Karn sat at a small table near the window of the café, slowly sipping the lemon tea he had ordered earlier. The warm drink had already cooled slightly, but he barely noticed as his attention drifted repeatedly to the watch on his wrist.
Aisha had asked him to et her there. Yet she still hadn’t arrived.
He checked the ti again, his brows drawing together slightly. With a quiet sigh, he picked up his phone and dialed her number. The call rang for several seconds before ending unanswered.
Karn lowered the phone and set the cup back on its saucer.
’Did sothing happen?’ he wondered.
Just as he was about to stand up, preparing to leave the café and check outside, he spotted a Aisha approaching through the glass doors.
She was walking toward him with long, hurried strides.
Relief flickered across Karn’s face as he slipped his phone back into his pocket and waited for her to reach the table.
"I’m really sorry for being late," Aisha said the mont she arrived. She quickly pulled out the chair across from him and sat down, still slightly out of breath.
"It’s fine," Karn replied as he sat back down as well. A small smile touched his lips. "But you took quite a while. I started thinking sothing might have happened."
Aisha brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face before explaining.
"I had just finished my work when they suddenly called for an urgent eting," she said. "And we were asked to leave our phones outside the conference room."
She gave an apologetic look.
"Everything happened so quickly that I didn’t even get a chance to send you a ssage."
Karn waved it off lightly.
"It’s alright," he assured her. "You’re here now."
He picked up the nu card from the table and glanced through it.
"Shall we order sothing?" he asked with a small chuckle. "I’ve already had one lemon tea while waiting."
Aisha leaned slightly forward to look at the nu as well.
"I’ll have a matcha tea," she said after a mont. "And a slice of cheesecake." Then she looked up at him. "What about you?"
Karn smiled. "I’ll go with cheesecake too."
After placing their order at the counter, Karn returned to the table. A few minutes later, a server brought their drinks and slices of cheesecake, carefully setting them down before leaving them to their conversation.
Karn stirred his tea absentmindedly before looking up at Aisha.
"So," he said, leaning slightly forward, "why did you want to et today?"
Aisha hesitated briefly, as if choosing her words carefully.
"Karn... my parents are coming to visit ," she began.
Karn blinked in mild surprise. "Oh," he murmured. "Then I suppose I shouldn’t co to your place for the next couple of days."
He assud she wanted to avoid any awkward situation. But Aisha shook her head gently.
"I was actually thinking about introducing you to them," she said.
Karn froze. For a mont he simply stared at her, completely caught off guard.
"Are... are you serious?" he asked, disbelief evident in his voice.
Just a few days ago, Aisha had insisted that they keep their relationship private for a while. She had said she needed more ti before letting anyone know.
Seeing his reaction, Aisha smiled faintly. "Karn, I’m serious," she replied. She folded her hands lightly on the table and continued.
"Mom and Dad will only be here for one night. They’ll leave the next day."
Her eyes softened as she looked at him.
"They already know about you... But I want to introduce you to them properly. As my boyfriend."
Karn remained silent, still absorbing her words.
Aisha took a slow breath before speaking again, her voice more sincere now. "I think that with you by my side... I have found my happiness. In fact, ever since you ca into my life, I’ve discovered a lot about myself, things I never really understood before."
Karn felt a strange feeling in his chest as he listened to her words. For a mont, he didn’t know what to say.
A warm, unfamiliar emotion slowly spread through him, making his throat feel slightly heavy. He had heard Gabriel talk about this feeling many tis before, about how it felt to truly be loved by soone.
Back then, Karn had never really understood what Gabriel ant.
But now, sitting across from Aisha and hearing her speak so openly, he finally began to understand.
"Karn, let’s not hide our relationship anymore." Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"You can tell your parents too," Aisha continued softly.
She reached across the table and placed her hand gently over his, her fingers giving his hand a reassuring caress.
"I’m sorry it took so long," she said with sincerity. "But I promise you sothing..."
She paused briefly before finishing her thought.
"If nothing else, I’ll always be the woman who listens to you... who comforts you... and who loves you."
Karn kept his gaze fixed on her, almost as if confirming that he had heard her correctly.
"Are you... confessing that you love ?" he asked.
Aisha nodded without hesitation. "Yes," she replied simply.
A small smile appeared on her lips as she continued. "Even when I’m working, I catch myself thinking about you."
She lowered her gaze for a mont before looking back up at him again.
"These feelings didn’t appear overnight," she said honestly. "They’ve been growing little by little. I can’t keep lying to you... or to myself anymore. I want you, Karn. And I want to move forward on this path with you because I’m in love with you. I found love again thanks to you."
Karn couldn’t sit and rose to his feet. Then, bending over the table, he kissed Aisha, not caring about the people present in the cafe. He simply wanted to kiss her, to tell her his longing that he had been hiding for many years, especially the affection he hid.
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