Ramit was lazing on the couch unable to make a proper apology for the next day when he was going to visit his wife. His procrastination hit peaks and his mind was too unsteady to focus on drafting out his apology. Every now and then, he checked where the little dot was on the map. It was stationary throughout last week but suddenly this time, it was on the road.

He sat up straight and checked it once again. This time it was moving! As he looked on, the text on the footer, which said, '60 min. away from your current location,' changed every minute.

"Damn..." he said under his breath. He did not have much time, did he?

He looked around the house. He scrambled to make it presentable and sorted out his documents and newspapers that had piled over the teapoy as well as his clothes that seemed to be everywhere.

He checked his phone again. She was still heading his way.

"Damn!" What exactly was he going to say?

After pacing around for some time, he calmed down a little. She could be going to a friend, for all he knew. Moreover, even though she was actually coming home, he dreaded thinking about the reason. She had been serious when she said they should divorce.

He plopped into the sofa, squeezing his eyes and clasping his palms together tightly.

Time passed and she was 5 minutes away. Ramit quickly put on a shirt and a pair of pants, scolding himself for not thinking of it before. He reached the ground floor soon after.

By that time, he saw her speaking to the watchman. Beside her was the same bag she had left with. Ramit blinked his eyes, keeping any tears at bay. She was back for good!

He kept walking, quietly with purported casualness. They were yet to notice him. As he walked, he heard them.

"Is he home?"

"Yes, madam. Did you have a fight again?"

"Mind your business," he heard her say. The hoarseness of her voice made her words more intimidating, while Ramit felt sullen as he remembered that incident.

She then turned around, just as he reached them.

"You," he said, but stopped. He did not look at her face. He took her luggage and waited for her to come along.

She walked behind him silently, looking at his hand that pulled her bag.

When they waited for the lift, she quickly stole a glance. For once in her life, she felt nice about a surprise. He did not seem to be angry.

Once they entered the lift, Ramit said what he did not before the watchman. "You could have called me! Why go to the watchman?"

Geetha stole another glance. He was not angry.

"Next time, call me first. I am sorry about the last time. I thought... I thought you'd go back to your house." That was not the apology that was due at the moment, but he could not stop himself. This was something that was always on the back of his mind, but he stubbornly did not bother.

"No problem! It was a new experience watching all the cars going to their right places without anyone telling them!" she said in one single breath, finishing her sentence before the lift dinged on their floor.

As the door slid open, Geetha stepped out in a blink, trying to cover up her unusual awkwardness. When Ramit looked up at her in amusement, he saw her braid rather than her face.

Geetha waited at the door. Ramit was two steps behind.

"It's open," he said.

She twisted the knob and the two entered.

For a few moments, the air was tense. Geetha did not sit and Ramit felt asking her to sit would seem like she was a guest. Geetha stole a few glances but she did not know if she should start telling him that she was not acting, or wait until he picked that issue again.

Seven minutes passed. Their eyes finally met amid aimless searching. Ramit looked haggard and Geetha's red eyes told the story, if not her voice.

Geetha broke the silence. "I was sincere, unlike what you believe."

"I... I know! I'm sorry!" He said as his breath went out of pattern, despite all of his efforts to control it.

Pressing her lips together, she looked away from him. Last time he said it was okay but he did not mean it.

"I know, really! I was stupid! I know now!"

She gave him a small smile and nodded, tears forming slowly.

"Everything I said... I did... it's unforgivable..." Ramit continued. He should have treated her better all this time.

Geetha got surprise after surprise with his words. Well, he did waste a few months of her life. It did not matter though, after everything they had gone through. But his frown and troubled face made her sigh. "You beat yourself up too much. Look at me."

The old and familiar words wiped out all expression from his sad face. He remembered these. She said these to him a lot back during school.

His smile found it way back, albeit slowly, reaching his eyes. It was one reason among infinity why everything started, why he loved her.

Then came silence. Ramit's gaze was soft and out of focus. Geetha gauged his expression before she got to her point.

"I am sorry!" she said, "I want to live with you. It's not for convenience. It," she paused for a breath as her voice cracked. She was very close to crying. She continued, "It's also not because you love me. I don't feel nice being away from you."

Ramit was about to cry as well. He had also missed her a lot. Without a second thought, he hugged her.

That was the only response that came out of him. He did not say anything. But that response triggered her to let go of her control.

She cried as she said, "Let me stay, will you? Don't say I'm only a friend and don't say you will divorce me. I feel very bad to hear any of that!"

Ramit nodded, not realising she could not see.

"Of course!" he said.

She hugged him back and asked, "Really?" She tilted her head to look at him.

"Really."

"Thank you," she said as she calmed down, hiding her face in his chest, barely touching it thanks to her stomach in between.

He was overwhelmed. He softly said, "Why are you thanking me? I should thank you! You don't know how happy I am! Stop crying!"

"Shh... stop crying," he said again, a short while later.

After some time, she stopped crying, although she let out a couple of hiccups.

"You're in love with me, aren't you?" Ramit asked her suddenly. He did not know where the courage came from. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she held on despite everything. Maybe it was because he knew she had never put anyone else before her, other than him in the past few months. Maybe the real concern was about how she cried in his arms. He dared to guess his dream came true.

There was no doubt. She must love him. Nothing else explained her change. He always knew her heart was hard to win, but he seemed to have won when he put himself in risk. "You love me, don't you?" He asked again before he bit his cheek and stayed calm in anticipation of her reply.

