Chapter 35: chapter 35

MADHAVI feel nervous as I knock on the door of the guest bedroom. It takes Sruthi exactly thirty-five seconds to open the door. I am here to give her something and I have no idea how she would react to it. The worst-case scenario is she throws the thing on my face and yells at me. But, I need her to have it for her safety. So, I am okay with the consequences. Her safety is what matters.“Do you need something?” she asks raising her eyebrow.“Yes, I do,” I answer clenching and unclenching my hands. Why am I this nervous? When was the last time I was this nervous? I think it was a couple of years ago during my dentist appointment. “What do you need?” she asks folding her hands in front of her chest and trying to look bored and aloof but I can see the curiosity gleam in her eyes. Okay, Madhav! You can do this. It is not like you are going to propose to her. You are just going to give her a small gift. That is all! Taking a deep breath, I take the velvet box out of the bag I am having, “I have a gift for you.”She winces at the word gift. Great way to spoil her mood. I can see where her thoughts are heading. “SRUTHI,” I say loudly and clearly to get her attention. She blinks and she is back to herself. “Here, I want you to have this.”“What is this?” she asks eyeing the velvet box I have in my hand with suspicion. “Huh? It is a jewel box,” I answer to annoy her.“I too have eyes Madhav,” she retorts. “I can see that it is a jewel box but why are giving me this? Are you perhaps trying to woo me?” Despite myself, laughter escapes me. Why does she always mistake my good intentions? “Oh Honey, if I were to woo you, I wouldn’t be buying you this jewellery. I would be more creative than that. When I start to woo you, I will make sure that you have nothing and no one else in your mind except for me.”A blush colours her face and she looks everywhere except for my eyes, “Then what is this?”Is it my imagination or is her voice a little shaky?“Open it,” I say giving her the box. She opens it gingerly like it is some kind of jack in the box and a clown would pop out of it. “It is beautiful,” her voice is a breathless whisper as she looks at the pendant. The white pearl of the pendant gleams in the sun and just above the pendant is a small diamond stone. “Did you design it?”“Yes, I did,” I agree with a shrug. “You do really have a talent for making jewels,” she says taking the jewel from the box. “I thought the media was exaggerating when they praised you as the genius jeweller.”“Glad to know that I live up to the hype,” I say waiting for her to put it around her neck. But she keeps staring at it. “Aren’t you going to wear it?”“Help me with it,” she says meeting my eyes.“Do you need my help putting it on?” I ask not believing my ears.“Yes, I do. If you don’t mind,” she says with uncertainty in her voice.“I don’t mind,” I reply taking the pendant from her hand. She turns around and lifts her hair revealing the back of her neck. My eyes find the small mole there. I step closer and her lavender smell fills my space. I carefully fasten the clasp of the pendant and my fingers brush her skin lightly. She shivers at my touch and my heart flutters in excitement.“There you go,” I say softly into her ears and take a step back. Because her smell is driving me insane and I have a strong urge to lean in and kiss that mole on her nape.She turns around to face me and I can’t peel my gaze away from her. She looks beautiful and she is mine. “Thank you,” she says her eyes sparkling in gratitude.“The pendant is not a mere accessory,” I say getting to the main reason for why I am giving her the pendant. “It has an in-build tracker on it.”“In-build tracker?” she asks taking the pendant in her hands and looking at it with new eyes. “Yes, turn the pendant around and you can a very minute button there. Press it whenever you are in danger and I will be alerted of your location. It will be useful when you are in a dire situation and can’t get your phone or anyways to communicate with me. So, never remove it.”She is still inspecting the pendant with curiosity in her eyes, “This is cool. Who is the genius behind this idea?”“Come on, it is not a genius idea. Things like this have come in the movies and books already,” I say with a shake of my head.“Those were only theory. But, this is the practical implementation of that. It is fascinating how tech is reduced to nano size.”What is fascinating to me is to see her gush about the tech things like this. I watch her with a fond smile as she keeps inspecting the necklace. “How much does this cost?” she asks suddenly.“I told you it is a gift,” I answer. “But, it is a very costly one,” she says.To me nothing is more valuable than you.“It is not that expensive,” I say. She is about to argue but I cut her off with a shake of my head, “Don’t try arguing with me. I am not going to tell you the cost no matter how hard you try.” She looks at the jewel again. It is a simple one. Sruthi is not big on fashion or jewellery. So, keeping that in mind, I designed a simple yet elegant design that could be worn daily. I never expected her to be too happy about it. If this is what makes her happy then I would retire from my assassin job and keep on designing jewels for the rest of my life. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