Chapter 7

They say that to harvest the fruit, one must first nurture the plant. People, too, are akin to delicate plants; to glean something meaningful from them, one must treat them with love and care.

Much like a farmer who desires to harvest the sweetest fruits, Triya harbored a desire to savor the beauty of Karan, akin to harvesting the metaphorical fruit, but she recognized the necessity of tending to the relationship first. Taking him to a cafe was her initial effort, akin to the first gentle drizzle nurturing the soil.

After several days of the sun's absence, its warmth returned, casting a pleasant glow that enveloped the day, making the noon equally warm. It was an ideal day for people to spend time together, like a tight knot, and while Triya and Karan spent time together, they were not yet considered close.

An invisible barrier lingered between them, both silently yearning for something from the other, yet they guarded their desires behind sealed lips.

"How do you find this place?" she asked, seated across from his bashful figure, her gaze wandering over the light and airy features of the cafe. "It's beautiful," he answered his words a soft whisper in the dreamy ambiance.

"I'm delighted that you like it," she replied with a smile radiating warmth, leaving him pondering its meaning. "What's on your mind?" she inquired, redirecting his staring eyes to a more conventional gaze.

"Nothing. I was just deciding what to order," he stammered, his eyes scanning the menu. To his bewilderment, she purposed to get the suggestion of the waiter, signaling him over.

"Chocolate is our specialty. Anything made of chocolate is quite popular here," explained the tall waiter, with bright eyes that contrasted his pale skin, capturing her full attention.

Karan couldn't help but notice her mesmerized gaze on the waiter, leaving him curious about her thoughts and the reason for her warm eyes on him. "We'll go with chocolate shakes and a slice of chocolate cake, then," she decided, and the waiter, acknowledging her choice, offered a smile before departing, stealing a glance back at her.

The waiter's flirtatious gaze stirred a tumult in Karan's heart, rendering him even more silent than before and his calm to take a bitter form.

Promptly, the waiter returned with their orders, deftly placing the cake before her. "No, that's for him," she interjected, stunning Karan and prompting the waiter to adjust course.

"I hope you enjoy your shake," the waiter smiled, his black, bright eyes sparkling, lingering for a moment before being beckoned by another waiter.

"He's strange," Karan muttered as soon as the waiter departed, a bitter quietness accompanying his words, unexpectedly audible to her. "What?" she questioned, her eyes calm. "You don't like the waiter? But I thought he was fine," she remarked, inviting his angry gaze to fall upon her, surprising her in return.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she smiled, observing him eat a spoonful of cake with gusto. "You seem to appreciate everything that's beautiful," he muttered bitterly under his breath, almost as if mocking, glancing in the direction of the waiter, who was still discreetly watching Triya.

"Do you think he's attractive?" Triya snickered, noticing his clumsiness linger near his lips. "Don't you?" he retorted, his eyes returning to hers, unprepared for her sudden touch as her fingers gently wiped the cake off his skin, her gaze intently focused on his lips.

At that moment, he felt struck by lightning, his senses numbed, yet every cell in his body was electrified.

"I don't know," she calmly said, unaware of the corruption in his body by her action, reclining back, bringing her fingers that had just touched his skin near her lips. "I was right; it's too sweet," she added, sampling the chocolate cake.

He couldn't fathom the way she reacted normally after doing such a thing out in public and not even realizing the surge in his veins.

"You don't like sweet things?" he stuttered, willing to go unnoticed by her, still stiff from her previous gesture, his eyes wide open as his heart raced within his chest.

"It's not that. I just can't eat too much sweetness. It makes me feel sick," she explained, and he quickly nodded, as if mentally noting this revelation, finally slowing the rush in his body.

"Eat. It tastes good, even though it's too sweet for me," she encouraged, prompting his jittery fingers to scoop another bite of the cake. She observed him, hands folded, feeling a sense of fullness just by witnessing his hearty bites.

"You eat with such grace, yet so clumsily," she remarked, producing her handkerchief and once again wiping his mouth. "You're like a beautiful child," she added, and he found himself sinking back into the couch, his mind racing from her words.

Why does she always have to say things like that? He questioned himself.

"Are you finished?" she inquired, eyeing the clean plate and the empty mug. "Yes," he nodded, noticing her partially full mug. "Take your time. I think I ate too quickly."

"No, I just couldn't drink anymore," she replied, leaving him to wonder why she had brought him to a place filled with sweet treats if she couldn't indulge.

He simply nodded, observing her stand up and adjust her clothes. "Wait here for a second," she added before heading to the counter to settle the bill, catching him off guard once again.

"You didn't have to pay," he insisted as soon as she returned, retrieving her bag from the couch. "Don't worry. Let's go! I have another place to visit." He couldn't protest further; she was remarkably calm and quick and he stood to follow her out of the door.

"Where are we going?" he asked, matching her strides. "To buy some girly things." her beaming smile thwarted any further inquiry, prompting him to walk quietly beside her.

"It's quite warm today," she remarked, staring at the orange hue of the sky, leading his gaze to appreciate the same direction. "Yeah, it's quite relaxing in the cold season," he responded, tucked under his sweater, suddenly finding her halting before a store.

