Chapter 120 - 119

It was Sunday and Preethi was home. So she thought she would take Akil to the park nearby and spend some time with him. Akira wanted to come along so invariably Charan followed. But then somehow, Charan got a call from Shreya and she wanted to join but when she did come, she had Adam with her.

So she did not really know how her plan to spend some quality time with her son had turned into a two-family picnic in a matter of 10 minutes.

But now there she was standing there watching Adam and Akil slide on after the other while Shreya was arguing how she came first in the line.

Charan came and stood beside her giving her a bottle of water.

"Do you ever have a feeling like… if this continues, you are now going to have not one but two kids at home??" Preethi asked. Because seeing Adam and Akil now, she was feeling exactly that.

"Trust me. I know exactly how you are feeling. As much mature as she seems on other things, she is extremely childish when you add Akira to the mix. I sometimes even think she might actually have a split personality or something…" Charan said shaking his head at the ridiculousness of his own thoughts.

"Well, I guess birds of the same feather do flock together after all!!" Preethi agreed thoughtfully. Because Adam was the same. Whenever he was with her, he was all stuck up and mature and quiet. But when you add Akil to the mix, he takes a complete 180` change. And when Shreya is added to the same mix- he is going 360` change actually.

"He is a good guy…" Charan said with a small smile. He might not know him personally but he knows Shreya and so he could already decipher to kinda person Adam is. She was not someone to keep bad-people around her.

"How do you say??" Preethi asked. From what she saw, Shreya seemed close to Adam but Charan did not.

"He has to be if he was Shreya's friend," Charan said as if it was the most obvious answer.

"You have it that bad ah??" Preethi asked sitting down nearby.

Charan rubbed his hands over his eyes. Then he shook his head and said in an exasperated tone, "You have no idea!!"

"I'm happy for you!!" Preethi said with a smile. She could clearly see he was happy and she couldn't ask for more.

They were now playing catch. Adam and Akil were in one team while Shreya and Akira were in another. They all had a serious expression on their faces as if they were playing world cup finals or something. Preethi did not know whether to laugh or cry when she saw this. Charan joined her and sat beside her and just watched them play.

"You know… After Samantha… I never thought you would ever move on you know!!" Preethi said leaning back on a tree.

And she was not trying to criticize or be callous. But it was a fact. Charan and Samantha… things developed slowly but when the sparks started flying… he was madly in love with her. There were no two ways about it. For the time, she was all that mattered to him. That slowly changed only when he got Akira. And when he lost Sam, Akira was all he saw and she was all that mattered. So it was no wonder Preethi was surprised to see him like this… But this time around with Shreya… there was something more mature about it.

With Samantha, it was almost like an addiction. He could not bear to be apart from her. But with Shreya… she could sense it was different. Between Shreya and Charan, there was no 'blinding love'… the relationship seemed deeper and comfortable somehow.

Charan agreed with her statement readily and said, "Even I never thought I could. But things got way out of control before I ever had the chance to think about it you know!! She just knocked my breath right out of my lungs and I never really had a chance…"

"You know with Samantha… it was different. She was so pure, naïve, and innocent… and I wanted to protect her and cherish her with all my might. I wanted to be with her all the time. And I craved the lightness that came with her. I was blind and madly in love with her. But with Shreya… I don't even know where to start. She just crept in and made a place for herself… And frankly, I don't think I could have done anything to stop it." Charan finished and subconsciously his eyes landed on Shreya.

Preethi reached out and ruffled his hair with a smile.

"How is she anyway?? She didn't seem like she took that day's incident lightly!!" Preethi asked remembering the New Year party.

Charan ran his hands through his hair roughly and replied frustrated, "She did not. But she was okay when she woke up the next day. But I really don't know if she is okay or if she is pretending to be okay!!"

Charan did not really want to talk about that day. So he changed the subject and asked, "How are things between you and Adam??"

Preethi thought about it for a minute and said in an unsure tone, "I don't know actually. Akil is pretty taken with him though."

"What about you?? Are you taken with him??��� Charan asked again.

Preethi gave it a thought. Is she taken with him?? The answer was 'yes'. Definitely. Or else she wouldn't have let things go this far. But will this work?? She wasn't sure.

"I don't know… I don't think I am up for a relationship just yet. Between my work and Akil… I don't think I can do it…" Preethi replied resigned.

But then Charan saw right through her. After all, they did not grow up together for nothing. They are siblings and siblings know when the other person is lying or hiding something.

"Adam is serious about you, isn't he?? And that's scaring you, isn't it??" Charan asked looking at her.

Preethi signed. If there was one person who can see right through her, it was Charan. She did not know how he came about this uncanny ability but he does. So she confessed, "Yes… You should have seen him Charan. He keeps looking at me as if I am flying in the air or something. It feels good to be looked at like that. But it's scary. And you know me… I tend to screw things up one way or another. And I don't want to go through that… and I don't want to put him through that…"

"Let me tell you one thing, sis. Your ex was an A-hole. There was nothing you could have done to save that marriage. But don't ruin things with Adam because of your misplaced sense of self-deprecation. He is expecting a life with you. He is seeing a whole future with you… I can see the way he looks at you. And if you think you are not ready, be straight with him. Cut him loose now itself if you are not going to give the guy a fair chance. That is the least you should do for him." Charan said and patted on her shoulders.

Before Preethi could reply, Akira and Akil beckoned for them to join the fun and the day slipped by just like that.