Ajay

Solace

Thats how I feel right now being in her embrace, breathing in her presence. She fits perfect in my arms as if she was sculptured just for me. Her fragrance is made just to knock the senses out of me. Her long hair is grown just for me to caress it. Her fingers are made to intertwine with mine. Her eyes are made to lock it with mine. Her lips are made to smash it with mine. And her heart is made to hook it up with mine.

We stood hugging each other for a long time. Her hands kept caressing my hairs while I snuggled into her neck. This is my dream life now. A life with her. With Sreedevi. Loving each other every time, crying on each other shoulders, cuddling in the middle of the night, kissing hard postponing every single chores, making love everywhere in our house, day and night.

Just us. Just me and her.

Sreedevi pulled my face away. She was staring something behind me. I tilted my head behind to see the spiderman posters I have sticked on my wall during my school days.

"Itha innuma vechurkinga?" She said with a laugh getting out of my hold.

"Itha nee pathurkiya?" I asked.

She said yes and went around my room wall caressing all the spiderman, simbu posters and my childhood photos. I watched her with a smile. She opened the cupboard which had my clothes. Under the cupboard there used to be a box full of Abirami's memories but after that break up I discarded everything. So I can be relieved when she is checking. Oh wait-

"Ajay??"

She was already holding it. Damn. There is a drawer in my cupboard in which I have kept things that I used in my school days. In which, I have secured a photo of Sreedevi that I have captured in an instant camera back in 2007. It was a candid photo, she was sitting on the swing in my house wearing a green silk skirt and blouse. Her hair was set free and she was looking somewhere with a little smile. I found her cute and captured it standing on the balcony in the first floor.

I gulped and smiled nervously at her.

"Ithu naan thane?" She asked to which I nodded.

She was staring me without blinking. I went towards her and took that photo from her. I have zoomed in and clicked an aesthetic candid picture.

"Yaar edutha intha photo?" She asked.

"Naan thaan.." I said staring the photo "en kitta oru instant camera irunthuch.. Athula eduthen" I said.

"Yen?" Curiosity filled her voice.

I am still not sure if I should say the actual reason why I captured it.

"Onula.. Ellarayum candid ah eduthit irunthen.. Unnayum eduthen.. Unna kekama thaa eduthen.. Aana azhaga irukku la" I said.

"Naa chinna vayasula ivlo azhaga irunthena??" she said looking the photo as if it was not her.

If only she knew how she drove me crazy for almost three years with her beauty.

I didn't say anything but kept the photo back in my drawer and closed it. I caught her shoulders and dragged her to the bed before she could dig into other things inside the drawer.

Now she was looking at our wedding image. I was relieved she didn't question me furthur on it.

"Ajay namma kalyana naal enna?" She asked out of nowhere. Is she testing me? I decided to tease her.

"September 29 thane?" I said the wrong date on purpose.

"Ohh.. Enak theriyum aana naa unna chumma test pannen" she said.

Huh?

Seriously? I expected her to kill me for saying the wrong date but seems like she doesn't remember the marriage date.

"Adiyeii.. Marriage date nyabagam illaya di unak?" I asked in shock.

She blinked at me.

"Naa sonna date thappu.. Nammaluk actual ah marriage nadanthathu.. September 11" I knocked her head.

She smiled sheepishly.

"Ithula test panraangalam.. Aala paaru" I pushed her head away.

"Hello lite ah maranthuten.. Athuk enna ipo?" She defended herself.

"Marriage date marantha motha wife nee thaan di"

She twisted her lips and turned away. I chuckled at her.

"Jayyyy!!" She turned to me and touched my bare shoulder.

"Ethuk dii kathura" I held my chest.

"Innu 5 months la namaluk kalyanam aagi 2 years aaga poguthu jay" she said.

I snaked my one hand around her waist and pulled her closer to me.

"Aama namma celebrate pannalam" I winked at her.

"Mm athellam panlam.. Ipo vidunga.. Naa poyi aunty ku ethavuth help panren"

"Venaam.." I held her tightly.

"Venum" she removed my hands from her and pinched my cheeks "thoongunga konjam neram" she said and went out.

.         .         .        .

Its 8'o clock. Dinner time in my home. Sreedevi was with my mother helping her. I got bored so I spent the rest of the time playing chess with my dad. He always loved playing with me. My sister was genius. She would always beat my dad so my dad never played with her.

"Appu eppo ma varuva?" I asked my mom as I sat on the dining table.

"Ava adutha varsham vara pakuren nu sollirka da.." My mom said keeping the plates on the table.

"Maa itha thane ma ava pona varshamum sonna?"

"Ava ella varshamum itha thaan da sollit iruka" My dad said sitting adjacent to my chair.

Sreedevi came with the curry bowl.

"Ava enna pannuva... Mapilaik leave kedakala" my mom said.

Aparna, my elder sister has settled in Canada for the past 7 years with her husband and son. The last time I saw her was during my wedding. Its been one and a half years.

My mom served us Chapatti while Sreedevi was standing behind her. I tore a piece of chapatti and looked at her. She winked at me and making me choke on my food.

"Jay thanni kudi da" My dad said patting my head.

"Seringa pa sering pa" I nodded and gulped a glass of water looking at Sreedevi who was pressing her lips tightly.

"Devi ukkaru maa" my mom said.

"Haa seringa athai" she nodded at my mom and sat beside me like an innocent kid. Without anyone's notice I brought my hand to her side and pinched her waist. She yelped. My mom and dad looked her.

