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Chapter 29 - Chapter 29:You’re Hiding From Me

The skies turned gold that evening.

Not because it was beautiful… but because Ayra stared at it too long, trying to forget how Zayn's words felt like a soft blade pressed against her chest.

"You don't owe me anything…"

Then why did it feel like she did?

She stayed in her room after school, curtains half-drawn, hair messy, books untouched. Her phone buzzed once.

Cairo: You home?

She didn't answer.

It buzzed again five minutes later.

Cairo: You're hiding from me.

That made her sit up.

She wasn't sure why it was so hard to respond. Maybe because he was right. Maybe because he was too loud for her soft thoughts. Maybe because Zayn's silence still echoed.

Suddenly, a knock.

Not from the gate.

From her window.

She turned — and there he was.

Cairo.

Perched against her window like he didn't just climb her fence and sneak across her compound like a thief in a K-drama.

She pushed the glass up, wide-eyed. "Are you insane?"

"Probably," he smirked. "But you weren't answering. And I hate being ignored."

Ayra sighed and stepped back. "You shouldn't be here."

"And yet, here I am," he said, slipping in smoothly and brushing imaginary dust off his sleeves. "Your room smells like vanilla and unfinished feelings."

"Cairo—"

He sat on the edge of her bed, eyes meeting hers. Not playfully. Not flirtatiously. Just… real.

"I know you think I'm loud and reckless and way too rich to care," he said softly, "but I noticed the way you flinch when I touch your hand, and the way your eyes look for someone else when I'm speaking."

Her heart froze.

"Is it Zayn?"

She said nothing.

Cairo looked away, then back again, this time more serious than ever. "I'm not mad. I just need to know… so I don't fight a war I've already lost."

Ayra's throat tightened.

Because she hadn't chosen anyone.

But somehow… both of them were waiting.

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