Falling in love after Marriage

Chapter 25

Vidhya's POV

*******

The day we met, Frozen I held my breath...

Right from the start...

I knew that I'd found a home for my heart beats fast, Colours and promises.

How to be brave?

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?

But watching you stand alone?

All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.

One step closer...

I have died every day waiting for you...

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you...

For a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more...

And all along I believed I would find you.

Time has brought your heart to me.

I have loved you for a thousand years...

I'll love you for a thousand more...

[Extract from 'A Thousand Years ' song from 'Twilight' movie.]

********

I woke up listening to the sweet voice of Christina Perri. I saw Janu folding the clothes and singing along. I smiled. I had a peaceful sleep after a long time. No more burden of guilt. I am feeling strong with my newly gained support from Janu.

"Good morning!"

I turned towards her with a yawn. She chuckled and shook her head.

"What?"

I asked sleepily.

"The time is 12.20 NOON."

I sat up immediately blinking and checked my phone in disbelief.

Did I really sleep so long? The answer is yes.

"We planned to do the packing?"

"That's okay. We will do it today as much as we can and will finish the balance tomorrow."

"Okay done."

I quickly freshened up and helped her to pack our books. We are going to keep them in my anna's apartment for 2 reasons. One - We may require those brick-like books for our internship. Two - These books are too heavy and highly space occupant to carry them to Kancheepuram and back here later.

We wrapped newspapers over each set of ten books and tied it with rope to make it easier for carrying. Anna will come and get our books and other items necessary for a hostel like our kettle, buckets, etc., to his apartment on the day we are vacating as we have to come back to Chennai for continuing our internship. We will be carrying only our dresses and accessories back to our home which could occupy our two big suitcases and our shoulder bags.

After having some quick bites of lunch, we resumed the work and almost finished three-fourth of the packing by evening. I called Ajay while having lunch and I talked to him only a few minutes because of the continuous teasing looks, clearing of the throat and fake coughs from Janu. He disconnected the call only after I promised him to have a long talk after finishing our work. Choo chweet!

We sat in comfortable silence with our coffee mugs, taking small-small sips of the heavenly drink. I looked at Janu expecting her to ask for the remaining details of my love, but she seems to enjoy her coffee with admiration. Uffff... This Woman!

"Won't you ask me for the remaining details?"

She smiled knowingly and sighed with a sad expression.

"Do I have a choice? I know even if I didn't want to hear that boring story of yours, you will tie me up in a chair to describe every single incident in detail. So start your blabbering."

I looked at her in disbelief and shook my head. She started laughing.

"Okay okay... Continue your autobiography."

I shot her a glare and resumed my 'Kaadhal kaaviyam' (Love story).

^ Flashback ^

I silenced my vibrating mobile for the 23rd time as Ajay has been calling me continuously. We are staying in my anna's apartment to celebrate my birthday. Yes, there would be no suspense or surprises for me about cake cutting. My anna and Janu went beyond the limit of atrocities by sending me to buy my own birthday cake and 'the worst part' is I have to pay the bill. At midnight, those two will wake me up and wish me 'happy birthday' and then ask me to make a wish while blowing the candle. Then in a flash of a moment, the whole frosting would be on our face. This is the routine of my birthdays.

My date of birth falls on April 14th, since it is Tamil New Year as well as Government holiday, also summer holidays, every year we will go out to different places in the name of my birthday celebration. However, those days would be filled with more fun and ended up as a beautifully memorable day. My anna and Janu will make sure of that. And the bonus of one's' birthday is GIFTS. My most expensive dreams would come true on this day.

I have been waiting for Janu to sleep, so I can speak to Ajay. But she is busily playing 'clash of clans' in her mobile. I silently walked to the kitchen in the name of 'filling water bottle'. He answered my call on the very first ring.

"Pirandha naal vaazhthukal Velakatti! Were the celebrations over? Or am I disturbing you?"

[Pirandha naal vaazhthukal: Happy birthday!

Velakatti's actual meaning is palm sugar, which is commonly used as an endearment to state the person is sweet]

"Thank you very much, Ajay. And yes, just now washed away the frosting from my face"

I smiled at his endearment. I heard him chuckling at my response which leads my smile to grow bigger. Even though I didn't confess my feeling for him yet, I couldn't help my instant reactions.

"What's your plan for tomorrow? Is there any possibility for us to meet?"

Wow! He wants to meet me! But with my anna and Janu, how can I find a way to go alone? But I too want to meet him.

"I really want to meet you, Ajay. But I don't know yet what they planned for tomorrow. They will tell me about it in the morning. I will let you know tomorrow. Okay?"

"Yeah. That's fine. Enjoy the day to the fullest and call me if you want anything. It's getting late. Go and have some beauty sleep, Velakatti. Sweet dreams. Bye."

