It's Complicated

Two

Ashwin set his mobile down with an amused shake of his head. After three outings with Kavya he had cautiously called his mother and informed her that he liked the girl. She of course, had been so ecstatic she was ready to jump headfirst into wedding plans.

He had to calm her down and explain that he was taking things slow, and that they were not engaged but just committed for the time being.

Being "committed" was a weird, new feeling after being single for years. But he was pleasantly surprised by the whole situation. Kavya was a very independent, busy girl who was mature and logical in how she went about things. He didn't feel that worry that she would feel neglected or misunderstand his lifestyle. It felt like everything in his life had finally come together in the last two years, and now the last missing piece was almost complete as well. He could only thank god for how well things were going for him.

EVP Film City

Sivaangi stepped off stage and quickly grabbed a water bottle; feeling light-headed from hours under the intense studio lights.

Her schedule these days was packed to the brim, yet she felt lucky as she was doing all things she dreamed of achieving. It was only her third year in media but it seemed like it had been forever. She felt like the same person, but she knew she had changed and grown a lot. Sometimes she would see old clips of 19 year old Sivaangi on "Star Singer" and laugh at the way she innocently smiled in her braces and mumbled through dialogues on stage. Now she headlined her own show, confidently hosted Bigg Boss and was slowly making a mark in the film and music industry. Being the most followed Tamil television personality was no simple matter.

After draining the water bottle Sivaangi collapsed onto a sofa backstage, laughing her head off at a meme on her Instagram explore page.

Sarath, the show's guest tonight, sat next her and smiled at her seemingly never-ending laughter towards something on her phone.

"Enna ma, inniki Ashwin vachu full ah kalaikura polla?"

Sivaangi tilted her head in confusion. Sarath anna had worked with Ashwin and her for awhile on their serial "Samayal Sothapal" together, but she didn't know why he was bringing him up right now.

"Huh, puriyala anna? Ashwin ah?"

"Illa da, avan thaan nethu periya news sonnane, avan oru ponnu kooda committed and serious ah pothu nu. By now nee vachi senjuripen nu nenucha?"

And just like that, her moment of peace had been shattered and she was left reeling. Ashwin? committed? What? She couldn't even really process what Sarath anna said.

"Ithu unga kitta eppo sonnaru?"

"Nethu night thaan Whatsapp la random ah text panna. It was unusual since he's so private about his life but he said he wanted to let all his close friends know the news. He did mention not to tell anyone but I'm sure you already know all about it."

"Oh... apdiya. Avaru innum enkitta athu pathi onnum sollala."

Sarath raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Serious ah unkitta sollala? Neenga rendu perum everyday pesuringa nu nenacha?"

She gave a small shrug, covering the utter shock she was feeling.

"Theriyala. Maybe he forget to tell me."

"Athu epdi ma... seri udu. But namba ve mudiyala leh? Namma Ashwin lam eppo romance panni eppo ponna correct pannuvanu kindal pannuvom. Ippo unmalaiya yaaro pudichutan."

"Hmm yeah."

Sarath chuckled.

"Paavam ponnu, avan already avanoda PlayStation ku varshama committed nu theriyathu."

For the rest of the shoot, Sivaangi felt like a zombie as she went through the motions to complete her parts of the program. She felt completely blindsided. It was true that Ashwin and her talked almost everyday, about everything and anything. Yet he never mentioned a word about being involved with a someone, that he was going on dates, that he had a girlfriend. A serious girlfriend.

To the world, her dynamic with him had first seemed like a young girl with a crush on a handsome guy. Over time, their social media posts and vlogs during their serial became viral and created a huge joint following for the two. As they got closer, they became more comfortable with each other and developed a bond of intense trust and support. While the media and public occasionally misrepresented their relationship, many came to see them in a platonic way and nothing more. Most importantly, their friends and family understood them and didn't overanalyze it.

But only Sivaangi knew what was in her heart. Her initial crush on him had only grown with time, and into something bigger and deeper that scared her to think about. Despite this, she never let herself think he felt anything for her or thought they had a chance. She was happy that he was in her life and respected the importance he gave her. Most of the time she suppressed her wayward thoughts, putting their friendship before anything.

At the moment, however, she felt completely disrespected. Like he had cut her out for no reason. She felt tears prick in her eyes as her mind went into overdrive. Had she done something wrong? She did tease him and make playful remarks from time to time but never in a serious way. He had texted her this morning so she didn't think he was upset with her... then why did he not tell her? Sivaangi wasn't sure if the hurt right now was from her personal feelings for him, or the fact that he didn't even bother to tell her the news. Or maybe it was an awful mix of both.

Hope you guys are liking it so far! Please do comment and let me know what you think :)