Chapter 15
He walked towards her, their eyes locked, unable to break the silence between them. James struggled to find the words to ask for her forgiveness and confess his feelings, while Nima had countless questions swirling in her mind.
"How are you doing?" they both asked simultaneously, breaking into nervous chuckles at their synchronicity.
James's face grew serious as he looked at Nima. "Nima, I have something to tell you," he said, his voice trembling slightly.
Nima looked surprised, glancing up at him. "I also have something that I want to tell you."
They decided to walk to the nearby park, just a short distance from the café where Nima worked. As they settled onto a bench, the air around them thickened with nervous tension. Nima finally took the initiative. "You stopped coming by. Were you too busy?" she asked softly.
James hesitated, searching for the right words. "I was kind of busy, but—"
Nima interrupted, her voice quivering, "Is it because of the other night? When you asked if I had someone I liked?"
James remained silent, her words hitting the mark. "Yes," he admitted, nodding.
Nima's eyes filled with tears, blurring her vision. "It's true that I like someone. It's also true that he's far beyond my reach. I don't even know what he thinks about me, but I like him. I like him a lot," she confessed, a vague smile tugging at her lips.
James braced himself, his heart pounding. "Can—can you tell me who it is?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Nima fell silent, her tears threatening to spill over. She looked at James, her eyes a mixture of affection and sadness. James, bewildered by her tears, offered his handkerchief and gently wiped the tears that rolled down from her eyes to her cheeks. She held his hand softly, her touch sending shivers down his spine.
"What if it's you, James?" she said, her voice breaking.
James froze, unsure if he had heard her correctly.
"I like you, James. The person I like is you," Nima repeated, her smile shining through the tears streaming down her face.
James felt a rush of emotion in his heart that he had been unknown to for a long time, his heart swelling with both relief and joy. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and gently brushed her tears away. "Nima, I've been wanting to tell you the same thing. I like you, I've liked you for a very long time. I just had no courage to confess my feelings to you," he smiled, relieved. "I thought you didn't like me, and you liked someone else. I was scared. So, I thought not talking with you was the only way to make things right. But I was wrong. I'm sorry, Nima," he whispered, his voice trembling.
Nima's tears turned into tears of joy as she leaned into his touch. "I was scared too. I thought I'd never see you again," she whispered, feeling the warmth from his hands.
James pulled her into an embrace, holding her close. "Now I'll never let you go. I'll always hold you close like this forever." Both laughed with joy, feeling each other's body warmth.
In that moment, the world around them faded away, and time seemed to stop, leaving just the two of them, finally able to share their feelings openly and honestly, clearing the misunderstanding between them.