"Sure. Good night. Bye."

I entered the room with a smile and noticed Janu already fast asleep. I wrapped a blanket over her and hopped next to her. I wrapped myself with another blanket and drifted off to my dream world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I came out of the shower and inhaled the divinely aroma of appam, automatically my legs carried me to the kitchen. My Anna was cooking appam. Janu is sitting on the kitchen counter and enjoying the appam and sweet coconut milk. I quickly went near her to steal some bites from her plate. She flashed a bright smile and hugged me and wished me once again. My anna joined her and wished me. Then Janu gave me the plate and she swapped anna to let him eat. Our parents and Akash anna wished me over the phone. It's been really hard for me to celebrate my birthday away from my parents during the first year of my college, but eventually, I got used to it. Some of my friends called me too.

[Appam is a variety of pancake/crepe made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk. It tastes heavenly when you eat it with sweetened coconut milk.]

"So what is today's plan?"

"As you completed 21 years, we planned to take you to 21 famous temples in Chennai."

My anna told thoughtfully. I looked at him expecting to tell that is not true but he was so keen on eating. So I looked at Janu for help but she is smiling more sweetly at me. This can't be. I am not against going to one or two temples. But they can't expect me to follow them to TWENTY-ONE temples. Why do they want me to spend my whole day in Temple?

No damn way!

But I decided to play along. Maybe this is a prank. I prayed to God for the same.

"Have you listed out the temples? Shall I have a look?"

My anna choked on his food on my reply. Usually, I would have turned to concerned sister mode and gave him water but that is not happening now. Janu laughed and gave him water then patted his head.

"Tell me the real plan. NOW"

"First, we are going to Mylapore Shivan temple and Sai Baba temple. Then we are going to Muttukadu. We will get lunch there. Akash too suggested me a place for lunch. Then we will return home. We can watch some movie or play some game here. I can cook dinner or if you have any wish to try something, we can go out."

Wow! I mean WOW! Muttukaduuuu! That's my longtime wish to go boating. Yes!

Thank you very much, God!

I expressed my happiness by giving kisses to them and urged them to get ready quickly. I wore my comfortable coral/peach coloured kurti with black jean. Janu is wearing a blue jean kurti and white Patiala pant. Anna is in dark green T-shirt and his full sleeve rolled till his elbow paired with blue jean.

We drove to both temples and did Archanai.

(Archanai is a special, personal, abbreviated puja done by temple priests, in which the name, birth star and family lineage of a devotee are recited to invoke individual guidance and blessings.)

Then we proceeded to Muttukadu. Usually, I prefer to sit next to my anna but today I joined Janu in the back seat to play multiplayer 'Fruit Ninja' game. As my anna complained that he was feeling left out, we kept my mobile aside and had some serious discussion over the lunch menu. We reached there within an hour. We looked funny in those orange life jackets but safety cannot be compromised.

I chose to ride the rowboat first as I always wished to use the oars while riding the boat. It may be slow but the fun will be more. The boat driver initially denied giving me the oar for safety purpose but we managed to change his mind. I satisfied with using the oar for one side as it weighed heavy. After that, we tried the pedal boat and water scooter. Ultimately, we had a lot of fun.

We went to the ECR Dhaba restaurant. The ambience is very nice. We ordered prawn biriyani and chicken fried rice for the main course and crab lollipop and chilli fish for side-dish. Yum! My amma and athai might scold us for eating non-vegetarian food after coming from the temple. But who cares. We tried their special kulfi for dessert. The food is fabulicious but a little pricey. They too had live park consisting of doves, rabbits and many others. We fed grains for dove and played with rabbit. I thanked Akash anna over the phone for suggesting a wonderful place on this day. We left the restaurant with our stomach and mind feeling happy. I updated my f*******: account with all the fun I had till now, as indirectly it will make Ajay know about my day. We reached the apartment by 3.45 PM.

We freshened up and decided to take a short nap as we all felt soooo tried. While I have been replying to the wishes on f*******:, I got a 'Miss you' message from Ajay. My heart melted at the message and I immediately wanted to meet him as I am too missing him. I found Janu already passed out on the sofa. My anna was in his room, probably in his dreamworld now. I don't have much time to make a decision. My heart obviously wants me to make use of the situation. So I decided to go with my heart even though it has more risks.

I quickly changed in a black casual shirt and blue jean. I made a note telling that my friend wants to meet me and I will be back soon. And messaged the same to both of the sleepy heads. I took my mobile and purse then called Ajay to meet me in the nearby coffee shop.

He showed up in fifteen minutes. I watched him straightening his shirt and combing his hair with his hand seeing his bike mirror. I smiled at his efforts and pretend to be using mobile.

