📍PART ONE: Home Is Not a Place
576 Words
It's Sequel to: Almost UsA love story that survived the world — and now must survive life
A continuation of Arjun and Kabir’s journey, now living together in adulthood, navigating careers, family, identity, and the dream of building a home together.
🌟 Plot Overview:
Arjun is now a successful illustrator with a growing online following.
Kabir starts working as a coach and l***q+ youth mentor.
They face new challenges:
Balancing careers and love
Dealing with Kabir’s father's illness and possible reconciliation
Arjun's hesitation about coming out more publicly during a book tour
The decision of whether or not to adopt a child
The story ends with them building a life they always dreamed of — open, proud, and peaceful.
---
Cracked Tiles and Shared Coffee
The flat was too small.
There was barely enough room for two desks, the bathroom door squeaked, and the balcony faced an ugly back alley where pigeons screamed more than sang.
But Arjun loved it.
He loved the way Kabir snored lightly at night. The way their toothbrushes leaned toward each other. The way they made tea — Arjun always too milky, Kabir always too strong.
“This place is chaos,” Kabir grinned one morning, watching Arjun scramble to find socks. “But it’s our chaos.”
Arjun smiled back. “It’s the first place I’ve ever felt like I belonged.”
---
Names in the Light
Arjun’s comic Almost Us had gone from a small self-published project to a national bestseller. He was now receiving invitations to festivals, school talks, and even interviews on radio shows.
But the more success came, the more one question followed:
“Are you the Arjun from the book?”
“Was it autobiographical?”
“Who’s the other boy?”
He dodged. Laughed it off. Blamed “creative license.”
Until one day, a young boy came up to him after a reading, eyes wide, voice soft:
“Is it really okay to love a boy like that?”
Arjun looked at Kabir standing at the back of the hall.
And then he said clearly, “Yes. Yes, it is.”
---
The Illness
Kabir’s father had a heart attack.
It wasn’t fatal — but it forced Kabir to return home for a few days.
He didn’t want to go alone. But Arjun stayed in Pune to meet a deadline.
The silence between Kabir and his father stretched through every meal. His mother tried to mediate, but words always fell flat.
Finally, on the third night, Kabir stood in the doorway and said:
“I’m not here to fight. I just want you to know that I’m still your son — and I’m happy. Because I have Arjun.”
No reply.
But when Kabir left the next morning, his father placed a mango in his hand.
Nothing more.
But it was something.
---
Big Questions
On their second anniversary, Kabir surprised Arjun with a sketchbook.
Only this one was blank. On the cover, it said:
> “Volume Two: What comes after almost.”
Arjun cried when he saw it.
Later that night, lying in bed, Kabir asked softly:
“Do you ever think about kids?”
Arjun stared at the ceiling. “Sometimes. But I’m scared.”
“Me too,” Kabir said. “But I also think… we could give a child a home that’s full of truth.”
They didn’t decide then. But the question lingered — gentle, hopeful, patient
- Writer
