K : bathil varathe ithuku mattum...

Moonu maasama kaathutu iruken de...
Un oru varthai kaga...

M : oh kaathuturuka mudiyalaiyo... udane unaku bathil venumo...

K : illaa udane nee venum...

M (shocked) : mamaa...

His plain words that came as a whip along with the fierceness of his looks made her shiver...
Unknowingly she plastered herself to the wall with a fearful face leaving him with his special hidden smile...

K : parra nan mama than nu niyabagam vanthuduchu pola... (smiling)

Athu sari... yen ipadi palli madhiri poi sevuthula otitu irukaa...

M : athu... nee... nee... pesarathu yethume sari illaa... nan kelambaren... thallu...

K : ei intha... yena achu... appo pesinatha... illaa... (thinking for a second) oh athuva...

(laughing) udane nee venum na ANTHA venum illaa... manasalavula nee venum... un kaadhal venum nu artham... konjam bayangarama soliten pola...

M (a suspicious look) : ohhhh... nambalama...

K : ada nambu de... nan athelam pathi yosikala...

M : hmmm...

K : athavathu ippo solren... yepavum illaa... (wink)

M : hmmmkmmm...

K(laughing again): aana sari illaaye nee... nan kuda unna yenamo nu nenachen... nan kaadhalika ketta nee katila pathi pesare... ithu kuda nalla than iruku... ( again wink)

M : chi... pecha paaru... yena aalo... inime ipadi pesina nan mazhai nu kuda paaka maten... veliya poiduven...

K : intha... nan sari ah than pesaren.. unaku than thappa puriyuthu...

M : hmmmkmmm... kaadhalikaren na i love you nu soluvaanga... unna madhiri thalaiya suthi mooka thottu intha mokkai dialogue adikka matanga... ithula nan purinjukalaiyam...

K : yethu mokkai dialogue ah... yena de ipadi solite... avalo unarchiyoda athana per munnadi getha solitu vanthen...

M (smirking) : hmmmkmmm... yetho un kadai la paruppu venum madhiri sonna...

Athu sari... verum pathaan class maligai kadaikaranuku ku athu than eh varum... puriyuthu...

K : yethu pathaan class maligai kadaikarana...

Kathir pushed himself more to her side and placed his hand on the wall arresting her within his hold...
She averted her gaze from him to look at the sparkling candles as if it was the most important thing in the world...

M(mumbling) : pinnaa yenavaam...

K : Appo athu unaku prachanai ah... sari nan vena poi padichutu periya velai ku poitu i love you elam sola kathukitu varava... appo katikiriya yenna... (twisting brows)

M : oh nan sari nu sonna intha arumai kadaiya vitutu poi padichutu apadiye oru paatula karaikudi collector agiduve... apadi than eh...

K : hmmm oru paatula collector elam nadakathu... aana yetho oru degree vaanga muyarchi panuven...

M : oh ho...

K : yena oh ho... bathil sollu...

M : antha madhiri extra fitting velai elam panithan enna unna katika vekkanum na atha vida asingam unaku vera yethum illaa... vekkame illaama yepadi intha kelvi ellam kekariyo theriyala...

Though her words looked like she was insulting and gibing him, Kathir's heart felt so soothing understanding the hidden content in it....
Off course, she should love him for who he is...
Not a perfectly fine tuned version of him...
A unknown tinkling sensation and a instant happiness swept through his heart making him move closer just to be shoved off by her angrilly...

M : yenga vara nee... thalli po...

K : ada nan yenga de vanthen... illaye...

Kathir controlled his vulnerability in a second and replied with a smirk just to get a answer that showed hell and heaven at the same time...

M : aama nee than thirumba varen nu sollitu varave illaye...

Kathir looked flabbergasted with her longing reply and he looked deep into her eyes who was doing the same...

Again a bright lightning hit the space giving them a easy access to the other's eyes...

He was lost...
Lost in those eyes....
Lost in the love those orbs showered...
Lost completely...
And this time happilly...

Did her words spilled her yearning or expectation...
Or its just a sarcastic or a scoffing reply...

No it can't be the latter...
Her eyes clearly said it is the former...
Her voice was crystal clear with longing feel...
His heart fluttered high as if his dreams were coming true...
So was he in right track about their future all these days...
All his playfulness came to a halt going back to the past three months...

Yes...
Its been three months since the nixed engagement...
Everything kept changing day by day in that timespan...

After the day of chaos, Murugan came up the very next day with few relatives and called off the engagement officially in front of all on account of things happened...
Unable to justify, lakshmi too accepted for it making things come back to starting point...
The connection between both houses, the lovable mullai was all cut...

Post that, everyone pushed the time hard for something good to happen...

