A/N:

Kind request to all silent readers - Ipdi silent ah irundha epdi ?!

Onu pudichirku nu sollunga Illa pudikala nu sollunga .. idu enna silent ah padikardhu. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Author paavam la.

Do comment and vote pleech ❤️

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Subtle rays of morning sun peeked through the pastel lavender curtains in Tara's room.

Involuntarily she closed her eyes harder and pulled up her blanket to cover her face while the alarm started to go off.

She loved her beauty sleep but she also was someone who liked to have a schedule.

Cursing herself for taking forever to fall asleep last night she crawled out of bed and walked straight into her bath.

"Tara muzhichiyaa", she heard her mom's holler.

"Mmmmm", she announced back as she continued to brush her teeth with her every day morning song Malargal keten playing on her phone.

She still strikingly remembered the first time she heard the song.

****Flashback****

"Dei indha song ah Kelu da", Karthik said for the 1000th time before Dhruv finally gave in.

As much as he loved music in all forms, it did become a little too much for him at time as he almost always constantly surrounded my some form of music.

Both his mom and dad were established Carnatic singers which meant music was in his blood. And Tara was what people called a prodigy. As young as 3 years old she could grasp almost anything that their parents would sing. She was also blessed with the most amazing voice that he preferred to be a listener.

He preferred to play instruments rather than singing. His favorite was the base guitar that he taught himself during high school.

A complete contrast to this was Karthik's life. He never really had the opportunity to learn music or be surrounded by it the way Dhruv was, which made him all the more addicted to listening.

Music kept him company all through his life and his ability to appreciate nuances of music without any sort of formal training often left Dhruv speechless.

"Malargal Keten Vaname Thandhanai....

Thaneer keten amudham thandhanai....", the song started.

Tara was walking by and heard the song play. She was sure that she had not heard the song before and Chitra Ma's voice made her stay.

She could melt in Chitra Ma's voice she thought to herself.

She could not move until the song was over. There was something so complete about it.

She still vividly remembered the way Karthik had enjoyed the song with utmost concentration. That did not surprise her.

"Behag at its best la machan.... ARR is ARR for a reason. Epdi ipdilam... Cha... Andha kalvare song um ipdi dan.. addiction da", he exclaimed and she saw him smile at close quarters for the first time.

"Eladhanil Tholaindhal Unnidam Seripaai.. Such lyrics with Chitra ma voice... such bliss da", he went on and it was as if he had read her mind.

****Flashback ends****

"Eladhanil Tholaindhal Unnidam Seripaai", she hummed with the song as she replayed the sequence in her mind that was still etched in her memory.

After a quick shower and an eventful first day, Tara geared up for her next in a indigo short top paired up with an off-white linen culottes.

She checked herself out on the mirror before heading out for the most awaited breakfast.

"Amma oda coffee smell is the best", she told herself as she climbed down the stairs.

Lakshmi was busy making Idli and Vada Curry, one of Tara's most favorite breakfast combos and just the smell was so appetizing.

Tara devoured every bit of her filter coffee and Idli-Vada curry with her mom's mesmerising practice session.

"Amma apdiye andha Jagadhodharana paaden", she suggested and walked over to the sink to see wash her plate.

"Na paadradhu irukatum... nee eppo practice panradha plan... one week mela aachu nee ozhunga paadi Tara. Appa nalaiku vandha kandippa katcheri ku practice panniya nu kepa", Lakshmi ma warned and she knew that she had to get serious.

"Iniku evening lendhu Kandippa panren", Tara promised with a sincere smile.

"College la band iruku ... rombha famous and competitive nu soniye", her mom reminded based on their conversation before college started.

"Aama ma. Kandippa neraya per audition pannuvanga. Na en best ah kudupen. Neraya type of music kathuka idhu oru Semma opportunity. Adhu matum Illa neraya musicians and matha college la irukra talent... it will be so rewarding."

"Unna choose pannama irukravan loose ah dan irupan", Dhruv commented as her entered the kitchen.

"En kutty ah vida oru better singer ah na Kandippa paathadhu Illa. Amma kooda unaku aduthu dan", he hugged her putting a wide smile.

Her brother was her biggest fan.

When she had wanted to explore music outside of just Carnatic their parents weren't thrilled but Dhruv persisted and convinced that the exposure will make her a well rounded musician and he wasn't wrong.

"Guru va minjina sishyai dan", her mom agreed.

"Seri podhum. I have to go. Bus ku time aachu", Tara rushed to make sure she did not miss the bus.

"Na vena drop panren", Dhruv offered.

