We arrive at the farmers market and the first thing that I see as I step out of the car is the silver outlined sky blue clouds in the dark sky. It isn't sunny anymore and that makes my already anxious self feel more nervous. Something about the sun keeps me normal.

During the drive, I had begged Elliot, again and again, to let me off his lap and he, being the ever so stubborn handsome jerk he is, had granted my wishes after a long time. He loved to infuriate me, that bastard.

"I feel like it's going to rain," I say as Elliot comes to join me outside the car.

He looks up at the sky and then anoints his gaze on me, "yup. I hope it does, it's been a very hot week," he comments.

We walk a few steps when he suddenly stops as the big umbrellas come into our view.

"What happened?" I ask him.

He shakes his head, "nothing," and he starts to walk in small steps.

A smile creeps on my lips at his awkward behaviour as I figure out what is wrong with him. On realising that my gaze is on him, he asks me, " why are you smiling?"

"Why are you being awkward?" I counter-question, rolling my lips inside my mouth afterwards.

"Ah...who said I'm awkward? I'm extremely relaxed," he replies stubbornly.

I stop walking and fold my arms in front of my chest. He keeps on walking ahead. After a few moments, he feels my absence and turns around to look at me.

"What?" He questions.

"I'm not moving further until and unless you tell me what's wrong with you?"

"Come close," he directs me.

I walk close to him till there's one arm's distance between us.

"More close," he says, softly.

I step closer to him and now we're feet to feet.

He begins to say something but I cut him off before he can utter anything.

"Don't tell me to step any closer because I'm not ready for what might happen," I warned him.

A wondrous curiosity flashes through his eyes and I know he's taking in the depth of my words. I have a feeling that he understands the meaning and gravity of my sentence because somehow we're the same yet different in the very best way.

"What are you scared of?" He asks me after a few seconds.

"You," I answer honestly, my voice barely a whisper. If we weren't standing so close, I'm sure that my voice would've been a part of my subconscious and not an actual sound.

His face contorts in displeasure and he asks ms, "what do you mean by that?"

Embarrassment catches onto me and combined with my clueless gut, as I have no idea what I said, my cheeks redden and I fumble with my words.

"Actually....I don't exactly know-," thankfully I got saved by the ringing of my phone.

Elliot's scorn converts into a scowl and I can see the anger behind his irises.

I take out the phone from my back pocket and I read the name James on it. I look up at Elliot and he scoffs and looks to the side in disgust and he walks away figuring out that I need some space to attend to the call.

Well he doesn't like the fact that we got disturbed.

When he is a safe distance away from me, I press the phone to my ear and speak in a hushed voice, "yes, James."

"We need to talk," he says urgently.

"About what?" I ask him confused about the state of matter.

"About stuff that I can't tell you over the phone call. Our calls are being tapped. We're under surveillance, Char," he waits for me to answer.

"Okay. We'll meet tomorrow. I'll text you the timings when I get home after I clear up my schedule," I talk fast.

"Bye," he cuts the call abruptly and I can't help but find it very suspicious. Why did it seem like he was in such a hurry and why would somebody tap our calls?

"Are you alright?" Elliot asks as I'm pretty sure I must've appeared deep in my thoughts.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"You have that look on your face," he points out.

I fixed him with a confused stare, "what face?"

"That thinking face. It makes your face swell like a pumpkin," he says seriously.

Incredulously, I look at him and he laughs at the shocked expression on my face.

"Do you mean to say my face is swollen?" I ask him, irritated at his obnoxious comment.

"No! You have an extremely beautiful face, it just swells up when you're thinking too hard," he says smilingly.

I take a moment to absorb his carefree demeanour. He has let himself loose. He's got that boyish vibe, freedom-to-live-my-life-like-it's-the-last-day kind of smile and I don't know why, but his smile energised my sulking soul and made me forget the terrific phone call James and I had.

He rolls up his sleeves and my mind is running on a hot runway. Hot!

Damn, he looks so hot!

His arms aren't extremely toned but they seem stiff because of the amount of work he does.

He finds me staring at him.

"You were right," he admits although I don't know what he is admitting to?

"About what?" I raise my eyebrow as we start to walk side by side towards the market.

