100 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

Fastening the lock on his gate, he slipped into his sneakers. He rushed over to the lift lobby, but not before yelling out a loud goodbye to his roommate who had just came home in the wee hours of the morning after a wild night with one of the girls he picked up at the bar.

It wasn't a lifestyle that Ashwin completely approved of but Dhruv never really bothered to gain his approval either.

Every night Ashwin would open the door to a horny Dhruv with a different beaut hanging by his arm. He wouldn't complain or criticise because he was relieved enough that his friend at least came home instead of resorting to the first quiet place he could find.

Dhruv was not picky, from empty carparks and phone booths to the Mc Donald's toilet, there was not a single spot in Chennai that had not witnessed his wildness along with his doll for the night.

If Dhruv decided to be the gentleman that he's not and bring her home, Ashwin would be the one to pacify the girl and see her out the morning after. His own morals didn't stop him from being the loyal best friend he is and lend a hand to deal with sensitive women that were greedy for more than a one night stand.

Mentally reminding himself to have a talk with Dhruv one of these days about how this nasty routine of his was deteriorating, Ashwin pressed on the tiny button and sighed when he noticed the tiny screen on top of the elevator indicated that it had stopped on the 14th floor.

He found himself in a dilemma, if he should take the staircase since it was just 7 levels down or wait for the lift as it is part of the apartment amenities that he paid for each month.

Being the impatient person he was, he abandoned the elevator and went for the staircase.

99 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

Today he was almost late because unlike most women Dhruv brought home, the one he had chosen last night was stubborn and unruly. She gave him a hard time and refused to leave until Dhruv woke up so she could confront him and possibly get a date too.

After much persuasion, she finally agreed to clear out only after Ashwin gave her Dhruv's number but not before asking for her number in return so he could later remind his friend to block it.

Being an accomplice in Dhruv's dirty deeds had unknowingly boosted his foxy nature.

Pausing at the lift lobby to catch his breath, he again realised that the lift had stopped at the 14th floor only after he pressed on the button.

It might not take more than a minute or 2 for the lift to descend from the 14th floor to his floor.

But as the extreme lack of patience in Ashwin have already been established, he unapologetically chose the staircase once again.

95 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

"Dei enga da iruka?" Ashwin almost yelled into the phone.

(Where the hell are you?)

The tipsy, groggy voice of his roommate as he let out some balderdash and weird noises clearly told Ashwin that he was still inebriated and probably had no clue where he was even.

Not having the time or patience to continue listening to his gibberish along with the noises the drunken woman beside him made, Ashwin slipped in the keys under his doormat.

"It's bloody 8 a.m, you better come back home!" All he got back in return was more drunken noises. He ended the call and walked into the lift lobby.

He wasn't surprised anymore to find the lift once again on the 14th floor. Gritting his teeth, he smacked the button in frustration.

Barely 10 seconds passed and when he noticed the lift still not moving from 14th floor, he rolled
his eyes, and walked away to take the staircase as always.

90 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

For the first time in so many years, Dhruv came back that night alone, in a sober state and went to sleep like a normal person.

Ashwin was shocked and even scared to witness something that was completely out of character. He tried to question him but didn't get back any proper answers so he let him he.

Knowing well that Dhruv would be too lazy to heat up anything, he left behind some coffee and breakfast in the food thermos before leaving for work in the morning.

"Kelambiten Machan." He informed his partner in his phone as he locked his house.

(I've left home already.)

"I'll be there in 20 minutes. Andha gaanda mirugam varadhukulla naa anga irupen da." He assured Rakshan who felt nervous for their meeting with an important client.

(I'll be there before that monster arrives.)

He bent down to tie his shoelaces and got up on his legs quickly to run for the staircase. But he froze midway when he noticed the elevator doors opened widely, waiting for him. Literally.

Right there stood his 14th floor lift hogger, a hand resting on her hip, eyes squinted with a hint of amusement and a little smirk as if she was flaunting her achievement of trapping her troublemaker.

After all, she had planned out very carefully and taken the lift earlier than her usual time to stop at the 7th floor and catch the culprit before he could pull usual his stunt and run off.

Her intimidating posture naturally made him feel like a criminal even though he wasn't sure what he even did wrong. If anything, she was the one who had been robbing his elevator each morning for the past 10 days.

"Unga manasula yenna nenachitu irukinga? Daily lift ah press panringa, varathukulla odi poiduringa!" She complained out loud, moving her hands passionately to express how annoyed she had been.

(What the hell are you thinking? You press the lift everyday but you leave before it arrives!)

Ashwin was tongue tied for 2 reasons.

Firstly, all these days he never thought from her perspective. He never realised how infuriating it would have been for his 14th floor lift hogger every morning when she had to stop at his floor for nothing.

Secondly, his 14th floor lift hogger was not even close to what he had in mind all these days. He always thought it must be a wrinkly, old man that's going for a walk in the park or a useless school kid.

Never had he ever imagined it to be a young woman, especially not as gorgeous and dreamy as the one he's staring at right now.

In her skinny jeans and a burgundy spaghetti strap top, she looked like she could belong in the cover of Vogue. You could tell him that she was one of the Miss Universe titleholder and he would believe it, no questions asked. Or maybe he might question her eligibility to participate in the beauty pageant given her height.

But logic and common sense had gone with the wind the very moment Ashwin laid his eyes on the lilliputian woman.

His brain that usually formulated too many useless thoughts went blank. He was just hypnotised. Like sparkly butterflies, her long, dark lashes fluttered open each time she blinked and got him hypnotised. The thin but sharp strokes of kohl lined around her eyes only made it worse. Ashwin felt dizzy, breathless and trapped.

But not the kind of trap in a cage or prison but more like the kind of trap in a paradise; an overwhelmingly beautiful and idyllic place that gives him too much happiness, bliss and pleasure but he still wouldn't want it to stop. He would keep wanting for more and more.

Because he loved the feeling of being trapped by her.

It may sound too dramatic to be true, and that's what Ashwin would have said too but not anymore. Because now he knows this feeling that hit him was certainly real and possible for as long as a woman like her exists on this earth.

Completely oblivious to the madness she he caused in him, she raised her eyebrow. "Olunga decide pannunga, lift or staircase? Yedhu venum?"

(You better decide, lift or staircase? Which is it that you want?)

Trying his best to hide the way his legs kept shaking like jelly, he entered the lift with his eyes firmly fixed on her.

She tilted her head. "So lift thaan-"

(So you want the lift-)

"Venum." He completed her sentence, biting back the blush that's about to bloom over his ears and spread all over his face.

(Want it.)

"Venuma?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

(Want it?)

He did a cute nod with a boyish grin and repeated for confirmation. "Venum."

(Want it.)

She blinked for a few seconds before turning away to press the close button. As the doors started shutting, she faced him back with a warning look that only made him coo. "Inimey lift button ah press panrathuku munnadi olunga decide pannidunga."

(From now on, make a decision before you press the button.)

"Decide panniten."  He sucked in a deep before adding. "Inimey yeppodhum lift thaan."

(I've decided already. It's always going to be the lift from now on.)

89 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

Ashwin definitely stayed true to his words.

He got ready, locked his house and sharply waited in front of the elevator. As always, it descended from the 14th floor and when the doors opened, he was greeted by his lift hogger.

She looked like she was ready to roar out loud had he not been there, but this was a changed man as she could see for herself. So she sighed softly, almost a tiny smile peeking through the corner of her lips and gave him a simple nod as a greeting before focusing on her phone.

Ashwin was unable to wipe off the idiotic smile that tend to find its way to his face whenever she's in the vicinity as he stood beside her with a respectful distance between them.

80 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

Ashwin rubbed his forehead in exhaust, already regretting for disclosing about his very recent crush to his friends.

Now nothing could control Rakshan. Not even the deadly glare Ashwin was sending towards his direction as the older man danced around the empty restaurant since it was way past operating hours.

"Dei stop it!" Ashwin alarmingly yelled when Rakshan started to switch from his romantic twirls to erotic twerks. The trio were certainly earning some weird looks from the people who were walking past the restaurant and unfortunately caught a glimpse of the spicy performance of Rakshan through the glass doors.

Dhruv on the other hand was having the time of his life, laughing uncontrollably at the sight of Rakshan putting up an impromptu steamy show out of pure joy and excitement. "I swear would date that guy if I was a woman."

Ashwin wasn't amused. "Nee vera idhalam solli avana encourage panni tholayadha!"

(Please don't say things like this and encourage him.)

Dhruv sweetly turned to Ashwin with a hand resting on his cheek. "Actually scratch that, I think I would date you first if I was a woman. Unna kalati vittutu, next Rakshan."

(After dumping you, I'd go for him.)

Ashwin couldn't help but look disturbed but he never got to retaliate as he jumped off his chair to stop Rakshan from going insane as he was about to rip off his shirt for an amatory explosion.

Settling back on the chair that Ashwin forcefully made him sit on, Rakshan chugged down the cup of water while Dhruv clapped to appreciate the little performance he spontaneously pulled off, that too without music.

