Not A Simple Engineer Boy! | ✓

086 • friendships | four

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Scrollstck- Suganthi Lakshminarayanan

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"Adorable." She chuckled.

He swatted Satya's hand when she tried to pinch his cheek.

"You look so cute when you blush."

"If you are not going to stop with this cheesy shit of yours any time soon, I would like to take my leave."

 Pushing him back to sit in his place she shot him a grin. "Do you love her?"

Heat covered his face. "Satya..."

"If yes, then why haven't you confessed it to her?" she continued, ignoring Xavier's protest to divert the topic. "Are you even planning to tell or just lock it in your heart forever?"

Lock it his heart forever? No, certainly not.

"Ente mone, life is all about passion," his mother had once said, feeding him Idiyappam he hated eating because his little fingers couldn't grasp the delicate rice laces. "Luci, if you love anything or anyone, love them undauntedly. Let the world envy your free spirit. We—humans—have caged ourselves for too long. Bliss lies in being consumed by madness and ravaged by it."

Her words never fully made sense to him. Her poems and ideologies felt too extreme, impractical. Wasn't excess always poisonous? And poison wasn't bliss—it was agony.

He used to be an unrestrained, passionate man, letting his heart lead. It had brought him face-to-face with pain, teaching him that being destroyed wasn't exhilarating. He had learned to guard himself, to stay in control. Letting go wasn't an option.

But did he still want to hold on so tightly?

"I want to earn her trust."

Yes, he never expected Krithika to love him the way his heart yearned. That would be too much to ask for. Baby steps. First, he wanted her to trust him. Love could wait.

"You men are so complicated." Satya rolled her eyes.

"That's sexist," he countered.

"Bleh!"

"Do you remember Francesco?"

Pouring herself another drink, she shrugged. "Yeah, your Italian friend from Michigan. What about him?"

Pushing back his bar stool, he stood. "He invited me to Capri for his wedding and told me to bring a date—or he'll kill me."

Satya cocked her head. "And you are planning to take Krithika? Now, that's a spot you take your woman to do her than just a kiss."

"You had to fucking comment on that, didn't you?"

"You see, a paradisiacal destination and a gorgeous man in love, now that's a dangerously enticing combination for a woman to resist the worldly pleasures."

"You're so childi—"

"Tsk. Have a satisfying vacation."

"I am not taking her to Capri. She'll probably slap me if I ask such things." He chuckled, shaking his head at the comments of Satya.

Spitfire darling of his might not slap him but she would surely have numerous arrows of curses to draw from her bow lips aiming at him.

"Are you a retard? Why would you think I'd enjoy that horrid movie?" she'd snapped when he suggested a Netflix Top Ten flick. Baffled by her outburst, he'd scratched his head. "I thought you liked romantic stuff." She'd sneered, "Romance, not porn." He had guffawed at that. Too bad as after that she had unleashed all her arrows. The sole way to dodge her attacks had been to capture her bow with his lips.

It wasn't just about physical attraction any more.

Last week, she'd brought some documents to his place, her bold eyes sparkling as she showed off her certificates. Top of her university, awarded a cash prize. "Why haven't you used it?" he'd asked, glancing at the envelope. She shrugged. "It's a memento of my hard work. I don't want to spend it." He'd smiled, brimming with admiration.

In the past five months, he had started to see the real Krithika, the one who was the mix of I-might-look-tiny-but-if-you-try-me-I-will-punch-you-square-in-your-eyes, I-am-stingy-as-I-am-scared-to-die-like-a-beggar, I-like-to-watch-slasher-movies-while-sipping-my-hot-filter-coffee, I-don't-like-English-songs-let's-listen-to-G. V. Prakash-songs-on-loop...and so much more.

It was always mesmerizing to look at her, that arch of her lips when she smiled, that honeyed tone of her voice when she sang Munbe Vaa while hugging him, that riotous long black hair of hers flowing like silk through his fingers, that fiery gaze spitting embers from her eyes when she was angry, that sexiest pout of hers when she tried to seduce him and that disappointed chin when he chided her to be patient.

Every fucking thing.

You so fucking love her!

He realized that he had already lost his control. He had tripped so hard and fallen into the depths of love.

"Then?"

Satya's enquiring voice cut through his panicked train of thought. "Pardon?"

"If not Krithika, then who?"

Sighing he waved his hand at her. "You'll have to join me, the wedding is after two months."

"Now, you want your girlfriend to slap me? Convenient enough."

"She idolizes you too much to do that," he said, heading for the exit, his mind still consumed by thoughts of Krithika. "And she doesn't mind our friendship." He turned back. "Unless you're uncomfortable. Sorry for not considering your schedule or opinion."

She rolled her eyes. "As if I'd miss a chance to go to Italy."

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