Chapter 4: Beneath the Starlit Sky

The hospital terrace was quiet, far removed from the restless energy of the wards below. A cool breeze whispered through the night, carrying the faint scent of rain. The city stretched out before them, its skyline shimmering with thousands of tiny lights—lives unfolding in ways they could never fully grasp.

Meera stepped forward, resting her hands on the railing, letting the wind cool her flushed face. For the first time in hours, she allowed herself to breathe.

Aarav stood beside her, watching as she closed her eyes for a moment, as if grounding herself in the stillness. He had seen it before—the exhaustion, the emotional toll of waiting, the relief that left a person too drained to even process it.

"You should eat something," he said eventually. "Or at least drink some water."

Meera let out a short laugh, barely opening her eyes. "You sound like a doctor."

Aarav smirked. "That’s because I am one."

She shook her head, exhaling slowly. "I will. Soon. Right now, I just… I need this moment."

Aarav didn’t press. Instead, he leaned on the railing beside her, letting the silence stretch comfortably between them. He had learned long ago that some moments didn’t need words.

After a while, Meera spoke again. "It’s strange, isn’t it?"

"What is?"

"How life changes in a second." She let her fingers trace the metal railing absently. "One moment, everything is fine. The next, you’re sitting in a hospital, praying that the person you love survives the night."

Aarav’s gaze softened. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Life doesn’t ask for permission before it changes everything."

She turned to him, studying his profile. "You’ve seen it happen a lot, haven’t you?"

He nodded, his expression unreadable. "More times than I’d like to admit."

Meera hesitated before asking, "Does it ever get easier?"

Aarav exhaled, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon. "No. You just learn to live with it."

There was something in his voice—a weight, an unspoken grief buried beneath the practiced calm. Meera wanted to ask, wanted to understand what pain he had carried over the years. But she held back. It wasn’t the time.

Instead, she said, "I don’t know how to deal with this. I’m usually good at handling things, but tonight, it just…" She trailed off, pressing her lips together. "It scared me."

Aarav turned to her fully then, his voice gentle. "Fear doesn’t mean weakness, Meera. It means you care."

She swallowed hard, looking away. "I hate feeling helpless."

"You’re not helpless," Aarav said firmly. "You’re here. You stayed. And when your father wakes up, he’s going to need you."

Meera met his gaze, searching for something she couldn’t quite name. Then, slowly, she nodded.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Aarav gave a small smile. "Anytime."

And under the starlit sky, something unspoken settled between them—an understanding, a connection neither of them had been looking for but somehow found anyway.

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