MY AVERAGE LIFE

Part 48

Shivani Pov: 

Last night, all I could think about was that kiss, and honestly, even now, it's still on my mind as I'm getting ready. Today, I made an extra effort to look good and was anxiously waiting for Sharath. As soon as I got his text, I headed downstairs without wasting any time. The moment I saw him, I knew something was off. He seemed lost in his thoughts. I really hope his mom didn't say anything harsh to him again. He doesn't deserve that.

With those thoughts, I walked over to him. He still seemed out of it.

"Sharath," I called softly, but he didn't respond. I called again, louder this time, "Sharath!"

"Huh?" he finally snapped out of it.

"Are you okay?" I asked, placing my hand on his arm. He just nodded and opened the car door for me. The ride to the office was quiet, except for him holding my hand while driving.

We got to the office, and I made some coffee before heading to his cabin. I've gotten used to entering without knocking. He was just sitting there, watching me without saying a word. I put his coffee on the table and walked over to him.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Suddenly, he pulled me onto his lap, making me gasp.

"What are you doing?" I asked, half laughing. Instead of answering, he pulled me closer and buried his face in my neck. It took me a second to adjust before I hugged him back, running my fingers through his hair. He sighed, relaxing into my touch.

"Tell me, what happened?" I asked softly.

He sighed again and started telling me about a conversation he had with his brother. I know Sharath loves me—it's clear in his actions, even if he doesn't say it. For him, saying "You're mine" is his way of saying "I love you."

"Shivani, do I need to love you to make you mine? Can't I just make you mine without all this love stuff?" he asked, sounding frustrated.

I laughed. Who made this guy a CEO? "Are you afraid of love?"

"No, I'm not afraid. I just don't want to end up like others. People say they're in love, but it lasts only a few months, and then they move on. Even marriage doesn't stop that. I don't want to break up with you, and I definitely don't want you with someone else. Love just feels like a word. So, can't you just be mine forever, without calling it love?"

I felt a little sad hearing him say that. How much must he have gone through to hate the idea of love this much?

"Okay, Sharath," I said gently. "Let's not label our feelings. I'm yours, and you're mine. That's all that matters."

He pulled back to look at me and said, "But Google says girls marry guys who openly say they love them."

I frowned. "Wait, what? You googled that?"

He pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and handed it to me. I looked at his search history, and honestly, he's unbelievable. He searched:

Is love important to marry a girl?Will girls not marry you if you don't love them?What if you want to marry a girl without love?Do girls like hearing the words 'I love you'?

And the last one really got me:

What are my feelings test?

"You took a test?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, and it said 'obsessed,' not 'in love,'" he said proudly.

I didn't know whether to laugh or correct him. He's... something else. I opened the last test, and sure enough, it said, 'Obsessed: it's more than love.'

"Sharath, you've lost your mind," I said, shaking my head.

"Yeah, I lost it over you," he replied cheekily.

I rolled my eyes. "Sharath, this isn't necessary. Our relationship is ours. It doesn't need to make sense to anyone else. You don't have to force yourself to say those words. Honestly, you never need to say them at all. What we have is enough for me. Your actions speak louder than any 'I love you' ever could."

He sighed, nodding, clearly feeling a bit better. I decided to tease him a little.

" I  need to hear the words, Mr. Sharath," I said with a playful smile.

Instead of replying, he leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "Sure, Ms. Shivani," sending a shiver down my spine. I immediately stood up, pushing him away.

"Focus on work!" I laughed and ran out of the cabin. I could still hear his laughter behind me. Thank God I escaped, or else that lion would've devoured me.

The rest of the day was spent teasing each other, and honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm really glad we're able to talk about our insecurities so openly and find ways to work through them together. Somehow, Sharath manages to clear all my doubts and insecurities without even directly addressing them. I still don't know how he does that! I've told you before, I never believed it when people said they loved me (referring to Chapter Love), but here I am, fully confident that Sharath is mine and that he loves me more than anyone ever could—without him even needing to say "I love you."