Chapter 100: chapter 100

SRUTHIMy face flames red as I shut the door to my room. I sink to the floor and try not to grin too much. Things are finally defined between us. Though I am disappointed that we aren't sharing the same bed, I understand why he wanted to sleep away from me.I get up from the floor and quickly change into my comfy pajamas. The dressing up was worth it. I hang the dress carefully in my wardrobe. This dress really does hold a special value to me now. I walk to the bathroom and quickly remove the little makeup I had on. I exit the bathroom, wiping my wet face with a towel. I take a deep breath and fall on my bed with a happy sigh.I should sleep now since I have school tomorrow. Setting my alarm for six, I turn off the lights and lie down. I wish Madhav was here holding me. I shake my head.Get to sleep, Sruthi. He needs some time to accept things. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥I wake up to a soft kiss on my forehead and a familiar masculine scent. A pleasant sight greets me as Madhav stands near the bed with a grin.“You know? The time is eight and you have only half an hour to report to school,” he says.That sentence is like a bucket of ice water to me. I sit up quickly and get into the super panic mode we always go in when we’re late.“What the? Why didn’t my alarm go off?” I mumble, picking up my phone only to find it in silent mode with a list of missed alarms.“Get ready soon,” Madhav says, placing a hot steaming cup of coffee on my bedside table. “I’ll be waiting for you.”“Huh? Are you going to drop me?” I ask in surprise.“Yeah, if you don’t object,” he says, looking a little nervous. Everything is still new and akward between us.“I don’t object,” I answer, getting up from my bed.“Glad to know that,” he says with a smile and leaves the room.I quickly fold my blanket and run to the bathroom.❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥“So, when did you exactly fall in love with me?” I ask in a curious tone as Madhav drives me to school. He’s driving at the speed limit. I’m ten minutes late to school, but I’m not worried about it. Instead, my mind is filled with questions.Madhav taps his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, deep in thought. “I can’t pin down an exact moment, Sruthi. The first time I laid eyes on you, I was fascinated by you. You were like a ball of sunshine in my eyes despite what happened to you in the past. Unlike your brother or me, you weren’t interested in vengeance or politics. I guess I was attracted to you from the beginning, but it took me a year to realize how badly I was down for you.”“I had no idea that you had feelings for me,” I say, thinking about all our past encounters. “You never showed  any signs of it.”“Of course, I never showed any signs because I tried my best to hide my feelings from you.” He stops for the red signal in the road. He removes his hands from the steering wheel and turns to face me. His eyes are soft and vulnerable. “I was afraid you’d react like my mother and recoil from me in disgust if you knew about my feelings.”There is a raw pain in Madhav's voice when he says the word ‘mother.’ I place my hand on his and squeeze it. He glances at our hands and smiles. The signal turns yellow, and I let go of his hand to let him drive, but his hand grabs mine, and he intertwines our fingers. He drives the car using his other hand. I want to call him out for how unsafe this is, but the road is empty, and I love holding his hand, so I keep my mouth shut.“When did you fall for me?” Madhav asks.“Would you believe me if I said it was love at first sight?” I ask.Madhav raises his brow. “Definitely not.”“That’s what I thought. Frankly, I did feel something for you when we first met. I was also fascinated by you, Madhav. You were the only person my brother became close to after our parents’ tragedy. Vikram always praised you and spoke highly of you. So, you could say that even before I met you, I was interested in you. I was very excited to finally get to see you that day.”“What was your first impression of me?”My cheeks flame as I remember that. My seventeen-year-old self was immature and naïve.“I don’t remember,” I lie, not wanting to lose face.“The blush on your face says otherwise,” Madhav says with a chuckle.“Okay, don’t judge me for it. My first thought when I met you was that the girl who’s going to marry you is one hella lucky person, and I felt stupidly jealous of her for no reason. That whole evening, I couldn’t stop my eyes from following you. That was the first time I ever felt those emotions for someone. Then, the fight broke out, and I was shocked to find you involved in it. All the admiration and infatuation I had for you died then and there, or you could say it was clouded by my fears and phobia. I was convinced that you were violent and that I needed to stay away from you.”“Were you disgusted or afraid?”“I think it was more fear than disgust. But I wanted to be brave and didn’t want to show you how much I feared you. So, I always tried to act like...hmm...what did you say on our first day of marriage?”“A scared kitten trying to act like a fierce tiger,” Madhav finishes for me, and I laugh at the description.“Yep, that’s exactly how I was,” I agree. I can’t believe we’re having a conversation like this now. It still feels surreal to laugh and talk with Madhav. Three months ago, I wouldn’t have even imagined having a normal conversation with this man, but now I’m ready to lay out even my deepest and darkest secrets to him.We arrive at the school premises, and I wish the distance was longer so that I could spend some more time with Madhav. I feel like a lovesick fool who can’t be away from her lover. I release my seatbelt and am about to get out when Madhav says, “I’ll send Prakash to pick you up in the evening.”Prakash is the man who has been driving me to school the last week. I try not to show the disappointment on my face. I suddenly feel like a pre-schooler who silks and whines because her parents told herbthat they can't come to pick her up.“Okay, that’s fine,” I answer, opening the car door. “I’m visiting my brother today.”“Oh! That’s great, then. I’m planning to visit Vikram today to invite him officially for the expo. You stay there; we can go home together afterward.”I brighten up at that. It’s ridiculous how much I’m looking forward to spending time with him when he’s shown no such sign.“Have a good day, Sruthi,” Madhav says as I close the car door.“You too,” I call back, starting toward the school.But as I walk, I find myself frowning. That’s it? Just a simple “Have a good day”?  No kiss, no lingering touch? Aren’t we supposed to be in that early phase of the relationship where we can’t keep our hands off each other?Doubt creeps in. I’m the only one who said “I love you” last night. Madhav never said it back.Stop acting like a child. He’s busy, Sruthi.Still, the uncertainty nags at me as I walk to class. What if he doesn’t feel the same? We kissed, sure. I confessed, and he responded. But is that enough? Does he really want this relationship?I shake my head, trying to push the thoughts away. Why am I suddenly second-guessing everything? What’s wrong with me?❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