Stephen had been staring at his phone for almost an hour.
Nothing.
No reply.
No missed call.
No message.
He looked at the last thing he sent.
Are you okay? I've been calling your line. Please just let me know you're fine.
He sighed.
Nandi was not the type to disappear without saying anything.
Not anymore.
Something felt wrong.
Before he could convince himself to wait, he grabbed his keys and left.
The walk to her hostel felt longer than usual.
By the time he got there, his mind had already imagined every possible thing.
He knocked.
No answer.
"Nandi?"
Still nothing.
After asking around, he finally got someone to help him check on her.
And the moment he saw her lying on the bed, his expression changed.
She looked exhausted.
Weak.
Like she had been fighting through it alone.
"Nandi…"
Her eyes slowly opened.
"Stephen?"
He walked closer immediately.
"Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"
She tried to sit up, but he gently stopped her.
"Don't. Just lie down."
"I'm okay."
"You're not."
The worry in his voice made her quiet.
Stephen stayed.
He didn't ask for permission.
He just stayed.
He brought her water, checked her temperature, placed a cool towel on her forehead, and sat beside her until his own eyes became heavy.
He didn't leave.
Not once.
Around midnight, Nandi slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she noticed was him.
Stephen was beside her bed, asleep, his head resting against his arm.
He looked peaceful.
Different from the person who always carried the weight of everything.
A small smile appeared on her face.
She reached out and gently touched his hair.
"You look so good."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"So cute even when you're sleeping."
Almost immediately, he moved.
His eyes opened slowly.
"Nandi?"
She smiled.
"You're awake."
He sat up quickly.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm better."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded.
But Stephen still looked worried.
"You scared me."
Her expression softened.
"I didn't mean to."
"You should have told me."
"I didn't want to disturb you."
His eyebrows pulled together.
"Disturb me?"
She looked away.
"Nandi."
The softness in his voice made her look back.
"You are never a disturbance to me."
Something about those words touched her.
Because maybe deep down, that was the thing she always feared.
Being too much.
Needing too much.
Taking up too much space.
Stephen reached for her hand.
"You don't have to handle everything alone."
She looked at their hands.
Then at him.
"I missed you."
His eyes softened.
"I missed you too."
And for once, there was nothing standing between them.
No pride.
No misunderstanding.
No fear.
Just them.
Nandi lifted her hand and touched his cheek.
Stephen stayed still, looking at her like he was trying to remember every second.
Then she leaned closer.
The kiss was soft.
A quiet apology for all the moments they lost.
A promise without words that they were here now.
When they pulled away, Stephen smiled.
"You're supposed to be resting."
She laughed softly.
"And you're supposed to be sleeping."
"I was worried."
"I know."
And that night, they didn't fix everything.
They didn't pretend the past never happened.
They just stayed there…
choosing each other again.