The initial few days were so horrible making the ps house look like a abondaned castle with no signs of life...
Moorthy and dhanam were extremely angry with kathir for messing up a perfectly going life of everyone...

So was jeeva...
He couldnt believe it was his own brother who changed the course of events against him...
He was very much mad at kathir for what he did and he felt ashamed of his talks in the engagement...
He pointed out what he had for mullai was just a attraction and not love...
Unnecessarily he mentioned about the brides he consented previously before everyone...
He felt he did put down jeeva in every aspect...

Not just Kathir, he was pretty much disappointed with mullai too for not standing up for him...
He didnt understand that what he and mullai shared wasn't love to glue to it...
It was just a alliance made by peers...

When jeeva was in his own anguish, the sametime, Kathir was no less...
He was going through a tough phase than everyone at home...
He was burning in guilty for his brother and his family on one side...
He felt ashamed for the blunder he did for mullai and her family...
More than all, he was fighting with fear about future...
He made an effort to put things in place but all in vain...
No one spoke with him except his mom and kanna at home, while kumaresan mama and saravanna were his company at shop...

When kathir tried to apologize and amend things, jeeva never gave a heed to it...
Other hand, Moorthy and dhanam were trying hard to convince him to come out of newly found madness..
Seeing them trying to pacify him using his apologies ,he stopped speaking about the things happened and even apologising about it...
He pretended to be rude and curt...
He shouted at everyone for everything just to keep them at a distance...
Kanna just stayed away from the stiff brothers not knowing what else to do...
Hence there came a thick wall between the brothers...

Finally, It was lakshmi who was caught in a whirlpool between the sons...
Somehow she managed to keep moorthy and dhanam out of this problem seeing them confusing her sons more in the name of affection...
Kanna was already not in game...
She spoke with jeeva and kathir both were adamant in their stand leaving her with no peace of mind...
She couldnt support either one and hurt the other...
So she chose to wait for some light from mullai's house...
She informed murugan that they will go with mullai's decision...

Then it was over to mullai...

Kathir wanted mullai to voice out her thoughts, he was no more content with the eye talks...

K : appo nan varuven nu enakaga ethir paathutu irunthiya...

M : hmmm...

K : yen apadi... naan... (clearing throat) unna apadi thituruken... un kuda sandai poturuken... road nu kuda paakama azha vechuruken... un appa amma ah karichu kotiruken... unmela kamichathu elame veruppu than...

Athelam vida kevalamana velai...
un nichayatha keduthuruken... athum sontha annanuku throgam pani... sontha kudumbatha kelva paduthi... namma kudumbam mothame ennala thalai kuninju ninuchu en suyanalathunala... inum antha kaayathoda vali pogala... appuram yen...

Yes...
He can be Kathir...
She can be mullai...
That doesnt give him any liberty to play with her life without her acceptance...
That doesnt give him excuse to muddle a happy family...

But life is not always about being good and perfect...
It is accepting the bad and even the worst too...

M : nee solrathu elame unmai than... nichayam ninnapo en mana nilai apadi than irunthuchu... unna apadi than nenachen... aana...

Mullai drifted back to those days instantly....
The days which were filled with calmness outside and catastroph inside...
While murugan was completely confused, parvathi was extremely composed...
When murugan was unable to decide things, parvathi took a call and left it to mullai...

Mu : irukarathu oru ponnu avaluku ipadiya nadakanum...

Akka kudumbathula raani madhiri vazhva nu asai patten... ippo poi veliyayum mapilla paaka mudiyaathu... oor elam therinjuduchu... akka enadana mullai kita kelu nu soluthu... onum puriyala parvathi... pulla vazhkaiya nenacha bayama iruku...

P : bayapaduvaanen... yena agiduchu ippo... athelam avaluku oru koraiyum varaathu...

Mu : yena agiducha... ei parvathi... yena pesare nee... ithula yena mudivu yeduka... anga avanga rendu perum pidivaathama irukanga pola...

P : hmmm...

Mu : jeeva mapillai vanthu vanthu pesaraaru... aana oru bathil um sola mudiyala... kathir mapillai um pidivaathama irukaaram... aana varathe illaa... onum puriyala enaku... yena mudivu panrathu nu...

P : yenga... pothum... oru thadavai ava namaku mandai aaatinathu pothum... athachi solrathu sari than... ini ava mudivu edukatum... namma eduka venam... neenga chumma irunga...

Mu : athu yepadi...

P : neenga chumma irunga... athu pothum...

mullaa... mudivu un kaila nu avanga solitanga... athan naangalum solrom... nee yosi... unaku yaaaru venum nu... aana...

M : yena ma aana...

P : athu... onum ilaa... athu... nalla yosi nu solla vanthen...

