Beautiful Infatuation

Chapter 72

"Are you serious?" Sneha exclaimed as she saw what lay in front of her. In his study, in front of the wide window lay a huge table. On it, she could practically see all the items that reminded her of the days they had spent together. It was like she was seeing an exhibition.

"These are the flowers that you gave me." He said as he pointed in the direction of a glass-shielded frame in which all the flowers that she had given him were preserved in the pool of epoxy resin.

"This is so beautiful, Viraj. I didn't know I gave you these many flowers!" She said as she traced her fingers on the glass containing over almost a hundred small flowers.

"Do you like it?" He asked again while looking at her expression. It had always been his desire to show her his collection. He never really believed it would actually come true.

Sneha looked at him and smiled.

"I love it. But, if I had seen it earlier, I'd have freaked out." She chuckled at her own possible attitude.

"Why?"

She shrugged.

"I don't know. This seems loving but also a little... crazy." She chuckled.

"Why would you think of it as 'crazy'!" He asked.

Sneha sighed. He wouldn't understand, she realized. He had always done things on impulse, that is how he was.

"Oh, isn't this the pine cone that you bought for ten crores!" She asked, indirectly changing the topic. Viraj let her do it.

"Yes."

Sneha picked it up and looked at it carefully.

"And, you fixed the broken part too." She chuckled as she grazed her pointer finger at the almost invisible crack.

"Do you like it?" He asked again. This time she looked at him with raised brows. And, then she understood.

He wanted her appreciation. And, since she didn't give it to him herself, he kept on asking her.

Sneha smiled. Somehow, his childish behaviour intrigued her. He had always been attention-seeking in nature, she knew.

"Yes. I am glad that you fixed it. I had spent the entire night cleaning and painting it." She said.

He returned the smile with a proud one.

Keeping it down slowly, she then looked at the next item on display.

"Oh, my God! Is this..." She exclaimed as she identified the elegant seashell that she had found on the Goa beach.

"It reminds me of our first kiss." He said.

Sneha looked at Viraj.

"You mean...forced kiss." She corrected him in a sarcastic tone.

"You did slap me for it."

"I always wanted to ask you about this. Your sister always spoke so highly of you...about how you never had an affair with any girl in your teen years or ever; and how you never forced yourself on any girl. Then why did you forcefully kiss me?" She asked.

"You can't tell?"

"Just because you loved me doesn't justify it. You could have been a little more civil. You have no idea how scared I was after your stunt."

"I know I shouldn't have done that. But, you wouldn't understand. I just recently realized my feelings for you and at that moment, you looked so innocently beautiful and irresistible, that I couldn't help but kiss you. I...You won't understand." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.