He went inside that night and slept without thinking.
Or maybe he slept because he didn't want to think.
She didn't.
She barely slept at all.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face outside that door — tired, honest, hurt.
She couldn't think straight.
His voice kept echoing in her mind.
Not the confident version of him.
Not the dominant one.
The tired one.
The honest one.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"The only good thing that happened here is you."
She sat by her window again, knees pulled close, staring at nothing — but thinking about everything.
What was she doing?
What was she so scared of?
Commitment?
Losing control?
Being vulnerable first?
Or was she scared of being wrong about him?
She had always been careful. She built walls before people even asked to enter. She analysed. Calculated. Guarded.
And yet…
When he stumbled last night, when he looked at her like she mattered more than his pride —
Something inside her shifted.
She tried to list reasons not to do this.
What if he changes?
What if he leaves?
What if she gives more than she receives?
What if she loses herself?
But another question kept interrupting all of them —
What if I lose him without even trying?
That thought scared her more than heartbreak.
More than ego.
More than consequences.
She realised something uncomfortable.
She wasn't just afraid of being with him.
She was more afraid of not being with him.
Of watching him walk away.
Of pretending she didn't care.
Of seeing him become a "what if."
And Aakrati hated "what ifs."
She wanted certainty.
But love never came with guarantees.
For the first time in her life, she wasn't calculating outcomes.
She was calculating regret.
And regret felt heavier.
Yes, he was dominant.
Yes, he challenged her.
Yes, he wasn't someone she could easily control or predict.
But he saw her.
Not just her face.
Not just her attitude.
Her mind. Her stubbornness. Her silence.
He had stayed even after she accused him.
That wasn't weakness.
That was intention.
She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly.
Maybe it would hurt.
Maybe it would be messy.
Maybe it wouldn't last forever.
But right now — in this moment — she didn't want safety.
She wanted him.
And if giving it a chance meant risking her pride, her comfort, her carefully built walls…
Then so be it.
For once, she wouldn't protect herself from something that felt real.
She would step into it.
Fully aware.
Fully conscious.
Ready to bear whatever consequence came with choosing him.
Because sometimes…
The bigger risk isn't loving someone.
It's walking away when you shouldn't have.