M : nijama ah...

P : hmmmm... appuram mukkiyama oruthana kalyanam panikitu inoruthan munnadi athe veetula santhoshama vazha mudiyuma num yosi... avalo than soluven...

Yenga vaanga polam... avala yosika vidunga...

Everything shifted to mullai's shoulders from then...
A beautiful butterfly that fluttered around the streets of kunnakudi happilly locked herself inside her room...
She avoided calls of everyone from ps family even if was through her parents...
Even lakshmi didnt dare to visit her but jeeva was confident enough to drop into her house playing the pity trump card and tried to get things straight...
Off course, it did but in reverse...
Mullai started feeling pity for him and nothing more...

On contrast, Kathir stayed away from mullai except for few calls in the beginning which mullai completely avoided saying she didnt want to talk to him and asked him to go away...
But...

K : appuram... appuram yepadi... enna ethir paathe... intha mattram... athavathu... naan yethum theliva kuda solidalaiye...

M : ithuku mela yena theliva solanum.. aniki un kannu elame soliche mama...

K(low voice) : yena solichu...

M : un kannu solatha unarvu illaa..

Avamaanam...
Kutrunarchi...
Bayam...
Iyalaamai...
Thavippu...
Kovam...
Azhugai...
Veri...
Kaadhal elame...

Kadaisila nee thirumba varen nu solitu pogum bothu oru paarvai paathiye... antha paarvai... athu mothama yelathaiyum sollichu... enaku purinjuthu... appove...

Kathir's face softened hearing to the one who reads his heart like a pro...
Those were the emotions that flushed him that particular day...
She got it perfectly...
He wondered how on earth she knows his moves inspite of staying away...
How on earth she understands his emotions even before he expressed...
He had no idea.. but Girls are really dangerous he thought, especially his girl...

No... is she his girl...
She said she understood him...
She said she looked forward for him...
But not she love him or even like him...
He stopped thinking...

K : appove ah...

M : appove...

K : aana... aana purinjum enkita pesave illaaye... phone panapo kuda pesa venam, paaka venam nu kovama solitu vechiye... appuram kupitaalum edukala...

M : sonnen than... athukaga mothama apadiye vituduve illaa... veetuku vanthu pesa venaama...

unga anne elam veetuku yethana thadavai vanthuchu theriyuma... amma, appa, enna oruthara vidala...

K : theriyum... anne mela thappu illaa.. athan thairiyama vanthuchu... en mela thappa vechutu yentha moonjiyoda unga veetuku varuven... athum nee vera apadi pesina... athan apadi...

M (smirking) : oh veetuku vara mudiyaathu... aana kovilku vanthu olinju irunthu paaka mudiyum la...

K (stammering) : ei... unaku theriyuma... yepadi... nan.. theriyaama than eh...

M : nalla theriyum... veetula irunthu follow panrathu , muthu anne kadaila irunthu paakarathu, pinnadiye thirumba veedu varaikum varathu elame... nan therinja madhiri kaamichukala...

K : intha... nijamava...

M : hmmm ithena perusa... nee enga theru la adikadi enakaga sutharathu varai theriyum... un oota vandi satham eh enaku manapadam agiduchu...

K(shocked) : yena de solre...

M : antha aala maram kita ninnu mottai maadi ah paathutu irupa... sainthiram nan maadiku varuvena nu... nan kela room la irunthu unnaa aasai theera paathutu than melaiye varuven... sari paavam paiyan paakatum nu...

K : aasai theerava...

Mullai who was speaking in a flow blurted out something that hit kathir like a storm...
Did he hear it right...
Did she wished to see him...
How come it is possible...
Again their eyes met with a look giving a competition to the flash of lightning..

M : athu...

So was it the time to reveal her heart...

When she was given the choice to choose, her mind and heart worked together literally putting jeeva and kathir both in measuring scale...
She didn't want to do it...
But she was forced to do...
It happened without her control...

Both were her cousins...
Both were in same financial status...
Both worked in their shop...
Both were committed to work and their family...
Both were good looking...
Both wanted to marry her...

There were only similarities among them very rarely some differences which were negligible...

But what others saw was different and what mullai felt was different...

When jeeva's eyes expressed fondness, kathir's eyes expressed fierceness...
When jeeva's actions were out of interest, Kathir's were full of intensity...
When jeeva showed how much he like her, kathir proved how much he love her...
When jeeva did things for her with compassion, kathir was craving for her...
When jeeva exhibited pity, kathir showed pure passion...

She wanted a life full of love and passion with a burning desire...
Even before she made the decision, mullai undoubtedly fell for kathir...

Then the decision was made with all her heart and soul...

But...

K : yena sonna... aasai theerava...