"Here we are." It wasn't far from the cafe, taking about five minutes to reach. "Do you visit this place often?" he asked, noting her casual familiarity with the store owner.

"Yeah, I am a girl after all," she replied, moving towards the section of hair clips. "What do you think about this?" she asked, lifting a cute strawberry hair clip.

"It doesn't suit you," he bashfully answered, silently cursing himself for saying such a thing. "You seem to know quite a bit about my style." Stepping closer to him, she responded, softly combing his hair with her fingers, her scent enchanting his senses.

"Well, you're right. It's not for me. It's for you." She added, her eyes focused on his black hair as she secured the clip on the left side. "You look cute. Look." She turned him towards a mirror. "Don't you think so?"

Her hands found their way to his shoulders, her lips moving close to his earlobe as he tilted his head to see the strawberry hanging in his hair.

"You like it?" she whispered, sending a shiver down his spine. She was undaunted close, slipping her hands to his waist to pull him even closer, their bodies pressed against each other.

"It doesn't look so bad," he stammered at the warm feeling against his back, watching her eyes deeply staring at him through the mirror. "Should we try another one, then?" she suggested, her hands sliding down to his abdomen.

"How about this one?" She quickly withdrew her grasp from his body, allowing him a moment of relief as he stared at her through the mirror, picking up another hair clip.

"You might like this one." She placed the hair clip in his hair, her hands covering it from his eyes as she whispered in his ear, her touch returning to his waist. It was an apple hair clip.

The sight of an apple-shaped hair clip left him frozen as if his body had been encased in ice. What was she trying to say by doing such a thing? His head raced against his heart, giving him a nauseous feeling.

"After all, you seem to enjoy having apples," she added, making his mind replay all the past experiences involving those very apples. "No! I prefer the strawberry ones," he quickly asserted, prompting her to step away and head to the counter with the clip, leaving a smirk on her face.

He hurriedly paid for the clips, turning away as she paused to pay for the apple hair clip, discreetly stashing it in her pocket. "Shall we go then?" she asked, noticing a reddish hue on his face, unaware it was a blush of unease.

"Would you like to come to my house?" She inquired as they exited the shop, but he declined. He needed to be alone to calm himself. He didn't want to be near her. "You have your painting to finish, and it's at my place."

"I'll do it some other time," he stuttered, clutching the strings of his bag and avoiding her gaze as they stopped to cross the road.

"Hmm. It seems like you don't want to spend time with me." a hint of sorrow crossed her face, prompting him to quickly step closer and deny that. "It's not like that. I just have some other work," he insisted, his warm and concerned eyes trying to convince her.

"If you say so." She adjusted the blue scarf he was wearing with careful hands and slow movements, making him gaze into her soft eyes. 'What are you thinking? Why are you doing all of this? I don't understand you,' his thoughts echoed, receiving no answers from anyone.

"So, I'll be going home then. I'll see you tomorrow. Take care and I hope you enjoyed our little date." She playfully squeezed his cheek as if pinching a stuffed toy and turned around to cross the road, oblivious to the speeding cars, not giving him a second to feel bashed at the fact that she just called it a date.

She was about to get hit when he swiftly pulled her by the wrist, his breath quickening and his heart pounding from fear. "Be careful!" he exclaimed, jolting her entire body with his strong pull.

"I didn't realize there was a car," she chuckled after regaining her composure, oblivious to his scared eyes. "Are you crazy? How can you be this careless?" he stated, disbelieving her nonchalant reaction to a potentially dangerous situation, catching her wandering eyes on his angry yet worried features.

"What if something bad had happened?" he added, his tone rushing like the cars behind her. "You're so reckless. Laughing at such a situation?" His wide-eyed gaze injected her with an unfamiliar feeling, and she realized it was not a situation to be taken lightly.

"Hey!" She cupped his face, worried, trying to soothe him with her gentle tone. "Don't worry. I'm fine," she reassured him, taken aback by his care for her. She did not expect him to worry for her like that. "And if something has to happen to me, it would. No one would be able to stop it. Not even you! So, don't worry!"

"Why would you say something like that?" His shocked voice revealed his astonishment at her thoughtless words. "Do you even care about anything?" he added, removing her grasp from his face, fuming with anger.

"Oh, don't be angry. Even though you look cute," she tried to grasp his face but was rebuffed as he turned away. "Okay, I won't say something like this again. Forgive me?" Her eyes tilted to gauge his reaction, adding, "I'm sorry! And I do care. I care about you." Her calm words, tinged with tenderness, caught his still fuming eyes, prompting him to look back at her.

"Do you forgive me now? I promise I'll be careful and will never say dumb things like that again." His eyes slowly returned to hers, starting to regain composure.

"Come on, tell me you forgive me," she playfully demanded, making him snicker and mumble an acceptance of her apology. "I can't believe I was about to die, and I'm the one apologizing," she joked, frustrating him once again.

"Okay, okay. I'm forbidden from saying those things." She gently grasped his face, successfully planting a kiss on his cheek, surprising him. "But you have to stay with me to stop me from behaving like that."

*****

END OF THE CHAPTER

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