Chapter 182 - You promise?

Madhu's eyes widened subconsciously. She was baffled from his reply. After all, she was actually preparing herself for the worse. But most of all, it was the vigor in his voice as he said the last few lines… it was almost as if he was angry that she even entertained such thoughts while he would obliterate all hell if she failed to believe in them now.

So, she did not dare to argue. She just agreed to him like a very obedient little kid and said, "Okay…" She then quietly took the towel from beside them where she had dropped and started drying his hair.

Akash's lips spread all the way from one ear to another while his eyes gleamed staring at her.

That was all it took for Madhu's cheeks to heat up again. Not that she had much of a time to cool it down in the first place. But his eyes just inches away from her face… staring as if she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes not…

Her heart could hardly take it lying down. Especially after the confession he just made… She hadn't even comprehended everything he just said but whatever she understood so far made her feel a sense of warmth she had never ever experienced before. When it got too much for her, she reached out and closed his eyes with her small palm and mumbled, "You… you stop staring at me like that! I can't breathe…"

Akash did not bother to pull her hands away but his lips spread into an impossibly warm grin.

But their moment was disrupted by a ringing phone. Madhu finally got up from him completely and laid on the bed. She was pulled out of her bed way too early for her liking in the morning. While Akash, on the other hand, answered his mum's call with a grin. He is one of those people who tells everything and anything to his mum. She was his closest person. So he never held back anything when it came to his mum and Bhagya too never let him down or made him feel the need to hide anything.

As he was speaking about their morning adventure, he could feel a pair of eyes following him. When he turning around to the source, he was met with a very complicated pair of eyes staring at him filled with something akin to melancholy. She did not look sad per se… but still… there was something not exactly right with her eyes.

Akash stopped on his track and his voice stopping speaking abruptly.

"Mom, something came up. I will call you again…" He said on the phone and cut the call.

Madhu was still deep in her thoughts… so deep that she did not even realize that Akash had actually cut the call and came and sat beside her on the bed. Her eyes averted only when she felt Akash caress her cheeks looking down at her.

"What is it??" He asked softly.

Madhu just shook her head biting her lips and asked instead, "Done talking to your mom?"

Only then did he notice the slight longing in her voice. And with that, his own heart twisted painfully. He did not answer her but instead, he scooped her and sat her on his laps wrapping her with his own warmth.

"Akash, what are you doing?" She asked startled with red cheeks. Even though this had already happened more than once, she was still not used to it. Being near him was warm and comfortable but it also made her extremely shy.

"My parents will love you as their own… I promise. Me and Bhavna already love you… And my dad and mom will too… My mum is dying to meet you. You will have a family that's going to adore you beyond any reason…" Akash swore solemnly holding her impossibly closer to himself.

Madhu's eyes widen in shock as to how he was able to guess her thoughts at first. But then when the meaning of his words sunk in, a lump formed on her throat making it impossible to utter a single word.

"They will love you… I promise," Akash swore once again with the same solemnness and buried her head against his chest securely.

Madhu's hands clung to him unconsciously clenching on his shirts quite desperately to point where her knuckles turned pale. Her heart was a mess all over again.

She was someone who never expected anything from anyone. And when he first confessed to her, she felt it was enough to have him… one person who could love her unconditionally. For her, that felt like the biggest gift God had bestowed on her.

But the way Akash just swore... she couldn't help her heart from hoping that it was true. And that hope was fighting a bloody battle with her own fears and insecurities. She did not want to believe in something that might not happen and get hurt but then there was this part of her that hoped beyond all hopes for it to be true.

Since she never had anyone, she never really thought about anything. She was grateful for the kinda life she had now which was far better than how she was at the orphanage or if she had been left on the streets.

But hearing Akash, she suddenly realized how desperate she was to feel that warmth he had just promised. A family… it felt so wonderful and alien at the same time.

��You promise?" Madhu asked after a long time looking at his eyes. Her voice was desperate clinging on to a last thread of hope while her eyes looked terrified. Water gathered at her eye sockets without falling down making the whole face more fragile.

"I promise…" Akash swore without any hesitation tucking a loose strand behind her ears.

Madhu leaned over and buried her face at the crocks of his neck and silent tears tumbled down soaking his neck.

Akash helplessly patted on her back trying to comfort her the best he could.