Chapter 321 - Promise...

Charan… even when he is this m.a.t.u.r.e person in their relationship most of the time keeping his head straight, there are still times when he cannot help his mind from wandering around. Especially when they were apart.

Shreya's existence for him is a miracle. An absolute miracle…

After losing Samantha, he never dreamed of ever getting someone like Shreya in his life…

He also knows she loves him with everything she had… but there were times he had wondered if it was enough.

Because for both of them, life was about so much more than love… they had so much more in life.

A family and all the responsibilities that came with it… and for both of them, those responsibilities came first… regardless of their own happiness. Because both of them had people they need to take care of and protect.

And in the case of Shreya, that responsibility was so much more heavy and draining than it was for him.

For him, it was Akira and his family… that was all. He still had a lot of space for Shreya and everything that came with it.

But Shreya had way too much on her plates even without having to worry about Akira and himself. So, he cannot really stop himself from asking whether he was just being a burden on Shreya by being around her… whether he was actually making her life harder than it already was.

Especially after hearing how Shreya was okay even without them meeting for all those months…

Even when he had consoled Akira that Shreya would come back, he himself could help but doubt that promise.

After all, being an a.d.u.l.t means you know more of the world and you know how easy it is to break a promise. But all that was flushed into the drain the minute he laid eyes on Shreya… and after seeing her state for the weeks following them coming back from the island, all his worries felt absolutely useless.

He just wished he had the strength and the means to keep this smile on her face all her life… Even if it was not possible, at the very least, he wishes he does not become the reason behind her sorrow in the future.

"Shreya…" Charan called out softly once they reached home later that night.

Akira was already put to bed. Shreya was watching someone on the television while Charan kept her company.

Shreya hummed without looking at him. Her attention was still on the television when Charan pulled out the remote control and switched it off…

Shreya frowned and looked at him asking him what was he up to without really voicing it.

"You remember when you said before that you cannot make me any promises for the time being? Is it still not time yet…"

Charan couldn't really help his eyes from flickering around in nervousness.

Between the two of them, maybe it was Charan who actually lacked the sense of security.

It probably came from the fact that their priorities are different.

Even though for Shreya, Charan was an equally important existence for her happiness, her bottom line is his and Akira's safety.

What drove Shreya that day crazy was the fact that something might have happened to them… and it had nothing to do with the fact that they had been apart for so long.

Yes, she was missing them… that was pretty much apparent. But as long as she feels it was not safe for them to be around her, Shreya would never ever within a mile of them even if it ends up killing her in the process.

And as long as they are hidden in the dark… as long as their relationship can be hidden, Shreya can end up doing what she did all those months back in a blink of an eye. And he was not ready for something like that to happen all over again.

He knows he should be thinking about Akira first… a part of him always does too. But at the end of the day, he had decided to have a life with Shreya. And as long as that statement is true, he needs to start facing the consequences of that decision one day or another. Because that is not something he can escape…

So far, she had blanketed them from it… she was protecting him and Akira with the whole of her body and soul without a speck of dust reaching them… and he wanted to change that. He wanted to face things with her instead of letting her do all the work for him.

"What kind of a promise do you need?" Shreya asked without answering him directly.

"What kind of a promise can you give me now?" Charan reverted back.

Shreya went silent in contemplation. She was very happy now… so, she never had the chance to think about beyond today and now…

For a person who meticulously plans everything ahead when it came to business, she was still pretty sloppy when it came to relationsh.i.p.s.

Not because she was scared of commitment but mainly because she had too much commitment when it came to relationsh.i.p.s of any kind.

For her, once she had recognized someone as her person… her family. She will protect them meticulously till the end without expecting anything in return. So, for her, as long as she recognizes the people, it in itself is a promise. A promise for a lifetime.

She never believed in verbalizing them because verbal promises mean nothing if they are going to be followed with action. And she believed more in action… And she had shown it with action what Charan and Akira are for her.