He sat opposite me and took hold of my right hand and wished me a happy birthday. I froze on his bold touch and blushed. He asked me to tell about the day in detail. I described everything excitedly over a coffee. He didn't leave my hand all the time. He just held it in his hand and pressed softly sometimes.

I couldn't decipher the meaning of all these actions. I don't want him to tell me all these things mean nothing but just friendship. That's why I buried my urge to tell him about how much I am deeply in love with him.

After a few minutes of staring at our joined hand in silence, I noticed him watching me. I sighed and smiled at him. His smile extended.

"Will you give me the privilege of taking you for a ride?"

Had he already prepared for how to speak or it's his talent to speak in a way, so the other person couldn't say no!

I never roamed around with my male friends. I maintained a certain distance between them. But Ajay is always an exception in my life. Seeing my hesitation he added a please with his innocent look. Damn! No way I could tell 'no' to him. I smiled and nodded. He leads me to his bike.

I hesitated to get on to his bike as there is no going back. He looked at me and unfolded the footrest for me. I smiled at his caring gesture and hopped onto his bike and kept my hands on his shoulders for support, maintaining some good distance between our bodies. But it doesn't matter for my body to have the chemical reactions. Stupid hormones!

The ride was comfortably silent. He stopped in between in a shop to buy something. He asked to wait near the bike so I am oblivious of what he is planning. We drove for about 30 minutes. Absentmindedly I leaned my head over his shoulder, cherishing our togetherness. I noticed the place becoming more secluded. He stopped his bike on the corner of the road.

"Come with me. I want to show you something."

I simply nodded and continued his lead. The place is filled with thick trees. I am now getting very curious about what he is planning. Suddenly he stopped walking and handed over the bag he had been carrying and closed my eyes with his hands. He is making my curiosity to starve. He instructed my every step and finally, we stopped at a place. I feel like I am now standing over some rock and in an open place as I could feel the heated sun rays on me and the uneven hard surface under me.

He finally released my eyes. I blinked a few times to adjust my eyes with the light. I don't know how he found this awesome spot in the midst of this busy city. The view is really a great feast for my eyes. I turned around and saw the distant version of Chennai and the place behind me is almost like the forest with the density of trees. To add beauty to this scene, the sun is getting lower and lower.

He asked me to sit on the rock to watch the sunset. And gave me some juice and chips to watch this lively scene. I laughed at him for thinking to get snacks. He looked at me with adoration and I turned my face to take more of the scene in front of me as I couldn't meet his gaze. I took some snap of the scenery around me to paint it afterwards. I took some selfie and took back up in google drive to delete it from mobile.

"I found this spot accidentally when I had a fight with my parents during my high school. Then I will come here whenever I want to have some peaceful time or to make some major decisions in my life. Sometimes I have spent the night here watching the stars to reduce my frustration. This place always provided me comfort."

I looked at him with a smile while he telling me about his special memories of this place.

"You are the first person, I am bringing here."

He almost whispered this sentence. I blushed and turned my concentration on the sun which is almost down now.

This birthday feels so perfect. And every moment will be perfect for me to spend time with the love of my life.

As the place is getting darker, we decided to go back. Out of nowhere, the rain started while we were on half the way. We ran towards the bike only to see it is an open place with only the road lying in the centre. There is no place to take shelter, so I decided to enjoy the rain as we already drenched totally. He tried to drag me back to his bike so we can reach the city. But I stopped him. I removed the band from my ponytail and let the rain envelop me completely. After about 5 minutes, the rain stopped like it hadn't happened here.

We finally reached his bike. He quickly opened his seat and wrapped his jerkin over my shoulder. I smiled and muttered a thank you. He didn't let go of the jerkin yet and seemed like having some internal battle. He slowly leaned toward me. My eyes widened realizing what is going to happen. I couldn't think straight. Do I want this to happen or not? Before I could contemplate the situation he pulled me into a hug and rested his chin above my head. I listened to our accelerated heartbeats and buried my face into his chest with my hands locked around his torso.

"I love you soooooooo much Vidhya"

He released me and looked at my stiffened state. He looked at my shocked face with confusion. Then like he realized what just happened now, I heard him whispering to himself. His face turned into the panic state. He increased the distance between us and avoided eye contact then totally turned his back to me.

I couldn't decipher his reaction. Is it because of his regret for telling me that or he is anxious about my reply?

If he really meant what he said, I would be the happiest person in the whole universe. So I am not the only person carrying those feelings. It's mutual. I smiled so hard and on the verge of happy tears. But the reality strikes me. What if, he didn't mean to say it and it came out of his mouth in just heat of the moment. I don't want him to be sad. After all, he made me enjoy my birthday evening by bringing me here. He added beauty to the day. Despite thinking the positives, my heart ached at the truth of not able to get his love. I should not spoil his happiness.