"Ennachu Devii??" They asked.

"Onula.. Karuppan poochi nu nenaikren" she tried to say something.

I turned my head away trying not to laugh. She stomped on my foot but I sat there unaffected. We had our dinner with little talks. All the time I was praying that my mom wont talk any immature to Sreedevi regarding babies. But thankfully she didn't.

After our dinner, we retired to our rooms. Dad and mom would sleep at sharp 9. My grandfather was in military. He used to be strict in discipline. Eventually my father turned out to be strict just like him.

Sreedevi sat beside me on the bed and looped her hands around my arm before lying her shoulder on it.

"Thoongalaya ma?" I asked squeezing her knuckles.

"Bore adikuthu jay.. Thookam varala" she looked up at me and whined.

"Nee jay nu koopta nalla irukku" I said with a smile.

She giggled.

"Seri un bore uk enna panlam" I asked her and she tapped her chin thinking. I kept staring her who was too adorable.

"Veliya polama?" I asked her to make her job easy.

"Veliya va.. Enga?"

"Summa road la apdiye nadakalam.." Night walks sound romantic though "Unak pani puri pudikuma?"

"Pudikuma va??.. Romba pudikum" her eyes told how much she loved it.

"Apo vaa" I got out of the bed and slipped into a T-shirt.

"Aana aunty uncle..."

"Avunga ellam innerathuk nalla thoongirpanga" I leaned to her face "Namma satho podama escape aagidlam" I whispered.

She giggled "Namma enna kalla kadhala panrom? Thiruttu thanama poga?"

"Kalla kadhalo nalla kadhalo" I wrapped my one hand around her waist and lifted her from the bed "en appa patha kathuvaru" I said placing her on her foot.

"Yen?" She gripped my shoulders.

"Ethavuth solluvaru maa" I whined "ethuk intha neram veliya pora? Kalaila pona pani puri kada irukatha nu keparu...avuruk enga ma intha night pora thrill ellam theriyum? Seriyana old piece" I said placing my hand on her waist.

"Atha yaaru solra paarunga" she had a teasing smile.

"Oii enna?" I tightened the hold.

"Ama neenga oru palaya piece thane? Neenga unga appa va palaya piece nu solringala?"

"Enna di sonna" I tickled her waist hardly.

"Hahahaha" She started laughing and squirming trying to get out of my hold. I closed her mouth fearing my parents would hear her and stopped tickling her.

We slowly sneaked out of the house and locked it before walking through the 'not so but yet empty' streets. It was drizzling slightly but Sreedevi didn't seem to care. I wonder why is it raining in April. Devi hugged herself and enjoyed the weather. She was walking by the road where heavy vehicles were going, so I pushed her shoulders to my right side so that she would be walking by the walls.

She smiled at me and looped her arms around my arms. I love it when she does that. We walked slowly watching the streets and chatting occasionally.

"Enak ipdi night walk ponum nu romba aasa irunthuch... Athuvum mazhaila" she said.

"Paarah madam ku aasaigal ellam irunthucha??" I teased her. As far as I know she never had any desires. So this is quite surprising.

"Innum neraya irukku... Ana romba crave pannathu illa.." She said.

"Sollu sollu.. Onnu onna sollu... Athellam nadathi vekurath thaan inime en vela"

She started thinking "Ippo onum nyabagam varalaye" she pouted "nyabagam varumbothu solren okay?" She nodded her head.

I chuckled at her "cute di nee" I pinched her nose.

We finally reached the pani puri shop at the end of the street. I ordered one plate for her and enjoyed watching her eat it soo desperately. I found a man eyeing her in a way he shouldn't be. I fisted my palms in anger controlling my rage to punch him across his face. I stood between him and Devi. He eyed me and started glaring me. I glared him back. I raised my eyebrow asking what and he walked away from there.

"Jay ungaluku vendama?" She asked holding a pani puri in her hand.

I bend down and took it in my mouth. She gaped me with wide mouth. I winked at her and she blushed.

"Polaama?" I asked her.

She nodded.

"Vera ethavuth venuma?" I asked again.

She looked at the shop and raised her hand to something hesitantly.

"Ore oru Masala puri?" She said as a request.

I chuckled and ordered a masala puri for her. Only then I noticed how excited she was. Nothing else other than her eyes showed her excitement. The way her eyes were fixed on the man who was making the puri with longingness made me smile. I noticed how small things made her happy. Being called by her nick name, reading books, pani puri, night walks. She was simple and beautiful.

We walked back home with intertwined hands enjoying the slight drizzling. We were getting wet.

"Devi seekro polam.. Mazha peyyuthu paaru" I said.

"Peyyatum" she shrugged hugging my arms.

"Sali pudichura pothu ma" I tried to cover her. By now there were no people in our street except for the street lights and stray dogs.

Sreedevi pulled me to the middle of the road and started rotating me holding my hands. I screamed and told her to leave me feeling completely amused seeing her. She laughed but didn't leave me. I looked around to check if anybody could see us, but lights were off in every single house. Its already quarter to twelve.

I snaked my hand around her and pulled her closer. She gasped. I intertwined her left hand with my right and swayed her in the rain dancing according to it. She looked around and finding no one was watching, she giggled. I don't like rains usually. It doesn't help any situation. It has always been a pain in my ass whenever I go to office. But today I am loving it. Its because of her. Devi. She can do anything to me.

Devi has dissolved deep into my soul that she can make me love things that I actually loathe.

-

Hey guys🌝

How was the Chapter?