Chapter 180 - It was fun...

Madhu did not understand how the feeling can be so polar opposite.

She and Akash were in a secluded beach far away from the mansion. He had dragged her half asleep and drove them there to watch the sunrise without really giving her much of a choice. She had been asleep for most of the ride and Akash woke her up only when the sun was up. It was a blissful and happy occasion of course. She had never seen a more beautiful scene in her life before. She had never been happier.

But then between her silence and Akash's drive to play in the beach to shoo away his boredom- she was completely drenched. When she was just sitting there and watching the waves… Akash caught her off guard and hoisted her in her arms princess style and straight away deposited her into the water in spite of all her protests.

And when she finally got out of the water, her clothes were clinging to her like glue, and the air between then suddenly changed without her even realizing it. With the way Akash was staring at her, she even forgot to actually get angry at him for manhandling her and getting her soaked.

Akash was standing beside her still knee-deep in the water and was watching her without blinking with burning eyes as she tried to dry herself as best as she could in the sun and wind. And only blind would fail to see that his stares were not innocent.

Madhu was not alien to such stares. She was someone who depended primarily on public transportation for commute and she had been on the receiving end of such stares more than once from rogues. They always left her a feeling of disgust as if bugs are crawling on her skin.

But the feeling was so different when it came to Akash for some reason. He was staring at her as if he wanted to peel her clothes off of her which made her want to hide herself in the deepest hole she could ever dig out of shyness. But at the same time, she also felt as if someone if tickling her heart making her skin shudder nervously. She felt extremely fl.u.s.tered and excited at the same time. These extremely contradicting feelings made her feel confused and out of breath.

Madhu did not dare to even look in his direction. She turned the other way and pretended as if she did not even notice the change in atmosphere or his stare. For now, playing dumb seemed to be the only way of getting out of this situation given they were the only two people around.

Once she was done tidying up, she picked up the car keys and juggled them as she asked, "Can we leave now??" playing completely dumb.

Akash came out of his trance instantly and quietly took the car keys and walked to the car. He was afraid he would lose his control and do something unscrupulous. He did not want to scare her and on top of it, it was completely deserted here… it was hard to feel any sense of security in such a place. Especially given how shy Madhu was.

But just as he was about to start the car, Madhu actually leaned towards him, and the next second he felt a feather-light touch on his cheeks and he was met with a red-cheeked Madhu when he turned around.

"Thank you… I had fun today…" She whispered like a mouse.

Warm spread as the atmosphere changed all over again. Akash reached out and ruffled her hair and pecked on the corner of her temple smiling.

Madhu's face instantly went several shades deeper but her lips also spread widely. Akash reached out and held her hands as he drove them back to the mansion. Thus Madhu's heart did not have the chance to calm down at all. She almost felt as if she was going to suffer from a heart attack from how fast it was beating. She looked at the silhouette of the mansion as if it was her saving grace.

But her relief was very short-lived. Because by the time she had reached her room doors with her short legs, Akash had already parked his car and was only a few steps behind her and he very naturally entered her room as if it was his own.

In the quiet room, she could feel her own heart beating against her ribs. It was so loud that she was afraid that even Akash could hear it. She did not know why she was so nervous suddenly. Maybe it was the slight darkness in his eyes or maybe it was her own expectations… But suddenly she felt him with every last fiber of her being. And being confined in one room was not helping her cause.

A slight shiver racked over her body as the doors clicked shut behind Akash.

Akash found Madhu standing at the center of the room with slightly shivering hands and red cheeks without meeting his eyes. Her hair was still slightly wet clinging to her clothes.

Akash silently went to her cupboards took a towel and a bunch of clothes and handed it to her and said softly, "Go on and shower first. You are soaked… I am afraid you might catch cold being like this."

Madhu did not protest. She took the clothes and very obediently went to take a shower. Generally, the air here was muddy in itself but being on the beach made it so much worse. So she took a long shower before coming out.

By the time she came out, Akash was already sitting on the couch. He had already freshened up and was now wearing track pants and a casual t-shirt. His hair was all messy and dripping wet which he had carelessly fiddled with.

Just as Madhu walked out, Akash gestured her to come near. He then quietly sat her down on the floor in front of him and took the towel from her hands and started drying her hair.

"I can do it, Akash…" Madhu protested trying her turn her head. But Akash held her in place. After that, the room went quiet except for the rustling sound of the towel rubbing against her head. Madhu swallowed her protests seeing as he was not going to listen to her… so she might as well enjoy the service.

"Enjoying ourselves are we?" Akash asked teasingly looking at Madhu smiling at herself.

"Yea… This is quite enjoyable. I never knew getting your hair dried by someone else can be this pleasant." Madhu said smiling brightly. After all, she never had anyone to actually do this for her. She never really even knew that people actually did this to others outside of books.

But her comment left a sour feeling for Akash because he actually understood the inherent meaning behind her statement even when she herself did not realize it. But he did not want to dampen her mood. So, he instead teased her, "I can do it every time if you come and live with me you know…"

Madhu's eyes widened instantly but did not really know how to reply to his sentence.

Akash, seeing her chaotic eyes and nervous fidgeting of her hands did not have the heart to tease her anymore. He just leaned over and pecked on top of her head and softly said, "I was just teasing… don't be so scared. But think about it okay… I am really am serious about his Madhu. Please, trust me okay?"

Madhu at last, relaxed and gave him a smile.

Silence ensued after that while Akash kept drying her hair for another 10 minutes before he was done.

Madhu jumped from her place and took the towel from his hands and said brightly smiling at him, "My turn now…" She then gestured him to sit down on the floor in front of the couch as she just did.

Akash did not refuse her offer but refused to budge from his place. Just when Madhu was going to how she was supposed to dry his hair being like this, he took her hands and pulled her closer and positioned in such a way that she was kneeling on the couch leaning against him while her hands just reached his hair. Madhu froze when she felt his breath tickle her neck. For a second she lost her train of thoughts and just sat there staring at Akash.

"I thought you offered to dry my hair?" Akash asked teasingly as his hands encircled her waists.

"I… I… just. You let me go first…" Madhu stammered barely being able to form a coherent sentence. She had never been in such close proximity before. The warmth of his hands and his unwavering gaze did something to her sanity. She could barely remember to breath let alone where she was or what she was doing. Let alone remember that she had offered him to dry his hair.