The city lights flickered beyond the glass windows, a quiet reflection of the turmoil inside her. Aisha sat at her office desk, being the avid tea-drinker, her fingers tracing absent patterns on the rim of her teacup. Another night of staying late, not for work, but for escape. An escape from the suffocating walls of a relationship that drained her more than it fulfilled.

And then, there was him!

Rohan sat across from her, sleeves rolled up, the soft glow of his laptop screen highlighting his face. He was gentle where her boyfriend was harsh, thoughtful where he was indifferent. They found solace in stolen moments - conversations that stretched past office hours, laughter that felt forbidden yet inevitable. Aisha had never sought comfort in another man, and yet Rohan had become her quiet refuge.

"You're strangely quiet today," he said, his voice laced with concern.

She replied with a smile that didn't reach her eyes - "Just a long day."

Rohan studied her, his gaze lingering. "Want to get some air?"

The rooftop of their office building was their secret escape, a world away from their suffocating realities. The cold air bit at their skin, but the warmth between them was undeniable. They talked about everything and nothing - their favourite books, childhood dreams, the weight of love that should've felt like home but instead felt like chains.

She looked at him then, truly looked at him, and saw her sorrow reflected in his eyes. A silent understanding passed between them, a bond forged in shared heartache.

One evening, as the rain misted the glass windows of the office, Rohan reached into his pocket and pulled out a delicate silver ring, simple yet profound. He had bought it long ago, carrying it with him for weeks, held back by fear, by uncertainty. But tonight, something shifted inside him - an unshakable resolve that it was time.

Aisha's breath hitched as he took her hand, his fingers warm against her skin. He pulled out a folded letter, its edges slightly worn, a testament to the countless times he had hesitated before now. Clearing his throat, his voice barely above a whisper, he began to read.

"In a world that keeps breaking us, you have been my safest place. With you, I can breathe. With you, I can dream again. I don't know where this road leads, but I know I want to walk it with you. This ring isn't just a promise - it's my way of saying that no matter what, I will always be here for you. As a friend, as anything you need me to be."

After reading it out, he murmured, his voice steady yet aching, "I know we are both lost in different ways. "I won't rush you; I won't push you. But this?this is my promise. To be your best friend, even if you can't be mine the way I wish."

Aisha's heart clenched. The walls she had built around herself crumbled. Tears spilled down her cheeks, and before she could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around him. The embrace was desperate, like holding onto something that had always been hers but had taken too long to find. His arms tightened around her, his breath uneven against her hair.

She pulled back slightly, just enough for her lips to brush against his. It was fleeting, a whisper of a kiss, a question unspoken yet answered in the silence. Rohan exhaled sharply, his hands cupping her face, his thumb tracing her cheek.

"I promise never to leave you," he whispered. And then he kissed her again.

This time, it was unrestrained, slow yet urgent. They lost themselves in the taste of each other, in the relief of belonging. The world outside blurred, ceasing to exist. Only this moment mattered, this kiss that felt like healing.

That night, in the quiet intimacy of his apartment, they unravelled the weight they had carried alone for too long. It was not reckless; it was not betrayal. It was love finding its way through brokenness. As he traced soft kisses down her shoulder, Aisha whispered his name like a prayer. They made love with the tenderness of two souls who had been searching for each other without realizing it.

As dawn painted the sky in hues of lavender and gold, Aisha lay beside him, her fingers tracing circles on his chest. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, his arms pulling her close.

"Are we crazy?" she murmured.

Rohan chuckled, brushing his lips against her hair. "Maybe. But sometimes, crazy is just another word for finally listening to your heart."

And as the city stirred awake outside, they lay entangled in the warmth of something new, something forbidden yet inevitable - a love story just beginning, hidden beneath the surface but no less real.

A secret, a promise, an adventure.

Written by: Chitranka Chowdhury