Mullai bit her lips in anxiety with a edgy face...
As she kept playing with her wet tendrils with no answer, Kathir understood that she is not comfortable in opening up for now and tried to change course...

K : sari unaku solanum nu thonum bothu sollu... nan kekkala...

Sari appo...yellame therinjutu than suthama kandukaama enna alaiya vitiya... yen de ipadi... mama paavam illaa...

M : hmmm... paavam than...

Aana enakaga ipadi oruthan urugarathu, enna ipadi rasikarathu elame vithiyasama irunthuchu.....
Enakaga oruthan intha alavuku thavicha antha thavippu puthusa irunthuchu... romba pidichuthu...
nan enaku yepadi oruthan varanum... avan yepadi elam enakaga alaiyanum nu nan asai patathu elam kannu munnadi nadanthuchu...

K (a fond smile) : athu sari... en kashtam unaku santhosham la...

M (giggling) : konjam apadi than...

Athelam vida suthinathu yaaro oruthan ngratha vida... intha gethu kathir than nu yosikum bothu vera madhiri irunthuchu... yevalo gethu kaamippaa... yevalo thimir panuve...

Yellam poi nee paithiyama thiriyarathu paaka chumma apadi irunthuchu... athan solala... (wink)

K : yethu paithiyamava... mavale...

Kathir pulled her out of the counter in a wink and tried to smear her to his body but stopped in a jiffy...

K (low voice) : athu... vanthu... thodalama...

Only then mullai got what he was doing...
Though his talks were extremely naughty from the start, he never put a hand on her till then...
It was she who pushed him away by touching him...
For him, This is the first and he is asking her permission for it...
Her kathir, for a reason she thought with a smile...

M : ithukelam kelvi veraya...

Mullai entwined her fingers fondly with his and they stood in silence for sometime as he kept playing with her hand with his thumb...

K : appo iniki ipadi thaniya maatinathula yetho vaai thavari solite... apadi than eh... illana inum alaiya viturupa illaa... sariyana kedi...

M : cha cha... apadi illaa... konja naal ah thinamum unaku phone pananum nu nenaipen... aana yetho pathatam... mudiyala... iniki yetho oru vegam...

K : nijamava... yena de athirchi mela athirchi kudukare... solanum nu ninachiya...

M : nijama than...

mudhala enaku unnaa purinjuthu mama... aana appo enaku pidichutha nu ketta enaku theriyala...

Enaku neram thevai patuchu... nadantha vishayangala jeeranichuka... ethirkaalatha pathi yosika... inum neraya...

K : hmmm...

M : appuram pidikithu nu therinjuthu aana yevalo pidikum... yepadi pidikum... vazhkaiya pakirnthukara alavuku pidikuma ithelam theriyala... yeduthom kavuthom nu mudivu pana mudiyala...

K : nalla puriyuthu...

M : appuram nan mudivu yethum solaama irukavum amma pesama avanga rendu perum venam... dheena mama... theriyum la unaku... avaruku pesalam nu sola arambichutanga... appuram enaku bayam vanthuduchu... ithuku mela thakku pidika mudiyaathu... unkita kupitu solidalam nu nenachen... aana athum mudiyala...

Nee yepadi than athana per kita soniyo... enaku nenachale bramippa iruku... ennala un oruthan kita manasula nenaikaratha sola mudiyala (pout)

Kathir smiled at her cute antics and pressed her hand with a reassuring gesture...
It did soothe mullai a lot and she smiled at him contentedly...

K : sari ippo sollu... enkita yena solanum nu nenache...

M : solanuma... solaama puriyalaiya...

K : puriyum... aana sonna nalla irukum...

M : ....

K : nee sola varathu puriyuthu de... ne nenaikarathum puriyuthu... unaku thevai padara neram kudukanum nu than nenaikaren... aana mudiyala de... uyiroda kolra... athan ketuten... vidu.. unaku sola thonum bothu sollu... paravala...

Kathir tried to dispel her tension and moved little away trying to hide his disappointment just to be embraced tight by mullai...
Kathir's hands reflexively hugged her tight as he heard her words...

M : dei mama... nee ketta illaa nan unaku venum nu... nan unaku mattum than... kuduthuten unake...

Ithu than solanum nu thonichu... solliten...

Kathir could feel her tears on his chest while she was feeling her nape of the neck getting wet too with his tears...
The tensed ties around their heart loosened and a sense of relief flushed through them...
Just like their entangled hearts , they tangled together in pure bliss...
His lips sought hers to demolish the pain of past three months and she demanded for more with same passion...

Then...

With the squealing sound of opening of the shutter, they parted away from eachother looking at the one who entered the scene out of the blue...

TBC...