Ashwin shook his head, unable to fathom how ridiculous his friends were.

Rakshan put down his cup and turned to Ashwin with a grave expression, ready to give a proper speech now. "Look here, almost 5 years kaluchi unaku oru ponnu mela interest vandhurku. Time waste pannama, seekiram pesi, correct panni, confess panni, kalyanam pannidu. Idha vittuta, adutha 5 years varaikum wait pannanum next ponnu ku."

(After almost 5 years you're interested in a woman again. Don't waste anymore time. Talk to her, confess to her and marry her. If not, you might have to wait another 5 years for the next woman.)

Ashwin rolled his eyes and sipped on his drink while Rakshan desperately looked at Dhruv to back him up, to knock some sense into Ashwin and boost his love life. Or maybe just life because love was still non-existent at this point of time. But Dhruv just focused on his own drink.

"Machan naa serious ah solren, romba delay pannadha. Ivala vittuta, you are going to die as a virgin because 2026 la ulagam alinjidumnu pesikiranga." Rakshan persistently pushed.

(I'm serious, please don't delay this. If you lose her, you will die a virgin because the world would be ending in 2026.)

"Nejamava?" Dhruv asked curiously.

(Really?)

Ashwin started chuckling out loud. "Dei adhu fake news, stop believing every message you receive on WhatsApp."

(That's some fake news.)

Rakshan never got to argue back because Ashwin started to dreamily describe his recent crush - the 14th floor lift hogger.

"Ava romba cute da. Yenaku paaka pudichiruku. Naalu full ah pathutey irukalam. Avlo cuteness orey person kulla yepdi iruka mudiyumnu puriyavey illa." His eyes tenderly smiled into the black space as if she was really standing right in front of him at that moment to be admired and worshipped.

(She's really cute. I like looking at her. I can probably stare at her the whole day. I can't understand how someone can be that cute.)

Rakshan sighed. "Pathutey irundha podhuma?"

(So you're satisfied with just looking?)

Ashwin let out a strained breath before getting up from the table and walking into the restaurant kitchen. Rakshan stubbornly followed after him as he gave out instructions to the dishwasher.

"Lift la 20 seconds sight adicha podhuma? Life full ah are you gonna be satisfied with that 20 seconds alone?" Rakshan challenged his friend, not caring about being eavesdropped by the dishwasher any longer.

(20 seconds of ogling at her is enough? Would that satisfy you for life?)

Ashwin rolled his eyes and snapped. "10 days ah paakura oru ponnu kitta, hi, yenaku ungala romba pudichiruku, vaanga kalyanam pannikalamnu keka solriya?"

(What am I supposed to do then? Propose to the girl who I've seen for the past 10 days?)

He gently pushed aside the kitchen porter who was eagerly listening to the juicy piece of news, and wiped the dirty food prep area himself. 

"Solli thaan paaren. Yedhavudhu response varumla. Adha vechi next day conversation ah develop panni, apdiye step by step ah kondutu poga vendiya thaan." Rakshan easily said.

(Well try that. You'll get some sort of response and you can develop conversations from there.)

Ashwin turned to shoot him a glare but Rakshan wasn't bothered and continued. "Kalyanam venamnu sonna, live-in relationship okay va nu kelu. Namma konjam open minded ah irukanum machan."

(If she says she doesn't wanna get married; suggest a live in relationship. Let's be a bit open minded here.)

Ashwin firmly handed back the cleaning rag to the kitchen porter and dragged his friend out of the kitchen. The last thing he needed was for his love-life to become the topic of conversation among his workers.

"Dei, un idea va lam follow panna, love lam varadhu. Police thaan varum harassment case la arrest panrathuku!" Ashwin irritably said and slumped on the chair beside Dhruv

(If I listen to you, no love is gonna happen. What's gonna happen is me getting arrested for harassment.)

Rakshan sulkily stared and made a face at him as he sat on the table, deciding to give it a break for now and resume the 'grilling Ashwin' task from tomorrow onwards.

Dhruv on the other hand was confused and voiced our. "Pudichirukunu solra but pesa matukura. I don't see you having a problem to talk to women that I bring home. In fact you're so good at it that most of them leave without causing any trouble. Indha ponnu kitta pesuradhu la mattum yenna problem?"

(If you like her, why not talk to her? You have no problem talking to women I bring home. Why so much fear to talk to this one girl?)

That was easy to explain. "I don't feel anything with the women you bring home." His eyes became visibly tender as he added. "But with her, I feel things that I've never felt before. Pudhusa iruku. Bayam ah iruku."

(It's new. It's scary.)

Dhruv thought for a while and suddenly asked. "Never felt before? Not even with-"

Rakshan immediately slapped Dhruv's arm, stopping him from completing that sentence. But his effort was to no avail because it wasn't difficult for Ashwin to figure out what he was about to ask.

Sighing softly, Ashwin mumbled that he was going to check something in the kitchen and excused himself.

He wasn't bothered about what Dhruv was going to ask. What bothered him was the answer to the question. He wasn't sure of the answer yet and that made his heart feel heavy.

75 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

Before the 14th floor hogger came into his life or more precisely came into the same apartment as his, mornings for Ashwin always always unsightly for obvious reasons thanks to Dhruv.

But not anymore.

Every morning from the moment he woke up and started getting ready to the sound of the lift approaching his floor, it was beautifully thrilling to Ashwin.

And that 20 seconds inside the elevator would be the best part of his day.

Afterwards, he would spend the rest of the day in his restaurant relishing in the mere 20 seconds magic he felt with her while the lift ascended from level 7 to the basement.

Ashwin knew that there was no way she would think about him as much as he thought about her. But he did wonder if she even think about him. Or has she ever thought about him at least once?

Just once?

The lift doors opened and the thought dissipated away as Ashwin mentally screamed in excitement when he spotted her adorning a red coloured kurti.

He wasn't sure if it was simply pathetic, borderline creepy or maybe even cute but it was a little game he played with himself. He would guess the colour of her outfit each day just for the fun of it and so far, he had gotten it right most of the time.

Putting on his everyday poker face, he entered the lift. Her eyes were intensely glued to her phone screen, not even bothering to look at him once to acknowledge his presence.

Ashwin turned to the mirror on his side to fix his hair except his hair was the least of his concern. Fingers casually fumbled with his hair but his eyes were only catching a glimpse of her reflection on the mirror.

Suddenly she let out a giggle, eyes still etched on her device and for a moment, Ashwin felt like he could melt into a puddle right then and there.

He was a not a strong believer of any religion but he found himself subconsciously thanking the unknown for giving her a reason to laugh at that moment. For letting him discover and listen to one of the most beautiful sounds of the earth- her unconstrained giggles.

If only he could listen to it more often. If only he could be the reason behind those childlike laughters.

70 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

"Sonniya?"

(Did you tell her?)

Ashwin ignored his friend and continued looking through a stack of bills, receipts and records trying manage and plan the expenditures of his restaurant.

Rakshan snatched a bill right out of his hand and asked again. "Sonniya da?"

(Did you tell her?)

He glared and snatched it back. "Yenna sollanum?"

(Tell what?)

"Urupudiviya da nee lam?!" Rakshan was getting pissed.

(Would you ever prosper in life?)

"Indha silent ah manasukulla love panradhulam cinema la thaan azhaga irukum. Nejathula adhu yevlo periya torture theriyuma?" The worry-filled voice of Rakshan was enough for Ashwin to understand just how concerned this friend of his was for him.

(This whole secret admirer thing might be cute in movies but in real life do you know how painful and torturous it would be?)

Ashwin let out a whine that didn't sound very manly contrary to his physical appearance that naturally exuded a masculine energy. "Yepdi da pesuradhu ava kitta?"

(How do I talk to her?)

"Vaaya la dhaan!" Rakshan suggested earning a deadly glare and a smack to his face with one of the papers.

(With your mouth of course!)

Ashwin casted his eyes down and lowly admitted. "Bayam ah iruku machan."

(I'm scared.)

"Naa yedhavudhu pesi, aprom naa irukura lift la kooda varama poitana? Nee sonna andha 20 seconds of happiness kooda yenaku kedaikama poidum." He opened up.

(What if she doesn't like me after I talk to her? And what if she refrain from taking the same lift as me? I would even lose the 20 seconds of happiness that I always got.)

He didn't want to risk and lose what he had even though he didn't even have much at the moment. It was the classic fear of every one-sided crush; afraid to lose someone who isn't even yours to begin with.

Because he valued her too much. So he chose to admire her and maybe even love her in silence because in silence, he finds no rejection.

The usual mockery, laughter or jokes, none of that came about. Rakshan just stared at his friend in silence for almost a minute that Ashwin started feeling awkward. Clearing his throat, he got up to file those papers.

He paused when Rakshan suddenly said.
"Love is not meant to be easy, it's meant to be worth it."

