"I don't want to be your friend," Harry said. "Or anything close to that."
Airam stopped walking. Slowly turned.
"…Then what do you want?"
Harry's jaw tightened, eyes burning with a frustration he'd been swallowing for too long.
"What I want," he began, voice low and unsteady, "I want to bury myself inside of you. Completely. I want to kiss you like you're the only air I need. I want to hold you so close that nothing in this world can touch you. I want you in my life, in my space, in my days and nights. I want to be yours, and I want you to be mine. You have no idea how hard it is to be near you and pretend I don't feel all of this or the things I want to do to you."
Airam stared at him, her expression was unreadable.
"So basically… You want to sleep with me," she said sharply. "Am I supposed to clap? Be honored that Harry Johnson wants me?"
"That is not what I mean," he said, exasperated. "It's desire, yes, but not just desire. It's everything. I want you because I love you."
Airam folded her arms. "So I should feel special that you desire me and want to..."
Harry stepped closer, interrupting gently but firmly.
"Airam, listen," he said, almost pleading. "I'm telling you I love you. Not lust. Not some passing feeling. Love. I want a life with you. I want a future with you. A home. A family. I want to build something real."
Every time he tried to explain, she twisted it in another direction, as if she couldn't believe love was even an option.
He softened his tone, almost whispering now.
"When I say I want you… I mean, I want all of you. Your heart. Your trust. Your stubbornness that drives me insane. Your strength that terrifies me and inspires me. I want the mornings, the arguments, the peace, the chaos, everything. Not just your body, but who you are,"
He swallowed hard. "And I'm sorry if I sound insane, but losing control around you is the only thing that feels honest."
Airam looked at him, speechless. She was caught between anger, shock, and something she didn't want to name.
For the first time… she didn't have a comeback.
~~~~~~~~~
"Yes, you're right, you do sound crazy," Airam said, her voice shaky. "So thanks. I'm just going to go."
She slipped off his coat and pushed it into his hands.
She turned to leave, but Harry stepped in front of her again.
"You don't have to run every time something scares you, or doesn't go your way," he said softly but firmly. "And ignoring things doesn't make them disappear. So no, I'm not letting you walk away. Not this time."
"Harry, move," she warned.
"No," he said, blocking her again. "Talk to me. Argue with me. Get angry. Say something. You don't have to forgive me, that's fine. But you haven't told me you don't want me. You haven't told me you feel nothing."
She tried to sidestep him, but he caught her lightly by the arms.
"Enough. No more running."
Airam snapped.
"What do you want from me!"
"I want you to be honest with me," Harry said, eyes locked on hers. "Tell me you don't love me. Say it."
"I don't know!" she burst out.
Her voice cracked.
"I don't know what love is. I only know survival. I don't know what I'm supposed to want in a man because I never had anyone to look up to. I don't know what this is supposed to feel like."
Harry didn't move. He didn't push. He just listened.
"I feel angry," she said. "And agitated. And frustrated. All the time. I grew up thinking what I felt didn't matter. When something hurts, cut it off, walk away, and survive. That's what I know. That's all I know."
Her breath wavered.
"And every time I try to explain myself or my emotions, I feel stupid because I don't even know what's happening inside me."
Harry took a careful step closer.
"Airam,"
"But when I see you..." she choked, folding and unfolding her fists, "everything gets worse. All those feelings… they intensify."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"And yet somehow… somehow you make it… lighter."
Harry froze.
"That weight I've carried my whole life, you make it quieter. You make me feel things I don't understand. Things I can't control. And it's good, and it terrifies me, and I hate it and I…" Her voice fell to a whisper. "I don't know what to do with it."
Then, unable to take her own confession, Airam covered her face with both hands, shoulders trembling, breathing uneven, the truth spilling out of her despite every instinct telling her to shut down.
Harry's breath left him in one slow, stunned exhale.
He finally had what he'd been fighting for.