Falling In Love With You

Chapter -18

Vasudha was taken aback to see Karthik standing there and looking at her with an amused look in his eyes . She knew that being an employee of the same company, she would have to interact with everyone, including Karthik too , but what she didn't count on was to have a conversation with the playboy himself so soon after hearing about the rumours surrounding him. He stood on an eye to eye level with Vasudha , the sun rays that streamed  through the balcony  accentuated his high cheekbones and his rather sharp nose , his thin lips parted to reveal his dazzling smile , his eyes which was a lighter shade of brown, a rather rare color to be seen in Indian population almost turned amber in the afternoon Sun and those tender sunrays that played along his jet black hair made them to glisten under the Sun.
          The handsomeness of the man would have mesmerized any woman but for Vasudha it alerted her senses as to why the man ended up in the balcony when he could have gone anywhere. He stood a few feet away from her , he didn't say a word but just looked at her with  amusement in his light brown eyes as a predator would do when it likes to play with its prey. Vasudha realised that it wouldn't do good for her to stay there a minute more , she was also rather getting late since it had been quite sometime since she came up for lunch , so Vasudha tended to take a step to the side so as to make her way to the lunch hall. " Are you lost ... If I may ask you , Miss?" She heard him speak , he had a smooth voice and the gentleness with which he spoke stopped Vasudha in her track. "Uh .... It's Vasudha . And I'm not lost , I was just leaving ." Vasudha replied in a polite manner and without waiting for his reply Vasudha took a few steps towards the lunch hall.
       " It's such a shame to not have a moment to enjoy the glorious Sun rays , don't you think ?"  Vasudha turned around to his rather unusual question. Vasudha didn't know what to say , she was not sure whether he was saying that genuinely or it was only to make her stay , so Vasudha remained silent. But he kept on talking in his gentle voice which was almost angelic. " People don't come here very often , so I always come here during this time to enjoy the solitude , but I guess today this lonely balcony got a new visitor." Karthik said, looking intently at Vasudha.  'Oh God ! Why doesn't he stop talking . I don't know if the rumours surrounding him carry any weight in them , but for now all I want is an escape from him and this place . Although it is a good idea to bask a few minutes in the Sun as he says ,I would rather be in a crowded room than to  be alone in a spacious area with a stranger . Let me just say something in reply to him and  get the hell out of this place as soon as possible.'  Keeping this in mind Vasudha opened her mouth to say something , at the same time Vasudha heard the faint sound of someone's footsteps walking past them behind her. But what astonished her more was that she also heard the person's retreating steps towards them, however the owner of the footsteps didn't approach them and Vasudha didn't even see anyone in the periphery of her vision. She felt strongly that person was watching them from a closer distance but she didn't know who that was , but she thought of making use of that person because she knew being alone with an infamously famous person would attract anyone to know what was happening in a secluded area. Making sure that her voice is audible to the person in hiding Vasudha raised her tone a few decibels so that the person wouldn't have a chance to weave some rumour about them. " Well ! It is a shame to not be able to enjoy such a serene moment , but I'm afraid my work would come running to call upon me to resume it any time soon , so it would be better if I get going..." And as if on queue Saravanan appeared in the hallway behind calling out to her. " Vasudha ? Thank God you're here. I've been searching you in the whole building , come now Vasudha ! I want to know about the status of the task I gave you this morning ...." Vasudha was astounded to see Saravanan and she guessed that may he was the one that walked to and fro across the corridor behind them but  she was not sure if he really was searching for her to ask regarding the task as he so smoothly claimed when he 'accidentally' came upon them, for a moment Vasudha didn't know what to say or how to react but Saravanan played along and acted as if he didn't see Karthik standing there the whole time he was talking to Vasudha. 
  " Oh ! Karthik  is that you ? Didn't notice you there , my apologies ! But I think you guys have to cut short your chit chat. I really need her to brief me on the status." Vasudha noticed that Karthik was taken aback by the sudden change in the situation but he masked it well .
" That's alright Saravana ! In fact Vasudha would have left this place even if you hadn't come running here by yourself in search of her." Karthik replied to Saravana but his smooth tone had an edge to it as if he sensed the ruse behind Saravanan's sudden appearance as soon as Vasudha proclaimed her regret about not having enough time to enjoy the warmth of the Sun.
      Vasudha felt a tension between both the men, she didn't want to make the situation any worse so she asked " Well then! Shall we make a move ?" to Saravanan. "Yep !" Saravanan said to Vasudha. When Saravanan turned around to take a step towards the lunch hall he heard Karthik speak again ,not to him but to Vasudha. " Goodbye then Miss Vasudha ! I hope we'll catch up later to finish up our conversation without any interruptions."
      Hearing Karthik speak , Saravanan stopped from going any further but he didn't turn around either to look at Karthik or Vasudha instead he remained still with his head slightly tilted to the side listening intently to what Karthik was saying , however Karthik's voice took a sharp tone on the last words . Vasudha felt her patience slipping away, she always hated getting caught up in the middle of any drama and because of her stupid decision she ended up right in the  middle of it but for Karthik, she  neither accepted nor rejected his invitation instead, she just smiled at him however at the same time Vasudha felt  Saravanan tensing beside her so she just turned around and fell in step beside him.
          ' You really are an idiot Vasudha ! Kya zaroorat thi akhele mein kahin jaane ki ? Arre jaana toh chhod akhele kyon uss balcony pe rukhna chahti thi pagal ? ( Why did you even thought of going somewhere alone? Bother going alone , why did you even think of spending time alone in that  balcony)Don't get yourself trapped in any kind of predicament Vasudha , thank God Saravana came to rescue you today but in the future ? Don't you remember what  Amma had always  said ? Be careful of what you do , where you go and what you speak Vasudha , don't do anything stupid ' Vasudha chided herself mentally.  Saravanan and Vasudha walked in absolute silence beside each other but as they neared the lunch hall Vasudha heard Saravanan clearing his throat and suddenly Saravanan stopped in his tracks so Vasudha too stopped beside him and looked at him inquiringly.