"Conversation yepdi start panradhunu yosikama, just start it. The first step will always be the hardest but once you start the first step, it will get a lot easier from there. Trust me." Rakshan squeezed his arm encouragingly as if he could physically transform some positive energy into his body.

(Instead of thinking how to start the conversation, just start it.)

Not being able to handle the heartfelt smile Ashwin was giving him, he immediately decided to change the mood and earned a loud laughter from his friend. "Yosika time romba illa, 2026 varaikum thaan yellamey."

(You don't have much time to think, remember it's only until 2026)

65 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

After days and nights of diligent practice, and even a mini rehearsal with Rakshan that ended with him getting roasted terribly, Ashwin decided that he was finally ready to start a conversation with her and perhaps if it goes well, he would invite her to his restaurant for a meal or at least a cup of coffee.

Putting in a little more effort than usual, in the bomber jacket and jeans, along with his hair that flopped his head in a pretty natural and messy way, he looked nothing lesser than the charming boy next door that one would instantly get a crush on.

The 'ting' of the elevator that always got him all excited made him nervous that particular morning as the doors opened and she was there.

Instead of focusing on her phone as she always did, she stared straight into him and did the worst thing Ashwin could ever imagine.

She smiled. She smiled at me!

A warm, soft smile that unintentionally introduced her dimple to him for the very first time. That's it, game over.

His brain stuttered for a moment and his eyes took in more light than he expected, every part of his goes on pause while his thoughts caught up with the brand new information; her dimple.

She had a dimple. She's easily the most beautiful thing he's ever seen in his life.

He's starting to wish he had never seen it because now not even her entire form put together was beautiful enough to compete with the heavenly dent in her cheek.

Sucking in a generous amount of breath, he slowly walked in and stood next to her.

Doors closed. Lift starts moving from level 7.

He took in a deep breath and decided to focus on his plan for the day: to start a conversation with her. He decided that it was best to be direct. Something direct but decent.

Do you wanna grab a cup of coffee? Or tea. Or just water or actually anything. I think I just need a reason to talk to you.

Lift moves past level 6.

Maybe it shouldn't be too direct, he was worried he might come off as too desperate. Although he really was desperate, he didn't need her to know that. Maybe something subtle but effective.

Do you like chocolate milkshake? If you do, you should come to my restaurant that's down the street because that's what we're best at.

Lift moves past level 5

But that might still come off flirty and she might not be the type of women who would appreciate it. He thought it would be better to start a friendly conversation first instead of focusing too much on getting a date with her. Something friendly and relatable then.

Do you watch Barathi Kannamma? Or perhaps Roja? They're damn overrated, I know. Bakiyalakshmi is like way better! I'm team Gopi-Radhika, what about you?

Lift moves past level 4.

No! No! No! Ashwin almost stomped his feet on frustration. That won't be a good topic at all!

She might think he supports extra marital affairs. Or worse she might judge him for knowing too much about soap operas when in reality the only reason he knows all these was because of a certain Twitter mutual who couldn't stop tweeting about it. What he needed to say was something engaging and likeable.

Are you a BTS fan? Me too! Jimin is my bias. What about yours? And yes I ship Taekook, I mean who doesn't?

Lift moves past level 3.

He was a fan of the Kpop group and he knew many youngsters love them. It might work amazingly and spark things up with them or it might backfire terribly because unfortunately there were many ignorant people who hate them for no reason. What if she was one of those? The aim was to get a date with her, not get into a catfight with her. Forget it, maybe he should just say something very ordinary and simple. 

Where are you from? Before moving into this apartment, where were you living? Do you like this new neighbourhood? How do you find the neighbours here? Friendly? Handsome?

Lift moves past level 2.

He would sound like the town councillor who came in for inspection if he asked that! Three more seconds left and he still hadn't made a sound even. Now it was an emergency alert situation. No more time to waste. He had to say anything. Literally anything would be better than nothing. Anything! Anything! Anything!!!

Hey! Your shoe looks really amazing! Where did you get it from?

Doors opened. Lift stopped at level 1.

Mission aborted.

Ashwin mentally groaned, he was all set to bang his head against the next wall he could fine. All the research and preparations he had done over the span of 5 days had gone down the drain.

She had walked out of the elevator while he stood there for a moment, mourning over his failure.

Just when he was cursing himself silently and stepped out, she suddenly turned to give him a look.

Ashwin gulped, blinking rapidly in absolute panic. Did he accidentally vocalise one of the garbages that his mind formulated just now?

He was pretty sure he didn't talk anything to her at all. Yet, why was she looking at him?

She calmly asked. "Yen kitta yedhavudhu sollanuma?"

(Do you have anything to tell me?)

How the hell did she figure it out?

Ashwin's eyes widened in disbelief. He could not understand how she knew he had something to tell her.

In all honesty, Sivaangi didn't know either. She just noticed how the calm energy he always gave off was missing. Instead, his sweaty palms and the jittery feet that couldn't stay still, all that only made her feel odd. Something just felt off so she found herself asking.

Maybe it was the universe's attempt to set things right before fate gets messy and even entangled.

But Ashwin was unaware of how crucial that moment was. He didn't know how that answer of his was going to determine not just his life but also hers.

His eyes moved around anxiously and that's when he noticed the phone between her fingers. The screen was silently lighting up due to an incoming call.

Graciously thanking whoever that caller was that had saved him, he innocently told her. "You're getting a call. Neenga gavanikala."

(You didn't notice.)

She immediately flipped the phone to have a look and her eyes widened in realisation. Shooting him a sweet smile, she quickly thanked him and walked off. "Thank you!"

He just stood there, watching her from the back as she slid to answer and placed the phone against her ear. He continued looking until she was completely out of sight, and for the first time, other than the pure joy he always felt for her, there was another new feeling growing in his heart.

A feeling he couldn't identify at all.

He thought maybe he was just feeling weird since he had failed to start a conversation with her as intended. Not liking how the feeling kept pricking through his heart like a little sharp thorn, he promised himself that he would surely talk to her tomorrow. Even if not a proper conversation, maybe a casual one like a simple good morning would suffice for a start.

What difference would talking today and talking tomorrow make? What can change in a day?

But Ashwin was going to find out that a lot can change not just in a day, but in a call alone.

A call can change everything. A call can bring a person back. A call can make a person leave. A call can set your life. A call can destroy your life. A call can bring so much of happiness. A call can bring so much of misery.

For his 14th floor hogger, a call, the very call that she would have missed and never bothered calling back if Ashwin had not pointed it out to her, that call brought in a new person into her life.

New for her but not so new for him.

64 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

When Ashwin gloomily shared about the collapse of his plan and put all the blame on her dimple, Rakshan wasn't even surprised.

In fact, he would have only been surprised if Ashwin had actually managed to successfully execute his plan in the very first try.

Rakshan grabbed a piece of paper and wrote Ashwin's name on it. He was determined to resolve this issue very soon, and the best and most effective way was a game of flames. He looked at his friend and demanded. "Un aalu peru sollu."

(Tell me her name)

When Ashwin blinked in blankness like a child, Rakshan knew that meant only one thing.

He doesn't even know her name yet!

"Yenda ipdi iruka? Oru peru koodava keka mudiyadhu?"

(Why are you like this dude? How can you not even know her name?)

Ashwin sighed, pouting in disappointment with himself. But that didn't stop Rakshan. "Ava veetu plumber ku kooda ava peru theriyum but unaku theriyadhu. Unaku lam vekkama illa? Plumber ah vidu, watchman ku kooda theriyum! Keta solla poraru-"

(Even the plumber who visits her house would know her name. Aren't you ashamed? Even the watchman would know! )

"Anamika." He suddenly said.

Rakshan was confused. "What?"

Ashwin looked at him, once again a tenderness reflected in his eyes as he thought about her and lovingly said. "Anamika."

"Adhu thaan ava name ah? Padathula vara pei peru madhri la iruku." Rakshan mindlessly uttered.

(That's her name? Damn sounds like the name of a ghost in horror films.)

Ashwin rolled his eyes and explained. "Anamika means anonymous, adhavudhu peyar illadha oru azhaganaval."

(A very pretty, nameless girl.)

Rakshan took a second to process it and almost looked impressed. "Avanga appa amma vecha peru theriyadha naala, neengala oru peru veppinga?"

(Because you don't know the name her parents gave her, you give her a new name.)

Ashwin shrugged, chuckling lightly. "Just a nickname until I find out her actual name."

Regardless of whether he gets to talk to her, and whatever the outcome of the conversation may be, and no matter what the ending to their story is, Anamika will always be his because it's a name given by him to the girl he loves. Whether or not she loves him back, she will always remain to be Anamika for as long as he loves her.

"She's my Anamika." He bashfully smiled once again.

And sometimes a nickname signified more love than the word 'love' itself.

63 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

As Ashwin locked his front door, he told himself that he would definitely talk to her no matter what.

The lift could have a breakdown, a tsunami could be erupted, the world could come to an end the very same moment but nothing of that sort was going to stop him from talking to her that day.

