Tales of Them

Snehidhane 2

Few days back, 

Sivaangi found herself squeezed in the midst of the crowded morning bus, feeling the press of bodies on all sides. Some passengers were engrossed in texting on their phones, while others were scrolling through Instagram reels. She couldn't help but shake her head at the modern-day bus scene.

As she glanced around at the sea of faces, her eyes inadvertently met those of a man at the other end of the bus. He was already staring at her, and Sivaangi quickly averted her gaze. 

———-

"Yaru ?" Krithi inquired. 

"Evano oruvan" 

"Avalo rush aana bus laiyum sight adichan" sivaangi added. 

"Ohh" 

"Ippo ellam ippidi than di. Ketta loveu" sivaangi said nonchalantly. 

"Oruvela nee pandriyo" krithi asked in teasing tone. 

"Eppidi yaruney theriyathavana love panna mudiyum ?" Sivaangi pondered.

"Appo therincha pannuva ?" Krithi countered.

"Podi.. ennaku vera illa paru" Sivaangi said, pulling her blanket over her head.

💜 

The next day, 

"Innaikum office aa ?" Krithi asked in surprise. Since Sivaangi worked part-time, it was rare for her to visit the office. 

"Ama etho mukkiyamana project" Sivaangi explained.

"Ohh seri pathu po" Sivaangi nodded in response. 

As Sivaangi boarded the crowded bus once again, she made a conscious effort to keep her eyes from wandering. However, she sensed someone behind her and turned to see the same man from earlier. 

Just as she was about to reprimand him, she noticed him subtly shielding her from another man who seemed to be attempting to touch her inappropriately. The man's expression remained impassive, but Sivaangi couldn't help but feel grateful. She turned her head, biting her lip to suppress a smile, touched by his silent gesture of protection.

———-

"Ooh ohh appo sir una protect pannirukaru" Krithi teased with a playful tone.

"Appidi ellam onnu illa" Sivaangi snapped, feeling a bit flustered.

Krithi raised an eyebrow "Oh appo athuku enna peru ?" 

Sivaangi hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit caught off guard "Athu.. coincidence aa kooda irukkalam" sivaangi stammered. 

"Oh...appidi" Krithi chuckled. 

In the following days, Sivaangi found herself traveling on the same bus route, and each time she boarded, her eyes instinctively scanned the crowd, searching for him. At first, she wasn't entirely certain if he would be there, but as the days passed, she couldn't deny the growing anticipation she felt upon entering the bus, the subtle excitement of the possibility of encountering him again. 

Despite her attempts to remain aloof, her subconscious betrayed her, her eyes inevitably drawn to the spot where she had seen him before, hoping to catch another glimpse of his familiar figure amidst the bustling crowd.

💜

Present 

"Vanthan" Sivaangi remarked, sounding a bit bored. 

"Innaiku aachu ethavathu sonna na ?" Krithi asked eagerly. 

"Illa iduchutu poitan" 

"Iduchana ?" Krithi gasped in disbelief. 

"Avalo sceneu illa... bus romba rush...so pora appo ena lite aa iduchutan avalothan" Sivaangi explained.

"Athana pathen" krithi whispered. 

"Enna ?" Sivaangi asked, puzzled.

"Onnu illa" Krithi replied cryptically.

After exchanging words for a while longer, they finally decided to call it a night and retreated to the comfort of their bed, seeking the embrace of sleep to rejuvenate their bodies and minds.

As Sivaangi boarded the bus the next day, she noticed the man looking at her once again. This time, instead of averting her gaze, she watched him closely. When her office stop approached, she didn't make a move to get off the bus. The man, looking confused, moved a little closer to her from his spot at the end of the bus.

As he neared her, he observed her scanning the crowded bus, her eyes wandering as usual. She looked radiant in a pink shalwar set, adorned with matching earrings. He felt a sudden urge to tell her that she had missed her stop, but he hesitated, unsure of how to start the conversation.

Suddenly, he realized that his own stop was approaching. With no other option, he reluctantly got off the bus, wishing for one last glance at Sivaangi but before that the bus pulled away, leaving him unable to catch another glimpse of her.

As he stepped off the bus, his mind was in turmoil, thoughts swirling chaotically. He couldn't shake off the confusion regarding Sivaangi's sudden change in behavior. Why had she missed her stop ?

Try as he might, he couldn't make sense of it all. Her actions had left him feeling disoriented and unsure. As he walked away from the bus stop, his mind continued to race with questions. 

"Excuse me," he heard a voice behind him, causing him to abruptly turn around, only to be shocked to see Sivaangi standing there.

Sivaangi raised her eyebrows at his stunned expression and let out an huff noticing him still in reverie.

"Oru 5 mins... coffee ?" she asked, gesturing towards a nearby cafe. "If you don't mind," she added politely.

Still taken aback, the man nodded and quickly informed someone on the phone of his unexpected detour. Leading Sivaangi safely across the road, they settled into the cafe.The man's nerves were palpable, his anxiety transparent as glass. Sivaangi couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of someone so visibly nervous in this era.

"I'm Sivaangi," she said, breaking the silence with her usual charm and ease.

"Ah... Ashwin," he replied, his voice a bit shaky.

Sivaangi nodded, acknowledging his introduction.

"So..." Sivaangi trailed off, noticing that Ashwin wasn't maintaining eye contact with her.

"Ashwin" she called, trying to regain his attention.

"Sollunga" he responded, slightly flustered.

"Neenga committeed aa illa single aa ?" Sivaangi's sudden question startled him. 

"Athu..." he stammered, caught off guard by the unexpected inquiry.

"Ethuva irunthalum ennaku prechana illa" her words added even more confusion to his already puzzled mind.

What was this petite woman thinking? Ashwin couldn't help but wonder as he tried to gather his thoughts amidst the whirlwind of emotions and questions swirling in his mind.

"Single than nga" Ashwin replied.

"Intha vanga ponga ellam ennaku vendam. I don't like it. Neenga vera paka vayasanavaru mari irukkinga" Sivaangi remarked firmly.

"What ?" Ashwin exclaimed, utterly shocked by her unexpected statement.

To be continued...

Vayasanavaru 🤣😂🤭