"Sleepover with the boys"

Sreedevi

I am gonna miss my husband today.

Its the first time I am gonna sleep without him in the past three weeks. Ajay wasn't excited about the nightstay. He probably wanted to be with me. But anna s were requesting me to send him. I couldn't deny and so I said they could take him for today but Ajay wasn't happy about it. That makes me feel good. So good. He wants to be with me. Spend time with me. How cute it is?

I stood before the mirror and pulled my hair out of the clip and tied it in a bun. I removed my earrings and suddenly got remembered his comment about it. It made me blush. Again and Again. I have been blushing too much recently.

A knock on the door pulls me out of my thoughts. I opened the door to see Sarath anna and Pragan anna standing there.

"Devi ma.. Ajay oda brush apro kalyanathuk podra dress ellam konjam pack panni kudu ma" Sarath anna says and I frown.

"Yen ney? Kalaila inga vanthu thane ready aguvaru?" I asked confused.

"Illa ma avan kalaila 5 manik enthripanam.. Enthirich odane brush panni kulipanam. Athunala veetuke poren nu sollit adam pannan.. Athaan naanga eduka vanthurkom"

I scrunched my nose in confusion. He never wakes up until its 10'o clock if he doesn't have office. I remembered how unhappy he was about the nightstay and he might have made an excuse to come back here. I chuckled slightly and pulled out a cotton bag and put his ironed Red shirt and White veshti along with a brand new vest and boxers of him. I wrapped his brush in a plastic cover. I put them all in the bag along with his perfume and gave it to them. They thanked me and left.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I pulled out a night dress from my bag and changed into it.

After refreshing myself, I slump on the bed thinking what to do. I thought of checking my old things that I have secured in a box under my bed. I took it out and dusted it before opening it. Its been years since I have opened it. More than eight. I guess.

I chuckled seeing a spiderman keychain inside. It was Ajay's obviously. I pilfered it when he came over my house and left it on the ground when he was running and playing. It was his favorite keychain. I knew. I knew how he used to spin it around his fingers all the time. I knew how he loved spiderman back then. His room was full of spiderman posters. I have seen them when we visited his house occasionally.

I kept it back and stared the things in it. It was full of my school stuff. I never had a slam book but I had a journal for myself. Excited, I took it out and flipped the pages. The book was soo old and it was hard to figure out the words.

15/09/08.

I saw a guy in bus stop today. He looked like Ajay. I stared him for few seconds and that guy thought I was interested in him and he started gawking me back. Ridiculous. Men are ridiculous.

I laughed out loud. I dont even remember that day but that made me laugh. I was taken aback with the fact that I wrote the whole journal in English. That was amazing. I remember my English teacher saying, to write daily journals in english to improve vocabulary in my 9th std and thats why I wrote those journals but all I wrote was about Ajay.

10/10/08.

Oh my god I cant believe Ajay talked to me so casually. I have never talked to him like that before. Ok so he came today to my house, later stood by the door of my room saying my mom called me, then barged into my bedroom looking himself in the shell mirror on my window. He asked me from where I got it. He asked me whether I was in 10th. I wish he asked me more. Whether I was single? That would have been awkward. But yeah I wished. Stupid me.

Ohh This I remember. But I didn't remember the date. It was 10th of October. Wow.

17/10/08.

Something happened. Ajay came to my school today. I accidentally bumped on to him when I was going to my classroom after lunch. He was surprised. But not much as I was. I was shocked. He asked me if I was studying there. He very well knew I was, but he pretended to not know. He probably doesn't have anything to ask other than that. I was nervous but I managed to ask him why he was there. He told me he had football competition in my school. We didn't talk anything else. I excused myself and went to my class blushing.

I wonder how I don't remember any of these. But I feel grateful that I could read these moments that has happened in my life that I couldn't even recall.

My mobile phone rings. I closed my journal and put it back to the box before taking my phone which showed "Ajay".

A wide smile appeared on my face and I wondered why he was calling me. I attended the call and pressed it against my ear falling back on my bed.

"Oiii"

Came his warm voice from the other end.

"Enna Ajay? Ennachu?" I asked frowning.

"Yen? Ethavuth aana thaan call pannanuma?"

I bit my lips to control my blush "Ohh" I said.

"Mm enna panra?"

"Summa thaa jou-" I stop midway. I dont want to let him know that I had a journal and its full of him in it.

"Huh?"

"John sir kudutha book padichit irunthen" I could hear him breathing heavily.

"Unak vera book eh kedaikalaya padikka?"

I chuckled. "Seri neenga enna panringa? Avunga enna panranga?"

"Avunga game veladalam nu sonnanga.. Apro ipo movie pakalam nu sollit enna paakurath nu thedit irukanga"

"Ohh sir enna avunga kooda irukama call panni pesit irukinga?"

"Athuva" He sighed "Yaaro oru Physics teacher... Orumathiri mandaikulla odite irukanga.. Avungala pathi thaan yosikka thonuth.. Avunga kooda irukanum, pesanum nu thonite iruku"

My cheeks hurt. By smiling ear to ear hearing him. I thought of going along "Ohh apdiya? Yen?"

"Yen nu avunga kitta thaa kekanum.. Mandaikkulla vanthu kudi irunthutanga.. Anumathi kooda kekama.. Pogave maatranga, Po nu sonnalum adam pudikranga, vaadaga kooda tharama imsa panranga.. Trespassing case la ulla thalla poren"

I was a blushing mess. Am I affecting him too like how he is doing to me? I couldn't stop the warm and cold feeling from under my stomach. I couldn't stop smiling. I couldn't stop blushing. I couldn't stop my goosebumps.