"I was feeling awkward earlier, but now I'm calm. Relaxed," he says, as he runs his fingers through his hair. His golden watch rotated around his wrist as it seemed a bit loose. I need to ask him about that.

"Why were you awkward?" I question him. Although I feel like I know the answer, I want him to say it.

"I've never been to a farmer's market before. This is a first for me, " he says as he stuffs his hands inside the pockets of his pants. Defence mechanism!

He feels like he's opening up, that's why he is compensating, trying to protect himself, somehow.

I can't stop myself from touching his shoulder. I place a firm hand on the top of his shoulder and squeeze it and I feel him go rigid underneath my palm. He suddenly turns his head with a sudden jerk, I fear that it would've cracked if he did it even faster.

"It's alright. You didn't miss much," I say, reassuring him.

He shakes his head as if he's frustrated, "it's not about that. It's just that I've not been able to do the most random things. Like I've never even had a-," he stops talking.

I looked at him, waiting to continue, but he didn't.

I'm shocked when he removes my hand from his shoulder, very tightly pulling it away. My stomach drops.

I feel my cheeks getting hot as the humiliation rushes inside me.

But it quickly vanishes away, when instead of throwing my hand, he links our hands together and slips his fingers inside mine. He doesn't look at me and neither do I.

He clasps his hand with mine, tightly till I'm sure my hand matches the temperature of his hand and he takes me around the shops.

I gather all the vegetables I need. I admire him when he becomes shocked at the prices of some vegetables. I tolerate his whining and complaining when he says that it's taking too long. If somebody else did it, I would be so annoyed but when he does it, it's endearing.

He's endearing.

And when I find him walking around spewing assholish complaints and jerkish manoeuvres at me Instead of wanting to smack him on the head, I stand to smile at him. I capture his videos, silently on my phone. I let him be, let him connect with the lost Elliot inside of him.

As I stand and just look at him, I realise that I like him.

As I find myself in acceptance of my feelings towards him, I know that I can't look at him the same way I used to before.

For me, everything has changed.

I know this is harmful to me- having feelings for someone who might never feel that way for me.

As I stand there, lost in my thoughts, I don't realise that it has started to rain.

Instinctively, my eyes fly around here and there, trying to find only one person who matters to me, now.

How is it possible that I have....feelings for him?

"Char, come here. What are you doing standing over there," I heard him shouting at me as he stood under a big umbrella shaded shop of broccoli and cauliflower.

I walk towards him and smile.

Yes. That's it. That simple.

His face comes in front of me and my face breaks out into a smile on its own.

That is how weak I am.

How did he manage to get so deep inside my bones?

Does timing even matter for feelings?

Is there no rule for the time that you require to harbour feelings for someone like, there is for everything inside physics?

I reach near him under the protection of umbrella and he grabs the shopping packets from my hands and lays them on the ground.

I smirk at him.

"What?" He narrows his eyes at me.

I wink.

His eyes widen, "don't you dare, Char," he warns me.

So sorry, Elliot. I have my doubts that need to be answered.

I keep my face towards him and start running backward. Now I'm under the rain and he's under the umbrella.

I'm in the storm while he's in the safe.

"Why are you doing this?" He shouts.

Since it's raining people have cleared out the market and it's only us and the shopkeeper here.

The shopkeeper is smiling like we're two fools.

"Join me, Elliot, "I scream back, a grin on my face.

"Absolutely not. You come back, right now," he commands.

"Nope. Come and get me," I challenge him.

"No. You do as I say," he replies.

"Why?" I question back.

"Because..... Because...I'm your boss," he threatens me.

I laugh at that, "Oh c'mon now. At least get a better joke," I tease him.

He tightens his fists. He steps a bit forward and then he extends his hand. The rain strikes his hand, "damnit," he mutters and runs out under the piercing rain.

He reaches me and smacks me in the head lightly, "you fool, why can't you do as you're told for once in your lifetime," he speaks angrily.

I put my hand on his chest and pull him closer to me, "why did you come under the rain when you didn't want to do it at all," I ask him.

His eyes search for the reason behind my words as he stares at me with a glare that is making me cringe and drown in a pool of emotions at the same time.

"You will get sick, Charlotte. I suggest you stop talking and walk out of this rain wreck or I will carry you," he warns me.

