Chapter 324 - You are ‘my idiot’

"You know… if you- the Shreya Srivastav, had failed your dad… nobody in this country can ever say they had lived up to their parents' expectations!!" Charan said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice…

Shreya stared at him bewildered for a second. She was so deep in her thoughts that it took her a minute to even realize that Charan was teasing her.

"I am being serious here…" Shreya said frowning.

"I am too… I meant every word of it!" Charan reverted back.

Shreya could help but give a sardonic look as she stared at him.

"You should be in my shoes to actually know how idiotic you sound! Do you even hear yourself… how much crap you are talking about!?" Charan said rolling his eyes. The mockery in his eyes was pretty evident.

Shreya glared at him speechlessly for a second before leaning over to bite on his cheeks. By now, Charan had so gotten used to this habit of Shreya's that he did not even flinch. He just looked at her amused as she vehemently said, "You call me 'an idiot' one more time, I am going to end up giving you a facial using my teeth… and it's going to be pretty painful too.

Charan just let out a burst of laughter while pulling on her cheeks and said adoringly, "You are not 'an idiot'… you are 'my idiot'. There is a difference." He said looking proud.

Shreya made a face and attempted to get up from his l.a.p.s. But Charan never gave her the chance.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. You are the smartest person I know… who would dare to call you an idiot??" Charan curry-flavored giving her a flattering smile.

Shreya stopped struggling and just snuggled in. She was not that angry in the first place. It was just, from small till now, she had a high IQ and high EQ. So, she had never been dumb. And being called an idiot was just a tad bit annoying.

Charan rubbed on the back of her head and started talking seriously at last, "Jokes apart. But Shreya, I promise you, your parents are going to be proud. Just as much as I am. And the thing with Mithun was not your fault… he bought it upon himself. Even family can only do so much Shreya… Every person is individually responsible for his own actions from when he attains the age of 18. And it is a parents' responsibility to tell that to their kids. So, you cannot possibly take responsibility for the faults of others just because you're the heir. That just is not the way things work… and he is elder to you for gods sakes… You have a life to live on your own… you cannot go around correcting a jerk just because he has the same surname as you…"

Shreya did not reply but Charan could say she was listening. But he did not add anything to it. He knew for a person as smart as Shreya, she probably already knew all this in her head but just does not have the heart to accept it and that she probably just needed someone else to remind her of it one time.

So, he did not nag. Just kept her company quietly. By the time Shreya actually came out of her trance, it was already midnight.

"I will go check on Akira… you can have your shower…" Shreya said softly smiling at Charan and getting up from his l.a.p.s.

Charan silently agreed to go to do as she said while Shreya sneaked up into Akira's room.

Akira was pretty disciplined while sleeping. She had a very straight posture while a plush toy hung from her right hands. Even her sleeping hours were pretty regular.

Shreya adjusted her blankets fuzzily before bending down to peck on her temples. Just as she stood up, she noticed Samantha's photo beside Akira's pillow. Shreya couldn't help herself from taking it and looking at it. She just stared at the woman's photo for a minute absentmindedly rubbing the corners with her thumb before keeping it back from where she took it and exited the room.

When Shreya asked for a promise, for a second Shreya thought maybe he was talking about marriage. For a second she did not know what to think but then she quickly dismissed it. But then it suddenly struck her that they hadn't seriously talked anything that pertains to the future of their relationship, ever.

NO wonder Charan will ask such a question.

She just always knew she wants Akira and Charan in her life forever. But she never thought about the title that would follow for that to happen.

Marriage.

Her past experience had made her wary of the term itself… She does not exactly believe in the institution as such.

But she does not hate it if it is with Charan… But other than the title nothing else would particularly change between them since they usually just stay together every night even otherwise shuttling between Charan's house and her own apartment.

But the title in itself was the problem… Because once she was married, she will not just be Shreya…

She will be a wife and a mother… then she will also be a daughter-in-law and a sister-in-law. She cannot exactly say she is scared of the responsibilities that come with it… But then again when she seriously thinks about it, she feels as if the very ground she is standing on will shake…

Once married, it will be a whole new reality in which she had zero experience.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?" A voice suddenly sounded just beside her ears bringing her out of her thoughts.

Shreya looked up at Charan and blinked. Even though a part of her wanted to ask a lot of questions, for once she did not have to courage to do it.

She quickly shook her head and said, "Nothing… Just stuff… go on get some sleep. I will shower and come…" And then she quickly disappeared into the bath leaving behind a confused Charan.