The morning clock ticks to seven as I wake up... I shrug off the laziness ... The thought of Shravan's arrival uplifts my mood where I leap to the washroom... I get ready and check myself infront of the mirror.. I press the bindi in it's place before coming out..

I grab my mobile and surf through the texts... A smile blooms to see his - good morning text...

He never fails to make me special...!!!

Happiness soars high to imagine the moment I am going to meet him face to face. More than that , I await to see his reaction at the very second he knows me as Suman , his childhood friend..

" Not bad Suman... You look pretty today..."

Amma draw her lips aside in proud..

" Coffee amma..." I divert her talk deliberately...

" I don't know how you have managed alone in Paris... Always you need someone to take care of you.. "

She let out her fake anger, while rendering the coffee ..

The first sip echoes my mother's authentic love... The second sip sticks in throat to recall how Shravan had made the same coffee for me.

When he's there to take care of me , why should I be worried?!?!

My head rise high in pride yet I press my lips to control my blush..

" Heyyyyy... "

Loud screech distract me from the terrace ...

I look at the terrace to see who's it...

" Be careful... Don't run around..."

Amma shout at the terrace where a pretty girl peeps her head to nod okay ..

I am still looking at the terrace to see who's that girl...

" Suman... They are Divya akka's neighbours... Sweetie and Vikki are playing with them... if you're free , have an eye on them.. "

Amma understands my query... I nod to her and ask asif I am not aware of anything.

" Amma...Where's akka..?"

She sighs... " She didn't tell me anything... She told me to prepare breakfast... that's it..."

Shravan will have breakfast here.. !!!

I bury my half smile into the coffee mug stealthily.

I climb to the terrace to look after the kids..

There are two girls with sweetie and Vikki...They are playing hide and seek .. I join them and ask their help to water the plants in the terrace garden..

Soon , they all become friend of me... Actually I am so happy at present to be with the kids ..

when you're with the kids you will find the kid within you... The same happens with me .

Eventually , they include me in hide and seek..And , I accept their offer happily.. They jump high in joy to blind fold me...

" Akka... Akka... Akka...." They shout in chorus..

They check whether I am able to see beyond the blind fold...

At the beginning , I assume that I can win the game easily... But , it isn't that easy... They counter check that I am really blind folded by asking the count of their fingers..

Once satisfied , they spin me around and run away in a wink...

I can't see anything..

" Sweetie..."

" Vikki...."

" Renu...."

I call everyone ' s name , throwing my arms at air in a hope that I will catch them...

All the four naughty kids , hide at different places and they keep on misleading me by calling my name, clapping hands and so on..

I presume that Anish Anna's daughter , sweetie hides herself under the staircases... Slowly I tiptoe to the steps ... Carefully , I walk down without making noise ...

I can hear her chuckle at a feet away... I throw my arms in wind and continue to the direction where I hear her chuckle...

Yes..! Yes! Two more steps ... I am almost there... ! You're done sweetie...!!!

Roughly calculating , I land at the last step .. unfortunately , I slip off the balance and call amma in a mere scare that I am going to break my legs..

" Amma.... !!!"

I am close to the ground. yet , before I fall down someone pulls me from getting hurt...

" Thank you..." I said without removing the blind fold...

Those hands neither let me go off nor tighten.. It's a firm hold and the warmth is not new to me...

Shravan ?!?!?!

Sudden chillness gush through my body... In a wink I pull down the blind fold...

There he is!!! My Shravan !!!

I am close to his chest... His eyes stare at me where I can feel his shock surpassing the tiredness due to the travel...

" Shravan... Can you guess who she is ? "

Divya akka asks him , where he blinks completely unaware of what's happening...

I take that moment to slip off from his hands... I walk and stand behind amma in a gesture to hide myself.

" How will he forget her.. ! am I right Shravan...?"

Amma states , eyeing at me...

" Shravan... Don't you recognize her..? She's Suman... "

Divya akka introduces me to him..

" Hello..." I mumble as though I see him for the first time...

His eyes roam over me , right from my toe to head...

" You look different..."

He speaks in trance..

Yes... I am wearing a half saree today. He has never seen me in this traditional attire.. His eyes widen and points my jumkas( earings) that dance in the wind...

Thank God ... No one notices us...

Amma is busy in preparing coffee for him...

Divya akka is in search of Vikki... By the way , even if she notices us, who's going to bather...?!?!

Amma hands over the coffee to him and states " You are seeing her after so many years Shravan..... Definitely , she will look different to you. "

Shravan coughs deliberately to draw my attention.. I look up at him in a wink and draw my eyes down...

In that split second , he winks at me mischievous.. His face glistens up to see my restlessness...

How fastly he has recovered from the shock that I am his suman..!!!

I wonder at his quick response and choose to stay at amma's back...

He looks directly into my face. It seemed that no way he's going to take off his eyes from my face as though only we both are there...

I move in discomfort ... If he continues to stare at me like this , surely I am going to faint..

He would have guessed it right...

How he wouldn't ?!?! He's , The Shravan.!!!

" By the way , the diamond nose pin suits you well"

He states casually to relax me. But , those words behold so many untold meanings ..

I touch my nose pin and close my eyes in despair...

Yes... I wear the nosepin which he had gifted me ..

Now , it is really ,really hard to conceal my blushing... I bit my lips but fail to hide my pink cheeks...

His smirk and mere lift of his one eye brow makes me to die out of shyness...

" Diamond...? Is that so Suman?"

Amma questions me as she knows it to be a simple gold nose pin...

Unsure , I blink ...

" Oh... Is it not a diamond...? But beautifully glistens like a diamond!". Shravan interrupts asif his guess really has gone wrong...

" Shravan ... You have become a jovial guy... In your young age you will not talk much..."

Amma enjoys his talkative nature.. she is happy to see the mature man out of that little shy boy...

In no time , Shravan mingles with her ... He remembers how she has taught him to make coffee..

Amma laughs merrily when he appreciates her...

" Aunty ...you won't believe .. There is a special friend who likes my coffee the most ... And , all the credit goes to you.. "

He pouts at me stealthily... Whatever he speaks , where ever he moves , his eyes are on me... At one point , I sense his eyes literally engulf me as a whole...

I think of leaving the place but can't as my heart adamantly wants all his eyes on me..

Shameless me...!!!

I hit myself literally and stand there to be a part of the scene...

He continues to entertain Amma with all his quirkiness...

" Amma...."

Their conversation stops all of a sudden to the call from the gate...

Anish anna!!!

Anna has come... Amma goes out to open the gate...

Unsure of how they both will react, I turn and walk inside the kitchen quickly...

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Hello besties...

How's the chapter...?

Now , Anish and shravan is going to meet . What will happen?

And , we are close to the end card of this story...

So , keep showering your love and support...

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arulpirai...