don't know for sure" He was confused now.

"I never liked anyone. I never even thought of liking anyone. You weren't a part of my plan"

"Life is unexpected, Amulya"

"You weren't supposed to be a part of my life" tears formed in her eyes. She didn't know why she was crying. Her mother came into her mind. Everything she told her from childhood. How it wasn't allowed in the family to have a love marriage. Her mother's face, in her head, was filled with disappointment.

She could see her mother shake her head at her and say I didn't expect this from you Amulya. You are such a disappointment. We trusted you and this is how you repay us?

"Hey, Hey Amy" Alaric said, now panicked. He didn't mean to make her cry. He didn't even know why she was crying. "Shhh... Take a deep breath" this took him back to their first conversation on phone.

"I'm sorry" She said after awhile, wiping the tears. "I'm sorry, I feel so overwhelmed" that was the truth. She felt so suffocated. She wanted to run.

"I'm sorry. I just need some time. I can't think of all this right now" She told him and got up.

"I get it. Have a good day, Amy."

"See you tomorrow" She told him walking towards the door, he followed her.

Just as she was out of the door, she turned around and without even thinking what she was doing, she threw her hands around him. He was shocked for a second before wrapping his hands around her waist, as she buried her head in the crook of his neck.

He felt like home.

~*~

Sorry for not updating yesterday

30.04.20