He didn't care anymore.

Yes he was still afraid of a lot of matters but after much thinking he came to a realisation. Even if he gets rejected and face an embarrassment that would probably burn his insides for as long as he lives, at least he would know that he tried.

But he definitely wouldn't be able to live the rest of his life without knowing what they could have been had he confessed. The endless possibilities and what-ifs would rip him apart so he decided to find out for himself.

A frown made its way to his face when he noticed that the lift wasn't stopping at the 14th floor as it always did.

He checked his watch and it showed 8a.m sharp. He wasn't early or late. He was on time.

Maybe she's late.

He decided to wait and started tapping his foot against the hard ground, his nerves slowly kicking in.

It was 8.15 a.m and the lift still hasn't stopped at the 14th floor at all. Now he was really starting to get worried.

At some point the lift even came to his floor as his next door neighbour just returned from her morning walk. Despite how anxious he was, he still managed to muster a polite smile for her.

For a moment, he wondered if he should just take the lift and leave. There was no point in waiting for someone who hadn't asked you to wait, right? After all no promises have been made.

Maybe she took the day off.

Maybe she's sick.

Maybe she overslept.

Maybe she's on night shift today.

Maybe she moved out of here.

There were infinite possibilities. Some scared him terribly that he wanted to make sure they weren't true. But there was no way for him to find out the truth because he was after all just a stranger she bumps into every morning.

He was too deep in thought that he almost didn't notice the lift that finally moved up from his floor to the 14th.

His eyes widened and he quickly jumped forward to smack the button. His heartbeat raced each second as the lift slowly descended to his floor.

He heaved a sigh of relief when the doors opened and there she was, his very own Anamika, busily talking away in the phone that she didn't even look up to see him.

The sight of her finally managed to calm his heart down as he got inside. He just stood behind her, not really paying attention to what she was saying in the call, but throughly indulging in every second of her presence.

Even if he could have covered up and deemed it as a delusion all along, after the mini state of panic he went through at the mere thought of never being able to see her again, there was no denying that he was deep in this.

She ignored him but he loved her. She did nothing but he still fell for her. And even though she hasn't thought about him even once, he missed her more than anyone he had ever cared about.

When the lift reached the first floor, they both got off. She was still talking away in the phone, and let out a sudden sneeze in the middle and resumed her talking.

But Ashwin was quick to notice her long earring that was dangling earlier had fallen off. He bent down to pick it up and looked towards the direction she walked away, but there was no sign of her.

Smiling to himself, he safely tucked it into his pocket. Now at least he was a stranger who had her earring with him. Slight improvement, no?

The rest of the day was spent with him sitting at the corner table of his restaurant as he kept staring at the earring like it was the most salient and valuable discovery of the century when in reality she had purchased it from a roadside shop for half the price after much bargaining.

To her it was one of the many earrings she lost. To him it was a treasure worth keeping for life.

When he noticed the unamused expression of Rakshan, all he could do was smile like a kid in return as he wrapped the earring in his palm.

"Idha vechi ava kitta kandipa pesiduven nalaki. Yepdi?" He proudly shared his plan. Now he had an actual reason to talk to her, this was going to be easy.

(I'm definitely gonna use this as an excuse to talk to her tomorrow. How's my idea?)

Rakshan snickered as he drily commented. "Adengappa yevlo periya idea. Ivlo brains namma Sundar Pichai ku kooda irukadhu da."

(Wow what an idea, slow down will you? You're putting our Sundar Pichai to shame here.)

Ashwin was way too joyful to even get offended at the outright sarcasm. He simply shrugged, and pulled a funny face at him while his finger still twirled around the earring.

He almost shrieked out loud when he was suddenly engulfed with affection by Dhruv who had entered without making much noise, and the man was quick to curiously snatch the earring from his friend.

With an amused smile, he asked. "Yennada idhu?"

(What's this?)

Rakshan was eager to answer on his behalf. "Cinderella leaving behind her glass slipper for the Prince Charming here. Latest Indian version."

Ignoring the laughter of his friends, Ashwin's arm reached back for the earring but Dhruv held it away from him to get a closer look at it. He tilted his head and stared at it for an unusually long time.

When Ashwin raised an eyebrow at him, questioning him silently, he shrugged with a smile. "Just looks a bit familiar."

Dhruv handed back the earring and chuckled. "Therila which one of the whores had something like this on."

(Don't know which one of the whore had something like this on.)

When he noticed the disapproving looks of his friends at the way he referred to the ladies he spent the nights with, he rolled his eyes. "Come on, they're shameless and just needy. Konjam pesuna podhum, so ready to spread their legs. Ivlo easy ah irundha, you're expecting me to respect those whores?"

(They're so needy and easy. Why you're expecting me to respect those whores?)

Rakshan turned to Ashwin, expecting him to speak up but as always he decided to be silent, avoiding his eyes in obvious guilt. He just couldn't bring himself to argue with Dhruv.

Ashwin disagreed with Dhruv in a lot of matters but he also understood him more than anyone else.

Disappointed with not Dhruv but Ashwin because he never had expectations on Dhruv anyways, Rakshan simply stood up to leave. But not before hitting the nail on the head, particularly Dhruv's head one could say. "Kupta easy ah vara avangalam whores na, ivlo pera kupudura nee yenna? What does that make you?"

(If coming over to you makes them whores, what about you who call over so many of those women? What does that make you?)

Almost lost at words, Dhruv looked at Ashwin defensively. "What's up with that guy? Avan yenna women ku spokesperson ah? I'm just saying what they are like!"

(Is he the spokesperson for women or what?)

Ashwin moved in his seat uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "There are also men like that. Why judge only one gender for a choice made by some men and women ? Adhu thaan avan mean panran."

(That's what he meant.)

Dhruv scoffed. "So you're on his side too?"

Ashwin sighed, shaking his head. "I'm always on your side Dhruv."

That made him instantly relax.

"If you want to see a different kind of woman, you need to change first." Ashwin slowly added. "Not every woman are like what you described."

Dhruv fell into a tense silence as his mind suddenly filled up with a woman, a particular woman that had been occupying his thoughts for the past few days.

The feisty nature, graceful and gorgeous in the way she carried herself yet a childlike innocence flooded her eyes, and most importantly the confident and virtues she had didn't make it easy at all for him to break through her barriers.

Instead of giving him what he had came for, she was willing to give out something else. Something even more valuable and precious. Her heart.

He mindless mumbled. "You're right. Not every woman is the same."

And that's what bothered him. The way she was very different from the usual set of belles he found in the club, he hated it.

62 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

At the sound of the tiny bells tingling when the doors of the restaurant opened, Rakshan was quick to rush into the kitchen and fetch a bottle of water from the refrigerator before he could bombard the duo with questions.

Ashwin chugged on the cold drink while Rakshan turned to observe his other friend. Unkempt hair, disheveled shirt and red eyes, not necessarily because of the lack of sleep but because the alcohol from last night was still not out of his system. Dhruv was a complete mess in every possible way.

With a loud thud, Ashwin placed the bottle on the table and looked at Rakshan to explain. "Public nuisance after drinking."

He then turned to Dhruv who hung his head in shame and lashed out. "Nejamavey police station unaku mamiyar veedu nu nenachikitya da? Each month poitu iruka anga!"

(Did you think the police station is your in laws' place for you to visit it each month?)

Rakshan suddenly remembered their conversation yesterday and intervened. "Appo inniki un Anamika va paakalaya earring ah return panna?"

(So you never got to meet your Anamika today and return the earring?)

Ashwin glared at his friend. Was this really the first question he would ask him at this moment?

Regardless, he still answered. "7.30 a.m station la irundhu call vandhuchu, 10 minutes la kelambi ivanukaga ponen. Idhula yenga irundhu avala paakuradhu?"

(I got the call from the station at 7.30 a.m. How would I be able to meet her amidst all these chaos?)

Dhruv looked at him guiltily. "Sorry da, yennala thana-"

(Sorry man it's all because of me-)

Ashwin rolled his eyes. "What you should be sorry about is getting into troubles like this. One day your might get hurt very badly Dhruv! Unaku puridha?"

(Do you understand?)

He vigorously nodded before Ashwin could go on and on. "Seri seri no more troubles."

(Fine fine no more troubles.)

Ashwin didn't believe that one bit but he refrained from commenting on it.

Dhruv still looked regretful and apologised sincerely once again. "Romba sorry da, you would have talked to her today if it weren't for me."

(I'm really sorry man,)

Ashwin smiled lightly in assurance. "Yenga poga pora? Nalaki pesipen."

(Don't worry about it, I can just talk to her tomorrow. It's not like she's gonna disappear.)

61 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

It was past 8.30 a.m and Ashwin was still standing in front of the elevator, eyes desperately fixed on tiny screen on top and the earring dangling by his finger.

At first he thought maybe she was again late like the other day so he decided to wait for a while. But a minute became five and five became fifteen and now it was close to 45 minutes but the lift never went up to the 14th floor.

