The silence between Arjun and Olivia wasn’t just awkward — it was unbearable.

Days had passed since the company dinner, but the weight of their last conversation still hung in the air like a thick fog. Arjun kept his distance, showing up to meetings with a detached professionalism that made Olivia’s chest ache. No more lingering glances. No more secret smiles. Just cold, formal exchanges that left her feeling emptier than ever.

For the first time since Arjun joined the company, Olivia realized what his absence truly felt like.

It was a slow unraveling — like a thread being pulled from the hem of her heart, loosening everything she had tried so hard to keep together.

And it terrified her.

—---

The turning point came on a rainy Thursday evening.

The office had mostly emptied out, the sound of raindrops tapping against the windows the only noise filling the space. Olivia sat at her desk, staring blankly at her screen. Her work was a blur — the numbers, the reports, the deadlines — none of it mattered.

Her mind kept circling back to Arjun.

The way his voice broke when he said he couldn’t keep chasing something that wasn’t there. The raw pain in his eyes when she told him she couldn’t let him in.

But it was there.

It had always been there — she was just too scared to admit it.

With a shaky breath, Olivia grabbed her coat and bag. But just as she reached the elevator, a familiar figure stepped out.

Arjun.

Her heart lurched at the sight of him. His dark hair was tousled, his shirt sleeves rolled up, and there was a weariness in his expression that told her he’d been working late too.

For a moment, they simply stared at each other — the air between them thick with unsaid words.

Then, Olivia did something she never thought she would.

“Arjun,” she said softly, her voice breaking the silence.

He blinked, his jaw clenching. “Olivia.”

“Can we talk?”

His hesitation was a dagger to her chest, but then — slowly — he nodded.

—---

They ended up in the small break room, a place once filled with stolen moments and playful banter. Now, it felt like a battlefield — a place where hearts clashed and defenses crumbled.

Arjun leaned against the counter, arms crossed, waiting.

Olivia’s fingers trembled as she set her bag down. “I’m sorry,” she blurted out, the words rushing from her like a dam had finally broken. “I’m sorry for pushing you away. For making you think there was nothing between us.”

Arjun’s eyes softened, but his guard remained up. “Then why did you?”

Her throat tightened. “Because I was scared.”

“Of me?” he asked, his voice gentle now.

“No,” she whispered. “Of myself. Of what I was feeling.”

Arjun’s brow furrowed, his walls slowly crumbling. “Olivia—”

“I got hurt once,” she said, her voice cracking. “And I told myself I’d never let anyone get that close to me again. I thought if I kept you at arm’s length, I’d be safe.”

Silence.

“But then you came along,” she continued, her voice shaking. “And suddenly, being safe didn’t feel as important as being with you.”

Arjun’s heart thundered in his chest.

For so long, he had waited for Olivia to say something — anything — that proved he wasn’t the only one drowning in this. And now, hearing her admit her fear, her longing, her need for him, it was as if the walls he built to protect himself were crashing down all at once.

He stepped closer, his voice hoarse. “Olivia, I would never hurt you. I’m not him.”

“I know,” she said softly. “But I needed to learn how to stop hurting myself first.”

The vulnerability in her words shattered the last of Arjun’s resolve.

Without thinking, without hesitating, he reached for her hand. “You don’t have to do this alone.”

A tear slipped down Olivia’s cheek — not out of sadness, but relief.

“I don’t want to,” she whispered.

And then — the moment they both had been denying for so long — Arjun leaned in, his hand gently cupping her face. Their lips met in a soft, hesitant kiss, like they were both afraid the world might shatter around them.

But it didn’t.

Instead, it felt like everything finally clicked into place.

When they pulled away, Olivia rested her forehead against his, a soft laugh escaping her lips. “We’re a mess.”

Arjun chuckled, his thumb softly tracing her cheek. “Yeah, but we’re our mess.”

And in that small break room, with rain still pouring outside, the walls they built to protect themselves finally crumbled — leaving only the fragile, beautiful truth between them.