Chapter 129 - 128

It took a long time for Shreya to actually get back her breathing in order. By then Charan had already pulled them both to the edge of the bed with her sitting over his laps and holding her close. Somehow the whole atmosphere completely changed in a matter of minutes. But Charan did not make things difficult for her. He just tidied her t-shirt properly and sat back leaning back on his hands.

Shreya looked at him but immediately averted her eyes and then curled herself against his chests. His shirt was still open and hanging so she could feel his warmth seep throughout her body as she snuggled in. She was almost scared to look at him. She did not know how to answer his questions or justify her behavior because she did not understand them entirely herself.

"Hey, are you okay??" Charan asked softly caressing the back of her head.

Shreya just nodded her head. She could hear his steady heartbeat against her ears which calmed her significantly.

Charan responded by just pecking on her temple and stayed quiet. But when he looked down, he saw that her hair was still wet. So he grabbed the towel from the bed and started drying them. He was clueless as to what was happening on her head but suddenly she shifted and wrapped her arms around his bare torso burying herself completely on his embrace.

"You know… you are making it really really hard for me to keep my hands to myself…" Charan whispered over her head in a slightly raspy voice. He knew she just needed comfort and normally it wouldn't have bothered him either. But after what just happened and then you have something so soft wrap themselves around you like that... it's just harder to cool down.

When she realized what he was referring to, Shreya immediately pulled and sat up straight with her head hung down and lips pursed. She would have even gotten down from his laps but Charan had her hands on death grip and held her in place.

"It's a scar isn't it??" Charan asked softly.

Shreya nodded her head.

"From when your ex beat you?" Charan asked again. This time around his voice was slightly rigid with anger.

Shreya paused but then nodded once again. It was not like she was ashamed or she was beauty conscious or anything. She does not think of herself as ugly or anything because of it either. It's just… that scar… it's a reminder of a time in her life she would very much like to erase and forget. If not for the scar, she probably would have completely forgotten about her previous so-called-marriage. But then she has to face the scar every single day and somehow it makes it impossible to forget. She had seen it so many times that she knows exactly where it is.

"You don't want me to see??" Charan asked gently caressing on her loose strands falling on her forehead.

Shreya cleared her throat and talked at last, "It's not like that… not exactly. I just… nobody had seen it before… and then… I just…" She struggled with words. But then again who wouldn't want to retain a perfect image in front of their lovers. Who would want to show their weakness and vulnerability in front of their lover?

"What if I said I wanted to see?? Will you let me??" He asked looking at her with sincere eyes.

Shreya looked up startled slightly. She did not expect this question from him. Charan had always been very laid back with her. He never really asked for anything from her ever before. Whatever he knows about her, she had volunteered the information on her own volition. And even now, he was not demanding but was asking permission.

She did not know how to respond for a second. The earnesty in his eyes baffled her.

Seeing her lost expression, Charan immediately retracted, "I am sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that… it is just…" Charan did not like the unease he was seeing in her eyes. He did not ask her this because of some idle curiosity or to make her feel uncomfortable.

But before he could even finish his sentence, Shreya pulled her t-shirt over her head in one go and discarded it on the floor.

Charan's eyes widely shocked at first but then he looked at her face intently. His eyes did not deter from her face as he tried to decipher her thoughts.

She was biting her lips nervously looking down without meeting his eyes.

Charan did not say anything… he just gathered her closer and hugged her tightly and said, "Shreya… you don't have to…" He knew every scar leaves behind a hell of a lot of pain behind… both physical and mental. Physical pain fades easily but mental scars… they take a toll on you.

"It's not that I don't want to. I just… it's just not something I have gone around flaunting. SO I just don't know how to feel or react. It's not exactly a pleasant sight…" Shreya replied in a clear voice.

Charan pulled away and first looked at her eyes to make sure she was okay and then slowly his eyes shifted down. Even though she had warned him, he was still slightly taken aback.

When she first told him about that day, she had downplayed the extent of the wound. A dark jagged line ran from just below her ribs all the way to her back almost parallel to the lower slings of her sports bra… there were marks of at least two dozen stitches. His hands lightly brushed over them feather-light almost as if he was afraid it would still hurt or something.

Once he saw them clearly, his eyes instantly sought her's filled with concern.

"Don't worry. It is not as bad as it looks. It did not even hurt that much…" Shreya said with a smile.

Charan knew she was lying through her teeth. He also knew she probably did not even have the time to notice the pain. It had been the same with her parents' death. Between the company and finding out that they had been murdered, she never really had the time to mend herself or to grieve the loss of her parents…

When he thought of this, he felt suffocated in his heart. He pulled her back into his arms and hugged her tightly burying his face over her neck. His hands were desperate as he held on to her. Her small stature was almost fully engulfed her.

Shreya did not understand his sudden change in frame of mind.

"What is it??" Shreya asked confused.

"Nothing… I just want to hold you like this for a minute…" Charan replied still in her embrace.

"You don't have to feel so much you know… You should have seen Prasanna. When I was done with him, his face looked like a battered potato." Shreya said proudly trying the light him up.

Charan actually chuckled when he heard her. He pulled away and ruffled her hair as he praised her, "Atta girl!"

Shreya gave him a big grin but then let out a big ass yawn.

"Go on. Get to bed. I will just have a quick shower and join you…" Charan said, at last, lifting her off of his laps and placing her on her own two feet. He then reached out and pulled her t-shirt over her head and tucked her in bed. After which only he went to have his shower and joined her in bed a few minutes later.

Shreya instantly snuggled closer to him before going to sleep.