Had he not repeatedly gotten calls from Rakshan, demanding him to come to the restaurant already as there were some blunders in the delivery, Ashwin might have stayed there the entire day.

Without much of a choice, he took off. But with an unshakable hope that she would show up tomorrow.

Even if she doesn't show up tomorrow, she would show up the day after. Or a week later. Or 2 weeks later maybe.

Because there was no way his Anamika would just disappear like that right?

31 days until Ashwin gets slapped

The house was filled with the sound of the characters from the Netflix show that was being played in the television and the soft moans that escaped her throat as he had her putty in his arms.

At some point, the moans started overpowering the television that wasn't watched by the couple any longer.

She already knew this was going to happen the moment they sat terribly close to each other on the couch that their clothed thighs brushed against each other.

He got bored with the show and started planting soft pecks all over her neck. One thing led to another and now they were lying on top of each other on the couch, tongues battling together, letting out countless giggles every minute.

Despite how intoxicated his lips made her feel, his hand that sneakily slid inside her shirt and gradually move up alarmed her as she pushed it off gently.

The trance they were both in broke just like that. She immediately sat up and avoided his gaze. "I'm sorry, I just don't feel ready."

She knew she had nothing to feel guilty about because she was entitled to decide when she's ready. But she still felt bad for ruining their mood.

He sweetly smiled and sat up only to swiftly pull her onto his lap. He gently kissed her button nose, causing her to smile instantly.

"Sivaangi, I'm only ready when you are ready." He whispered in his gruff voice.

That's it.

That's all she needed. A little assurance and affirmation from his side that he would wait for her.

Looping an arm around his neck, she leaned in while still safely sitting on his lap. She mumbled against his lips with the widest smile. "I love you so much Dhruv."

30 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

Lights out, shutters down, emptiness filled up the restaurant at the late hour.

Ashwin was just sitting on one of the tables, not knowing why he was even there.

Actually he knew. He didn't want to go back to his flat. It was one of the days when he was sorting out some papers and randomly remembered his 14th floor lift hogger who he hadn't seen for the past 1 month.

He could still remember feeling absolutely miserable and broken the first week of her disappearance. He would wait for hours in front of the elevator in the morning, just wishing and wishing that it will stop at the 14 floor.

The worst was, sometimes it did. His heart would start beating rapidly and he would immediately press the button only to find the lift being occupied by some frail elderly person or an annoying school kid.

There were a couple of times he even went up to the 14th floor himself and just stood there for a while, hoping she might pop out of somewhere.

But she never did, not even once.

Maybe he seem a tad bit dramatic to be reacting this much for a girl he doesn't even know the name of. But that's exactly why he was reacting this way.

He never got to know anything about his Anamika. He never got to talk to her and make her laugh with one of his lame jokes. He never got to hold her tiny hand so tightly until it makes them both feel safe and loved. He never got to tell her at least once how he feels about her.

It just wasn't fair how it all ended before it even started.

20 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

He got comfortable on the high chair, bobbing his head to the loud music being played to get the crowd hyped up on the dance floor. He was probably the only one in the club who was consuming Coke Zero despite the availability of a wide range of ardent spirits.

But Ashwin didn't care about those judgemental looks he was getting. Unlike the rest of them including Dhruv, he wasn't there to party all night and get wasted. The only reason he was there 6 nights in a row was because Rakshan was off to visit his parents in town for a short vacation.

Dhruv felt that it was his responsibility to make sure Ashwin was not cooped up in his house, all depressed and lonely. So he ended up dragging his introverted friend out to social events and parties despite knowing how much he hated those.

Ashwin suddenly felt a hand brushing his back, he looked over to find a tall woman smiling at him before she settled on the high chair beside his.

On a normal basis, Ashwin would have totally freaked out to find a random woman walking up to him and being way too forward with her advances. But a few days of experience in similar settings made him learn that this was a norm. People really approach anyone they find interesting.

It's a great culture for socialites who were willing to connect with new people. But for those who just wished to be left alone like Ashwin, not so much.

"So does this handsome face have a name?" She sipped on her wine and fluttered her eyelashes in the most seductive way.

Ashwin shot a smile towards her and gestured  in the direction of his friend who was grooving on the dance floor. "I'm not sure if I'm comfortable being called handsome when there's a whole Dhruv here."

Curious, the woman turned her head to where Ashwin's eyes pointed and an inaudible 'wow' escaped her lips as Dhruv smoothly arched an eyebrow at her along with a tiny smirk.

That was all it took for her to rise up from the chair and eagerly manoeuvre into Dhruv's arms that were spread out to welcome her.

Dhruv didn't forget to turn to mouth a 'thank you' to his best friend before he got busy with the hottie. Ashwin shrugged in response and went back to his glass of coke.

If one good thing that came out of these clubbing episodes, that would be the brand new talent he discovered in himself; his wingman skills. The way he would covertly forward the women who approached him to Dhruv, and hooked him up was surely applaudable considering his lack of experience with women in general.

Dhruv also made it clear that he was going to definitely drag Ashwin along with him more often as his presence saved him a lot of time.

"Isn't it interesting how girls easily get attracted to your kind of guys; sweet, kind and decent, yet they just can't resist trash like me?" He laughed about it while drinking the hangover soup Ashwin made for him in the morning.

Ashwin rolled his eyes in disagreement. "Come on Dhruv, you're not trash. You can be a great boyfriend."

Dhruv's face suddenly fell as he swallowed the soup with difficulty. "I highly doubt that."

"It's true. Kandipa if you love someone, you would treat her so well. Problem is, you're too afraid of commitments and relationships."

(Definitely if you love someone, you would treat her so well.)

Ashwin was stopped abruptly when Dhruv's phone rang. But he simply pressed on the side of the device and tossed it aside.

"Yaaru da?"

(Who's calling?)

Dhruv looked away, sighing softly. "Just this girl who's been pissing me off."

His eyes filled up with guilt and that's exactly why he avoided looking at Ashwin. "Torture panra. Feeling suffocated-)

(She's torturing me.)

Before he could even finish the sentence, the phone rang again and Dhruv turned it off completely this time before throwing it away on the couch.

Ashwin frowned, feeling a little confused as he had never seen his friend getting vexed like this before. Especially not over a girl.

"Whoever she is, if she's making you feel suffocated then she's not worth it. Yedhuku tension aagura? Thooki podu."

(Why getting tensed? Forget it.)

Dhruv only managed to hum in response as he focused on the soup. But his mind was definitely not there with him. Instead it was with a girl that he knew, was worth it. In fact she was too worthy that he felt like he doesn't deserve her.

But he couldn't tell that to Ashwin, can he?

2 days until Ashwin gets slapped:

Gathered late at night in the restaurant, the trio were playing an intense game of monopoly. Just when it was Dhruv's turn to roll the dice, Rakshan's hawk like eyes noticed him hastily dodging an incoming call.

"Yaaru?"

(Who's that?)

"No one important." Dhruv avoided their gazes and simply tossed the dice on the table as it landed on a lucky six.

But luck wasn't so much on Dhruv's side as Rakshan kept pushing for an answer. "Maybe you're important to them since they keep calling."

"Do I look like I give a shit?" He snapped. That's when Ashwin took heed of the rising tension in the air.

"Well you don't give a shit about anyone." Rakshan gave him a smile that could be the perfect symbol of mockery.

"Yeah thanks for stating the obvious." Dhruv shot back in annoyance.

"yennada problem unga rendu perukum? Yen ippo theva illama sandai podringa?" Ashwin decided to ask since he was completely clueless as to why the two were acting all weird.

(What's the problem between the both of you? Why do you guys keep fighting for no reason?)

"I'm leaving." Dhruv grabbed his jacket and stood up. Rakshan snickered like he had expected him to run off the moment he raised some questions. This was classic Dhruv.

"Where're you going?" Ashwin's voice was heavily laced with worry.

"See you at home." That's all the roommate managed to utter before storming out of the restaurant to God knows which club.

Ashwin turned to Rakshan who was calmly sipping on his lemon juice. "Dei yenda avana kadupu yethura?"

(Why are you irritating him?)

He sat down the tall glass of lime and again, very calmly responded. "Ashwin you need to stop being so protective over him. Avan onnum chinna kolandhai illa, we both know that."

(He's not a child,)

"I don't understand why you're always trying to find faults in him."

Ashwin knew that his roommate wasn't the most righteous man out there, but he couldn't understand what's the need for the constant poking and besmirching when it's already been established that he adopted a certain way of lifestyle that is far from conventional.

"Or maybe I'm just not blindly trusting him like you." Rakshan called him out now.

Before Ashwin could go into defence mode, Rakshan was quick to add on the reason that had been the main cause of the little disputes between him and Dhruv. "Avanuku girlfriend irukan, avan kuda clubbing pora mutual friends pesikiranga. Un kitta sonnana?"

(He apparently has a girlfriend, heard it from some mutual friends in the club. Did he tell you?)

