Me Before You

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3

Ashwin was thankful to the mask because he couldn't help but blush like a teenage girl in her presence. That look he will have while looking at her will definitely not sit well with her father.

Blush. That word was alien to him few months ago. Being an introvert he has felt embarrassment, abundance of it in fact, that has made his cheeks red. He has always been a shy boy. However, this blush that she invokes is something singular like her.

It is a blush that takes color from the blood that is pumped so fast by the heart that couldn't contain the excitement of being in the presence of the person who, maybe just maybe, has taken full control of it. It was the kind of blush that writers associate with when one is being swept off their feet.

He was always told that swooning a woman is a man's duty. That confused him as much as it irked him. Why only men? Not that Ashwin had any qualms with making his loved one feel special, but it has been his constant wonderment that how would it feel when a woman breaks her inhibitions and do everything for her man.

To be in the receiving end of a selfless woman's love must be mystifying. He has always been fascinated by the idea. He even mentioned on one of the episodes in the show how he was impressed by his friend's girlfriend who travelled miles just to be with his friend. An important reason for 'Snegidane'* song being his favorite is because of the fact that it unabashedly talks about a woman's unconstrained love for her man mentally and physically.

Ashwin delights at the idea of a woman making the first move in a relationship. If he can be honest with himself, he can even agree that it turns him on.

Thought of the song brought back the memory of Shivangi singing the song for him in the show. Of course, she couldn't have known what it meant to him. It must have been pure coincidence. Kadavul setting.

He turned to his right to look at her who was looking at the menu as if it held the secret recipe to happiness of the world.

How can someone be so flawless !

Agree she will not be the prettiest in a room in a conventional way, but she will more than make up for it by her bright smile and innocent persona. He has been first hand witness of how eyes follow her every time she enters a place. It is not only because of how she looks, though he should agree that there is a gorgeous woman behind the childlike guise. People want a piece of her aura. Just one look from her, one laugh by her has the ability to sanitize a person of all woes.

He was the best example. His success is all her doing.

Hasn't he done two shows for this same channel that is known for making stars out of ordinary people? None was a hit. In fact not even some people in the channel know his name. How many short films and commercials? He has lost count. But, now, in matter of five months, here he is, fondly called 'crush' of Tamil Nadu and most promising talent. He can't even keep count of how many offers he has received so far.

He has worked hard. He puts his best every single time. But, he always lacked the one thing that every star ought to possess, luck.

Maybe it is not just her. Maybe she was only in the right place at the right time with him. Things might have worked out even without her. Didn't his mom say his horoscope was showing potential? However, that is all just technicalities. What really matters is that he is here and so she is. They are together and they have created in these five months a saga professionally and personally that some could only dream of.

Ashwin was bought back from his intense thoughts by a hold on his palm that was placed in the table that reminded intact there even after she got her attention. She has ordered Ghee roast and rose milk for herself and now insisting that he chose something for him. Her father was standing few feet away talking over phone.