New Beginnings....

Mazhai & Mullai..

I've been having a bit of a writer's block...so sorry for this short chapter... Thanks to Auslayshia without whom this chapter would not have been updated today ...

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Kathir gathers her close, pushes her hair away from her face,and tucks her into the crook of his elbow...

Her eyes are wet with tears...

And he wipes them away tenderly...

Mullai is swamped with emotions; wonder, joy, tenderness and this new burst of possessiveness steals over her entire being...

She snuggles close to him, and looks at the star stickers on the ceiling along with him...

This room has been a witness to so many episodes in her life...

Pining for Kathir's phone calls, her heartbreak at not receiving them, crying that her father had to go to Qatar for work, leaving them behind, sleepless nights when she was pregnant with Mahi, and the anger and grief over the betrayal of her late husband...

Mahi as a baby beside her, many content nights admiring her daughter and making her coo and smile.

And now making love with Kathir..

This act felt transcendental, almost spiritual...

Outside, the rumble of thunder gets closer, the wind howls and along with it comes the fertile and earthy smell of rain...

The first rain of the year...

They clean up and she rushes to the terrace to take the clothes that she forgot to bring down...

Kathir takes a bedsheet off the clothesline just in time... Before fat raindrops pelt on the floor...

They take shelter at the entrance of the steps and watch the rain...

Both taking in deep lung fulls of the deep, rich smell...

K: The best smell ithu dhan...

M: Petrichor.....

She says breathing in deeply...

K: Athu ennathu?

M: Inthae smell... is called petrichor...

K: Nee English teacher leh, athunalae unnaku neraiyae puthu puthu words therithu...

He says smiling at her...

She smiles back and splashes some water on him, catching the raindrops on her palm...

M: Best smell ithu illae.... Oru newborn baby odae smell dhan best in the world....

She says truthfully...

K: Naan engae oru newborn baby eh smell pannirukken?

Kathir asks wistfully...

K: Ennae poruthae veraikkum, mazhai....approm Mullai... inthae fragrance dhan ennodae favorite...

He says touching her throat....

And he leans forward and nuzzles her softly...

She kisses his cheek...

And they slowly make their way down the stairs holding hands even though their arms are filled with clothes.

***

The following day, Kathir and Mullai  wish that it was a holiday... But, alas...it is a working day and with a heavy heart and a tired body, they leave for work...