"Illa venam. Bus la pona I will get acquainted with some people", she reasoned.

"Apdiye yaarachu band la irukangala nu ketu therinjuko", he suggested before she rushed off.

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"Bike ready da. Na poi pick panitu kelambanum", Karthik informed Dhruv when he called to check on him.

Dhruv wasn't sure if he wanted to ask how the dinner went last night with either of them given he never made it there.

Tara had come back a couple of hours later with a wide grin on her face and the fact that she had no complaints about him not joining as promised was certainly surprising but he wasn't sure if he should ask any details.

"Ok da.. Apo na direct ah office poren. Call me if you need anything", Dhruv said intentionally skipping any detail about his sister to see his best friend's reaction.

There was a pause for a few seconds.

"Ok da... ", Karthik dragged on without ending the call which was very atypical of him.

Dhruv was certainly enjoying this more than he liked to admit.

"Ok ... na cut panren", he answered back.

"Dei", Karthik stopped instantly.

"Enna da?"

"Ava poitala?!"

"Eva ?!"

"Ava dan da"

"Dei ... Andha Ava na yaaru. Peru edhuku iruku ?!"

"Tara"

"Poitale .. en kekra ?!"

"Summa dan... nethu tired ah irundhale nee drop panriyo nu", he heaved hoping that he would sound realistic.

"Illa venam nu solta", the reply came back almost instantly.

"Seri da", he said with reluctance.

"Nee kelambu. Late aaga podhu. Ava ok va dan iruka. Nee onum kavala padaadha", Dhruv sounded convincing and he let out a relieved sigh before singing off.

He quickly went into Spotify, clicked on the playlist "Addiction" and started to drive towards campus.

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She reached the bus stop just in time when it was pulling over.

"Nalla vela", she murmured to herself and got into the bus.

"Thanks Na", she said with a gracious smile to the bus driver who stopped the bus after seeing her sprint through and settled into a window seat. 

It took her a minute to catch her breath from all the fast walking and short sprinting that she had to do to reach on time to the bus stop. 

"Ozhunga anna oda poirkalam", her mind voice mocked at her which she tried to push away. 

She looked around to see if she saw any familiar faces, especially one, Aakash. As she was late and the bus was almost about to leave, she was not sure if he got in before she came but there was no sign of him.

The next stop came quick and a couple of students boarded in. 

She saw some that she could recall and recognize which put her at ease. One of those girls sat next to her. 

"Keerthana", she introduced. 

"Tara. Saw you yesterday", she answered with a smile. 

"Nethu paathen aana obviously first day I did not want to overwhelm you. Na third year Computer science. Bus la crowd is very on and off given our campus is in the heart of the city. So very few regularly take the bus"

"Naanum computer science dan and that makes sense"

"So have you thought about any clubs that you want to join?"

"I have been thinking since I got in but I want to take a few weeks to get settled in. Which one are you part of? Anything exciting?", she was curious to know. 

Keerthana looked like a model with beautiful features and perfect hair that complemented her look. She had a great vibe and Tara could sense that she was one of those that made friends real quick. 

"I am part of the Cultural Management Committee and that takes up a lot of my time. As you might know we have a lot of teams that represent of college and its our responsibility to make sure we have the best teams overall. It gives great exposure but is very exhausting too. Edachu oru event epodhum irukum. But I love being a part of it", she was proud of her work outside just academics and it showed. 

"That's super cool. Nanum Music band ku singing auditions kudukanum nu iruken. Let's see if I do get selected. I know its super competitive", Tara hesitated. 

"Don't you worry. We have an amazing team. I heard that they are looking for a new female lead singer. Let me check with Ritesh. Phone kudu I will punch in my number"

As soon as Tara gave her the phone, she quickly put in her number and gave herself a missed call. 

"Now I have your number. Dont forget Freshers week will be in a month. Get your name on the list. I have a feeling that you are going to be an asset for our team", she gave a side hug. 

Their conversation went on until the bus reached the campus. 

"Tara expect my text or call. Also send me one of your audio or video recording for me to share. Anddd actually I have a thought. Now that seniors have graduated we are short staffed at the cultural committee. If you are open, I would be glad to give you a spot atleast for now. Great way to get to know people too", she suggested. 

Tara knew that this would be a great way for her to get started but she also wanted to take things slow instead of overwhelming herself. 

"Can I think about it?", she asked meekly. 

"Sure. Nalla yosi. I will send you some info too. Take your time. I am sure you will love it there", Keerthana promised before they got off to walk to their classes.

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