Chapter 323 - Her pale cheeks really broke his heart.

Charan did not speak for a long time while Shreya just stayed mum since she felt like she had done something wrong but couldn't really figure out what it was.

"Shreya… do you really consider me as someone you want to spend your life with??" Charan asked softly.

"Of course!!" Shreya said obviously.

"Then you need to start letting me in… have some faith in me. You are not my bodyguard who has to stop all rain and wind in my path… You are my girlfriend. And whether or not you are worth the risk is something that is for me to decide… it is not your decision. You do not get to decide that for me… nor for Akira." Charan said seriously and paused letting his words sink in.

He knew Shreya had never thought of these things before… For someone who is very smart most of the time, she was really dense at times like this.

She likes things under her control all the time and she was not used to letting people choose… Even though she does not straight away come as one, but Shreya was pretty overbearing. The only thing is she does not force her decision but instead will weave around the person patiently until they give her exactly the answer she wants. Since she always ends up convincing people in the sweatest of ways, her overbearing and controlling nature gets overlooked most often than not.

But seeing her frowning brows, Charan knew she was having a hard time digesting things.

"If you want a family for yourself out of us, you need to stop pushing us away every time things get hard. You should stop treating this relationship as something you can have when it is safe and hide when it is not safe… I did it once because you looked so desperate. But I cannot do something like that again."

"What do you mean you cannot do that?" Shreya asked looking alarmed slightly.

"I mean if you are going to walk out on me one more time, that will be the last time you will be doing something like that… because I will not be around to give you another chance…"

Shreya's eyes widened instantly as she shook her head frantically and said, "NO. I won't do that… You just be here, okay? I will do everything you say…" She did not even process half of what he just said. All she heard was 'I will not be around' and fear engulfed her immediately.

Her pale cheeks really broke his heart. He couldn't help himself but hold her tightly to himself.

"Hey, relax. I did not say that as a threat or to scare you… But I want you to understand, a relationship takes two people and you cannot keep shouldering everything on your own leaving me behind… that so unfair to you and me." Charan explained softly… he kept his hands firmly around her. He rubbed on her arms giving away some warmth.

His words floated around in the air for a long time before Shreya actually understood what Charan was trying to say… a lot of her panic subsided.

"I know… it is just… it is just hard sometimes… I don't even realize I am doing that half the time. Even uncle said the same. But I don't know what I am doing wrong?" Shreya's hands fisted in frustration unconsciously.

"You are not doing anything wrong…" Charan started but looking at her anxious face he did not have to heart to explain how overbearing she can be. So, he let it go…

He did not have to say everything now anyway. As long as the thing from before does not happen again, he can deal with the rest.

"You just don't push me away like last time okay? Regardless of the risk, please just don't think about dealing with it alone hereafter. A family faces things together!!" Charan answered her.

Shreya contemplated for a while. But, at last, nodded as she said, "Okay, I can do that. But if something similar to the last time kidnapping episode ever happens again, you have to absolutely agree to my arrangements. You cannot go around pulling stunts like the last time! I am a big girl, I can take care of myself. I do not take myself lightly… so, if I do something that seems reckless, it means I have already made arrangements. All I need from you is to take care of yourself!"

"I can live with that!!" Charan said smiling at last.

Anyways, with the depth of paranoia Shreya has, this was probably the best she could give him and he knew Shreya is going to do her damndest to keep her promise too.

Charan simpled rubbed the top of her head and said, "Come on. Let's get you to bed…"

But Shreya did not budge… she just snuggled into him and started talking soft, "I know I am kind of stuck up like that… it is just when dad was around, he will take care of everyone regardless. Even Ram uncle's family. And I grew up watching him shoulder that responsibility so effortlessly. We did not have to think about anything at all. All we have to do is say what we want and he will have it in front of us… As long as something is done in goodwill, he will support us unconditionally. But he is also the most feared existence since if we did something wrong, he will be just so much harder on us. None of us will ever dare to do the same mistake twice."

"You know, it was dad who actually convinced Anand uncle when Bhavna first said she wanted to go into modeling. He provided us some sort of a safe haven where we can just be… and from the time I can remember, I always just wanted to be like him… even if I cannot do all of it that he did, I wanted to at least try and be half of what he was… but I am nowhere near my goal seeing as Mithun just tried to kill me… When I learned that it was Mithun, I felt as if I failed him as a family. I felt as if I failed my dad…"