You and I - a pranushka tale

chapter sixteen

She quickly pecked his lips one more time before pulling away completely to give him a smile. "I think it's time to go back now."

Prabhas raised an eyebrow but followed her wordlessly. As they made their way back into the villa in blissful silence, the rain slowly faded and the sky changed to welcome the warm evening. The sun peeked through the clouds as Prabhas' eyes followed Mithrah, struggling to avert his attention elsewhere.  When they finally neared the entrance, her family immediately surrounded them and began to voice their worries.

Radha rushed over to Prabhas and looked him up and down with a concerned expression. When she saw the bandaged arm she carefully took a hold of it and gave Prabhas a look that only came from mothers. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" She asked the same way she asked Rana.

Prabhas smiled at her, her motherly love spreading a joy within him that he hadn't felt for years. He shook his head unable to voice his gratitude or answer how he felt.

There was a fake cough from the side.

Radha and Prabhas turned around to see Mithrah walk towards them. "He's fine. I was there too amma why aren't you checking me?'

Radha laughed and pinched her daughter's cheek affectionately. "I know you're fine. They wouldn't dare come near you if you just started talking." She teased.

Mithrah pouted as Prabhas laughed out loud. "That's so true." He claimed, in between laughs.

Mithrah turned to give him a long look with a straight face. "Oh really?"

His laugh sobered up as he gave her an innocent look. She was about to punch him when Radha ushered them both inside. "You're clothes are still wet. Go get changed and then come downstairs to eat."

Prabhas waited for her attention to fall on him as they neared their rooms before asking a question that he believed was very important.

"So...can I kiss you again? Or is it a one-time thing?"

Mithrah snorted at his conversational tone. "I mean..." She trailed off dramatically watching his gaze lower down her body. "The kiss was alright. Average even. Not something I'm too keen on repeating you know?"

His eyes snapped up to hers in surprise. "What?"

She smirked. "I've had better."

Prabhas raised an eyebrow. "No, you haven't."

Taken aback at how confident he sounded, Mithrah tried to shrug even though she knew he was right. Before she could walk away to the corridor leading to her room, he tugged her arm and pulled her into the closest room. Eyes wide Mithrah looked around and saw it was one with extra storage.

"What are you doing?" She hissed, worry rushing through her as she thought of the consequences of being caught in a room alone with him. But all thoughts of her aunts and uncles vanished when she felt his warm grip on her bare waist as he used his other hand to tug her chin towards him.

The darkened hues of his eyes held a thousand promises as he brought her mouth closer to his. The warm grip she felt tightened as he murmured against her slightly opened lips. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't want me to kiss you again."

His voice was smooth and soft, evoking a powerful reaction out of Mithrah as she faltered to answer properly. "I don't..." She trailed off as she felt his hand reach higher under the drapes of her saree. "Prabhas," She whispered at the sudden iciness of his warm fingers as they inched their way up.

He cocked an eyebrow, a smirk tempting to make its way to his lips but he kept his face expressionless. "I'm guessing this feels...average? Like alright is it?" He asked watching her try not to cave under his touch.

Grinding her teeth, she did the opposite of what he expected. She pressed herself against him, making sure he could feel everything he needed to before smiling up at him. "Yes. Alright. Now let me go before someone finds us and kills you."

He scoffed as he let her go. "They won't kill me."

Fixing her dishevelled saree, she made her way over to the door throwing a look at him. "What will they do then?"

"Don't you remember? They will get us married." He replied teasingly.

She paused. "God forbid," She said as she turned to look back at him with a stunning smile, one that caused his own lips to curve up.

~

Veeraiyandi was sat on a single chair, his face expressionless as he stared ahead.

Rana and Prabhas stood nearby both watching him quietly, waiting for him to say what was going to happen next. Since they returned home, Veeraiyandi was yet to comment on the incident that happened at the temple. The guards likewise were all scattered in the large room, some with expressions of anger and others like Rana and Prabhas, waiting. Waiting for whatever the head of the house was going to say.

Exactly then, Mithrah was running by the window of the room when she caught sight of all of them standing there quietly. The serious expressions on their faces halted her on the spot before she hid nearby, somewhere where she could still hear them.

Rana decided to break the silence. "What are we going to do now?" He asked, anger clear in his voice as his jaw clenched. "People were hurt today. Innocent people. Bhavani is only getting braver and that's because we are letting him. We need to fight back." He stated. It was no secret that Bhavani was getting braver as the days went on. He would have never before dared to attack Veeraiyandi in his home temple.

Mithrah frowned as silence followed in the room. Nobody said anything to agree or disagree with her brother. Nerves fluttered within her as she herself wondered what could happen next. Then she heard her father's voice.

"Mithrah. What do you suggest?"

Her eyes widened as she realised her father knew she was eavesdropping outside by the window. Prabhas smirked as he had already noticed her walk past and knew she would be standing there when she caught sight of what was happening in the room. She slowly walked inside, trying not to cringe at how everyone's attention was on her.

Veeraiyandi, however, didn't look angry that she was eavesdropping. Rather, he looked at her with a warm expression. "What do you suggest we do?" He asked again, knowing she was the rational thinker of them all.

Mithrah's eyes found Prabhas, who was watching her intently, waiting for her to reply as every man in the room was. "I think we shouldn't do anything." No one said anything to contradict her as she paused to collect her thoughts, to ensure she was saying the right thing. "If we attack now, they will be waiting for us. They know how we work and they know we will want revenge. Bhavani didn't come to the temple today did he?"

The men shook their heads as she walked towards the centre of the room where her father was. "He didn't come because I don't think his goal was to kill you." She said, voicing her thoughts, something she realised a few hours back. "Think about it. If Bhavani wanted you dead today, he would have come himself. Bhavani is far too poetic. He would want that opportunity for himself. No one else."

"They're trying to trap us." Rana muttered, realising what his sister was trying to get at.

"Exactly!" Mithrah said clicking her fingers, turning to look at her brother. "So we do the exact opposite of what they expect. Wait but-"

"-but let them know something is coming." Rana finished her sentence with a grin. "Get Bhavani feeling uneasy and on edge."

Veeraiyandi watched his son and daughter conspire against his enemy, trying to keep the smile from rising on his face as he saw parts of himself in them. Veeraiyandi always knew that Mithrah and Rana possessed his qualities but he believed they were the better versions of him. A version that he could never thrive to be. Because of that, he realised he needed to let them go from his own war.

He decided then.

He would wait to attack like Mithrah suggested. But he wasn't going to attack until both his children were away. Away and safe from the dangers of this village.