Roohi POV
I couldn't sleep.
Not because I wasn't tired.
I was exhausted.
But every time I closed my eyes...
My mind started thinking.
And that was the problem.
I turned to one side.
Then the other.
Then back again.
Nothing worked.
My stomach growled.
I immediately glared at it.
"Traitor."
The stomach disagreed.
Another growl.
Wonderful.
Now I was hungry too.
I pulled the blanket over my head.
Determined to ignore it.
It didn't work.
The hunger remained.
And unfortunately...
So did my thoughts.
I hated the fact that I kept thinking about dinner.
About the empty chair.
About waiting for someone who never came.
"It doesn't matter."
I whispered to myself.
It absolutely mattered.
Before I could continue arguing with myself...
A soft knock came from the door.
I froze.
Who knocks at midnight?
Another knock.
Slow.
Controlled.
Familiar.
My heart skipped.
"Come in."
The door opened.
And my brain completely stopped working.
Zayan stepped inside.
Holding a tray.
A tray.
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Still there.
Definitely a tray.
For a moment...
Neither of us spoke.
Then he walked toward the small table near the sofa.
Placed the tray down.
And looked at me.
"Eat."
I stared.
He stared back.
"Eat," he repeated.
"What is that?"
The second the question left my mouth...
I realized how stupid it sounded.
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
"Food."
I wanted to disappear.
Immediately.
For some reason...
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Just slightly.
As if he was trying not to laugh.
Which somehow made everything worse.
"You're hungry."
He stated calmly.
I looked away.
"No."
His eyes moved toward me.
Then toward my stomach.
Traitor.
Absolute traitor.
A loud growl echoed through the room.
The silence that followed was horrifying.
I wanted the floor to open.
Immediately.
Right now.
This second.
Instead...
Zayan pulled a chair out.
Sat down.
And calmly started serving food.
I stared.
"What are you doing?"
His answer came without hesitation.
"Eating."
I blinked.
"You already had dinner."
"No."
My head snapped up.
"What?"
He looked completely calm.
"I didn't eat."
For a second...
I forgot my embarrassment.
"You didn't?"
He shook his head once.
And suddenly...
Something in my chest softened.
A little.
Just a little.
He could've eaten.
He could've stayed downstairs.
He could've ignored me completely.
But somehow...
He hadn't.
Without another word...
I got up.
Walked over.
And sat across from him.
The room remained quiet.
But it wasn't the same silence as before.
This one felt warmer.
Less lonely.
For the first few minutes...
Neither of us spoke.
I quietly ate.
Trying not to look at him.
Failing occasionally.
Every time I glanced up...
He seemed completely focused on his food.
As if showing up in my room at midnight with a tray was a perfectly normal thing to do.
"Thank you."
The words slipped out softly.
For a moment...
He didn't answer.
Then—
"You didn't eat."
That was it.
Just four words.
No explanation.
No apology.
No unnecessary conversation.
Yet somehow...
Those four words said more than they should have.
I lowered my gaze quickly.
Hiding the smile threatening to appear.
Because if Zayan Khan ever discovered he was being nice...
He would probably stop immediately.
Zayan POV
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Roohi sat across from me.
Eating slowly.
Carefully.
As if she was still trying to figure out why I was here.
Honestly...
I was trying to figure that out too.
Bringing food upstairs at midnight?
Ridiculous.
If Rayyan ever found out...
I would never hear the end of it.
Fortunately...
The idiot was asleep.
At least I hoped he was.
I took another bite.
Keeping my expression neutral.
Across the table...
Roohi looked much better than she had earlier.
The sadness from dinner hadn't disappeared completely.
But it wasn't as obvious anymore.
And for some reason...
That made something in my chest relax.
A dangerous observation.
I immediately ignored it.
"How was the food?"
The question left my mouth before I could stop it.
I frowned.
Why did I ask that?
Roohi blinked.
Clearly surprised.
Then a small smile appeared.
"It's good."
I nodded once.
Good.
Wait.
Why was that important?
I looked away.
Immediately.
This conversation was becoming suspicious.
Very suspicious.
A few minutes later...
The plates were nearly empty.
Roohi placed her spoon down.
And for the first time that entire day...
She looked comfortable.
Not upset.
Not disappointed.
Not forcing a smile.
Just... comfortable.
My gaze lingered for a second.
Then two.
Then I looked away.
Immediately.
Absolutely not.
"Thank you."
She said softly again.
I didn't answer right away.
Because I wasn't sure what to say.
You're welcome?
Too much.
No problem?
Even worse.
Instead...
I settled for what felt safest.
"You should sleep."
Her smile grew slightly.
And somehow...
That felt suspicious too.
"Okay."
The room fell quiet again.
But this silence was different.
Lighter.
Comfortable.
Which was a problem.
Because I wasn't used to comfortable.
Especially not with another person.
I stood up first.
Collected the empty plates.
And instantly regretted it.
Because Roohi looked at me as if I had just performed a miracle.
"It's just plates."
I muttered.
That earned a tiny laugh.
A laugh.
At midnight.
Because of me. and i feel warmth rush up on my neck
This situation was getting out of control.
Completely out of control.
I picked up the tray.
Walked toward the door.
Then paused.
Again.
I was starting to hate this habit.
Without turning around, I spoke.
"Next time..."
Silence.
I could practically feel her waiting.
"If you're upset..."
I frowned slightly.
The words felt strange.
Unfamiliar.
"...don't skip meals."
The room became very quiet.
For a second...
Neither of us moved.
Then her soft voice reached me.
"Okay."
Simple.
Just one word.
But somehow...
It stayed with me.
Long after I left the room.
Long after the tray was returned.
Long after the house fell silent again.
And standing alone in the hallway...
Zayan Khan finally admitted one thing.
He had gone upstairs because she hadn't eaten.
And that was a problem.
Because he cared enough to notice.
And even more...
He cared enough to do something about it.
A very dangerous realization.
One he wasn't ready for.
Not yet.
Soooo how was the chapter???
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