Where I Was Left, You Stayed

Where Fear Learns to Breathe

Arsh (POV)

The room was dark.

Too dark.

I didn’t know when it started—maybe when the silence grew louder than my thoughts, or maybe when my chest began to feel tight for no reason at all.

I tried to breathe.

In. Out.

But my head felt heavy, like someone had stuffed it with noise. Shadows on the wall twisted into unfamiliar shapes, and suddenly my heart was racing like I was running from something I couldn’t remember.

“No… no…” I whispered, curling my fingers into the sheets.

I didn’t know why I was scared.

That scared me more.

My breath turned uneven. My throat burned. My chest hurt like it was folding in on itself.

“Ved…” I whispered, unsure if I was even allowed to call his name like that.

I sat up abruptly, air rushing out of my lungs in broken gasps.

“I— I can’t—” My voice cracked. “It hurts.”

The door opened almost immediately.

“Arsh?”

His voice.

I turned my head so fast I nearly made myself dizzy.

Ved stood there, hair messy, eyes filled with worry—not sharp, not distant. Just him.

“I heard you,” he said softly, already walking toward me. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice trembling. “I was fine and then suddenly—everything felt wrong.”

He sat on the edge of the bed, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off him.

“You’re safe,” he said gently. “Look at me.”

I tried. I really did.

But my eyes burned and my chest kept tightening.

“I don’t like being alone,” I blurted out, words tumbling before I could stop them. “When I wake up and you’re not there, I feel like—like something bad will happen.”

His jaw tightened, just slightly.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I should’ve checked on you earlier.”

“No—no,” I shook my head frantically. “You don’t have to. I don’t want to be trouble.”

“You’re not,” he said firmly.

I looked down at my hands. “I don’t know why I’m like this.”

He was quiet for a moment.

Then he asked softly, “Do you want me to stay?”

I nodded instantly. Then hesitated. “Only if you want to. I don’t want to force you.”

Ved didn’t answer with words.

Instead, he removed his watch, placed it on the side table, and lay down beside me—on top of the blanket, facing me.

My breath caught.

He was close.

Closer than ever before.

“I’m here,” he said quietly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“But what if I keep waking you up?” I asked, my voice small. “What if this keeps happening?”

“Then I’ll keep coming,” he replied without hesitation.

Something warm pooled behind my eyes.

“Why are you so kind to me?” I asked, barely above a whisper.

He exhaled slowly. “Because you deserve it.”

I swallowed. “I don’t even remember who I am.”

“You don’t need to,” he said. “Not right now.”

His hand moved carefully, hesitating before resting over mine.

“If it’s okay,” he added.

I intertwined my fingers with his before he could pull away.

“It’s okay,” I whispered.

His thumb brushed over my knuckles, slow and grounding.

“Try to sleep,” he murmured. “Focus on my voice.”

“What if I forget it when I wake up?” I asked anxiously.

“You won’t,” he said. “And if you do, I’ll remind you.”

I stared at him, my heart aching in a way that felt strangely good.

“You look tired,” I said.

“So do you.”

“Will you stay till morning?”

His gaze softened. “Yes.”

A pause.

“Ved?” I called.

“Yes?”

“Thank you… for not leaving.”

His voice dropped, honest and raw.
“I won’t. Not like that.”

I didn’t know what he meant—but it felt important.

My breathing finally slowed, my head resting against the pillow as his presence wrapped around me like a shield.

As sleep pulled me under, the last thing I felt was his hand tightening around mine, like a promise neither of us was ready to name.