Page 76 of BounBound By Scars

It felt like an invitation.

And that terrified me.

My nerves were dancing just under my skin, desperate to keep the moment from spiraling into something I couldn’t control. SoI reached for the safest topic in the world—the one thing I could say without unraveling.

“I didn’t instigate the kiss last night,” I said quietly. “That was the first—and only—time I’ve been intimate with Seb inanycapacity.”

Kabir’s brows lifted slightly, his expression unreadable. Then he exhaled slowly, like something deep in his chest was loosening. “Okay,” he murmured. “And I know. I saw it. I saw you.” A pause, and then more softly, “I see you.”

The way he said it… it wasn’t accusatory. It wasn’t even bitter. It was just heartbreakingly honest.

I swallowed. “Listen… the whole thing with Sebastian was a mistake. I wasn’t even dating him, not really. I was…”

I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. The shame sat thick in my throat.

“Using him?” Kabir finished for me, not with judgment, just quiet disappointment.

I nodded. “It sounds so fucking childish, and I can’t believe I even pulled something like that at this age. I thought… I thought you didn’t want me. And seeing me with Seb might—I don’t know—shake something loose in you. Jolt you or…”

My voice cracked. The weight of it all was finally pressing down on me.

But Kabir didn’t flinch. His gaze softened, his lips tugging into a gentle, wounded smile. “You didn’t have to do anything to jolt me out of complacency. Amelia… your existence is enough. Every time I look at you, it’s enough.”

God.

He looked away, and his voice dropped. “I just… it was hard to believe. That you kissed me because you wanted me.”

Ashamed. I felt ashamed.

“I do.” The words came out choked, but I meant them with every part of me.

“It hurt,” he whispered, staring at the floor. “Seeing you with him. It fucking hurt.”

I nodded slowly, my chest tightening with guilt. “I hurt you.”

That made him glance up, a frown creasing his beautiful face. “No, you didn’t. I just took too long to say how I felt. I won’t ever make that mistake again.”

The silence that followed was heavy. But not empty.

It was full of things we were finally saying. And everything we still hadn’t.

I couldn’t look at him anymore without wanting to hold his face and tell him every stupid thing I should have said years ago. So instead, I shifted.

Changed the subject. But not really.

“What’s her name?” I asked.

His brows furrowed. “Who?”

“The girl you based your entire commitment issues on.”

He blinked. Then sighed, but not in irritation. It was as though he was amused. “Ah.”

Kabir leaned back against the door like he had all the time in the world.

And maybe… for once… he did.

I crossed my arms.

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