Chapter 44: chapter 44

THE SILENT LOVE ...Chapter 43 :All the friends reached Akash and wished him birthday greetings by shaking their hands. After taking the wishes from everyone Akash glanced at    Swetha who was about to wish him.Swetha stretched her hand  which was holding a gift pack and wished him,“Happy birthday to you sir. This is a small gift  on behalf of us”.Akash took the  gift very carefully as it was a precious thing and thanked her.“Thank you very much Swetha. You look very spectacular for today, very different from your usual looks”,exclaimed Akash.Swetha blushed for his  compliments and lowered her head feeling shy while her cheeks turned pink. She thanked him for his compliment and started fidgeting with her fingers feeling awkward.Akash, acknowledging her nervousness, suggested Neeraja to take towards the drinks section and offer them the startups. Neeraja took them towards the soft drinks section and offered them the drinks.Swetha took the glass from Neeraja, standing beside Arjun and observed the hall with astonishment for its beauty and luxury. The hall was decorated so luxuriously that it shows their wealth and status in the society.After a while the cake cutting was completed and everyone wished Akash with their applause. Later a few people went to the food section, a few to the drinks section and a few to the dance floor to have the fun for the night.Swetha was moving along with Arjun , Rasi and the other friends but she  had an uneasy feeling in her heart, feeling someone’s gaze on her. She tried to check the surroundings but couldn’t find anyone.While moving with  Arjun, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and stood still for a while and darted towards one direction feeling some familiar person’s presence but the person moved very swiftly away from there not getting noticed. Before she could think of it she heard  the voice  of Akash calling her.“Hai Swetha! Can I speak to you alone”, asked Akash.Swetha gaped at him  being bewildered for  his invitation to speak alone and nodded her head feeling perplexed. He guided her to the balcony, which looked empty and stopped at the  railing, facing towards her.Swetha stood silently in front  of him feeling nervous to be alone with him. She couldn’t predict  why he  had called her though she tried to find it.“Swetha! Are you messing with your mind to find the reason for my sudden call”, queried Akash.“Haa! No!”replied Swetha who was in her own thoughts, startled by his question.Akash smiled at her giving his dazzling smile and said,“Though you deny it, it clearly shows on your face that you are thinking of the reason for calling you”.Swetha gaped at him with widened eyes stupefied to see him reading her mind and slowly whispered,“My friends will be searching for me. Can you tell me why you call me sir?”.Akash took a few steps towards her and came near to her invading her personal space. Swetha batted her eyelashes at him a couple of times to see him so near to her and felt very nervous.Akash looked deeply into her eyes and queried,“Swetha! Do you know why I drop Neeraja at college at least once a week? Do you have any idea why I always ask you to visit our home? Do you even know why I always try to speak with you? Do you know what you are doing to me?”.Swetha glanced at him who was staring deeply into her eyes and stood still in her place dumbfounded by his actions. She even forgot to breathe and kept staring at him.“I want to tell you from the time I first met you. But I couldn’t …”, before completing his sentence, Akash was interrupted with someone’s voice.“What’s happening here?”, a cold voice echoed in the balcony making them both spin their heads towards the direction of the voice.