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Seventy Six: Photo Frames (Part 3)

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Krithika's eyes scanned the collection of photo frames filled with images of Xavier. They were all hanging over a single giant wall across his desk in his study- a room so big that it could have been a house itself.

There were a lot of photos- a lot being figurative- of him, starting from him receiving some flashy trophies in his college days to his last trip to Italy, and a few other people, whom she thought to be a close circle of friends.

Does anyone of these is his ex-wife?

She didn't know the answer to that. And she observed that there were no pictures from his childhood or from recent times.

Strange.

He was, for sure, a supergenius like Rathna had put it. Her head wouldn't wrap around the fact that he had a photo of him receiving an award from Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. In that picture, he looked young, almost a teenager, tall and lean with a mop of dense curls covering his head and a big grin plastered on his face. It was infectious and she smiled wide, her fingers embracing his image.

He had traveled to many places. She recognized Machu Pichu, Amalfi Coast, Red Rock Canyon, and a few other places from her 'If I'd earn better and save enough, I would like to travel' list. In every photo he looked happy, always grinning along with his friends.

Then, there were other photos. She could recognize Alisha in them, but another woman was captured along with her. She looked beautiful but Alisha and Xavier towered over her, making her look like a tiny baby. There was a photo of the same woman in her bridal attire with probably what she assumed to be her husband. There was one image of Satya and Dhanya together as well, he wasn't with them in that picture.

A large frame in the center overshadowed everything. It was of an elderly man, and Xavier crouched next to him, hugging him lightly. She remembered that once during their conversation he had told her that he had loved his grandfather the most. She assumed the elderly man to be his late grandfather.

There was one more frame, a large one indeed, which hung on a separate wall behind his desk. She strolled towards it and felt dazzled by the image. It was a painting rather than an original photo. A gorgeous woman with thick dark curls sat gracefully with a book in her hand, a bright grin on her face. She had a strikingly beautiful pair of eyes, dark brown with a hint of glittering gold, like Krithika's favorite color- Burnt Umber.

"Amma."

Xavier's voice from behind surprised her and she stumbled back onto his body. She hadn't noticed him enter the room, too engrossed in the details of the painting.

He encircled his arms around her waist, over her arms, and held her closer. She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent, her body involuntarily relaxing with familiarity.

"Krithika?"

She heard him murmur her name and smiled, "She looks so beautiful, you don't have any original photograph of her?"

She could feel his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm behind her head and his hands were warm over hers. He was calm and for some strange reason, it made her happy.

"I had commissioned this painting, the reference being a small photo which I own from childhood. I usually keep it inside the safe, just too scared of losing it somewhere."

It made sense to her.

Wait.

Something struck in her mind and her eyes fluttered open as she stared at the painting.

"Your eyes are exactly like hers, an original shade of Burnt Umber. When you smile, they shine to reveal a pool of glittering golden embers in them making them absolutely perfect and so beautiful--"

Her sentence was cut short as he whirled her around. Her breath caught in her throat when her eyes met his.

"What do they look like now...?", he asked, his voice several shades of huskiness, and his eyes drilling deep into her soul.

Her lips parted lightly, trying to breathe.

"Tell me, my darling...", he repeated slowly as his left hand held her face. His thumb caressed her cheek and she felt a familiar sensation of fluttering inside her stomach.

"They... They...", she licked her lips, feeling parched as she saw his golden orbs fogged with something different than desire, something so pure and affectionate.

He smiled as he leaned in and she closed her eyes, waiting for his lips. They came but not over her lips. He kissed her forehead. Nothing came after that. She opened her eyes in confusion and envisioned the adorable dimples peeking out from his wide grin.

He chuckled as she bit her lower lip, "I am not a weakling but don't tempt me, Krithika, please."

They stared at each other; it was surreal. She wanted that moment never to end.

But he cleared his throat, "Uhm... I came here to tell you that dinner is ready.".

He shifted beside her, his hand placed firmly over the small of her back, "Shall we have our dinner?", he motioned her to walk along with him.

She nodded, "Okay, on one condition. Will you tell me more about those photos?", she pointed to the giant wall.

"Of course, those lots consist of funny stories. I am sure you are going to have a good laugh tonight."

Well, a good laugh won't hurt.

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A/N

After Seventy-Six chapters, I as the author of this story have started to see my protagonists as a couple XD

Like... The whole time I was so doubtful about everything, but now my characters themselves have started to talk about their lives to me, and now, it is getting interesting.

When Anirudh used to make songs like "Nee Paartha Vizhigal", I used to be a big fan of his music compositions. Now, I am like okay bleh T-T

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