Kalaba Kadhala | Part 1

Chapter 20

After a lot of debates with herself, Anushka finally decided to concentrate on her plate which was looking delicious. She dug her hand inside and felt lost in the taste and aroma of the home cooked food.

"Sweety... pass me the raita please". She heard a voice and did as she was asked, her eyes sticked on her plate. It was later she realised the blunder just happened. She raised her head from the plate to see her whole family looking at her with questioning faces and wide eyes while Prabhas sat there with a smirk on his face. She hoped that it wasn't Prabhas whom she heard. But she also knew only he called her Sweety now. Her cheeks heated up under everyone's gaze and she looked visibly embarrassed.

"What?" She asked shrugging off her thoughts and continued eating as if nothing happened. Her brother's tried to hide their laugh.

"We thought you only liked your Amma calling you that". Aditya said pressing his lips to control his laugh.

"I will decide who calls me what". She said sternly making him roll his eyes. She shot a death glare to Prabhas who winked at her making her cheeks turn red again before looking down to her plate.

The conversation around the table continued again. Silently calculating her options, Anushka tried to focus on the banter around her, hoping desperately not to draw attention to the quiet war being waged across the table. Yet, the glances exchanged with Prabhas, laden with unspoken words, threatened to expose her secret – a growing warmth that mingled dangerously with the chaos of her emotions.

Post dinner when Anushka was walking to her room, she noticing Prabhas was sitting out in the verandah staring at the sky. That was an unusual sight. Prabhas felt her presence near him making her surprised. Little did she knew that he was even familiar with her smell. Before he could ignite a conversation that would irritate her more than he already did, she turned to go.

"Sweety..." She heard him calling and stopped in her tracks, huffing.

"Why are you so rude with them?" He asked.

"Huh?" Her face confused.

"I'm talking about your family... Aren't you noticing the efforts they are taking for you? Don't you think they deserve a chance?"

She flinched at his words, a wave of irritation crashing over her. "You don't understand, Prabhas. They chose this life. They chose violence over dialogue, power over integrity." Her voice was sharper than intended, but she didn't care. She was tired of people defending her family's choices.

"I get you hate what they do," he replied, leaning closer, his brow furrowing with concern. "But they are your family Sweety. They might have their flaws, but it doesn't mean they don't deserve a second chance."

Anushka shook her head, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders like a curtain shutting him out. "You don't know them. Oh... or maybe you do. Because you guys are the same, right?"

Prabhas sighed, raking a hand through his hair, frustration evident in his demeanor. "I know it's not easy for you to accept who they are... but you have spent so many years away from them, at an unknown place like an orphan... don't you think that's enough punishment for them as well?"

Anushka fists her palm, her knuckles white. The idea sent a pulse of anger through her. "Punishment was for me Prabhas.... They made me lonely. I can't forget all those years I've spent without my mother".

His gaze softened, and he leaned back to the wall, allowing her words to hang in the air for a moment. "At least you have a family Sweety..." His eyes bored into hers, searching for the flicker of understanding that lay somewhere beneath her anger.