32. INFLUENCER?

Taliya came back to her cold self as Haroon turned on the heater and rushed to the bathroom for dry towels. She gently took the towels from her hand and dried her hairs. A comfortable silence basked upon them, as Haroon took a step back and sat on the couch infront of her.

"I appreciate your help." Taliya thanked him leaning on the bed with the support of her palms. Her mind, a chaos of thoughts.

"I will always be there." He muttered under his breath nodding his head at her.

"I should go." He sighed standing up and patted his thigh to ignore the rising tension. Haroon knows about Taliya's and Murad's past. Each and everything, even Murad's side of story, but he was nothing else other than a third wheel. His likeness didn't mattered and he knows it well.

Walking out her room, he smiled to himself, his fangs shining under the corridor light as he ambled to his room. Standing infront of his room, he sighed and turned to the elevator.

Haroon stood in the elevator, the soft hum of the machinery and the occasional ding as it descended floor by floor doing nothing to calm his racing thoughts. He leaned back, his eyes closed, recalling every fleeting moment he had shared with Taliya. The way her eyes sparkled when she laughed at his jokes, the warmth in her voice when she complimented his work, and the gentle smiles she gave him when she thought no one was watching. Taliya was a human too.

He knew, deep down, that these moments meant nothing more to her than friendly gestures. Taliya's heart belonged to Murad, even if she never openly admitted it. Haroon could see it in the way her gaze lingered on Murad when she thought no one noticed, in the way her voice softened when she spoke to him, and in the small, unguarded moments of affection that slipped through her professional demeanor.

As the elevator reached the ground floor and the doors slid open, Haroon took a deep breath. The cool, damp air of the hotel lobby greeted him, a stark contrast to the suffocating tension that had built up inside him. He needed to clear his head, to escape the confines of the hotel and the constant reminder of what he couldn't have.

Stepping out into the rain-soaked evening, Haroon felt the first drops of rain begin to soak through his clothes. He didn't care. The rain was a welcome distraction, a cleansing force that washed away the overwhelming emotions threatening to consume him. He wandered through the hotel's garden, the vibrant greens muted by the gray of the rain and the dim light of the setting sun.

With each step, Haroon let himself remember. He remembered the first time he met Taliya, the confidence she exuded, and the immediate respect he felt for her. He remembered the late nights working together, the camaraderie that developed, and the secret hopes that blossomed in his heart. But most of all, he remembered the moments when she smiled at him, those rare, precious moments when she let her guard down and he glimpsed a hint of something more.

Haroon stopped walking, standing in the middle of the garden, his clothes clinging to his body, drenched from the rain. He closed his eyes, letting the memories and the rain wash over him. He couldn't have Taliya, and he knew it. But for now, in this moment, he allowed himself to feel the depth of his admiration for her, the intensity of his unspoken feelings.

As the rain continued to fall, Haroon made a silent promise to himself. He would cherish these memories, hold onto them, and let them fuel his determination. Even if Taliya never looked at him the way she looked at Murad, he would continue to be there for her, to support her, and to admire her from afar. It was all he could do, and it would have to be enough. Lost in his thoughts, he sat on the bench with his clothes sticking to his body like a second body.

"Oh, hero!" A soft melodious voice greeted him making him snap out his thoughts and shrink into his closed shell.

Jerking his head towards the right, she found a girl in soft vintage dress smiling at him as if he was her birthday present.

"Can you help me?" She asked coming closer to him making him crane his neck upwards as she shielded his eyes from stark, bright light of the pole.

"No," he denied instantly making her eyes wide as she gasped out loud and shriek at him.

"Heroes don't deny to help others."

"Who told you I am a hero?" He asked making faces on his words and standing on his feet, towering over her petite form making her keep her small hands on his shoulder and push him down back to the bench.

"Please, sit down and talk. Hmm, so where was I?" She asked clenching her hairs to dry it.

"Help." He reminded her crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back on the bench.

"Yeah, thanks. So, as you don't know. I am an Influencer and I am here, in Goa to you know, like for vlogging and I do that without showing my face." She informed him in her excited voice with a wide grin plastered on her face.

"Myfollowersneedmetomeetamanandposthispicture." She rambled with a wide grin making him scrunch his nose at her words.

Shaking his head he raised his left eyebrow at her making her raise her both the eyebrows back at him.

"You need to what?" He questioned making her sit down on the bench with a soft thud as she said slowly. Water droplets dripping from her hairs and her beige dress.

"Just a picture. Please, please, don't worry I won't show your face. Your shadow is enough for me." She slowly drawled out the words, fumbling with her fingers making him stare at her with straight gaze.