I placed my hand over his shoulder. His body tensed up but didn't turn to face me.

"I will understand if you said that by mistake. Don't regret it. I will take it as a friend...(Sigh) a friend confessed his affection."

I ignored the bitterness of my words and the lump formed in my throat. He instantly turned around with the mixed expression of sadness and anger.

"I didn't regret confessing my love for you. I do love you Vidhya. (Sigh) I wanted to make my proposal more memorable and special. And also I am not intended to tell you too soon. You have your studies to complete. I don't want to be a distra.."

I cut him off giving him a bone-crushing hug. I ignored his whining and hold him tightly to ensure myself this is not a dream. The only thing I am chanting in my mind is 'HE LOVES ME'

Yes! Yes! Yes!

I feel.. whole! complete!

Millions of thanks to God.

This day could not be better. The best day of my life.

WOW! Ajay loves me.

I released him and looked into his eyes.

"I love you romba neraiya Ajay"

(I love you so much, Ajay)

He flashed a big grin and hugged me again.

"Love you too, Vidhya. I will be always there for you. I have been with many girls as a friend before. But I don't find the pull towards them like I felt, on looking at you. On the first day itself, I wanted to propose to you. I would have reacted badly if someone scolded me or advised me. But I couldn't get angry on you that day. I adored your anger and I couldn't think straight with you. My mind and heart suddenly threw everything out on seeing you and filled me with only you. I want to cherish you for the lifetime. Will you allow me to do so? "

Wow! My all imaginary rehearsals of him proposing me couldn't be better than the real him. God! I love him so much.

"Yes, Ajay. You are the one and only person to stir the unknown feelings inside me. I never felt this way with anyone. It feels so perfect to spend time with you. Your simple touch is enough to make chemical reactions inside me. I never hide things from Janu. You know, how close we are. But you are making me do things which I very well knew that I would not get approval from my family. My heart trusts you blindly and wants to follow you. I never go out with a man other than my family. Your presence makes me feel so alive. What are you doing to me, Ajay? "

I looked at him to get some answers that had been nagging my mind since our first meet. But he offered me just a smile. I mirrored his smile and looked at his gorgeous eyes.

He placed his forehead over mine with his eyes closed. I smiled and let him stay like that. He spoke with his eyes still closed.

"It's getting late. Your anna and Janu will be worried. Let's go. Don't worry. We will come often here in future"

I smiled crazily at his plan for our future. The ride back home was filled with comfortable silence and like earlier, I enjoyed the ride with my head leaning on his shoulder and holding his another shoulder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I entered the apartment with a dreamy smile thinking about him saying that he misses me so much that sometimes he was thinking of kidnapping me while saying bye to me. He dropped me a few steps away from the apartment.

"Where have you been Vidhu? Why do you look like a drenched crow? It didn't seem rained outside"

I froze on my steps, on hearing the voice of Janu. I quickly composed myself.

"Shruthy tortured me to meet her. So I just went to meet her and caught in the rain in that place."

"Is it? I don't know that you are this much close with her. What do you do?"

"We had coffee with talk and she gave me this gift"

I showed her the bag knowing I couldn't hide physical things away from her. And it has the benefit that I could handle whatever inside, in front of her without any questions. I smiled as the line he said while giving me the present after dropping me her.

'A little birthday present for my lovely artist'

She nodded and urged to change my wet dress.

I freshened up and dried my hair. My anna is now sitting on the sofa oblivious of what happened.

"Sorry, Vidhu. I overslept."

He yawned. I shook my head.

"No problem anna. I really enjoyed the day"

He smiled sleepily. With his state, it is not a good idea to take him out or asking him to cook. Janu and I can cook, but I am too lazy to cook now.

"Anna, I don't feel like going out. Shall we order something from dominos?"

"If that is what you want, order for me too"

He yawned again. He must be really tired.

I asked Janu's help to select the menu and order in the nearby outlet.

After the dinner, I opened his gift and found the painter's charm silver necklace with matching earrings.

Damn! He is awesome. Now I understood his implication of 'lovely artist'.

I texted him 'Thank you for the wonderful gift and making my day complete with your LOVE.'

He replied with 'I love you. Anything for you.'

^ End of the Flashback ^

I smiled sheepishly at my smirking cousin.

"Why do I feel like I just saw a boring love movie?"

She added with crunching her nose. I smacked her head and muttered 'shut up'. She rubbed her head and glared at me.

"Make sure you don't do any censored things! Else I will kill that jerk"

I failed to hide my blushing self and escaped from her by excusing myself to take a shower to wash off the dust accumulated on me while packing our things. I heard her yelling, 'Then I will take it as yes' from the room. I shook my head and turned on the shower.