"Ashwineyy... Car Niruthu.... Namma Mazhaila nenaiyalam", she exclaimed in excitement when it started to pour as they were driving towards her home.

(Stop the car.. Let's enjoy the rain)

Living and loving life the way she did always fascinated him. All that mattered to her was living the moment to the fullest.

She wasn't perfect but her authenticity was unparalleled. Embracing her imperfections and flaws with an unfeigned smile, she respected and adored her soul.

Mistakes meant learnings, Failures meant closer to success and Insecurities meant room to improve.

Choosing to look out for the positives amidst chaos, hatred and negativity, her convictions were unfaltering. Nevertheless, in total contrast to her deep maturity in handling arduous situations, her inner child wished to enjoy the tiniest of moments in life.

And right now, she wanted to get drenched in the pouring rain. She had blithe disregard to the fact that it was 2 AM or that it was pitch dark or that they were both celebrities.

"Niruthu Ashwinneyy... enna yosichtu irukaa", she lamented earning a chuckle from him.

(Stop the car. What world are you in?)

"Can she get any cuter?" he thought to himself.

"Ma... Venam ma... Nadu raathri... Mazha vera kottudhu", he reasoned as he struggled to restrain himself from losing control.

(Please understand. Its midnight and its pouring)

She threw a tantrum and threatened to open his moon roof while he attempted to convince the brat of a kid in her.

"Please Ashwiney... Evlo naal ku apram mazha peiyudhu. Please...", she pleaded with her heavenly voice.

(Please Ashwiney. Its raining after so long. Please...)

He finally gave up unable to resist himself from giving into her request. This has become his routine these days. Her silliest of wishes were becoming his highest priority.

"Enna di panra? En di ipdi enna kolra?", he mumbled to himself before pulling over in a small street where they would not be seen by any of their millions of fans.

(What are you doing to me?)

This wasn't his first time being alone with her in the middle of the night. Howbeit, today wasn't anything like those days.

After a whole week of not meeting her owing to their crazy schedules, today's shoot was something he had looked forward to. Unable to neither meet nor have a proper conversation with her made him restless. 

He missed her. All of her.

Anticipation was to see her and be in her company. But God had other plans.

She won the immunity band for him. Winning with her was such a high that he wished for her to be with him in all his wins. Just when he thought the day could not get any better, she had surprised him. Not with something that could be bought off a store but with an experience of a lifetime.

He heard her sing the song that he treasured with all his heart and stood mesmerized. He was speechless.

If only he could relive that very moment a million times over, he gladly would. If he could only remember a single memory, he would choose that without a blink.

There was something so special in those deep brown enchanting eyes of hers today. Her cheeks were colored in a beautiful shade of pink when put on the immunity band around his arms. The feeling of her racing heart beat on his body drove him insane in a split second. 

He was falling was her and there was nothing he could do about it.

He tried shaking away his thoughts that were wandering into dangerous places but failed miserably. His eyes chose to stay transfixed on her.

Watching her getting drenched in rain was certainly bewitching. Dazzled by the way she swayed and moved, he was lost in trance.

Every small detail of hers were magnified in his eyes. Even in a simple kurthi and cigarette pants, she looked so alluring.

He couldn't help but envisage what it would be like to be loved by her? To be her boyfriend, lover, husband and maybe someday even the father of her children.

"Ashwineyy.. en angaye nikra. Inga vaa..", she beseeched him to join her.

If only he could tell her why and everything else he felt at that instant his mind screamed at his helpless stance. 

He shrugged the thought away and managed to blink out of his stupor to steady himself.

It was no secret that she liked him unconditionally without any expectations. But did she love him? Was she aware of the effect she had on him? Both physically and emotionally?

As he stood still outside his car devouring the captivating vision in front of him, he saw her strolling towards him.

He stifled from crossing those blurry imaginary boundaries they had but she had other plans and so did his heart.

"Unaku enna pudikuma Ashwiney?"

His eyes gazed at the raindrops that fell on her soft pink lips as she candidly posed the most piercing question to his soul. And, instead of waiting for him to respond, she took his hands and twirled before leaning her wet body onto his chest.

"Enaku unna rombha pudikum Ashwineyy. Idhu love dan nu nenaikren", she confessed leaving him dumbstruck yet again.

While he searched for precise and poetic words to express, his throbbing heartbeats were a good enough response for her. 

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Thoughts?

It's my first ever OS. Forgive any mistakes. Also a very basic version of this was drafted to surprise someone and it was their wish to publish this out. So, a revived version is here. 

Thanks so much for all the support and motivation! Grateful ❤️

PS: What timing of the cover? Just perfect for this ❤️🤩