Village meets city love

chapter -38 Marakkamudiyadha Naadkal

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The hum of office chatter and the soft clacking of keyboards filled the air as Lavanya walked into the open-plan office. She hesitated for a moment, her village upbringing clashing with the modern, fast-paced environment she found herself in. The world felt bigger here, and she was no longer confined to the familiar faces of Varun’s family. She clutched her handbag, her nerves bubbling under the surface.

The receptionist greeted her with a warm smile. "You must be Lavanya, right? Welcome to the team! Let me introduce you to everyone."

As Lavanya was led through the office, her eyes scanned the unfamiliar faces—men and women, all dressed in smart, professional attire, engrossed in their work. Her heart raced. She had always lived in a world where relationships and friendships were built around familiarity—her parents, then Varun’s family. This was new, unexplored territory, and it unnerved her.

“Hi, I’m Meera,” said a bubbly young woman who sat near Lavanya’s new desk. “I’m part of the marketing team. And you?”

“I... I just joined,” Lavanya replied shyly. “It’s my first day.”

“Oh, don’t worry! We were all nervous on our first day. You’ll fit in just fine,” Meera assured her, smiling warmly.

Lavanya returned the smile, feeling a little more at ease. Slowly, as the day progressed, she realized that making friends here wasn’t as intimidating as she had imagined. She joined in on casual lunch conversations with her colleagues, learning more about their lives, their jokes, and their way of thinking. There were moments when she felt out of place—when conversations veered toward topics she wasn’t familiar with, or when they mentioned places and experiences she had never had—but Meera and the others were kind, welcoming her with open arms.

For the first time, Lavanya felt like she was breaking out of the circle that had always defined her. It wasn’t just Varun’s family anymore. This was her own space, her own life. Yet, even as she enjoyed the company of her new friends, a part of her couldn’t help but wonder what Varun would think. He had been supportive this morning, but would he be okay with her having male colleagues, chatting and laughing with people outside their tightly-knit world?

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As Varun sat at his desk, his mind wandered back to Lavanya’s first day at work. He had dropped her off with a smile, but as the hours passed, he couldn’t shake the unease creeping into his thoughts.

Lavanya had always been his—not in a possessive sense, but in the way she had always looked to him, sought his approval, and circled her life around their family. Now, she was out there, meeting new people, making friends he didn’t know, sharing jokes and stories he wasn’t part of. The thought of her becoming comfortable in this new environment, especially around male colleagues, gnawed at him.

Would she still look at him the way she used to? Or would this new world, this new freedom, change her perspective of him? After everything he had done—his mistakes, his pride—there was already damage between them. Would this new phase of her life widen the gap even further?

He wasn’t ready for that. He wasn’t ready to lose her. Varun tightened his grip on his coffee cup, his heart raced with worry. The idea of Lavanya laughing and sharing moments with colleagues, especially male ones, stirred a fear he couldn’t shake. The comfort he had always provided felt threatened by the unfamiliarity of her new environment.

But then he remembered her smile, the way it had crinkled at the corners when she talked about her day. She was discovering her own identity outside of him, and that realization felt both exhilarating and terrifying. He had always wanted her to thrive, to step into her own light, yet he couldn’t ignore the pang of fear that accompanied it.