LUCIANO
As I gazed down at her, My Aisha lay motionless on the bed, her skin a porcelain doll-like complexion. Her dark hair cascaded around her like a waterfall of night, and her eyelashes cast a shadow on her cheeks. She was a vision of Beauty, but one that was fragile and vulnerable.
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"I-I... I was just... tr-trying to say th-that I-" "Breathe, Kabir," she whispered, not rushing him. "I'm listening." He paused, blinking. No one had ever waited. From childhood, every sentence he spoke came with a pause, a repeat, a stutter. A stumble. And society? Oh, they didn't let him forget it. Teachers cut him off, kids mimicked him cruelly, and even relatives would sigh, "Why can't he just talk properly?" He started talking less. Until Tishya. She didn't mock. She didn't complete his sentences. She let him stumble. And to her, that was part of his shine. Stumble and Shine is the journey of Kabir-a boy who never believed his voice mattered-and Tishya, the girl who proved it always did. It's about love, acceptance, healing, and how sometimes the most beautiful things are spoken imperfectly.
"So, you will marry me because you have no other option?" I exhaled, my shoulders sagging. "Yes. But after marriage, if you don't want me in your room, I can move out or sleep on the couch. I won't touch-" He cut me off, his voice quiet but firm. "Roop, I know you don't like me, and you don't want this marriage. It's okay. I'll talk to your family. I won't force you into this." I felt panic rise in my chest. "No! Please... Don't talk to them. You are my only option." Anirudh stared at me, his sharp gaze studying my face as if searching for something-hesitation, doubt, regret. I didn't look away. I had nothing to hide. Nothing to lose. He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Roop, shaadi kisi majboori mein nahi ki jati." (Marriage isn't something that should happen out of compulsion.) A bitter smile tugged at my lips. "Yahi toh farq hai tumhari aur meri zindagi mein, Anirudh. Tumhare paas choice hai, mere paas nahi." (That's the difference between your life and mine, Anirudh. You have a choice. I don't.) His expression darkened. "Main tumhari family se baat karunga-" "Nahi!" I cut him off, my voice sharp with desperation. "You won't understand. You've never seen helplessness, Anirudh. You don't know that when a girl has no options, she only looks for survival." A strange silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken pain. Anirudh sighed and leaned back against the bench, his fingers tapping against his knee. "You're telling me you'd marry any stranger just because you have no other way out?" I stiffened. "You're not a stranger." His lips quirked up, almost amused. "Until a day ago, I was." I clenched my fists. "I don't care who you are. I just need to accept this match, or the other option will destroy me." Anirudh fell silent, his gaze steady on me. The playfulness in his eyes faded, replaced by something more intense, more thoughtful. Finally, he asked, "And what if I tell you that I don't want to marry you either?"
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