Author's note

Helloo makkaleyy, hope you all are doing good. Yenna adhisayama rendu naal la update kuduthuten nu pakuringala? I was happy seeing your response for the previous chapter. Thank you so very much. Please do continue supporting the book.

Nenjodu kalandhidu uravaaleeee. Hehehe.. Planned oh coincidence oh, ellamey kadavul setting dhan!

Please do stream Adipoli whenever possible. Support them professionally and keep them both in your prayers. Hope. Believe. Magic.

Long, long ago, I started writing a book called "The Hateful Love". I wasn't very discipled with updates and when I started writing my book "Ashaangi Short Stories" I unpublished it. But because of readers demand, I'm editing, rewriting and publishing the book The Hateful Love renamed as "Burned"

I have posted the prologue and chapter one so far. Its a general fiction and the leads names are Atharv Singhania and Shriya Malhotra. I'll post the story overview here. Do give a read. Thank you.

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Burned - Prologue

"Now, what do we have here?" Atharv said as he clasped his hands together and walked near Shriya, his face wearing an arrogant grin. She was aware of his approach but too numb to react.

"Wh-what are yo-you do-doing?" Shriya managed to form words, her insides trembling as she looked at Atharv, who was just a step away from her.

"Coming towards you, darling," Atharv said, his face still grinning, while Shriya's eyes widened in fear. In an instant, her legs moved back as she looked at him, her eyes moist.

"St-stay away!" she panicked as she moved back while Atharv advanced towards her.

"Bhaiya!" Shriya shouted, her body trembling—was it with fear or fury? Both. Out of nowhere, two pairs of hands clasped onto either side of Shriya, holding her in a death grip. Scared, she turned her head slightly and saw two female guards holding her in place.

"Leave me! Bhaiya! Leave me!" she shouted, trying to wriggle free from the iron grip.

"Ssh! Calm down, Shriya," Atharv said in an intense tone, which silenced her immediately. "It's your brother who's at gunpoint, remember?"

Shriya froze in fear.

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If you find it interesting then please do read that book and support me. Thank you. 

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Ashaangi SS Bewitched

Chapter Forty

Ashwin, Ravindran, and his son Rahul waited at Coimbatore airport to pick up Aarthi's family. Ravindran, his wife Usha, his son Rahul, and his daughter Meghana had reached Coimbatore that morning. Aarthi and her family must have landed by now.

Aarthi and Ravindran's family had decided to come to Coimbatore and spend a couple of days there before going to Chennai for Anusha's marriage. Aarthi, her husband Suresh, her daughter Janani, and her son Shravan spotted Ravindran and walked towards him and Ashwin.

Ashwin greeted the family, and together they all left for Arasur. As soon as they reached home, Aarthi rushed to her mother and hugged her to her heart's content. She then hugged Saradha, followed by Usha.

While Aarthi's family went to rest, Ashwin saw Saradha busy talking with Dhanalakshmi, Usha, and Ravindran. Rahul and Meghana were in their room. He slipped out of the house and went to his workspace.

Ashwin laid down on the bed, his lips curling into a smile as he remembered how he and Sivaangi had slept together in the bed before leaving for Ooty. He traced the pillow with a shy smile before calling her. He sighed when she didn't answer his call.

Getting up, Ashwin walked over to the mannequin and looked at the lehenga he was designing for Sivaangi. A few final touches were pending. Stretching his fingers, he started working on the dress.

Ashwin's mobile rang when he was nearly done. It was Saradha. He picked up her call, and she inquired about his whereabouts. Only then did he realize that two solid hours had gone by with him working. She asked him to come home for dinner.

Not having the heart to leave the work incomplete, Ashwin informed his mother that he would be back in half an hour. He heaved a sigh of relief when he looked at the dress. A smile touched his lips as he thought about how Sivaangi would react to his work.

Ashwin carefully folded the dress and packed it safely. Stretching his tired limbs, he switched off the lights, locked up, and then left for Dhanalakshmi's. He called Sivaangi again, but she didn't pick up. Twisting his lips in frustration, he went home.

The next two days went by with Ashwin winding up his work and spending time with his family. Sivaangi was busy with the marriage preparations and her relatives. They only texted each other as they had no privacy.

While the elders, except for Dhanalakshmi, left for Chennai by flight, Dhanalakshmi, Ashwin, and his cousins travelled by his car. Ever since Sivaangi had come, they had been using her car, so Sanjay was using Ashwin's car.

As Dhanalakshmi might feel uncomfortable traveling by flight and the cousins wanted to enjoy the drive, they decided to go by car. Ashwin and Rahul took turns driving. They were invited to the pre-wedding ceremonies, so they went to Chennai three days before the wedding date.

The pre-wedding ceremonies were taking place at a resort fully rented by the bride's and groom's families. Viikranth's family was based in Mumbai, so they decided to blend both cultures' marriage ceremonies.

Sivaangi, who was overseeing the floral arrangements, rushed to the portico of the resort when she learned about Ashwin's family's arrival. Her godparents and parents invited them in. Harish was supposed to direct them to their rooms, but she rushed in to greet them.

