Chapter 33

"So the question is whether we accept the offer or not?? She gave me two days to decide." Charan asked once both of them came down from their euphoric high.

"It is huge… like HUGE huge… it is going to take a lot of long nights." Kabir said pointing out the difficulties.

It was a huge leap for them but not so out of their abilities either. They had a couple of multi-story buildings designed previously. More than that, all of them had a decade of working experience before they started the job. All of them had experience dealing with big projects before. This time the scale was just a tad bit higher than the usual. But if they put their brains, they could do it. But then they had families now, so they can't exactly pull a whole lot of all-nighters now.

"We will manage. We will not get another opportunity like this. If we pull this through, it will be a huge leap for us." Ajay said. After all, who would shoo away the golden geese that had stumbled into their stable on its own???

After a long discussion, the came to a conclusion and a plan as to how to go about it. When he left office it was pretty late. Charan had already asked Akira to stay over at his mum's. He was actually on his way home but somehow his hands took him to Shreya's apartment.

His heart was complicated. His mind was wandering all over the place. Thoughts bombarded him… Some positive some negative. But one thought itched to his mind like a leach… and that was the need to see her. He felt as if he wouldn't be able to sleep if he did not see her.

So he strolled into her apartment silently. All lights were switched off. There was darkness all around. He kept his bag and walked towards her bedroom.

To his surprise, Shreya was actually awake. She had a huge headphone on her while busily typing away on her laptop. But then again she did not have her lights on. The only light was the brightness of the screen of the laptop.

Charan switched on the lights startling her.

"Oh… It's you. You gave me a fright." Shreya exclaimed as soon as she composed herself and saw him clearly.

Charan was still in his office clothes. He wore it the same way he came to meet her. It's just he looked kinda tired now.

"Come here," he said gesturing Shreya to come to him.

Instead of getting down from the bed, Shreya walked over the bed. Shreya stood on the edge on top of the bed while Charan stood right in front of her on the floor.

Charan gently reached out and held her tightly wrapping his arms around her in a death grip. His face buried into her stomach. Shreya stayed quiet and gently ran her hands through his hairs messing them up.

"Tired??" She asked softly.

He simply nodded his head against her. But somehow he was not satisfied so lifted her off of the bed and cradled her against him.

Shreya yelped in surprise and hurriedly wrapped her arms and legs around him holding on to him.

She could sense that something was wrong with him but could not really figure out what.

"Hey… are you alright?? What about Akira??" Shreya asked softly.

Charan sat on the bed with Shreya held firmly on his laps. He pulled away and looked at her face.

"Akira is with my mum. Sleepover..." Charan replied simply.

"Oh…" Shreya said but the disappointment was not lost to Charan.

Charan couldn't take his eyes off of her. For him, she was like a bulldozer. Her trust in him and her feelings for both of him and his daughter… they baffled him so much that it left him speechless. Why does she care about him and his daughter so much?? Why does she trust him so much?? God knows how many times he had asked himself these questions.

Why?? Why him of all people?? It may be his insecurities speaking but then it was also an absolute fact that she could have anyone in the country… and yet why on hell did she choose him of all people. He did not even know if he was happy or scared of this fact.

"What are you thinking about??" Shreya asked softly seeing him make such a complicated expression.

"I am thinking about you…" Charan answered honestly.

"With such a complicated expression???" Shreya asked arching her brows.

"I was just thinking about stuff…" he said dismissingly. He might have questions, but he had no courage to voice them yet. He was drowning in her deeper and deeper every passing day and he was terrified to disrupt it even if he did it unknowingly.

It was not just Shreya; even Charan had this illogical fear of losing people from around him. It did not matter how he lost them; he had a hard time dealing with it. Maybe it is something common for people who have lost their loved ones in their lives.

"I'm just scared…" Charan said so softly that it was barely audible. It's because he realized right at that moment what it truly felt to have her beside him that he was terrified to imagine a life without her.

Shreya was taken aback at first but then asked confused, "Scared of what???"

"That this is all a dream and I am going to wake up alone in my bed any moment now and you have never barged into my life…" Charan confessed. He did not want to show him his vulnerable side but then a part of him also wanted to share it with her.

Shreya did not know what was wrong but she leaned over and bit him on his cheeks as always. It was just a tad bit harder than usual.

Charan hissed in pain and while his eyes burned at her.

"See… you are not dreaming…" She said cheekily bringing him out of his heavy mood.

Charan let out a chuckle and embraced her tighter.

"I missed you…" He mumbled softly.

"We just met a couple of hours back…" Shreya said with a frown.

"I still missed you…" He said once again stubbornly.

"…" Shreya did not know why he was acting like a child all of a sudden, but she really did not have the heart to push him away either. So she just wrapped his head in her arms holding him close.

Charan himself did not know what was happening. He had matured a lot after all he is a father but today… the happier he was the more scared he felt.

The innocent trust she had in him without any reservations, it scared him and excited him at the same time. SO it was as if he was in a blissful hell.