Our Little Home

4

Things were going smoothly for Sivaanya. She was back on track with most of the syllabus. It was initially difficult, trying to catch up with an entire semester but she managed to pull it of with Aravind's support.

The situation wasn't great for Aravind though. His work was taking a toll on him. He worked as a Marketing Lead in Beauty2You (a company that sells makeup). In recent days, it was evident that the senior management was on a mission to reject his ideas and pick on mistakes he never made.

This increased after his recent campaign for their latest release was successful in increasing sales, and was recognized to be the most inclusive campaign in the company's history.

For the past 2 weeks, Aravind returned home late at night and looked like he had survived 2 world wars. Today was no different. The sound of the clock striking 1:00 was harmonious with the clicking of the door knob.

Aravind walked in to a sight that made his flutter and sink in guilt. For the first few seconds, he felt really important to see someone waiting for him, but the idea of her being awake at such late hours didn't sit right with him. 

Suddenly, a tiny figure crashed against his body and he was quick to wrap his hands around her waist. Although he was extremely tired, he flashed a million dollar smile at her. This was his way of thanking her for staying up late and welcoming him home cause if anything he needed her the most at this moment.  She was quick to respond with a little peck on his chin- that was a her maximum access limit, otherwise she would have to get on her tippy toes. 

She pulled back, looked into his eyes for a few seconds and quickly began unbuttoning his shirt. Started at the sudden action, Aravind's jaw dropped and eyes widened. He even began blinking a couple of times to make sure he wasn't imagining things. 

"Ma, enna ma pandra!"

She left his question unanswered, and worked on successfully removing the shirt, just to toss it out. 

"Mochu vida mudiyala, Aravindey! Evlo strong a iruku intha perfume. You don't usually like these scents. Pudusa purchase paniya? "

"Ma, life is never going to be boring with you. I got scared for a second. This society doesn't have enough protection for innocent men like me. Also, this is not my perfume. I borrowed some from a friend today."

"Neenga la innocent?  Innocent la 'in' kooda kadiyathu neenga. Pakka package panna palgova mari irupinga, anna pandrathu ellam kedi vella."

"Alla vidungu, rowdy madam! Yetho theriyam unga kita vaya open paniten"

"Anda bayam irakatum! Amma, unga work epdi pochu work ungaluku?"

The duo began walking hand in hand towards their little purple sofa, which is been the witness to the couple's never ending conversations, ever since they began their new chapter of romance.

Sivaanya sat on his lap with her legs comfortably wrapped around his waist. She began drawing flowers on his chest, while listening to her favourite composition- his heartbeat.

He glanced at her with a little smile and began ranting his heart out. Meanwhile, she made sure he didn't get too overwhelmed by breaking his thoughts with a few comedic phrases. 

"Seriyana thengi ponna thenga bun!"
"En muscles a use pani avana attack panuren."

And more legendary phrases could be heard from their house. 

2 months went by in a jiffy, and Sivaanya was just 3 weeks away from her first semester break.

Aravind's situation kept getting worse at his workplace. There were times he would break down crying in her shoulders. He wouldn't feel bad if he was being targeted for a mistake he made, but receiving endless taunts for doing the work assigned was breaking his heart. 

For a professional like him, his work reputation and achievements was very important. His work was his first ray of hope. The first flicker of light in his life which was captured by darkness for years.

Sivaanya came home from university to find the door unlocked. Her heart began beating fast at the worst scenarios. She tried to calm herself and took the bottle of pepper spray she always carried to protect her.

She slowly entered inside and was surprised to see darkness omnipresent. Her hands began caressing the walls, trying to find the switch. She was confident she left the living room lights on. 

A sigh of relief escaped as she saw Aravind sitting in the sofa, intensely glaring at a piece of paper. 

"Neenga dhana! I got so scared! Yethuku irutala Annabelle maari irukinga."

"Nalla vella, inikum night late agum nu nenachan! Amma, yedha vadhu saptingala?"

"I keep talking and you aren't replying.  What are you staring at?"

She slowly peeked into the paper and was shocked to see the title in bold. 

"Letter of Dismissal for Mr. Aravind"

×××××
Managed to squeeze in a tiny update. 
Take care and Lots of Love ❤️