Meenakshi was in the kitchen preparing coffee. Usually, she returned to the bedroom only after finishing all her chores but today she suddenly felt the urgent need to use the bathroom. Without thinking much, she hurried toward the bedroom.
Inside the room, Aakash had already woken up and was doing his usual workout.
He was doing push-ups, wearing only track pants. His well-toned body flexed with every movement as he lowered and lifted himself, his muscles tightened like they had been carefully sculpted.
Meenakshi opened the door and Aakash immediately scrambled to his feet, quickly looking for the shirt he had discarded nearby.
Meenakshi gasped in shock when she saw his bare upper body. Realizing his discomfort, she quickly turned around and shut the door behind her, facing away from him.
Aakash grabbed his shirt and hurriedly put it on.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you would be awake and doing your workout.” Meenakshi said, still facing the door.
“You can turn around now and I’m sorry too. It’s my fault that I was shirtless, knowing that we share the same room. Please forgive me. Usually you don’t enter the room unless I’m ready to leave for work.” Aakash said and gave a small, awkward smile.
Meenakshi finally turned to face him.”You’re right, but I had to use the bathroom urgently. Don’t worry, you can continue your workout. I’ll just use the bathroom outside.” she said and turned to leave but Aakash stopped her.
“No, use the bathroom here. It’s your room too.” he said gently.
Meenakshi nodded quickly and went into the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Aakash sat on the bed, lost in thought.
“What am I doing? I’m making things difficult for her in every way. Next time she needs to use the bathroom, she might assume I’m inside doing my workout and stop herself from entering her own room “, he wondered
” We have a lifetime ahead of us. We can’t keep hiding from each other like this. We agreed to be friends… so it’s better if we get used to each other ” with that thought, he removed his shirt again and continued his workout.
A few minutes later, Meenakshi came out of the bathroom but kept her eyes closed. Aakash stopped immediately and moved aside to give her space.
“You can open your eyes, Meenakshi,” he said gently and she slowly opened them.
“I’m sorry, I realized the consequences of my actions a little late. Let’s try to get used to being normal around each other as friends.” he said and paused taking a breathe.
“Please don’t feel embarrassed or hesitate to enter the room for any reason… even if I’m here. Everything is new for both of us, but we’ll learn.” he said scratching his brow.
Meenakshi smiled at his words, though her cheeks turned pink when she noticed he was still shirtless.
Aakash wasn’t any better. His ears had turned red as well. Though he had managed to say everything calmly, his heart was thudding loudly against his ribs and he struggled to hide his nervousness.
Meenakshi gave him a gentle smile and quietly walked out of the room. Aakash relaxed his shoulders and let out a long, exaggerated breath. His palms had turned cold with nervousness. He wiped the sweat from his hands with his shirt before heading into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
Two days later, it was a Sunday. Aakash was busy in the room conducting his online tutoring classes. Meenakshi quietly closed the door and continued her work in the kitchen.
Rajesh walked out of his room, turned on the TV and played a song at high volume. Hearing it, Meenakshi came out of the kitchen and immediately lowered the volume.
“Rajesh, your brother is on an online call for work. Please keep the volume low until he finishes,” she said.
Rajesh looked at her with irritation. “He is earning and you are his wife, so now both of you think you can control all of us. Now I can’t even watch TV in my own house?” he snapped.
“We aren’t trying to control anyone, Rajesh. I just asked you to lower the volume since your brother is working,” she replied firmly and without waiting for his response, she returned to the kitchen.
A few minutes later, she heard Padma calling her name. Meenakshi walked out, wiping her hands with a towel.
“My legs are aching. Put all these clothes into the washing machine,” Padma said, pressing her knee.
Meenakshi looked at the pile of clothes and noticed that most of them belonged to Rajesh and Lavanya. As she picked them up one by one, she noticed Rajesh’s boxers among them.
“Aunty, I will wash his shirts and pants in the washing machine, but please take care of his innerwear yourself or ask him to do it,” Meenakshi said gently and tried to leave with the clothes in her hand.
“Why do you always have to pick a fight with me? Rajesh is my son and your husband’s brother. Now you are refusing to wash his clothes? Would you say the same if it were your father’s clothes or your brother’s?” Padma suddenly shouted.
Meenakshi quickly glanced at the closed bedroom door before turning back to Padma.
