Not A Simple Engineer Boy! | ✓

075 • photo frames | two

Instagram- suganthii.writes

Spotify- suganthii.writes

Scrollstck- Suganthi Lakshminarayanan

---

❣ vote. share. comment ❣

"Don't be bitter about your past, Xav. Subhadra was a different woman," she said, slapping his shoulder. He didn't budge. "Krithika is a different woman."

"I know she's different. If she weren't, she wouldn't have agreed to date me—age gap, baggage, and all," he said with a shrug that radiated nonchalance. "I don't need anyone to convince me of that. And trust me, I'm no fool. I like her too much to let her slip through my fingers. She means more to me than anyone else ever has."

Satya raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You like her?" she drawled. "Or is it something more?"

Xavier let out a loud sigh, closing his eyes. Yes, it was too early—way too early—for him to be catching such feelings.

There was no doubt they were intensely attracted to each other. The magnetic chemistry between them was undeniable. She wanted him; she craved him. Every cell in his body was keenly aware of it. But he'd be damned if he gave in to the hunger just yet. No, he wanted something more substantial—he wanted her trust, maybe even her love, before he let himself fall into the abyss.

Call him old-fashioned, but casual sex wasn't his thing. He had never been the guy for one-night stands or fleeting entanglements. In his nearly thirty-four years of life, he had dated precisely three women. He knew for a fact that all of them had loved him deeply when they crossed the threshold of intimacy. He had seen it in their eyes—the way they burned with adoration. He had heard it in their voices—the whispered declarations of love under moonlit skies and again in the privacy of his arms.

He called it the patience of passionate lovemaking, a skill he believed he had mastered. It wasn't arrogance—it was observation. Women didn't scream in pleasure unless they were truly pleased. And all three of them had cried his name when they came apart in his arms.

But love? That was a different story. He'd only ever loved Subhadra. The two girlfriends before her had been mere infatuations, fleeting attractions that never deepened into love. Both relationships had ended when he failed to reciprocate their feelings. Ironically, Subhadra had left him for the opposite reason—he loved her too much, and it had been too heavy for her to bear.

The joke was on him.

He didn't harbor any hard feelings for her anymore—just the occasional self-deprecating comment that reopened old wounds. Yes, he'd been hurt, but he was slowly trying to move on. Still, he wasn't entirely sure what he felt for Krithika. It wasn't just infatuation anymore; he knew that much. Their late-night conversations had given him a glimpse into her world, and everything about her both excited and calmed him.

She was like a starry night, and he wanted nothing more than to lie beneath the sky, basking in her beauty. Since when did I start thinking in metaphors?

It scared him. The speed and intensity of his feelings frightened him. He knew that if Krithika didn't feel the same way, it would shatter him. He wasn't ready for another heartbreak. He'd spent years piecing himself back together after the last one. A new wound might take an eternity to heal.

And yet, something inside him had already let Krithika in. He trusted her more than he was willing to admit.

Satya cleared her throat, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Xav, do you love her?"

He opened his eyes and stared straight ahead. The dark-tinted window struggled to block out the sunlight entirely, allowing a soft glow to seep through and fill the room. It reminded him of the walls he'd built around his heart—opaque but not impenetrable. Krithika's bright, effervescent personality had a way of filtering through, reaching places he thought were sealed off forever.

Do I love her?

"I don't know," he admitted quietly.

Satya shifted closer, her expression unreadable. She pushed his laptop aside and folded her arms. "Alright, mister mystery man, what's your plan for Valentine's Day?"

"What about it? It's just another day," he said, suppressing a grin as he waited for her to explode.

She slapped her forehead. "Seriously, Xavier? How do women even fall for you?"

"You don't know how charming and romantic I can be," he said with a smirk. "I don't show my secret side to everyone."

"Yeah, and your secret side involves having no plans for Valentine's Day. So romantic," she muttered, still holding her head in frustration.

He chuckled, watching her seethe with frustration. "Annoyed Satya is surprisingly adorable, you know."

"Focus, Xavier. FOCUS."

He laughed loudly. "It's not a mission, Your Majesty. But for your peace of mind, I'm planning to invite her over and cook her a nice dinner."

"Ohhhh... a private romantic candlelight dinner?"

"No, just a simple dinner. Like I said, it's not a mission."

She stood up, scowling. "Whatever floats your boat."

"Okay, Your Majesty."

"By the way," she added, her tone turning serious, "does she know it's your birthday that day?"

He shrugged.

Satya shook her head, her exasperation palpable. "I'll never understand your obsession with spending your birthday alone. But if anyone deserves to know, it's Krithika."

He nodded to himself as she walked to the door.

"Oh, and by the way," he called over his shoulder, "I've booked your appointment with the psychiatrist. Please don't flake. Oh, and Valmiki is heading to Chennai today. He wants to drop by and check on you."

"Tell Miki he's always welcome," she called out from the corridor.

Do tell me what you feel about this and the upcoming chapters, always open to positive criticism.