I couldn't stop falling. Falling for him.

"Ohh" I said scratching my nails biting my lips.

"Ama... Mandaikulla ukanth formula potut irukanga..Athu enna formula vo, vere onum yosika vaika matuth.. Intha friends, movie, get together ethuvume yosika vaikama antha Physics teacher ah matume yosikka vaikuthu.."

"Aana antha physics teacher romba boring nu kelvi patene?" I played along.

"Yaar sonna? Mathavanga kannuk apdi therilam. Aana enak ava apdi illa"

"Apro? Vera epdi?"

"Avalala thaan enak pozhuthu poguthu. Enak en vela na romba pudikum.. Antha vela pogiyum naa jolly ah iruken na athuk ava mattum thaa karanam"

"Pothum pothum unga physics teacher ah pathi pugazhnthathu" I said enough of hurting my cheeks and jaw. He chuckled from the other end.

"Pugazhalam thappilla..."

"Hmm.. Innuma movie decide panranga?"

"Hmm ama! Enak bore adikuthu Devi"

"Achoo.. "

"Naa vena anga varatta?" He was excited.

"Adi vaanga pora jay!" I said laughing.

"Neeyachu sollirkalam la... Vida mudiyathu nu.. Unak en mela pasame illa" He was complaining.

"Ada avunga avlo kenji kekrapo epdi No solla mudiyum Ajay?"

"Enak bore adikuthu devi ma. Avununga summa thanni potu enna movie podrathu nu sanda potut irukanga"

"Thanni adikrangala??" I asked frowning.

"Bayapadatha.. Naa kudikala.. Avunga thaan"

"Kudich thaa paarungalen" I warned and he just chuckled.

"Iruntalum romba thaan di kovam unak.. Moonjila kooda muzhikala"

"Athellam apdi thaan.. Pazhagikonga" I switched off the lights and turned the lamp on before lying on my stomach.

"Mm mm vera vazhi?!" He sighed and I laughed.

"Enna salichikringa?"

"Apdilam illaye..."

"Hmm... Naa onum avlo seekrom samadhanam aagura aal illa.. Ana enamo ungala seekro manichuten" I stated the truth.

"Ohooo... Ithu epovum ethir paakalama?" He said in a deep base voice.

"Vaipu illa" I said thinking for a sec.

"Apo next time kaal la thaan vuzhanum polaye"

I chuckled "There is no next time Ajay"

"Intha matter vena next time illama irukalam.. Ana vera ethavuth matter la kovam varalam la"

"Enak apdilam kovam varathu" I said shaking my legs in the air.

"Ohh? Theriyama kannadi plate odachutena?"

"Thittuven"

"Sunny leonne songs paatha?"

"Mandailaye kottuven"

"Eno thano nu bhadhil sonna?"

"Car door ah sathama mooduven" I chuckled.

"Reba kitta pesna?"

"Soru poda maten" He laughed to it.

"Poi sonna?"

"Hmmmm.." I think "Kannathula naalu ara" he gasped to it.

"Seri ethavuth un kitta marachurnthen na?" I frown as his voice went low.

"Kaadha pudich thirugi viduven"

"Aathi... "

I laughed. He laughed. We laughed.

This would have been the most meaningless at the same time meaningful conversation I have ever had with anyone.

Ajay talks a lot. He said he was sitting in the balcony looking at the moon because the moon reminded me. He said he dont need a video call to see my face, he could just look up at the moon. I cringed at it.

No matter how cringy that dialogue was, I blushed at it. Is there anything that doesn't exist in him that cant make me blush? I don't think so.

He asked me what I was wearing tomorrow for wedding but I didn't say. He told me how he tried to escape from there giving excuses. I said I knew it. Three anna slept watching the movie overdrunk. Ajay said.

The conversations kept going jumping from one topic to another like a grasshopper until I yawned.

"Thookam varutha Devi? Poyi thoongu naalaik pesalam"

"Hmm.. Athaan avunga 3 perum thoongitangale.. Appo inga vaanga" I said.

"Illa ma gate pootirpanga.. Door um close panirpanga.. Athu matum kalaila naa veetuk vanthuten nu sonna ivanunga kalaipaanga" He said and I frowned.

"Yen kalaika poraanga?" I asked.

"Illa ma.. Athu avununga ethachum solluvanga.. Vidu naalaik pakalam"

I hummed and said a good night. He said a good night too before ending the call. We had talked for one hour and fifty three minutes. Almost two hours. I have never talked to someone for two hours. I kept the phone on my chest and smiled widely looking at the ceiling. This feels good. I have never felt these even in my teenage. I have only felt a ten percentage of this back then. I swear.

I stood up from the bed and took out the Green Kanjeevaram saree with maroon borders that I am going to wear tomorrow. I wonder if I would look beautiful in this. I switched on the tube light and stood before the mirror keeping the saree on my shoulder. It does suit me. I guess. I wish I looked beautiful. I wish Ajay would stare me like how I would stare him. Like how a child would stare his favorite toy. Like how a girl would stare her boy. Like how a boy would stare his girl. Like how a husband would stare his wife. Like I am his favorite thing.

I have never took any efforts to make me look beautiful. No makeup, no lipstick, no attractive dress like a Kanjeevuram saree.

But I guess I would take some efforts tomorrow. To make me look more beautiful. For him to stare me. Stare me like I am his favorite thing.

-

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