"Athaii!" Sivaangi excitedly rushed to Saradha and hugged her. Saradha's heart warmed with Sivaangi's gesture, and she hugged her back.

("Auntyy!")

"Paati yenga?" Sivaangi asked, and then her gaze fell on Aarthi. She squealed and hugged Aarthi. "Aarthi auntyyyy. Yepdi irukinga?"

(Where's grandma? ... Aarthi auntyyy. How are you?)

"Heyy, enn akka unaku athaii, naa aunty ah?" Aarthi asked, breaking the hug.

(Heyy, my sister's Athaii for you, and I'm aunty?)

"Huh, enn thangachi yedhuku unga akka va apdi kupdura nu enaku dhane theriyum" Harish chuckled softly.

(Huh, I know my sister's intention for calling your sister that way)

Anuradha introduced the rest of the family to Sivaangi. She spoke with them enthusiastically and then let Harish guide them to their rooms. She quickly shot a text to Ashwin and went to continue her work.

It was evening when Ashwin stopped the car in front of the resort. They all walked inside, and Harish jogged up to Ashwin. He greeted the rest and directed them to their rooms. On the way, Anuradha and Binni met them and welcomed them.

Dhanalakshmi inquired about Sivaangi, and that's when Ashwin learned that she was busy practicing dance with her cousins for the sangeet. Ashwin, Rahul, and Shravan stayed in one room. Ashwin refreshed himself and laid on his stomach next to Rahul.

Shravan crawled on the bed and rested his head on Ashwin's back.

"Bro, PUBG?" Shravan knocked his head on Ashwin's back.

"Tired ah iruku da" Ashwin groaned, stretching his tired limbs.

(I'm tired)

"Oreyy oru match Naa, pleassee," Shravan insisted. "Rahul bro, come on."

(Just one match, bro, pleassee)

They gave in and logged into their PUBG accounts. Just as their match started, Ashwin got a text from Sivaangi. He couldn't exit the game to reply right away, as it might cause the game to lag.

Meanwhile, Sivaangi was waiting for Harish to hang up his call. Ever since she learned that Ashwin had arrived, she wanted to meet him. She had texted him to know his room number, but he hadn't replied. Since he didn't respond, she didn't want to call him either.

But Sivaangi was determined to know Ashwin's room number. She needed to ask Harish discreetly and was waiting for him to hang up the call, but he didn't. She sighed and waited, but her face lit up when she heard,

"Ashwin bro is in room 257. Yeah, he and his cousins are settled there," Vinayak said into his phone as he crossed Sivaangi.

"257," Sivaangi muttered under her breath with a smile and was about to walk that way, but her cousin Devika came hollering her name.

Whining, Sivaangi moved toward her cousin, hoping to meet Ashwin during the dinner buffet.

"Bro, revive panunga, bro! Vandhrura poran!" Shravan screamed as he dragged his crawling avatar behind a wall.

(Bro, revive me, bro! He might come!)

Rahul's avatar in the game crawled to Shravan and started reviving him while Ashwin shot an enemy. There were only two enemies left. When Rahul shot the last one and "Winner, winner, chicken dinner" appeared on the screen, the boys yelled in victory.

"Inoru match?" Shravan asked, sitting up.

(One more match?)

"Ada po da" Ashwin said, exiting the game app and opening Sivaangi's text. He replied to her text and got down from the bed.

(No)

"Come, let's go and meet our family first. We are yet to greet everyone. Come on."

Ashwin dragged his cousins out with him. He rang Saradha, and upon learning everyone was in the banquet hall, they walked there. It was Krishnakumar who spotted Ashwin first. He greeted Ashwin with a hug.

With his hand on Ashwin's shoulder, Krishnakumar led him inside. His cousins, after a formal greeting, moved to their family while Ashwin stayed with Krishnakumar, who took him to Kaleeshwaran. Upon seeing Ashwin, Vinayak rushed over and greeted him with a hug.

On the day the Mehendi ceremony was scheduled, the bride's and groom's families decided to have a friendly football match for the men. Vinayak excitedly told Ashwin about it and asked him to be a part of the bride's team.

Even though he was listening to everyone, Ashwin's eyes roamed around, looking for a certain person. Dhanalakshmi noticed Saradha looking at Ashwin. When Saradha turned, she saw Dhanalakshmi smiling at her teasingly. Saradha shook her head when Dhanalakshmi gestured toward Ashwin and shook her head again.

Ashwin sat down next to his mother with his dinner plate. They had dinner while discussing the next day's plans. Ashwin got a call from Stanley. It was related to work, so Ashwin quickly finished his dinner and walked out of the banquet hall with Stanley on the call.

As Ashwin walked along the corridors, he discussed a shipment issue with Stanley. Just as he ended the call, he heard women giggling and laughing. Curious, he walked further and saw a group of women sitting together on the lawn, and his lips curled into a smile when he saw Sivaangi.

