The days that followed felt… manageable.
Not perfect.
Not heavy.
Just honest.
Aira noticed the difference in small ways.
Reyhan no longer tried to fix everything with words.
He listened more.
Paused less.
And when he didn't know what to say, he admitted it instead of retreating.
That mattered.
They were sitting on the steps after school, notebooks open, neither of them really studying.
"You don't look tense today," Reyhan said quietly.
Aira smiled faintly.
"That's because I stopped fighting the discomfort."
He glanced at her.
"Does it still feel uncomfortable?"
"Yes," she replied.
"But not unsafe."
That was the difference.
Reyhan nodded slowly.
"I've been thinking," he said.
"About why this scared me so much."
Aira waited.
"Because I don't want to lose myself again," he continued.
"And I was afraid choosing you meant disappearing into something I couldn't control."
Aira looked at him.
"And now?"
"And now I realize choosing you doesn't erase me," he said.
"It challenges me."
She smiled at that.
"I didn't choose you because you were easy," she said.
"I chose you because you stayed when things got complicated."
Reyhan exhaled softly.
"You could've walked away," he said.
"So could you," Aira replied.
They shared a quiet look.
Not intense.
Not dramatic.
Solid.
Later, while walking toward the gate, Aira slowed her steps.
Reyhan noticed but didn't question it.
"You don't have to rush me," she said suddenly.
"I'm not," he replied.
"I'm walking with you."
That sentence stayed with her.
At the gate, they paused.
No awkwardness.
No expectation.
Just presence.
"I don't want to forget why I chose you," Aira said quietly.
"Especially on days when things feel hard."
Reyhan nodded.
"And I don't want to forget that you chose me knowing I wasn't perfect."
They didn't hug.
Didn't touch.
They didn't need to.
Some connections didn't require proof every day.
They just required remembering.
RULE #63: Don't forget why you chose him.
Because on difficult days, memory matters more than mood.