Chapter 103 - 102

Shreya sat on the counter as always and watched Charan cook. She might have learned to do some chores now but she was still no good at a kitchen. She still had the talent to burn boiling water somehow. Maybe that is why seeing Charan cook always fascinated her so much or maybe it was 'Charan' cooking that intrigued her. She was not really sure if it was the man or the act that made her tick. She knew it was not really normal to obsess over it but her eyes still followed him like a hawk every single time without a whim to change.

Her unbashful eyes followed him around without blinking and a small smile crept into her face without her realizing. That was what greeted Charan when he gave her a side glance and that look still took his breath away as always. He really wished he could capture the look on her face right about now. Shreya probably had no idea how her eyes were practically gleaming looking at him. And god knows she has no concept of how it felt to be at the receiving end of such a look.

"Do you always look at guys cooking like that??" Charan asked, at last, breaking the silence bring her out of her trance. Charan really did not know how long he could have been on the receiving end of that look and still manage to get their lunch ready.

Shreya's previous face slipped and at its place were a pair of confused frowning brows.

"What do you mean??" She asked touching her own face.

"Nothing…"Charan said looking away. Even when he knew it was going to happen, he was disappointed when her eyes were averted from him.

"Was I staring at you like a creep or something??" Shreya asked still not understanding what he meant. She can hardly see herself now can she??

Charan did not reply right away though, much to Shreya's displeasure. She thought Charan was not going to answer her and hung her head disappointed.

But once Charan was done with their lunch, he switched off all the stoves and only then he turned over and looked at Shreya. She still had a confused disappointed little face.

Charan leaned over until he was just inches away from her face and whispered, "Far from it actually. It drives me crazy when you look at me like that…"

Shreya looked up shocked at first. But then beamed instantly when she comprehended what he meant making her cheeks plum out and her eyes gleam.

And when Charan saw this… What little resistance he had mustered… everything went down the gutter and Charan captured her smiling lips for a searing kiss. Shreya did not know what hit her. All she could do was receive this sudden assault of passion from Charan with a whimper.

By the time he actually let go of her, her lips have gone numb. Shreya's cheeks were flushed and she felt out of breath and Charan was no better. He took deep breaths to compensate.

"Well, creepy or not. You must really like the way I look at you!!" Shreya commented once she got her footing back on track.

"You have no idea…" Charan replied with a mischievous smile just against her ears. Shreya let out a giggle when she felt his lips brush against her ears. "That tickles…"

Charan just smiled away staring at her. He caressed and fiddled with her hairs for a long while deep in thoughts. His eyes trailed on her face but he was not really looking at her. He was lost in his thoughts.

"What are you thinking about??" Shreya asked at last when she saw that he was not going to come out of it himself anytime soon.

Charan looked at her coming out of his thoughts. He looked into her eyes and at last mustered the courage to asked the one question that had been bugging him for a long while now.

"Why is it me?? Of all the men out there… why did you choose me??"

Charan knew he couldn't offer much for her. He was an ordinary nobody and a single dad and on the other hand, Shreya was practically royalty. But more than that, she was beautiful, warm, and pretty much perfect. SO he was still puzzled… why did she choose him in the first place and why was she looking at him as if he was the reason she could smile�� It did not make sense to him.

Shreya, on the other hand, was taken aback by this sudden change of topic and his serious mood. But then she thought for a while. She had not thought of an answer to this question before. But then maybe subconsciously she did. Because the answer just slipped out of her tongue without her realizing.

"Because of Akira…" Shreya replied without hesitation and a subtle smile formed on her face at the thought of Akira. She was a bundle of joy, no questions asked.

Charan looked at her confused and surprised. He could not understand what she meant. Of all the things he had imagined her answer to be, he did not expect this. He knew Shreya loved Akira. But still, he did not understand what Akira could have to do with why she liked him. After all, she asked him out before she ever knew the existence of Akira.

Shreya's smile quickly left her face as she remembered something. She slowly started talking in a soft voice, "You don't know this but I once met her before… and saw you too… at a mall… a very long time before we ever met at the reception. It was when I lost my parents. That day… It… it felt as if my whole world had crumbled into pieces in one second. I was not coping very well. I felt so suffocated facing my empty home filled with gloom. I saw them at every corner there. It was so suffocating for me to the point where I couldn't stay. So I aimlessly wandered around and somehow ended up in a mall. The noise and the people all around drowned the noise of my tears. Nobody bothered to notice a girl weeping her eyes out in the corner. But she did. Your daughter… I did not even know her name. But the warmth of her small hands when she wiped my tears is something I could never forget."

"Without even realizing what she was saying she asked me to smile and be happy for their sake rather than making them sad by crying over them." Shreya paused and looked at Charan and she had the same look she had a while back and he knew this time it was not for him but for Akira.

"That moment… it changed me somehow. It gave me life,", Shreya continued after a while. "I memorized that moment painstakingly so. I always felt as if the moment will become an illusion if I don't remember it. For a second there I even thought it to be a dream manifested from my wishful thinking. After some time, I started wondering what she was doing every now and then. And I slowly start missing her without ever realizing. I started yearning for her. That is why I was so overjoyed at the reception when I first recognized you. And unconsciously I clung to you and dragged you to the roof."

She paused and shook her head as she said, "After that, even I don't know what it was, it was maybe the way you kept staring at me like I was an idiot to drag an absolute stranger to a secluded spot or maybe it was the way you patiently waited beside me as I took a nap or maybe the way you went along with my spoilt behaviors. For some reason, I hated the thought of never being able to see you again. But more than that, I hated the thought of never being able to see Akira ever again if I had let you go that day. Does that answer your question??"

Charan did not reply. He thought about everything she just said. It sure surprised him but he did not know what to feel about it or think of it just yet. So he stayed quiet.

But Shreya was not done. After a long thought, she said one thing that brought a smile to his face.

"I am sure of one thing though. Whatever may be the reason… it was just the start. You have had to have done something incredibly right along the way. Because Akira had nothing to do with however you say I was looking at you a while back. And from what I observed, you seemed to like the way I looked at you."

Charan pecked her lips with a big smile, "That I do sweetheart. I like it more than you could ever imagine,"

They then went and had their lunch merrily chatting away. Shreya told him about the early morning ride with Bharath excitedly while Charan listened.