Geetha became tense after hearing that. She clutched his shirt tighter before she shook her head. She was not sure and she did not want him to think of her as a liar again, especially in this matter.

Ramit was tongue-tied. His eyes looked here and there and he slowly asked with a downturned mouth, "You don't?" He really knew how to create a crisis for himself.

Geetha cried more. She had watched so many videos regarding love. But the playlist which made the most sense to her was named, 'The Brain Science of Love & Everything You Should Know.' As she analysed herself, she found out she never felt any butterflies in her stomach when she looked at him due to increased production of adrenaline. Apparently, that was the first stage of love.

But she fit in well in one of the advanced stages; she trusted him a lot even when they were children. Even when she said she shouldn't have trusted him when he went back on his word that he was fine living apart, she still trusted him and got locked in his house once. There were few items on the list which she could tick, but she crossed out many.

That aside, what she wanted to believe was that she loved him.

"I want to be in love with you!" She hiccupped again. She was never this emotional all her life.

"..."

Looking at his clueless face, she hid her face and spilled out a fresh set of tears.

Ramit pulled her head out and put his palms to her cheeks and wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs. What was this 'wanting to be in love' stage he did not know of?

He bent a little and looked into her eyes. "You love me."

"Fine! I love you." she said quickly, not missing this chance. His words were the only support her statement had. They strengthened her belief.

His heart finally settled. All the uncertainties that remained withdrew and disappeared, not leaving a trace behind.

His face beamed as he grinned ear to ear. He put his forehead to hers. "I love you too."

Geetha blinked her eyes to see him more clearly. His bright and happy face, and his soft eyes fascinated her. Their combination was all the more enthralling.

She felt blood rush to her head. Her cheeks warmed up too. She must be blushing with ruined make-up, she noted. Lost in his gaze, her thoughts wandered. She hid her face in his chest as her heart started to pace up.

Whenever she heard anyone say they were heartbroken, felt their heart wrenched, or that something was heartwarming, she did not understand. Did they not know basic human anatomy? Everything cognitive was taken care of by the brain, she thought. Feelings were experiences processed by the brain and sure, some of them resulted in biochemical reactions like the adrenaline rush or the dopamine boost. One among them was the racing up of heartbeat.

While all that was probably true, she was wrong with one detail. Feelings really came from the heart. She could feel that. It was akin to discovering a part of herself. It was new but very palpable. The warm feeling spread from her heart to the rest of her body. These were all matters of the heart. Love was.

She went through the 'If You Are in Love' list once again in her head, and this time, she ticked all those that remained. Butterflies in the stomach? Absolutely! Heart beating faster? Hell yes!

"I love you. I'm sure now."

Ramit giggled at her bluntness and leaned towards her covering the small distance between their lips.

Geetha felt unusually nervous as she brought her hands to his neck. She closed her eyes in anticipation. Soft lips touched hers in a gentle and delicate kiss, which lasted just for the right amount of time.

When they parted, she pulled him in for another kiss.

Satisfied, she pulled away. They stayed like that, smiling at each other for a while.

∼•∽

That late night Geetha waited for 2 whole hours for him to present to her a sumptuous meal. Over the delicious dinner were their sweet promises of forever to each other.

They were tired by the end of the dinner. Last week was rough for both, but they had too much to talk about. She asked him to keep the fact that she would cry so much a secret, not knowing it was already an open secret within her family, her parents and in-laws included apart from her husband.

He nodded and then sent her a link, about a beluga whale singing, which he had saved to show her four days ago. He had laughed at himself for saving it back then, but saved it anyway. That time he did not know if he would ever have the chance. It might be the last strand of hope or simply habit that made his thoughts entangled with her. That intertwine somehow turned fruitful in the end.

They talked about every little thing they remembered from highschool and their married life, and laughed off everything they owed the other, all of their past mistakes, anything that was to be apologised for, and smiled at everything that deserved an expression of gratitude.

Finally unable to fight their sleep, they shared a soft kiss before cuddling together.

They were not the best people anyone could fall in love with. He only knew that after he gave up everything for her and she, only when she persevered for their marriage.

But that was long ago, they both felt, hearts connected.

Those days seemed like they were an aeon away, forgiven, sealed away in their memories, and left behind.

All that remained now was a bright, hopeful, and blissful forever, in which they were the most significant to each other, for whom they could sacrifice everything for.

∼•∽

Final A/N: Goodbye, but I am not going anywhere.
Greetings, all my dear readers! First things first. Questions!

1. Thoughts on this chapter?

2. Thoughts on the book?

3. How rushed does the ending feel, if it does?

4. Rate the ending from 1-10 in terms of satisfaction.

Epilogue will be up on Monday.

Lastly, if you want to enjoy more written by me, add my main project and new book, A Run Home (Adventure/Mystery/YA) to your library. I will put up 5 chapters as a preview on 15-08-2022. See if you might like the story. Rest will be coming out soon.

[Update Nov '22]: I have started another Romance Novel!!! The updates are going to be slow (one chapter/month) and please check it out! Right Here already has 3 chapters! I hope to see you there! Of course after the epilogue here ;) 

And... This is farewell. It has been a great journey for me. I hope you found this worthwhile too.

To my silent readers: Although I don't know you, thank you all so much, each one of you! If you are comfortable, you can always reach out to me through PM, or any other way. I'd love to receive your feedback.

Goodbye, amazing people. I'm off to study to get that job. I hope we will all meet again, as new versions of ourselves.