Not A Simple Engineer Boy!

Sixty Three: Musky Forest (Part 3)

"Do you like it?", He asked her, smiling at her intriguing eyes that kept dancing around to look at every nook and cranny of the cafe.

"I had heard about the Chamiers Cafe but thought it was just for the celebrities.", she shyly replied, fiddling her fingers over the table.

He chortled, "Who keeps feeding you such information?", he pulled her fingers to calm her, "We are not celebrities but we are here.", to which she rolled her eyes, "So, answer the question."

"It feels cozy.", she shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly, "I haven't been to fancy places and this looks too fancy for my liking."

"Okay, next time we will go wherever you are comfortable.", his thumb traced her fingers and left them on the table.

Leaning back comfortably in his cushioned seat he continued, "This was the cafe where Satya and I had decided to team up. The seat there...", he nodded towards a table opposite to them, "...was the one where she had her Darjeeling tea and had said Xav, let's do this.", he mimicked Satya's voice in a funny tone, "...and I had agreed as I had nothing to lose."

It was etched in his memory; he remembered every second of that day. Sighing, he continued, "I wanted to show you something that mattered to me."

He looked at her. She was silently smiling, listening to him like an ardent disciple. Every time she smiled; her face glowed in an ethereal way that made him feel comfortable. She had such a soothing aura that he had never noticed before.

"Thanks for sharing.", she replied, "...and bringing me here, it means a lot."

They chatted for a few minutes before deciding on their dinner. Xavier settled on a plate of seafood Paella whereas Krithika chose a simple Sandwich.

"You don't want to try anything else?", he asked her.

"I don't understand half of the menu. Sandwiches are the safest, no one can mess those.", she replied in embarrassment.

He felt annoyed at himself, "I am so sorry, I didn't kn--"

"We don't know each other, Xavier.", she shut him up, "It's perfectly fine. We can slowly learn."

Oh...

Did he want to hug her? Yes. He learned that she was nine- almost ten- years younger than him, nine fucking years. And she was patiently sitting across him, listening to him, trying to understand about him.

She was ready to give him a chance to trust him. His heart felt heavy. He never wanted to feel so many things so soon yet it was unwinding and he couldn't help to stop himself.

--

"So, what's your favorite color?", Krithika asked him as they walked back to her P. G.

After dinner, she had requested him to park his vehicle away from her P. G.

He had questioned it and she had replied that she didn't want to be in the limelight of her society and that a luxurious EV would surely stir negative things for her. He had disagreed with her notion but had complied with her request.

Parking his vehicle three streets away from her place he had decided to walk with her to the destination. She hadn't shunned him but rather agreed to it immediately.

And here they were, walking next to each other, through the silent streets of the Parangimalai.

"I guess red and orange.", he nonchalantly replied, picking the leaves from a tiny branch that he had broken from a roadside tree. It had been a long time since he had walked anywhere, especially the streets and he was feeling anxious, "What's yours?"

"Burnt Umber.", she replied confidently.

That's very specific. He thought to himself.

"It's such a beautiful color of rich brown, has that perfect balance of red and yellow. It's one of the most popular colors used for painting, especially shadows.", she kept adding more information, "I think it was used popularly between the seventeenth and the nineteenth century, before the Impressionists found them dull and boring."

It was refreshing to listen to her. The way she described the things which she liked, which she loved. Her eyes sparkled at every question of him.

She is something else.

--

A/N

This is the second song from this movie that has come up in the story, and I am sure I'll add more XD

The "Lesa Lesa" album is just love.

Vote share comment ♥️