Balaram and Padma were in the hall having tea when Meenakshi walked out of the bedroom. Padma noticed the glow and smile on her face, which made her burn with anger that Meenakshi was getting all the attention from Aakash.
“Is this the time you wake up? You have my son wrapped around your finger, so obviously you will rule this home according to your wishes. Now do you even have idea to cook breakfast ?” Padma taunted.
Balaram placed his glass on the table with a thud and glared at her.
“I will prepare it quickly,” Meenakshi mumbled and hurried into the kitchen.
Soon everyone was seated for breakfast when Aakash arrived, dressed casually in track pants and a T-shirt.
“Aakash, aren’t you going to the office? Why aren’t you ready yet?” Balaram asked, turning his full attention toward his son.
“No, Appa. I will work from home today,” Aakash said and handed a bill to his father, who looked shocked after seeing it.
“You bought an AC and an air cooler?” he asked and everyone gasped on hearing it.
“I am not even allowed to ask for money for my expenses but they can afford an AC for themselves,” Lavanya muttered, though everyone heard her words.
“Appa, the AC will be delivered today and the engineer will arrive in the afternoon to install it in your room. You can sleep peacefully from today. And it wasn’t me but Meenakshi bought this AC for you using the money her father gave her,” Aakash said and immediately Meenakshi looked at him in shock that he had revealed everything.
“What was the need for this? I could have managed for another month, Meenakshi,” Balaram said, feeling guilty that he was becoming a burden to his children.
“Uncle, it’s not good that you keep suffering from breathing problems. So this was necessary,” she replied with a gentle smile.
Padma and Lavanya were happy thinking they would get to sleep in the AC room too, but Padma also noticed the air cooler mentioned in the bill.
“What about the air cooler?” Padma asked with a frown.
“Meenakshi works in the kitchen all day, so I bought the air cooler for her,” Aakash replied without hesitation and noticed his mother looking at him and then at Rajesh.
“You could have bought an air cooler for Rajesh and Sharmi’s room too,” she said and immediately Balaram shot a deadly glare at her.
“It would be better if your son finds a job first. And here you are asking for an air cooler for his room? Do you have any sense, Padma? Meenakshi has spent the money her father gave her and I already feel guilty that I am being a burden. For once in your life, have some gratitude that Aakash and Meenakshi are taking care of this family despite everything you people throw at them,” Balaram thundered.
Sharmi rose to her feet, feeling embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Uncle. We don’t need an air cooler,” she said and walked away, leaving her food untouched.
“Appa, please never say that you are a burden to us. And please don’t say anything in support of me or Meenakshi. All I want is some peace at home and we are ready to do anything to live peacefully,” Aakash said to his father. He then looked at Rajesh, who was heading toward his room following his wife.
“Are you happy now? Poor girl. She is already upset that her family abandoned her. You even refused to give a small reception party for their marriage and now you keep reminding them that they eat here for free. How much will that poor girl endure?” Padma asked, wiping her tears.
“It is you who should have thought about this before asking for more than what is already being given to you,” Balaram replied and Padma looked at him with anger blazing in her eyes.
“Fine. You don’t have to do anything for Rajesh and Sharmi. I will sell my jewelry and arrange a small reception party in a nearby hall. You all may abandon them but they are also our children and part of this family,” Padma declared, shocking everyone.
“Exactly, Padma. I’m saying the same thing. Aakash and Meenakshi are also part of this family. Treat them like family. And don’t you dare sell your jewelry without my knowledge. I will throw you out of the house if you do that. Instead, put some sense into your son’s head and ask him to find a job,” Balaram made it clear before asking Meenakshi to serve him breakfast.
Padma walked into Rajesh and Sharmi’s room and saw Sharmi crying.
“Don’t cry, Sharmi. You have me, so don’t worry about anything. Ignore all their words. I will teach that Meenakshi a lesson very soon,” she said, hugging Sharmi and consoled her. After some time, they returned to the dining table to finish breakfast.
By afternoon, Aakash was watching the engineer install the AC while the rest of the family stood behind him looking excited.
Once the AC was fixed, the engineer turned it on. Lavanya jumped and squealed as the cool air spread across the room. Aakash thanked the engineer and sent him off before stepping back into the room, which had already turned pleasantly cool.
“I will have a good sleep after returning from college,” Lavanya said happily and immediately received a knock on her head from her father.
“Who is going to pay the electricity bill if you keep running it all the time? Open the windows during the day time and use the AC only at night,” he said strictly.
Aakash and Meenakshi returned to their room and he switched on the air cooler.
“This won’t be the same as an AC, but something is better than nothing, isn’t it?” Aakash said, pulling her to sit beside him.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and squeezed the soft fold and Meenakshi immediately pinched his arm.
” Patta pagal la enna panreenga Aakash ? Apram en iduppu mela appadi enna ungalukku appadi oru veri ? ” ( It’s broad daylight, Aakash. And what is with your obsession with my waist now?) she asked, trying to get up.
Aakash pulled her back, making her stand between his legs. He hugged her tightly, resting his face comfortably against her chest. Meenakshi chuckled and pushed him away when he tried to bury his face between her bosom.
She picked up a pen from his table. Holding his hand, she turned his face away before she started writing something on his palm.
Once she was done, she folded his palm and quickly walked out of the room. Aakash opened his hand and saw the word “Beast” written in bold letters. He ruffled his hair and her teasing words strangely boost his ego. Standing before the mirror, he rolled up his sleeves and flexed his biceps.
