Chapter 41

Aadhi was so lost in ogling at Rishi that she failed to notice Rishi was watching her. Her trance broke when Rishi’s palm touched her cheek.

Rishi: Aadhu…

Aadhi gasped realizing his cold palm on her cheek. His intense gaze pierced through her soul and stirred all the emotions and hormones in her.

Rishi: You look so beautiful Aadhu, I feel like my heart is so weak and I m scared it might forget to beat.

Aadhi: Cheesy…

Rishi moved closer to her and traced her cheek with his thumb.

Rishi: The way you look at me, your smile everything reminds me of a song Aadhu.

Aadhi: Did you ever look after your business ? I seriously doubt you did after everything you learnt for me.

Rishi: You are my everything Aadhu,  business and everything else comes after you. I work for us so business is not just life but you are Aadhu.

Aadhi: Who are you and where is my grumpy Rishu ? Now I m waiting for the lyrics.

Rishi:

Aval kangalodu iru nooraandu
Mookkin azhagodu munnooraandu
Aval azhagin kathakadhappil
Aandu ainooru

Rishi: I have watched your eyes a lot of times Aadhu even when I pushed you away from me. The more I watched, the more I was losing myself. You are the cutest and the most adorable human being baby.

Oru paarvaiyilae ennai
Uraiya vaithaai
Siru punnagaiyaal
Ennai uruga vaithaai

Rishi: There was a point I felt my body shiver at your gaze. I could watch you smile all my life. I don’t need food or water, just your smile can lit up my life and energize me.

Ada naan endra aanavam
Azhiya vaithaai
Un paarvaiyil ennai paniya vaithaai

En aaradi uyarathai abagarithaai
Un kaaldayil ennai kaniya vaithaai
En aaradi uyarathai abagarithaai
Un kaaldayil ennai kaniya vaithaai

Rishi pressed his lips on her eyelids and Aadhi fisted his T shirt against his chest.

Rishi: You won the whole of me Aadhu, I m proud that surrendered to you. I m happy to be Aadhu’s Rishu.

Aadhi pulled him and kissed his forehead and tears rolled down from the corner of her eyes on hearing his confession. Rishi wiped those tears and kissed her cheek. He looked at her lips and then back at her eyes. Aadhi closed her eyes and their lips met in a passionate kiss. He pulled her lower lip with his teeth gently seeking for entry and Aadhi gave in happily. Rishi couldn’t hold anymore and pulled her above him without breaking the kiss. He set her hair loose from the high bun and raked his fingers through her hair pulling her closer.

Rishi felt his blood rushing to his south and broke the kiss. With a gentle kiss on her forehead he laid her next to him with a pillow between their lower body to cover up his boner.

Rishi: I think we should stop here before we forget the decision we made for our life. I don’t want to scare you with my desires.

Aadhi: Is that why you placed a pillow ?

Rsihi groaned and crushed her in his embrace and inhaled her fragrance from the crook of her neck.

Rishi: I know you read stories so you have idea on what is happening to me. My desires are visible while your desires might not visible or may be to a little extent only. Agree ?

Aadhi bobed her head and Rishi kissed her earlobe. Aadhi felt his breathe turning hot and gulped feeling her own breathe turning hot.

Rishi: Sleep baby.

Rishi mumbled and started caressing her back and hair. They drifted into sleep in each other’s embrace.

Vimal arrived at his home late night and saw Manjari sitting on the floor looking at their wedding album. Without a word he made his way to the closet and returned after a while changed into a track pant and T shirt. He was about walk past her but Manjari held his leg to stop him.

Manjari: Seems like you are in a happy bubble after witnessing your sister marry for the second time.

Vimal: Is it bothering you now that she found her happiness after a year ?

Manjari: No Vimal, I m happy for her and my brother. I just want to question do I even exist in your life anymore ? I really regret everything I did Vimal. You had a heart to forgive my brother after everything he did to her, Aadhi was able to forgive him so why can’t you forgive me ? Don’t you see I m left all alone Vimal, no one wants me here, my parents doesn’t want me in their life, my brother hate me, I m going mad and at times, I feel like giving up everything and end my life. Losing our baby was not intentional, it was an accident. Don’t you know how happy I was for our baby ? Please Vimal, give me a chance.

Vimal crouched before her and wiped her tears.

Vimal: Fine, one chance but I will never try convince my parents or your parents about accepting you back. You should be the one to earn their trust. Also I can’t be the same lovey dovey Vimal anymore or atleast not immediately. I need time to let you slowly in the space we shared once. I hope you don’t mess up even before we enter into our bubble.

Manjari: No, I will never mess. I learnt my lesson Vimal. Thank you, thank you so much for forgiving me.

She hugged him and Vimal pat her head and rose to his feet holding her hand. He laid on the bed and Manjari immediately laid her head over his chest praying he would not push her just like he did all these months. To her surprise Vimal did not push her and closed his eyes gently holding her.

The next morning Vimal woke up and saw Manjari all ready and leaving the room. He has always watched her sulking to leave the room since she wasn’t a person who would to love to work or socialize with others so watch her leave the room with a smile was really surprising.

He got ready and entered the dining and was even more surprised to see her placing plates and smiling at him. His parents as always ignored Manjari and even stopped her from serving them. Manjari served Vimal and to herself. She followed him to the room and watched him pick his wallet ready to leave for work.

Manjari: Have a nice day Vimal, I will miss you.

She hugged him and kissed his cheek before he left home.