Seeing her after two weeks, Ashwin stood still and stared at Sivaangi to his heart's content. But he hissed and cursed under his breath when his mobile rang, and the group of women, including Sivaangi, looked in his direction.

Sivaangi's face lit up when she saw Ashwin. He gave a sheepish smile to the crowd and then waved at Sivaangi, who instinctively waved back.

"Heyy, Sivu. Who's that handsome?" One of Anusha's cousins asked Sivaangi.

"He's my relative, akka," Sivaangi wanted to roll her eyes at that particular cousin for tagging Ashwin as handsome, but not wanting to give herself away, she replied with a tight smile, excused herself, and started to walk toward Ashwin.

Ashwin gestured for Sivaangi to follow him and hurried his steps. She sighed and walked at her own pace when she realized he was walking toward his room. Vinayak saw his sister climbing the stairs. He called her, but she didn't hear him. He wanted to ask her about his kurta, so he huffed and walked behind her.

Sivaangi walked down the corridor of the second floor, her eyes searching for room number 257. She passed room 256, and as she stopped in front of 257, she heard a distant noise. She turned to look back, but before she could process anything, the room door opened, and Ashwin stepped out.

Sivaangi yelped when she felt Ashwin's hold around her waist. She was lifted inside the room, and the door was locked behind him. Vinayak, who had seen Ashwin lift Sivaangi inside the room, paused in his tracks.

"What the he—" Vinayak's voice was muffled when a palm clasped over his mouth from behind.

Vinayak wriggled and turned back. He saw Harish gesturing for him to keep quiet.

"Bro! Did you see what I saw?" Vinayak asked in disbelief.

"Dei, naa just miss ah idhuku melaye pathruken da!" Harish slung his arm around Vinayak's neck and dragged a protesting Vinayak away.

(Hey, I have narrowly seen much more than this!)

Meanwhile, Sivaangi held onto Ashwin's arm as she exclaimed, "Ashwin!"

Ashwin let Sivaangi down. She turned and smiled at him widely before hugging him. He hugged her back, resting his chin on her shoulder before breathing a sigh of relief. "God! I missed you so much!"

Sivaangi broke the hug and looked up at Ashwin. She asked in a complaining tone, "I was waiting for you since the morning. Why didn't you come to meet me as soon as you arrived?"

Sivaangi jumped on her feet and hissed when Ashwin pinched her waist.

"Madam, you were the one who was busy with dance rehearsal. You were so busy that you didn't properly pay attention to me at all for the past two weeks," Ashwin bit his lip and wrapped his arms around Sivaangi's waist.

"Ashwi—" Sivaangi yelped when Ashwin pulled her closer. She crashed onto his torso and held his bicep.

"Azhaga iruka, Sivaangi," Ashwin nuzzled his nose against her cheek, making her gasp softly and close her eyes. His deep bass voice teased her ears, "I want your attention to be only on me now."

(You look beautiful)

Sivaangi tightened her hold on Ashwin when she felt him lifting her up. He peppered kisses from her cheek to her neck and buried his face into her neck, making her toes curl. Her fingers were lost in his thick mane while his beard caressed her skin.

He pulled back and looked at her. Her gaze flickered to his lips and then back to his eyes. He exhaled heavily before leaning in and kissing her. Their lips moulded as he steadied her against the room door, deepening the kiss.

They broke the kiss with a loud smooch. Panting softly, they stared at each other before hugging. Ashwin placed Sivaangi down. Composing her breath, she twirled in front of him in her white kurti and sandal cigarette pants.

"Fit check, yepdi iruku?" Sivaangi asked with a teasing smile.

(How's the fit check?)

"Vaai aala sollava, illa kai aala sollava?" Ashwin stepped forward with a mischievous grin, and Sivaangi stepped back with a giggle.

(Do I have to reply with words or my hands?)

"Ashwineyy, unn cousins vandhura poranga ma," Sivaangi said, pushing her hair behind her ear.

(Ashwineyy, your cousins might come)

"Aiyoo, aama la!" Ashwin smacked his lips and turned serious in a second. "Seri, naa etti pakuren yaarum irukangala nu, nee veliya odiru. Naa pinnadiye varen."

(Aiyoo, yess!... Okay, I'll go and check if the coast is clear. If it yes, then you go out. I'll join you after few minutes)

Sivaangi shook her head with a smile. She knew why Ashwin wanted to be cautious around others. Once Ashwin checked the coast, he opened the door wide for her.

"Keela meet panlam" Sivaangi blinked at Ashwin with a smile, and just as she stepped out of the room, she spanked Ashwin and ran away with a giggle.

(Let's meet downstairs)

Ashwin stood rooted to his spot for a couple of seconds before shaking his head with a silly smile and going back inside muttering, "Mavale, sikkamala pova"

(Wait till I get my hands on you)

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So, how's the chapter makkaleyy? Any guesses on what's coming next? Hope you enjoyed reading the chapter.

Please do vote and comment, so that it boost my morale to update sooner.

Thank you for reading,

Nan ~