“Aunty, please don’t shout. I’m not refusing to wash his clothes. I just asked you to handle his innerwear. At my parents’ house, I have never washed my father’s clothes. He never allowed me to do that,” she explained softly.
Rajesh continued watching TV as if the conversation had nothing to do with him.
“You are behaving like this because he is not earning” Padma shouted again.
Just then, the bedroom door opened and Aakash stepped out, frowning.
“Ippo enna aachchu ? Yen maa, kathittu irukkeenga ? ” (What happened now? Why are you shouting, Amma?” he asked.
Before Padma could answer, Meenakshi quickly turned to him with a small smile.
“No, nothing happened. We were just talking. You go back to your work. I’ll handle it,” she said.
But Padma suddenly snatched the clothes from Meenakshi’s hands.
“Your wife has become the queen of this house. Now she refuses to wash your brother’s clothes. It’s not like she has to wash them by hand. All she has to do is put them in the washing machine. I’m suffering from knee pain and only asked for a little help. God knows when my suffering will end,” Padma complained dramatically.
Meenakshi stood there silently, fidgeting with the edge of her saree pallu.
Aakash took the clothes from his mother’s hands and a few of them fell to the floor. As he bent down to pick them up, he noticed the boxers among them and immediately understood the situation.
Meenakshi stepped forward to help him but he gently shook his head. Then he looked at Rajesh, who was still watching TV as if nothing had happened.
“Rajesh, go and put your clothes in the washing machine,” Aakash said calmly and Rajesh looked at him in shock and then glanced at his mother.
“Amma, he is my brother and Meenakshi will take care of him as family. But he is also a man and you cannot expect my wife to wash his boxers. Please understand.” Aakash said leaving no space for discussion.
Meenakshi quietly returned to the kitchen with a content smile.
Aakash watched his mother leave with the clothes, though he couldn’t clearly understand what she was muttering under her breath.
By afternoon, they finished lunch. Aakash noticed Meenakshi walking toward the backyard and followed her. She was hanging the washed clothes on the line to dry.
“You go and rest for a while. I’ll hang the clothes,” he said, gently taking the shirt from her hand.
Meenakshi nodded and went back to the kitchen to wash the vessels. Aakash picked up Meenakshi’s saree and his lips curved into a small smile as he clipped it carefully to the clothesline. Then he saw her blouse… and the bra.
His ears instantly turned red. Slowly he picked them up and hung them on the rope before quickly returning to the kitchen. He leaned against the kitchen counter and watched her continue to work tirelessly.
“I don’t see you resting at all throughout the day. How about we hire a maid? You could focus only on cooking.” Aakash said but Meenakshi immediately shook her head.
“Aunty has been doing all these chores for years. She might feel upset if we suddenly hire a maid just to help me. It’s okay, I don’t mind doing the work. Anyway, I’ll be bored sitting at home all day,” she replied and then pointed toward a jar on the shelf.
Aakash opened it and found a new snack inside.
“You’re spoiling me too much. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?” he said, popping a piece of sweet into his mouth.
Meenakshi simply smiled and continued with her work. Once she finished washing the vessels, Aakash handed her a piece of sweet and a glass of water before they both returned to their room.
Meenakshi spread her mattress on the floor and lay down to rest for a while. Aakash lay on the bed and watched her. Within seconds, she had fallen asleep. Only then did he realize just how exhausted she must have been.
The next day, Aakash was in his office staring at his laptop screen but his thoughts were entirely on Meenakshi. She hadn’t spoken much to him since morning. She had looked unusually calm and she hadn’t smiled even once when he left for work.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to recall if he had done something that might have upset her. But he couldn’t think of anything.
Leaning back in his chair, his eyes casually fell on the date on the table calendar.
Suddenly he froze. It was the same date she had gotten her period the previous month.
“Oh my God… could it be that she’s having her period and suffering from the pain?” he murmured to himself.
Without wasting another second, he shut down his laptop and decided to go home.
At home, Meenakshi was standing in the kitchen, holding her abdomen in discomfort. The vegetables were half-cut on the counter and she had already taken rice into a bowl to start cooking.
Hearing footsteps, she turned around and saw Aakash. The shock on her face was unmistakable.
“What happened? Are you alright?” she asked, holding the counter for support.