At Goa, Rishi and Aadhi were asleep and Rishi woke up first. He felt contented on seeing Aadhi cuddling him, she had her arm wrapped around his waist, their legs were entangled. He was holding her against his chest, his hand around her waist. With a smile he pressed his lips on her crown and waited for her to wakeup since he didn’t want to disturb her sleep.

30 minutes later Aadhi stirred in her sleep and snuggled into his chest. Feeling her movement Rishi closed his eyes immediately pretending to sleep. Feeling warm Aadhi opened her eyes and saw she was cuddling with Rishi. She raised her head and smiled on seeing him asleep. Slowly she moved out of his embrace and proped on her elbows to watch his face.

Aadhi: I love you Rishu, how did my grumpy uncle change into a lover boy ?

She smiled and kissed his cheek gently but gasped on a seeing him wide awake. Rishi chuckled on seeing reaction and pulled her above him.

Rishi: Stingy, why don’t you be generous and give a dirty kiss ? A perfect way to start our day.

Rishi leaned closer to kiss her but Aadhi placed her palm stopping him.

Aadhi: Yuck, we haven’t brushed our teeth yet Rishu. Let me go now.

Rishi: Nothing about you is dirty baby, just one kiss, please.

Rishi plead squinting his eyes and Aadhi gave in. When she was out of breathe she pulled back and Rishi was grinning moving the hair behind her ear. Aadhi leaned close to his ear and kissed his ear lobe. Rishi crushed her a little to the sensation from her kiss.

Aadhi: Rishu, you forgot to place pillow between us.

Aadhi mumbled and jumped out of his embrace laughing loud. Rishi felt his boner twitch and he immediately turned away pulling a comforter. Aadhi continued to laugh and Rishi glared at her.

Rishi threw the comforter and rushed to catch her but Aadhi scurried to the washroom and shut the door before he could catch her. Her cheeks turned red, she couldn’t remove the feel of his boner pressed against her thigh.

Rishi: Aadhu, let me remind you that you will be experiencing this, every time we kiss.

Aadhu: Is it ? How about we don’t kiss then ?

Rishi: Cruel girl, get ready and lets plan for today. I m leaving the room so come out to pick your clothes.

Rishi walked out closing the door behind him and Aadhi walked out to pick her clothes. An hour later they were ready and Rishi ordered breakfast for them.

Rishi: Our tickets are ready. Tomorrow we are leaving for Maldives. What do you want to do today ?

Aadhi: How about watching a movie ?

Rishi: Alright its a movie marathon and we shall visit the beach in the evening.

They finished breakfast and Rishi placed a mattress and ordered for juice, snacks and popcorn. Later he closed all the curtains and switched off the lights to create the perfect ambience to watch movie. Aadhi watched him place pillows and arrange the snacks and place the remote. He plopped on the mattress and pulled Aadhi to sit beside him and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Rishi: All ready to watch a movie Aadhu, now choose a movie. You watch the movie and I will watch you.

Aadhi pushed his face to look at the TV and protesting her Rishi laid his head on her lap and picked a pack of potato chips. He opened the packet and fed her a piece while Aadhi was going through the movie list.

Rishi: Aadhu, I wish we had a normal life, I mean childhood. Obviously my mother carried me in her arms and raised me but I don’t remember sleeping with my head on her lap. I always yearned for it.

Aadhi: There are lot of children who are still stuck in such family conditions Rishu. If you consider our families, its only you and me who are out of the boundaries set by them. My brother and Manjari are still stuck.

Rishi: What do you think that is stopping them from breaking those boundaries ?

Aadhi: You and me are free but we lost the family we had once. We were too bound in the love for them despite the rules they forced upon us which stopped us from leaving the bubble they put around us. Vimal bro and Manjari are still stuck in the bubble, my brother love our parents and he has some duty to care for them so he couldn’t leave them. Love and sentiment are two strong emotions that has the power to either ruin a person or bring out the best of him/her. I don’t know if you accept but both love and being sentiment doesn’t let us to come out of it and it makes us vulnerable and difficult to leave the person with whom we feel connected with love and sentiment. Very few find the courage in them to walk out of it.

Rishi was stunned to hear the level of maturity in her speech.

Rishi: You are the first person I have ever seen to walk out of that vulnerability. Like always you impress me and I admire you wholly. I m proud of you Aadhu and thank you for giving me the courage to walk out of it.

Aadhi: You are wrong Rishu, we walked out of one bubble and entered into a new bubble as Aadhu and Rishu. Am I right ?

Rishi sat up startled and looked at Aadhi with a shocked expression.

Rishi: Aadhu….ofcourse we are in a bubble but a healthy one. We will be equal and definitely no rules will restrict us. We shall live to our comfort.

Aadhi burst out laughing and pinched his cheek. Rishi once again laid his head on her lap.

Aadhi: I know Rishu, I loved the reaction though. Now lets watch the movie.

She played a romcom and they started watching the movie but Rishi couldn’t concentrate on the movie and stole kisses every now and then. He held her hand and kissed her fingers. Aadhi felt an entire zoo in her tummy every time he kissed her.

 In the evening they both got dressed in a shorts and shirt and arrived at the beach. Rishi bought cotton candy for them before they got seated by the shore.

Rishi: You are the one fullfilling all my wishes that I missed in my childhood. My granny used to be very strict and we were forced to eat only food cooked at home. At a point I hated everything that was denied to me.

Aadhi: Better late than never Rishu, lets explore everything together.

She smiled and leaned on his shoulder and played with bracelet she gifted him. Rishi felt happy and leaned his head over her head and together they watched the waves before they played in the waters.