Sivaangi's eyes widened as those words sunk into her. It was so strange, almost unbelievable coming from Ani.
With a clueless and confused look, she turned to look at him. He was glaringly anxious and tense. With lips tight and jaws clenched, his eyes never moved away from the road.
What is it that provoked him to interrogate her in the middle of the road on the way to her brother's Sangeeth?
She recollected everything that happened since morning and it was evident that this was not a random question. In all these years, not once has he poked into things she wasn't comforatble sharing. It stung deep in her heart to see him behave like a callow person which he never was.
She decided that she wasn't going to answer until she got answers for her questions.
"Ani.. unaku enna aachu?", she couldn't let her anger and disappointment in him to get the better of her.
He was Ani. Her Ani. He was her person afterall.
She had to be there for him without any judgements. That's what they did. Always chose to be there for each other and this wasn't going to be an exception.
Her care and concern made him wish he never put her on the spot. She was here by his side trying to comfort him in spite of his hasty behavior.
His mind and heart were at war with each other. Like a storm that brings nothing but destruction, his thoughts were proving to be dangerous every passing moment.
With all kinds of emotions overwhelming him, he lost focus on the road and the car started to wobble out of control.
"Stop the car Ani", she screamed.
But her words were lost before it could reach him. It was as if he had lost his mind and it scared her to see him like that.
The Ani she knew never lost control over his thoughts and emotions. Calm and composed was his innate nature and right now the person infront of her did not seem the least bit like that.
"Are you out of your mind?", she kept yelling.
A huge truck was driving straight at them and all she could think at that moment was, "Love you Ashwin. Always and Forever".
"Ani", she screamed in terror.
***
Ashwin was battling a wave of contradicting and overwhelming emotions that were too suffocating to handle without losing the last piece of sanity he was struggling to hold on to.
Sivaangi. He was deluged with her thoughts. The way her smile that was so innocent and soulful turned sexy and naughty the minute he got closer. He could still smell her fragrance on him. He looked down to gaze at his kurta buttons and grinned wide reminiscing her manicured nails playing with this bare chest.
Her unfaltering love that had glowed through her mesmerizing eyes leaving him intoxicated. He couldn't think of anything past her. She was growing to be his addiction. A drug he couldn't live without. She was a high he wanted to be in for eternity.
He wanted her back. He needed her. Her trust. Her love. Her smile. Her. Everything about her.
Howbeit earning her trust back seemed almost impossible given the number of times he had failed in the last few days. Disappointment drowned him into a melancholy and solitude and to make it worse, there was this unbelievably perfect person in her life that he couldn't help but feel insecure about.
"Enna mapla yosana? Kelamba venaama? Ava unaku wait pantu irupa da. Kelambu", came his best friend right on time to save him from himself.
(What are you thinking? Lets leave. She will be waiting for you.)