I stand on my tiptoes and place my forehead against his as I feel his beating heart under my palms. The rain makes some centimetres of pools around us and the most beautiful thing is- it wets his lips.

Gosh! He's beautiful.

Even when he's drenched, messy, and angry, he manages to look perfect.

"Why are you worried about me? Do you care about me, Elliot?" I managed to ask him a question that had been twisting my gut. Why is he giving me so much of his precious time, when he is the master of deadlines?He knows what time can do, so for him, to waste so much of it on me, obviously makes me wonder.

"Yes. Charlotte, I care about you. It makes me extremely worried if you get sick tomorrow," he speaks gently this time. He says it as he means it and that is reflected in his eyes. It is enough for me to yield to him.

He moves closer to me and I don't object. His nose brushed against mine, I don't object. His breath is on my lips, I don't object.

It is when his lips graze against mine, that I kiss him.

I can't control myself. From the way he is kissing me, I know for a fact he is also lost in the moment just as I am.

This kiss is powerful and fearless.

But it is also treacherous.

This kiss could mean everything or it could be dust off as nothing,tomorrow.

Pushing all the insecurities aside, I focus on the way he is conducting his passionate attack on my lips. His hands come to rest on both sides of my cheek and my palms, grab him by his collars and pull his body into me.

Our wet bodies collide and lips fix with each other like a complete jigsaw puzzle.

He stops the kiss and pushes me back and I am shocked.

He looks like a mad animal as he looks at me like he is angry at this situation.

My poor self doesn't know how to feel. Should I feel happy, satisfied, or cry myself a river?

"Tell me, are you going to say this was a mistake?" He asked me. His tone was acid.

"Is it a mistake to you?" I ask him, instead.

How am I supposed to answer what he asked!

"I asked you first," he says, his hands opening and closing at his sides in frustration as the rain pours over him, making him look even more menacing and beautiful than he already is.

I am cold.

Suddenly, something switches inside me as I look at him.

How dare he kiss me and then push me away?

I move closer to him in one swift move, "you want to kiss, kiss like a man. Don't bitch about it later," I say and then I attach my lips to his.

He kisses me back automatically but it's like my words register in his mind and strike his male ego a couple of seconds later because he pulls me closer by my waist harshly. His one hand snakes upwards on my back and he pulls my hair. I hiss, as I feel some pain in my scalp but I soon forget about it as he bites on my lips slowly. As soon as I open my mouth, he inserts his tongue into my mouth.

Like our human nature and our dynamic of tom and jerry, our tongues fight for dominance.

But who am I to last against him?

I lost to him, gladly.

I give in to him. I let him play around with my tongue the way he wants to. I let him hold me the way he wants to. I let him kiss me the way he wants to.

And when he breaks apart, I remain silent.

When he picks me up bridal style, while looking into my eyes, I stay quiet.

When he places my body inside his car, I stay silent.

He stares at my lips after fastening the seat belt around me, but he doesn't kiss me. I feel my heartbeat fasten. I want to let him know that it's always okay to kiss me.

I'm dying inside as he shakes his head while backing out. I can't have it. I need him to kiss me.

I grab his hand and he looks shocked by my sudden movement.

I put his hand on my heart and we stay in silence as I wait for him to figure out what I'm trying to tell him because I feel we both have one thing in common-both of us don't understand the language of words.

"I am a girl who talks with her body, eyes, and actions instead of words, Elliot. You want answers, figure me out because I can lie very easily with my words," I breathe out.

Something changes in his eyes. He looks away from me for some time.

When he looks back, I know his barriers are up. He takes his hand back from my heart and backs out of the car. Before he can close my door, he gives me one longing glance.

He comes back and places a kiss on my forehead.

He slides inside the car and starts to drive silently and throughout the whole drive, I wonder one thing- what is it that's troubling him?

I know he feels something for me.

He cares for me, then why can't he let his guard down for me?

***
Author's note
Hi luvs
I feel like I'm back with a chapter after a long time.
Work days are endless (red tay version)
Let me know, if you like this one.
And yes, imp question
What kind of a character do you think Elliot is?
Love, Leena ❤❤
Bye -bye, until next time.