“I need more appreciation from my wife,” he muttered, twisting his moustache. He couldn’t control the smile and the happiness shining in his eyes.
When he walked out, only his father was in the hall watching TV. Aakash sat beside him. He could hear voices from the bedroom and realized everyone else was inside chatting.
He leaned back slightly to look toward the kitchen, but he couldn’t see his wife. Seeing his son’s restlessness, Balaram decided to help him.
“Aakash, can you get me some water? And if possible, tell Meenakshi to make me a coffee. If she’s busy, you can make me some tea. It’s been a long time since I had tea made by you,” Balaram said.
Before he finished speaking, Aakash was already in the kitchen, startling Meenakshi.
“Inga enna panreenga kanakku pulla ? ” ( What are you doing here, Accountant Sir?), she sang teasingly.
Aakash pinched her cheek and quickly kissed her lips for a few seconds before letting her go.
“Aakashhh, What has gotten into you? We aren’t alone. The whole family is outside,” she whispered nervously and tried to push him out of the kitchen.
But he hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Appa sent me to make tea for him. And the others won’t come out of the room for now. They are enjoying the AC room ” he said casually as he placed a vessel on the stove and poured milk into it.
Meenakshi watched him add tea leaves and sugar to the boiling water. Once he finished, he turned toward her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Meenakshi ignored him completely and started kneading the dough to make chapatis for dinner.
Suddenly, Aakash dipped his hand into the flour and Meenakshi looked at him in shock.
” Ungalukku enna aachchu ? Mohini pisasu yedhavadhu pudichchiducha ? ” ( What has gotten into you? Did you get possessed by some Mohini? ) ” she asked, removing his hand from the flour.
But Aakash grabbed her hands and put them into the flour and starting to knead the dough, though he was playing more with her fingers.
“You are right, Meena. I’m possessed by a Mohini and her name is Meenakshi. So beautiful, so kind, so squishy, so chubby and cute,” he whispered in her ear and kissed her earlobe.
Meenakshi rushed to the tap and quickly washed her hands.
“Please get out. You are totally ready for our night, but it’s only five in the evening. I don’t want someone to catch us in the middle of something. Either you get out or you will sleep on the floor,” she threatened.
Aakash gave her a disappointed look and filtered the tea into a glass and walked out. Balaram sipped the tea and chuckled while looking at his son.
“The tea is sweeter, just like your life now. God bless Meenakshi. She has changed you completely,” he said and Aakash smiled while looking toward the kitchen.
The following Sunday, Aakash was cleaning the backyard when Meenakshi arrived with a water bottle and a glass of buttermilk.
He stopped working, dropped the spade to the ground and looked at her with a smile. His chest heaved as he had been working for more than an hour.
Meenakshi handed him a towel to wipe the sweat from his face and body but Aakash pulled the pallu tucked at her waist and wiped his face with a mischievous smile.
“Behave, mister. The family is in the hall watching a movie,” she mumbled and handed him the buttermilk.
“Do you want me to remind you that we are married? You are my wife and I don’t need anyone’s permission to touch you. Seems like you will soon stick stickers on your body to alert me that I should behave. I believe you would have been a drill master in your previous birth,” Aakash said.
They both sat on the concrete slab and Aakash sipped the buttermilk slowly while Meenakshi looked at all the unwanted plants and grass he had cleared so far.
“I think we should make better use of this place. Then you won’t have to clean it every now and then,” she said and sat lost in thought until she felt his lips on her cheek.
“I’m getting addicted to you, Meena, but I will try to behave around you,” he said.
Meenakshi felt bad that she had made him feel like he was being too touchy. Aakash returned to his work and Meenakshi went back inside to prepare lunch for the family.
After lunch, Meenakshi entered their room and saw Aakash lying on the bed, scrolling through his mobile. She snatched the mobile from his hand and lay next to him with her head on his chest.
“Are you upset, or do you feel bad that I try to stop you every time you touch me?” she asked softly.
“No, Meena. I will never be upset with you,” he replied, caressing her hair.
“I love it when you touch me. I crave for you the way you crave for me. I love the way you tease me, but I’m just afraid. Lavanya isn’t married yet and we are two newlywed couples in the house. We can’t stop Rajesh and Sharmi but we can be responsible around her. I don’t want her to feel distracted by anything other than her academics,” Meenakshi explained.
Aakash was stunned hearing her words. At the same time, he felt proud.
“I’m so happy that you feel responsible for Lavanya. But let me also make it clear that I always check our surroundings before I do something. Still, I agree with your words that things won’t always be the same, so I will be careful… or should I say, ‘I will behave,'” he said with a smile.
Meenakshi felt his chest vibrate as he smiled.
“I didn’t mean that you should stop everything completely. You have every right to do anything in our room,” she whispered.
Aakash knew it was her cue, but he still decided to play along.
“Okay, madam. I agree that I have full freedom in our room. And once we are outside, I will look around the coast for clearance before I approach you. Or better, I will wait until you reach our room,” he said, biting his lips.
Meenakshi pinched his chest. “I said you have all the freedom in our room,” she whispered once again.
Aakash gently pushed her so she lay on her back and hovered over her with a smile. Meenakshi realized he had played her and tried to slap him playfully, but he caught her hand and kissed her palm.
“You are so sweet, Meena and I have a sweet tooth,” he whispered and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.
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A/N:
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