-Six Years, A Silent Distance

Author POV

Time did not move gently inside the Rajwansh Palace.

It stretched people.

Hardened them.

Changed them.

By the time Isha Mehra turned twelve, Abhimanyu Rajwansh was eighteen.

Six years did not seem like much to the world-but between them, it became a visible line. A boundary no one spoke of, yet everyone noticed.

Abhimanyu was no longer just the heir.

He was power.

His voice was deeper now. His presence darker. His expressions sharper. Where laughter once lived, silence had taken residence.

But one thing remained unchanged.

Isha.

She still waited for him every evening near the east corridor, sitting on the carved bench beneath the tall windows, swinging her feet as she pretended to read.

She knew his footsteps.

Slow. Controlled. Heavy.

And when he appeared, her heart still did that foolish thing-

It leapt.

Isha POV

He was taller now.

Much taller.

I had to tilt my head back to look at him properly, and every time I did, I felt oddly small. Not like before. This time, it was different.

Awkward.

"Why are you sitting here?" he asked, glancing at the book in my hands.

"I was reading," I lied.

He raised a brow. "You're holding it upside down."

My cheeks burned.

"I was... thinking," I corrected quickly.

He shook his head slightly and walked ahead. "Come."

I followed him, like always.

But lately, walking beside him felt strange. His stride was longer. His shoulders broader. And I was suddenly aware of things I never noticed before-how close he was, how his arm brushed mine sometimes, how his presence made my thoughts messy.

"Did something happen today?" he asked suddenly.

I blinked. "No?"

"Then why are you so quiet?"

I almost laughed.

Because I'm scared you'll notice how much I love you.

Instead, I said, "I'm always quiet."

He stopped walking.

Turned.

"You're not," he said.

And that-

That scared me.

Abhimanyu POV

She was changing.

And I didn't like it.

Not because she was growing-but because the world was starting to notice her.

Her innocence still lingered, but there was awareness now. In her eyes. In the way she hesitated. In how she looked away too quickly.

Today, one of the younger business heirs smiled at her.

Smiled.

My jaw clenched.

"Stay away from him," I said sharply later.

She looked startled. "Why?"

"Because I said so."

Her brows knitted together. "You can't just-"

"I can," I cut her off. "And you'll listen."

She went quiet.

Instant regret followed.

"Isha," I sighed. "You don't understand how people think."

She looked down.  "Then explain."

I couldn't.

So I said the truth-half of it.

"Not everyone is safe."

Author POV

The palace watched them shift.

Where once Abhimanyu held Isha's hand, now he walked half a step ahead.

Where once she clung to his sleeve, now she stayed just close enough to feel him.

Unspoken changes.

Unacknowledged feelings.

One evening, during a formal gathering, Isha wore a soft blue dress. Simple. Elegant.

Too elegant.

When Abhimanyu entered the hall, his eyes found her instantly.

And stayed there.

Abhimanyu POV

She shouldn't have looked like that.

People were staring.

I crossed the hall without thinking.

"Who allowed you to dress like this?" I asked quietly.

Her lips parted in shock. "My mother..."

"Change," I said.

Her eyes shimmered. "Why?"

Because I don't like the way they're looking at you.

Because you're not meant for them.

Because something ugly twists in my chest when they see you.

Instead, I said, "Because I said so."

She nodded.

Always nodding.

I watched her leave, guilt settling deep.

Isha POV

I cried that night.

Not loudly.

Silently.

Because he was distant now. Colder. Sharper.

And still-

He was the only place my heart knew.

"I'll be patient," I whispered to myself.

Because loving Abhimanyu Rajwansh was not easy.

But I had already chosen him.

Author POV

Neither of them knew it yet.

But the line between protection and possession

Was already beginning to blur.

And once crossed-

There would be no turning back.

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