For a moment, all Ashwin could do was blink in utter shock and confusion but it hit him, he simply laughed.

"Girlfriend? Are you kidding me? There's no way he has a girlfriend. That must be some baseless rumour. Yen kitta yepdi sollama irupan? Nethu kooda he hooked up with some girl from a party. Aprom yepdi girlfriend? Logic eh illa nee solradhula."

(How would he not tell me? Even yesterday he was hooking up with some girl in the party. Would he do that if he has a girlfriend. There's no logic in what you're saying.)

Rakshan chuckled, not at all surprised with this reaction. Of course he wouldn't believe it. "Don't talk logic here Ashwin. Your logic and his logic are not the same. I'm just telling you what I heard. Neeye avan kitta kelu, but pray that he tells you the truth."

(You ask him.)

Ashwin looked serious and firm when he said. "Yen kitta Dhruv poi solla maatan. Yedhuvum maraikavum maatan. I trust him."

(Dhruv would never lie to me. He would never keep things away from me.)

What Ashwin had for Dhruv was not just any trust but a blind trust. If one trusts someone blindly, he would either get a person for life or a lesson for life. Rakshan only wondered what Ashwin was about to get for this blind trust of his.

Rakshan sighed heavily. "Well I only hope I'm terribly wrong then. Because if I'm right, the person who's gonna be the most hurt is you and I don't want that."

22 hours until Ashwin gets slapped

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!" She sunk on her couch and spoke to her parents who had called her when the clock struck 12 a.m to virtually celebrate her 24th birthday through the phone.

She chuckled lightly when she could hear her family back in Ooty arguing for the phone. One of her sisters got on the phone and the first thing she asked immediately wiped out all the smile she had on her face. "Hey, yenna un aalu pakkathula irukana? Night full ah celebration ah?"

(Is your man with you? Gonna celebrate your birthday together all night huh?)

She forced out a weak laughter, her eyes moved around her empty apartment contrary to their imaginative teasings. "Yeah first birthday with him is obviously going to be special."

She heard a chorus of ooooohs and awwwws from the other end. Unable to put up the fake front anymore, she quickly made some excuses and ended the call but not before promising to call them again tomorrow.

Putting aside the last ounce of pride and ego she had, she decided to give him a call herself when it became half past 12 a.m.

As always, the call wasn't answered. And she wasn't surprised either.

As much as her birthday felt important enough to be celebrated, she couldn't bring herself to get annoyed or disappointed with him because she knew that he was working night shifts without any breaks to save up and start his dream business as he had informed her when they started dating.

That's why her heart only ached for him and she could never bring herself to get angry at him like a typical girlfriend.

Because Dhruv never lived the typical life. His dysfunctional family ruined his childhood and the last straw was his mother getting jailed.

Overnight, he lost the humble roof he had over his head and the poor excuse of a family he had to call as his own. He ended up in the orphanage, broken, miserable and lonely.

From basic necessities like food and clothes to education, nothing was given to him easily. All his life, he had to fight and fight for things that people naturally received.

And now as a grown adult who's out in the society, he was still struggling to make it. Which explains why he worked so hard every single night to make money.

Since he would never take any monetary support from her, Sivaangi vowed to offer him all the emotional and mental support he would need. She wanted to be the family he lost to fate. She wished to craft him a life more beautiful than what he had ever imagined and yearned for.

It's just a birthday, there are more important things to worry about more than a birthday. He loves me, he really does. And I love him too, so I should understand him.

She gave herself a quick mental pep-talk before going off to bed.

It wouldn't take a more than a minute to send her a simple Happy Birthday text, it definitely wouldn't take more than 5 minutes to give her a quick call to wish her.

She knew that but she also knew that he must have his reasons. He would have definitely wished her if he had a chance. It must be really hectic for him at work.

She loved him and trusted him.

Not just any trust but a blind trust. And that rarely ends well, doesn't it?

10 hours until Ashwin gets slapped:

He stood by the kitchen stove, making some hot coffee for both himself and his roommate who had another wild night.

Ashwin almost dropped the metal spoon when Dhruv rushed out of his bedroom in nothing but boxers than hung loose around him. "Ashwin you need to help me!"

"Can't remember her name?" Ashwin casually asked as he stirred the hot beverage.

"Sathiyama nyabagam illa! I'm gonna be in the washroom, please please send her out!"

(I swear I can't remember it.)

Dhruv didn't wait for his response and ran into the common washroom, trusting Ashwin to do what he's the best at.

Ashwin hummed softly to himself and poured a cup of coffee which would play a crucial role in coaxing the unwelcomed guest in the house. As always, it worked wonders and Ashwin spent about 10-15 minutes chatting sweetly with her over the cup of coffee and successfully showed her out.

"She's gone." He announced and only then Dhruv came out of the washroom, letting out a sigh of relief.

"That was Shruthi by the way." He told him the name that he managed to find out through the little conversation they had earlier.

"Yedhuva irundha yenna?" Dhruv chuckled lightly as he settled on the kitchen counter.

(Who cares what it is?)

"She seemed actually sweet and very pretty too." Ashwin added.

"Not interested for more than a night."

Ashwin's mind suddenly went to the heated conversation he had with Rakshan. Clearing his throat, he spoke. "I think you should consider settling down Dhruv. Yevlo nalaiku ipdiye..."

(For how long you're gonna-)

"Set aagadhu. I'll end up hurting her. It's only safe this way, no strings attached, no emotions involved, no one gets-" He stopped midway, finding it hard to complete that sentence maybe because he knew that was untrue. He knew very well that she was going to get hurt, it was too late to stop what he had started.

(Won't work.)

When Ashwin frowned at him, he let out an unnatural cough. "No one gets hurt this way."

"I've told you this and I'll say it again. You'll be a great boyfriend Dhruv, I really think it's good for you to settle down." Ashwin sipped on his coffee as he sat on the arm rest of the couch.

Dhruv rubbed his forehead that was throbbing in pain. "Ippo yedhuku indha therapy slash advice session thidirnu?"

(Why the sudden therapy slash advice session?)

"Unmaiya sollanumna, I'm tired of having to get rid of your flings every morning." Ashwin said with a hint of humour in his voice.

(To be honest, I'm tired of having to get rid of your flings every morning.)

His best friend sighed. "Okay fine, this is the last time you would have to do that."

Ashwin pointed a finger towards him. "Adhu kaga yellathayum veliya pannitu, morning veetuku varadha. You know that's not what I meant. What I want is for you to stop having these flings every single night. Find someone you genuinely like and see if you can have an actual relationship with her."

(That doesn't mean you can hoe around outside and come back home in the morning.)

Dhruv rolled his eyes but before he could point out how ridiculous of an idea that was, his phone rang. He quickly declined the call and put it aside.

"Is that her again?" Ashwin asked.

"Who?"

He air quoted as he said. "Pissing you off, making you feel suffocated. That one."

Ashwin again failed to notice the layer of guilt filling up his eyes as Dhruv nodded hesitantly. "Y-Yeah that one."

"See, if you seriously start dating someone, indha madhri psychos lam kuruka varadhu. You make yourself available to crazy, clingy hussies , ippo kuththudhu kodaidhunu-"

(That way no psychos would come after you. No use complaining now-)

"Yeah it's all my fault." Dhruv snapped, not because he was angry with his best friend but because he was angry with himself.

"Naa apdi sollala-"

(That's not what I meant.)

Dhruv stormed out of the house before Ashwin could explain himself.

8 hours before Ashwin gets slapped:

Sivaangi put up the angriest expression she could muster when she opened the door to her boyfriend, not trying to react even for the bouquet of fresh red roses he held up.

"Come on baby, I know you wanna smile at me." Dhruv whined and tried to hug her but she moved away and sulkily sat on the sofa, pouting like a child.

He immediately scooted on the couch beside her and brought his arm to her side, pulling her close despite her weak attempts to push him off.

The flowers already melted half the 'anger 'she had and now the hug, his arms, his warm touch, she could barely remember why she was even trying to be angry in the first place.

"Sorry sorry sorry! Inniki full ah un kooda spend pannanumnu nenachen. For the hours I'm gonna miss today, I had to make it up last night. Unakaga thaan."

(I wanted to spend the whole day with you so I had to make up for it yesterday. It's all for you.)

She finally stopped struggling in his arms and let herself indulge in the closeness she felt with him. His started showering butterfly kisses all over her tainted cheeks.

"I'm still very very angry."

"Sure you are." He muttered and gently nibbled on her delicate earlobe, sending shivers down her spine. Traces of blush dusted her cheek as he shyly pushed him off.

His heart fluttered at the sight of her all flustered. He adorably asked. "Naa yenna panna Sivaangi ku kovam pogum?"

(So what would make Sivaangi less angry now?)

"Modhalla naa yen kovam ah irukenu theiryuma?" She sternly questioned.

(Firstly do you even know why I'm angry?)

Before he could try to respond , she stopped him because she knew he was going to get it wrong.