“You didn’t smile this morning and you looked upset. Then I realized the date and rushed home. Come back to the room and rest. I’ll order lunch for everyone.” he said walking out of the kitchen and glanced back over his shoulder to make sure she was following him.
Inside the room, Meenakshi reached for the mattress but Aakash immediately stopped her.
“Sleep on the bed and before that, have some chocolates.” he said firmly and placed the snacks he had bought for her on the table.
Aakash sat at his desk working on his laptop, but every few minutes he turned to check on Meenakshi. She looked more relaxed now, sleeping peacefully on the bed.
His eyes then moved to the mattress on the floor.
” Why does she have to sleep on the floor? It’s my fault that I can’t share the bed with her. Why should she suffer because of that? I should talk to her and ask her to sleep on the bed from now on ” he thought.
Just then he heard his mother shouting from outside. He quietly walked out of the room and closed the door gently so he wouldn’t disturb Meenakshi.
“Where is she, Aakash? And why are you home at this hour? She hasn’t even cooked yet,” Padma said irritably.
“She’s not well, Maa. Let her rest. I’ll buy lunch and dinner for today,” Aakash replied calmly and picked up his bike keys before stepping out to buy food.
Meanwhile, Padma stood there fuming at the way Aakash was treating Meenakshi. Balaram had noticed everything. He smiled softly and switched on a love song playing on the TV.
“Ava, ivanukku edho vasiyam pannita pola. Ava solradhukellam ivan aaduran… suthama avaluku adimai aayitan ” ( That woman has surely cast some spell on him. He is dancing to her tunes like a slave)” Padma said angrily, gritting her teeth.
Balaram chuckled. “My son is falling in love,” he said.
Padma turned to look at him in shock.
Aakash served the lunch he had bought for her. By evening, he even made coffee for Meenakshi, since Padma had conveniently forgotten to include her in the family list.
Meenakshi took a sip of the coffee and closed her eyes, letting out a soft moan at its taste.
She opened her eyes and stretched her hand toward him.
Aakash looked at her in shock, then at her extended hand. Meenakshi noticed his Adam’s apple bob nervously and understood his hesitation. For a moment, she almost withdrew her hand.
But Aakash had never failed the trust she had placed in him. So she waited. When she was just about to pull her hand back, Aakash slowly reached out and held her palm for a handshake.
Meenakshi felt the chill in his palm and tightened her grip around his hand.
“Thank you so much for understanding me. Everything you do means a lot. From now on, we’ll greet each other with a handshake.” she said softly.
Aakash nodded with a small smile. Slowly, his mind eased into her touch and the trembling in his hand gradually stopped.
That night, Meenakshi picked up the mattress to sleep on the floor but Aakash quickly snatched it from her hands.
“Enough, Meenakshi, go sleep on the bed. Not just today. From now on, you will sleep on the bed every night. It hurts to see you suffer because of me. I’ll sleep on the floor.” he said firmly.
He was about to spread the mattress when Meenakshi immediately snatched it back from him.
” Illa kanakku pulla, ella naalum… yen Sunday kooda vidama ozhaikreenga. Ungaluku dhaan nalla rest venum. Adhunala pesama bed-laye paduthu thoongeenga ” ( No, Accountant sir, You work all day, even on Sundays. You need more rest. So you better sleep on the bed.” she said playfully.
Aakash chuckled at the way she addressed him and pinched his ear.
Neither of them seemed ready to give up. Meenakshi placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“How about we both sleep on the bed? I know I might occupy a lot of space, but I’ll stick to the wall and won’t touch you. We can even place a pillow between us for your safety.” she suggested.
“Sari… pakka promise. Naan ungala thoda maatten, kanakku pulla ” ( Sure… pakka promise. I won’t touch you, Accountant Sir)” She raised her hand dramatically and then even pinched her throat as if taking an oath.
Aakash burst out laughing despite the thoughts stressing his mind about sharing the bed with her.
Five minutes later, Meenakshi lay on the bed facing the wall, sticking as close to it as possible. A pillow was placed firmly between them.
Aakash lay on the other side, facing the door. Neither of them could sleep in the little space they had left for themselves.
Aakash’s eyes wandered around the room. Nothing in the room had changed over the years.
But somehow, everything felt different these days.
Different…In a better way.
And for the first time, he was slowly beginning to realize the changes happening within him.
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A/N:
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