Falling In Love With You

Chapter - 29

Days rolled on , Pallavan and Vasudha went about their daily routine . After their intense conflict a few weeks ago , things settled down between them and since their busy schedule at work , the time they shared together was consistently decreased , but even then Vasudha tried to manage the chores at home , doing their laundries , making their beds , cleaning the house and every other aspect of running a household. Even when Vasudha never asked for his help , Pallavan shared the household chores and helped her with the tasks as much as he could. Nothing much was said between them after their quarrel other than their routine conversation about breakfast , office work and dinner . They tried to lead their lives separately as much as they could.
                                          One month went by and things calmed down to some level back at the office . As the rumours about Pallavan and Thara settled down for the time being , Pallavan carefully avoided being in the vicinity of Thara and avoided situations that might give rise to further more speculations about his rumoured relationship.
                                         We don't know whether it was fate , coincidence or a carefully orchestrated accidental meeting , but over the month Vasudha's break times were spent in the company of Karthik. They developed an unusual kind of friendship over a cup of coffee. Days went by and it became a routine for them to spend their break times together , they laughed together , shared their point of views on life in general and shared their mutual thoughts on keeping their true selves hidden from the people they are not familiar with . They found a friend with the same notions about life in each other. People started noticing their bond , their shared laughter together , the casual way in which they spoke with each other and then one day it so happened that people started talking about Vasudha and Karthik seeing each other .
                                         No one ever knew how the rumours started but it spread like wildfire among the employees.
                                         The reality of rumours or gossips is that , all the people connected to that person about whom the rumours are about hears about the rumours except for that person who is involved in that very rumour. That is what has happened to Vasudha and Karthik too.
                                         One morning as Vasudha walked down the corridor to her station , she noticed her fellow employees giving her weird looks , their soft murmurs behind her back the moment she walked past them . She didn't understand what was happening around her , with her brain muddled with confusion , Vasudha reached her station and sat in her chair. Her mind rushed with a million thoughts as to find out the reason behind their suspicious looks but none came to her mind.
                                          She logged into her computer and continued her work , but the weird looks , the murmurs of her colleagues kept circling in her mind. A few minutes later Shreya arrived and sat beside her .
                                          Vasudha didn't turn her head but said , " Good morning , Shreya !" in a casual tone .
                                          A few beats passed but Vasudha didn't get a reply from her friend as she expected . Surprised , Vasudha turned in her seat to look at her friend . As she did so , she saw Shreya sitting in her chair , fully turned in her seat and looking surprised , shocked and angry at her with her perfectly threaded eyebrows raised .
                                          Frustrated at why she too was giving her the same look , Vasudha let out an irritated sigh , " What is it , Shreya ?! Why are you looking at me like that ? What is the matter ?" Vasudha asked shreya in a no nonsense tone.
                                         " I should be the one asking you that question , Vasudha ! What is happening ? Why is everyone talking about you being in a relationship with Karthik ? Have you gone mad ? Why do you even go near a guy like him or much worse getting into a relationship with him ? What has gotten into you ??" Shreya almost shouted at her friend , who now sat there like a statue . All the color drained from Vasudha's face and she paled as if she had seen a ghost. No words came out of her mouth , the reality of what Shreya said and the absolute shock of the moment gripped her like a vice and she forgot to even breathe for a moment.
                                          Shreya's hand clutched her shoulders and she slightly shook Vasudha in an attempt to bring her back to reality. Vasudha shook her head in disbelief , she opened her mouth but no words came out of her mouth , she swallowed hard . Just as she collected herself together to say something , Rahul jumped in between Vasudha and Shreya .
                                        " Vasudha ... What is this rumour that everyone's talking about ? Why is everyone talking about you and Karthik ? Is something going on between the two of you ?" Rahul said in a shoocked tone .
                                        " That is what I was asking her too ! Tell us Vasudha ... What is the matter ? Does these rumours hold any truth in them ? Or are they just that... Just rumours ?" Shreya asked her friend , looking at her dead in the eye .
                                         Vasudha looked up at her friends , they were staring back at her , waiting for her to reply , their patience slowly waning by each passing second.
                                          Vasudha cleared her throat softly , " The rumours aren't true ! I don't know why anyone would start something so idiotic about me and Karthik ! It is true that we happened to share a few coffee breaks together , but other than that there is nothing between me and him." Vasudha told her friends and rubbed her fingers against her temple.
                                          She shook her head in disbelief , her shoulders slumped in weariness. Rahul and Shreya glanced at one another , their hearts filled with worry for thier friend. Shreya grasped her hands tightly , Rahul placed a supportive hand over her shoulder . Vasudha looked up at them helplessly.
                                         " Don't worry Vasudha ! We understand how depressing this situation must be for you ! From what you've said , it is clear that these rumours doesn't have any foundation . These baseless rumours will die on their own , provided you don't hang out with Karthik anymore in the coming days . You don't have to react to anything , nor do you have to explain anything to anyone. Just do your work and ignore what everyone is saying about you . People will get bored eventually and this rumour too will vanish soon. You don't have to worry too much Vasudha !" Rahul told Vasudha , his tone calm.
                                         " I agree with what Rahul is saying , Vasudha ! Let the rumours be , after people get tired from talking about something that doesn't hold any truth in them , people will eventually forget about this one and start talking about some other hot gossip. We are here for you , you don't have to worry about anything...!" Saying this Shreya gently cupped her cheek , Vasudha offered her friends a small smile , thankful to them for having her back. Just then all the three of them heard the sharp squeaking of shoes against the marbled floor behind them . They unisonly turned their heads to see who that was and saw Pallavan walking towards them .  He cast a questioning look at them , for having  formed a mini group , giving him a picture of them discussing something very important.
                                           Pallavan raised an eyebrow at them , in a way of asking them if everything was alright . Shocked for a moment , nobody moved an inch from their positions , it was Rahul who came out of his initial shock and nodded his head indicating that everything was alright. Vasudha sat still , a lump formed in her throat making it impossible for her to even breath . Pallavan walked before her , he hasn't shaved his beard for quite a few days and it gave him an intense look , his neatly pressed light blue shirt and grey pants fitting his masculine physique perfectly .
                                         Vasudha kept looking at him . What if he heard the rumours already ?
The thought kept repeating in her mind , something unknown gripped her heart , her hands became slippery and they turned cold in fear of what her husband would think of her when he came to know about the rumours.