"I'm angry that you're still not trying to break out of your workaholic habit. Nalladhu illa Dhruv, it will destroy you. I need you to be okay." With eyes full of concern and love, her finger softly traced along his jawline.

(It's not good for you at all Dhruv,)

She abruptly stopped when she noticed his welled up eyes all of a sudden."Yennachu?"

(What happened?)

His eyes held a sadness she's never seen before in him. Not even when he was talking about his mother to her that one night. "Bayam ah iruku." He sniffed like a baby as he whispered.

(I'm scared.)

His voice cracked. "I think I'm gonna lose you."

Her heart broke at the sight of him crumbling down. She threw herself into his arms, holding him tighter than ever as his body trembled. She couldn't understand why he was acting this way out of the blue. She thought maybe these kind of fears are part and parcel of the childhood trauma he went through.

Burying her nose into his neck that smelled like a fresh cologne she could never get sick of, she promised. "You will never lose me. Yenna aagunalum unakaga naa irupen Dhruv."

(Whatever happens, I'll be with you Dhruv)

50 minutes until Ashwin gets slapped:

Dhruv carried in the life size teddy bear he had bought for his girlfriend and placed it on the floor. She followed closely behind him and slumped on the couch, her legs cutely sprawled out like a toddler. Her chatters and laughers were gone already after the long, tiring but fruitful day they had spent together.

"Tired?"

She blinked at him, and the eyes were enough to show how exhausted she was. She nodded with the cutest smile.

"Happy?"

"Happiest." Her smile widened as she tugged his arm, pulling him to join her on the couch. With his strength, he could eagerly restrain but he let himself be pulled around however she wanted. She laced her fingers with his, and her face glowed with excitement.

"You make me the happiest!"

He leaned in and pecked her cheek so softly, and when he pulled away, he could see blood rushing into her cheeks. In her blush, there was always a genuine sweetness that he craved.

A kind of sweetness that he never want to give up. Not for anything. Not for anyone.

A kind of sweetness that tortured his insides because it effortlessly reminded him of how contaminated and wrecked he was.

When the discomfort started overwhelming him very slowly, he pulled away and stood up, pretended to look at his watch even though he couldn't care less what the time was.

"I have to go now. Have some thing to take care of." He hesitantly mumbled, while fixing his shirt and jacket.

"I thought we were having dinner together?" She asked, remembering their conversation earlier when he offered to cook for her.

He pursed his lips, anxiety dancing all around his eyes before he quickly covered it up with a huge smile. "My roommate is sick, pavam thaniya irukan. I have to go baby."

(He's alone)

She was disappointed but she still gave him a soft smile. After all Dhruv being such a caring friend only warmed her heart. "Okay sure, poitu vaa."

(Fine, you go then.)

He brought her hands to his lips and peppered them with kisses all over, causing her to giggle. "I'll see you tomorrow."

30 minutes until Ashwin gets slapped:

Rakshan huffed loudly as he placed the heavy box of goods in their storage room that seemed too tiny now that they had a lot of boxes to store inside.

Groaning in pain as he straightened his back, he instantly rolled his eyes at the sight of a tensed Ashwin fumbling with his cell phone, trying to reach out to his best friend.

"You know what? Nalla vela nee ambalaya porandha. Nee mattum oru ponnu ah irundhurundha, I bet you would have married Dhruv and gave birth to his kids by now!"

(I am so thankful you were born as a man. If you were a woman, I swear you would have married him and gave birth to his kids by now.)

Ashwin was too busy trying to get Dhruv on the line that he conveniently ignored the ridiculous statements of his bitter friend.

"Look how in love you are with him! Yennala mudila da! Avan yengayum poga maatan, veetuku thaan vandhu seruvan. Olunga vandhu rendu boxes neeyum thooku."

(I can't stand this. He's not gonna go anywhere, he'll come back home. You better come and lift two boxes of your own now.)

He walked in, panting heavily with another box in his hands and dropped it dangerously close to Ashwin's foot. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he didn't end up with a fractured leg.

Ashwin's deadly glare didn't even bother Rakshan as he vented out. "Appovey delivery man kitta konjam payment kuduthu irundha avaney inga vandhu vechirpan. Cost cutting panrenu, yenna thaniya thooka viduriya? Vandhu thooku da!"

(If you had paid the delivery man a bit, he would have done this for us. For cost cutting measures, you're making me lift all these on my own? You better come and carry dude!)

If he continued stalling any longer, Rakshan's sharp tongue would start rolling out superlative profanities. Not wanting to push him to that extreme end, he quickly sent a few texts to Dhruv, hoping that'll help him to feel better and ran off to unload the grocery deliveries made.

45 minutes until Ashwin gets slapped:

After bidding a goodbye full of hugs and kisses to Dhruv, Sivaangi spent some time lazing on the bean bag as she uploaded some stories and posts for her birthday, while thanking those who wished her.

Just when she was carefully picking out a perfect emoji to post as a caption for a selfie of Dhruv and herself taken from today's date, suddenly she heard a buzzing sound.

She was sure that it wasn't her phone so she looked around and her eyes widened when she found Dhruv's iPhone laying on the couch. Thinking that it might have slipped out of his pocket just now, she quickly jumped up and grabbed ahold it.

She couldn't help but smile like a child. He just left but she was already missing him.

Now I have a reason to meet him again!

Suddenly the screen lit up when a notification popped up causing it to buzz once again.

Ashwin: Don't be bummed out over the crazy psycho girl! And sorry about the ideas I've been pressuring you with.

She silently read and before even completely processing the text, she was feeling a bad taste at the back of her throat, like the feeling when you are so sick and dizzy that you want to throw up but you just can't throw up and end up feeling uncomfortable with the nausea.

Her hands trembled, sweat pooling in her palms but she was careful not to drop the phone. Because number one, she was too broke to replace it. And number two, right then another text from the same person popped up and she has to read it.

Ashwin: That chick ain't worth your time or feelings even. Forget about that waste-girl and just have fun in the club with girls like you always do. Settling or whatever, no need to think about it now until you're ready. What matters is your-

She stopped reading. She couldn't continue even if she wanted. A sharp pain started consuming her, she couldn't identify at all which part of the body the pain came from, but it came in waves, started slowly but got bigger and stronger with each wave. The pain chocked the breath out of her body and short circuited her mind.

What was once whole was shattered; where once was peace was emptiness, the bubbles of happiness popped into nothing to be replaced by misery.

All she wanted was to go home.

Home. Home. Home.

For a fleeting second, the idea of packing up her bags and leaving for Ooty occured to her. She could just leave behind this pain and run off to Ooty, to her house. But something told her that this pain would follow her no matter which part of the world she goes to.

Home. Home. Home.

Again her mind screamed out loud, wanting to leave, wanting to run away, to go home.

But where's home? Where was her home? The one in Ooty cannot be her home because her family won't receive her with warmth. They would receive her with pride and joy even because they were right, she had failed to survive on her own and had crawled back to them.

They would be happy to see her fall apart on her own. Because they get to rub it on her face that they were right all along.

How can they be home?

Home. Home. Home.

She was pulled back to the reality when his phone vibrated once again and the screen lit up, graciously allowing her to read the latest message.

Unknown: Last night was so amazing that I'm still thinking about it. Wish you had joint me in the shower though🥵
Ps: your cute roomie was sweet😍

Unknown: you up for another amazing night? Wouldn't mind at all if your roomie joins us😋

And finally whatever that was building up her nausea earlier gathered at the back of her throat and flowed through her gullet. With her head that spun around like the rotor blades of an operating helicopter, she ran to the bathroom and released the remainings from her mouth.

She couldn't tell how long she sat there in the dark bathroom, every time she thought it was clear, the messages would echo in her head and she would bend down and unload more contents of her stomach.

At some point, there was nothing left in her system to upchuck so she just sank to the floor, breaking down into loud, hollering sobs. She partially cried because of how stinky her bathroom was now that it was decorated with mushed up, half-digested food and stomach juices. And she cried even harder when she realised her life outside the bathroom was even more malodorous and horrible.

Her empty apartment was only filled with her painful cries.

She felt disgusted. So, so, so disgusted that she could die.

30 minutes until Ashwin gets slapped:

He felt pleasured. So, so, so pleasured that he could die.

Picking up girls at the club was one thing but Dhruv felt a different kind of gratification in hooking up with a random girl you meet in the elevator.

Slamming his body into the naked woman under him who clearly wasn't shy with her moans, their bodies rocked rhythmically as their breaths harmonised.

Amidst the excited noises that escaped their throats, they missed the series of loud knocks against the main door.

Too thrilled to rip off each other's clothes, neither of them remembered to lock the door in the first place which worked out well for the person standing outside.

The last thing he saw was the generous bosoms of the pale skinned woman that he was eager to fondle. Because before he knew it, the porcelain vase by the front door flew towards his head, smashing into tiny pieces which cut through his skin and forced out fresh blood.

The girl below him let out a loud scream but the voice of his sweet little girlfriend easily overpowered hers.

"FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

Dhruv wasn't sure when or how the naked girl from the elevator managed to sneak out because he was too busy trying to protect himself from every object that was flung directly on his head.

First the porcelain vase, then a metal stool, followed by some photo frames, and then a long floor lamp and just when she was about to forcefully grab the fish tank which was quite a challenge to her petite form but that moment, she found an inner strength in herself that defied nature.

Every fish in the tank would have met the angel of death that day had Dhruv not stopped her with coerce. "Sivaangi stop it! What the fuck-"

"SHUT UP!" She pushed away his hands in utter disgust and the tears came rushing out once again. Despite the amount of times she had told herself while on the way to his house that she would rather kill him than to cry in front him, she still failed and broke down.

She crushed down, feeling pathetic, sad and most importantly disgusted for herself.

And the only thing that paused her from crying was when his hand slowly reached for her shoulder. She flinched and pushed him away.

"THODATHA! Don't fucking touch me!" She cried.

(Don't touch me)

But Dhruv was stubborn. There was water in his eyes when he held her, so gently, so tenderly, so softly that she almost felt safe.

Almost.

But not when she remembered everything, and she started feeling anything except safe. Her eyes silently looked around for some other object to hit his head with until it cracked open into two.

His voice shook as he cried. "Sivaangi, I can explain. Just listen-"

"No."

This time she doesn't shout. She doesn't wail. She doesn't roar.

She just cried, raw, defeated and broken. "No. Don't...don't say anything. How could anything in the world explain and justify what you did to me? Just how?!"

2 minutes until Ashwin gets slapped:

As predicted, the storage room didn't have enough space to hold all the stocks that arrived so the business partners decided to leave some boxes in the spare room in Ashwin's house.

They unloaded the boxes from the boot of the SUV with strained breaths and got into the elevator.

"Okay just hold the lift while I take them out one by one," Rakshan instructed and started dragging out the boxes.

1 minute 30 seconds until Ashwin gets slapped:

Rakshan paused abruptly when there were sudden loud noises that came from Ashwin's house. The duo exchanged a look of worry because it certainly didn't sound like the usual noises of pleasure that filled up the apartment whenever Dhruv was home with a girl.

This was yelling and screaming that didn't indicate even the slightest bit of pleasure. Just when Ashwin was about to abandon the boxes and look into his house to make sure Dhruv was fine, he froze in complete shock as a small figure stormed out of his house.

His brain stuttered for a moment but his eyes widened in realisation.

It's her! It's her! It's her!

Cheeks stained with tears, red eyes still watering uncontrollably, the curls of her hair all tangled and messy; she couldn't look worse.

Relief. Euphoria. Confusion. Worry. Anxiety. Too many emotions hit him all at once at the sight of her.

Unlike Ashwin, Rakshan had no prior connections or history with the woman but none of that was necessary to figure out she was going through something rough. He pulled a funny face at Ashwin, gesturing to him that they should get out of there very soon. He decided to hurry with the boxes so she could take the elevator and go wherever she needed to.

When Rakshan noticed his friend standing like a statue, not moving and completely useless, he urged him. "Ashwin, vaa da. Take that box."

(Ashwin come, get the boxes)

1 minute to Ashwin getting slapped:

Still shaken and emotional over the unexpected reunion with his secret crush,  Ashwin didn't respond to his friend's calling, but she surely did.

She sharply turned to Rakshan, a stranger she had only noticed after the name he mentioned and airily asked. "Ippo yenna sonninga? Say it again."

(What did you just say?)

Rakshan blinked nervously, praying that she wasn't a serial killer, and robotically repeated himself as he was too scared for his life. "A-Adhu...Ashwin vaa da, take that-"

(Well, Ashwin come get the boxes-)

"Ashwin?" She said out aloud, as if she was hearing herself and making sure she wasn't making a big blunder here.

She slowly then turned to the man in the elevator who was referred to as 'Ashwin', who was still staring at her with wide eyes and a tiny smile naturally threatening to peek through the corner of his lips.

30 seconds to Ashwin getting slapped:

Taking in a shaky breath, she neared him. "Ashwin?"

Like a goldfish he opened and closed his mouth several times for no reason before he gave up trying to speak and nodded hesitantly.

"You're Ashwin?" Her eyes stopped watering for a moment there and instead of the broken look, it was now filled with fury and rage. A wild madness to tear him apart and throw him to the sharks.

"I-" he still struggled to speak. Taking in a deep breath, he calmed himself down and confirmed. "Yes, I am Ashwin."

Ashwin knew that this wasn't the best time but he had been waiting for this one day, just one more day where he gets to see her and tell her what he had in mind all along. And now that the day was here, how could he let it slip away without trying anything at all?

He cleared his throat and slowly started. "Actually I'm not sure if you remember but I have something that belongs to you-"

Slap.

A tight, loud, stinging slap was what she gave him. The crack against his jaw causes his head to snap to the direction of Rakshan whose vision shook in horror.

There was a burning sensation that slowly spread all around his cheek that gradually reddened and Ashwin instinctively brought his shaky hand against his cheekbone.

The impact of the slap almost caused his eyeballs to pop out of the socket and the wind was knocked out of him. He tried to stay composed, he really tried but failed.

He was out of breath for 2 reasons.

Firstly, it was the slap of course. That was too hard and strong for a tiny hand like hers. Jokes on him for thinking that the characters in soap operas reacted too much for a mere slap because today he found out that one powerful slap could actually kill him. Hers nearly did.

Secondly, he's breathless after taking a closer look at his 14th floor lift hogger. Her watery eyes, her red nose, her dried lips, her disheveled hair - she was too beautiful of a mess to handle and take in.

But Ashwin couldn't relish in the pleasure of her beauty any longer. Because he heard Rakshan yelling out to his defence. "Indha ma! Yaaru nee?! Yedhuku avana-"

(Woman! Who the hell are you? Why are you-)

"SHUT UP!" She spat furiously, still giving him a murderous look. Nobody has ever looked at him like that, like they wanted him dead literally. It scared him but it also confused him. What could he have done to get her so mad? He didn't even mess up with the lift buttons to annoy her. So what was the issue?

Rakshan turned into his mama bear mode and jumped in. "Nee yenna paithiyama, chumma poravana iluthi vechi adikira-"

(Are you crazy or what? Why are you hitting him for no reason-)

"AAMA! Paithiyam thaan!" She screamed on top of her lungs. If Ashwin never had those elevator episodes with her 2 months ago, he would have believed her in a heartbeat because in her current state, she certainly would fit in the picture of an asylum better than any other places.

(YES! I am crazy!)

But he knew her. At least to some extent. And she's not what she was being right now. Or was this who she always was and the one he saw 2 months ago was just a polite facade?

He really wasn't sure anymore.

She faced Ashwin, tilted her head, eyes sparkling from hurt to more sad amusement. "Paithiyam mattum illa, I'm a psycho."

(Not just crazy,)

Under his terrified eyes, she brought her finger to her chin as if she was thinking really hard when in fact, those words were something that she won't easily forget. "What else am I? Let's see...a waste girl! A girl who's worthless."

Her voice trembled, pain bubbling up in her chest as she was all ready to fall apart once again in front of the strangers. "So worthless that it's completely fine to cheat on me, I don't deserve loyalty, I don't deserve care, I don't deserve fucking love! Right?"

Now it was Ashwin who was shaking because the back of his head was already catching up but another part of him, the part that was completely smitten and besotted with her refused to comprehend what she just said.

"What are you taking about? I-I don't under-"

Their not so private conversation in the lobby was interrupted by a wrecked Dhruv who tearfully walked out of the house. "Sivaangi, I'm sorry. I am so sorry-"

For the first time in his life, Rakshan wished he wasn't a friend of Ashwin and Dhruv because this would have been a priceless drama to watch as a spectator with a bucket of popcorn. So much was happening that it was the kind of drama that one would watch over and over again, and every single time something new could be discovered.

Too much information. Way too much information was given out.

Number one, her name was Sivaangi. Now that's a brand new information that Ashwin had been yearning to find out for months.

Number two, Dhruv knew her name? Which could only mean that Dhruv knew her? And Dhruv did something wrong to her because why else would he apologise?

Ashwin wasn't even done with registering all these information but she had already grabbed one of the bulky boxes Rakshan brought out and mercilessly flung it on Dhruv's direction.

Rakshan let out a loud, dramatic gasp but stood there rooted to the ground, not helping mainly because he wasn't sure how to help or who to help. So he decided to be fair and not help anyone.

Dhruv hadn't even stood back up and she was already reaching forward to grab another box, Ashwin panicked and immediately stopped her.

He pulled her away from the boxes and held her firmly. "Tell me...just tell me who are you? Yaaru-"

(Who-)

She forcefully peeled herself away from his hold and huffed out in tears. "I was Dhruv's girlfriend."

~~~

Did you like it?

Should I continue or just drop it? I wouldn't be offended so tell me honestly if you find it not good enough.

Something to keep you occupied while waiting for MWB🤍