Airam folded her arms, staring at him beneath the soft glow of the backyard lights. "Harry… what happened?"
He ran a hand through his hair, pacing once before looking back at her.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I told everyone you were my girlfriend without officially asking you. I know I jumped ahead."
"That's not what I meant," Airam said. "We'll talk about that later." She stepped a little closer, noticing the flush in his cheeks, the way he kept exhaling like he was trying to calm himself.
"Something else happened. You're… too tense. What is it?"
Harry let out a humorless laugh. "What else could make me this crazy if not you? I lose my senses when it comes to you." He reached for her hand, guiding her down a stone path toward a hidden corner of the hotel garden.
The moment they turned the corner, Airam stopped in her tracks.
Soft golden fairy lights twined around the trees. Roses hung in delicate clusters. Floating candles glowed in a small fountain. Balloons shaped as tiny stars drifted around them.
"Harry…" Airam whispered. "What is all this?"
He faced her, nervous but determined."It's… to make it official that you're my girlfriend."
She blinked. "Is that a question or a statement?"
Harry took a breath, deep and shaking.
"Marry me."Airam's eyes widened."But," he added quickly, "I know you're not ready. I know that. I'll wait. I'll wait as long as I have to."His voice dropped, raw. "And I'll be content just knowing you're mine."
Airam tried not to smile too hard."Well… ask me to be your girlfriend properly, Harry."
"I'm afraid you'll run," he admitted."Or say no. Or disappear and pretend I imagined everything."
Airam raised an eyebrow. "Harry."
He swallowed. "Please be my girlfriend."
A soft laugh slipped out of her small, disbelieving, happy. "Yes, Harry. I'll be your girlfriend."
His whole face lit up. For a moment, he looked like he might lift off the ground. He stepped in to kiss her, but Airam pressed a gentle hand on his chest.
"What now?" he asked breathlessly.
"Tell me what made you angry."
Harry's jaw tightened. "Airam…"
"Harry."
He sighed, defeated."Fine. My father was meeting someone tonight. Your father."
Airamfroze. "He told my dad he wants to invest in your next project. I said no, that you're not working with him." Harry's voice hardened. "I also told them you're my girlfriend and that I'll protect you. My dad said you're too good for me." He gave a small, sad smile. "He's not wrong."
Airam's chest tightened.
"But your father…" Harry continued, looking away for a moment as if saying it aloud made it worse. "He said you're betrothed. That he already has a husband chosen for you. That I should stay away."
Airam felt her heartbeat stutter.
Harry stepped closer, his voice low, trembling slightly.
"I won't live in a world where you're not mine," he whispered. "I wouldn't survive that, Airam." A confession deeper than anything he'd ever said."I'm terrified of losing you. Terrified in a way I've never been scared of anything."
Airam'sbreath softened. She reached up, touching his jaw gently.
"Harry…"He looked at her like she was the only thing keeping him breathing.
Airam didn't let him finish.
The moment she saw the fear in his eyes, the fear of losing her something inside her snapped. She stepped forward, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pulled him into a kiss. Not a soft one. Not a hesitant one. A kiss that answered every fear he had, every doubt, every unspoken question.
Harry froze for half a second, shocked, then he melted into it, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her tightly against him like she was the only thing keeping him alive. The flowers, the lights, the balloons, everything blurred around them. It was only them.
When she finally pulled back, both of them breathless, she rested her forehead against his.
"Don't you ever say you'll live in a world without me," Airam whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."
Harry exhaled shakily, his hands still on her waist. "Airam…"
"You don't get to be afraid alone," she said, cupping his jaw. "If anyone thinks they can choose my future for me, they're wrong. I choose you."
A slow smile, full of relief and disbelief, spread across Harry's face. "You choose me?"
"I just kissed you like that," Airam said, raising a brow. "I think that answers your question."
He laughed softly, a sound filled with warmth and awe, before he leaned in again, this time slower, gentler, but deeper like he was sealing a promise neither of them would ever break.