The air outside the grand house felt like freedom.
Zain barely remembered how he and Theo had made their way to the door, both of them pushing through the crowd of shocked guests, ignoring the calls from his parents. Zain could hear his dad’s voice yelling from behind them, the anger and betrayal obvious in every word, but Zain didn’t look back. He couldn’t. Not when all that mattered was Theo and the wild, overwhelming feeling that everything was finally out in the open.
Theo’s hand gripped his tightly as they hurried across the driveway, the sound of their shoes slapping against the pavement almost drowned out by the pounding of Zain’s heart. He didn’t care that his dad had just announced his marriage to Ella. He didn’t care about the look on his mom’s face or the whispers behind them. He didn’t care about any of it.
All that mattered was Theo.
As they reached the car, Theo fumbled for his keys, his hands shaking slightly. Zain couldn’t stop the rush of emotions. His chest felt tight from the adrenaline, and his heart was still racing from everything that had just happened. But there was something else too—relief. Finally, everything had come out, and the truth was there, hanging in the air between them.
“We’re really doing this,” Zain said breathlessly, looking at Theo. He could feel his face flush, the weight of everything they’d just done sinking in. It wasn’t like he hadn’t imagined running away before, but this was different.
“Yeah, we are,” Theo said, his voice soft but determined. He opened the car door, and Zain slid into the passenger seat, his heart still racing, as Theo started the engine and pulled out of the driveway.
The car sped down the road, leaving the party, the family, and the expectations behind them. Zain leaned his head against the window, watching the city blur past. He didn’t know where they were going. Hell, he didn’t even know what the future held for them now, but he wasn’t scared. Not with Theo by his side.
After a while, Theo broke the silence, his voice quiet but firm. “Where do you want to go?”
Zain turned to him, his eyes filled with something between a smile and a sigh. “Anywhere,” he said, his voice thick with the weight of everything. “Just… anywhere but there.”
Theo’s grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly as he nodded, his jaw set. “Alright. Let’s just drive.”
And they did. They drove through the city, the quiet hum of the engine the only sound between them. Zain’s mind was still spinning with what had happened, the shock of his dad’s rage, his mom’s disappointment. But for once, none of that mattered.
They were free. They had each other.
The rest of the world didn’t matter.
And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.
ns 15.158.61.17da2