        Saravanan opened his mouth to say something but he hesitated as if something stopped him from saying what he wanted to say. But before he could get over his hesitation Vasudha broke the silence " Thank God Sir! You came upon me at the right moment , if not for you I don't know how long I would've been stuck up there with him . And I'm really sorry for taking so much time for my lunch , I'll update the status on the task as soon as I finish them Sir ." Vasudha told Saravanan.
        " Stop calling me 'Sir' Vasudha ! Have you not recognised me yet or you did but chose to regard me as a fellow employee Vasudha? I know we haven't had many interactions with each other in the past but I've always regarded you as my sister . Now you have truly become my sister by marriage to my cousin. I would be really happy if you would call me by relation." Saravanan told a rather wide eyed Vasudha. Vasudha was speechless for a moment , the thought never crossed her mind that Pallavan would have told his cousin about their marriage as she did come to know of him as Pallavan's cousin only a few minutes before and if she might have thought of that she wouldn't have expected him to be outright about her marriage to Pallavan and that shocked her but that only lasted for a moment.
          ' So Saravanan knows ! Right,  so this is the reason why he was staring at me after coming out of Pallavan's cabin . Hmmm... Ok it's alright Vasudha , just go with it dear . Play along , anyway it's gonna last only for a few months . I know its hard for you to acknowledge the fact that you have become Pallavan's wife but it is something  that you have wished for years in your heart but remember Vasudha you'd have to leave all this  behind one day. You do remember what he said that night in his drunken stupor all those years ago ? He won't be able to love you Vasudha , sure he would respect you , take care of you and accept you... but love, you would never be able to have his love . So just protect your heart and play the role of a perfect wife . Now its time to fake your genuine smile Vasudha! Let's get started...' These thoughts ran in her mind within a millisecond but her face projected none of it instead a perfect smile curved up her lips. " It's not like that sir...! Sorry !! Apdi illa Anna . It is my first day here and honestly I recognised you only after our teammates told me you were his cousin. It has been years since I saw you , so pardon me for not recognising you any sooner . As for not calling you by relation ... We both came to a conclusion of keeping our marriage under wraps for the time being ... that's why ...." Vasudha trailed off purposely. "Its ok Vasudha! Pallavan told me what happened yesterday and he also told me to keep my mouth shut but how can I not welcome you even after knowing that you have become our family member. I understand that you want to maintain professionalism in your workspace and I respect that but there is no harm in calling me 'anna' Vasudha...." Saravanan told Vasudha . Vasudha heard a genuineness in his voice but at the same time she felt as if he was trying to hide something so in order to know what he is hiding or rather trying to hide Vasudha expressed her gratitude once again.
" Thank you Anna! Neenga mattum varala na , I don't know how I would've escaped from that place. Thank you so much ! But if you don't mind me asking anna... How did you come upon me at the right time? " Vasudha asked him innocently. But her question caught Saravanan off guard. "Umm...wel...well ... Hmm .... Oh yeah! Didn't I tell you earlier Vasudha! I was on my way to the restroom , upon seeing you there I thought of asking you about the status and because of the little drama in there I totally forgot to use the washroom. Hmm... You know Vasudha I would love to talk to you for some more time but you do know that we are in a bottle neck situation here so it would be better if we get going ..." Saying this Saravanan turned abruptly around took a few steps towards the restroom area without even waiting for Vasudha's reply but suddenly he turned around and said " And Vasudha if you want any help at anytime you can ask me , because you know Pallavan is very busy these days and you don't want to disturb him during his work , now don't you think ?"  Saying this, Saravanan hurried away .
          Vasudha stood there in the empty hallway for a few minutes , she didn't understand what Saravanan said , she sensed an inconsistency in his  words. She felt an genuineness in his words on helping her but what she didn't understand was the warning that laced his words when he asked her not to approach  her own husband for any issue. And she also realised that Saravanan didn't give her a straightforward answer when questioned about how he came upon her at the right time .  'Something is not right Vasudha , why did he have to say something like that... Isn't he my husband ,  why do I have to ask for any help from someone else? I guess officially I got enrolled into married life on the very first day  of my  joining this company where I've to manage bullies , playboys and meddling relatives at the same time... Pffft ! Everything will end soon Vasudha, don't worry .'  Thinking this, Vasudha continued on her way to the main lunch hall. After reaching the lunch hall , Vasudha walked along the tables to get to the elevator . While making her way through the lunch hall something told her to look up in the opposite  direction , the pull was so intense that before she could think about looking up ,her head turned in that direction and there she saw her husband who sat with someone she hadn't seen before. But instead of talking with him Pallavan's eyes followed Vasudha , for a moment their eyes locked  and in those few moments Vasudha saw a relief , a calmness settling in his eyes , he seemed to relax visibly after seeing her . Vasudha didn't know what to do or how to react to that so she turned her head from him , looked ahead of her and walked towards the elevator.
             The elevator opened as soon as she reached the threshold and when she went in pressed the button to her floor her thoughts circled around Pallavan.
' Thank God!  Atleast now he came out of his cabin to have his lunch , or else I myself would have dragged that man to the lunch hall. But why was he looking at me like that , as if he knew I would be walking past him . And why did he look so relieved after seeing me? ... Oh God! How can a simple week day become so complicated?'  The elevator took her to her floor after what felt like an eternity....