Sorry for the late update, enjoy😂

Please check out chapter-29 (in case you missed it)

Inline comments are love💜

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Writer's POV:

"Vikram, come here for a moment!"

Vikram winched, standing up from his cabin when his computer professor's voice echoed through the computer lab. The tapping on the keyboards ceased all at once as his classmates stared at him, probably wondering why Mrs. Sudha was calling him.

"Mam, me?" Pointing to himself, Vikram acted confused, scratching his ear cutely, leaving his suitors in awe, but it looks like the charm didn't work with the professor as she stared at him without any expression.

"Yes, Vikram. The one who entered my class just now. Is there any other Vikram in our class?" The professor sassed, beckoning him to come to the front.

There was a pregnant pause, and then Vikram's friends who were near him started laughing, looking at his expression for getting caught entering the class late.

Flipping a bird towards his laughing friends, Vikram walked towards his frowning professor as she stared at the attendance list in concentration.

"Why are you late?" Without missing a beat, the young professor asked as soon as he stood before her. She gently placed the attendance list on the table and waited for him to answer.

'Act cute!' Taking a deep breath, Vikram blinked, tilting his head to a side, and started speaking.

"Advik sir," He controlled his urge to smile when a smile appeared on her face at the mention of his maths professor's name and continued. " I was speaking to him about the assignments, mam. I said I have your class, but he-"

"Vikram? Tell me something new!"

"Advik-"

"Not again!"

"I don't have any." Feeling defeated, Vikram slumped against the wall with a sign.

"Guessed it. Stop lying, Vikram. The number of times you've tried acting cute, I'm immune to it! And my husband would never stop a student from attending a class." Sudha laughed, shaking her head at her favorite student's lie while erasing the 'Absent mark' she had marked beside his name before he entered the class.

Vikram is very naughty, but he respects everyone equally, helps anyone without expecting anything in return, super sweet to new staff/students, so they don't feel left out. And he submits all his work on time.

Which staff doesn't like this kind of student? The only flaw is that he skips a few classes to spend time with his girlfriend. But that's not an issue here. If they don't enjoy it now, when will they?

"Sorry, mam." He apologized, helping her clear the table as the pregnant Sudha raised from the chair, her right hands palming her small bump protectively.

"Leave that Vikram. It's going to get messy anyway. Now tell me, is Harshitha absent today?" The pregnant professor asked, leaning against the desk and raising her eyebrows at Vikram, who frowned at her words.

"Why?" Is she not there in the class?"

"Just answer me, is Harshitha absent today?"

"No, she came to college," He asserted, straightening his posture as he observed her expression.

"Wait!" Signaling him to stay, she spoke to someone on the phone. A sudden smirk appeared on her face ton hearing something from the other end that left Vikram baffled.

"Vikram, are you lying again?"

"I swear. Today, she came with Hari!"

"Really? I just got her class attendance, and she is marked absent for the whole day, and her class rep said she called in sick. I thought both of you might have bunked the class. I wasn't expecting you to show up today." Sudha shrugged nonchalantly and asked him to return to his seat.

The fact she skipped her classes surprised Vikram. He didn't expect her to skip classes today! His darling is not someone who would skip classes without any reason.

He doesn't have any problem with her skipping the classes but not informing him about bunking the whole day doesn't sit well with him. Vikram would always spend his break or free hour with her, so she always let him know beforehand if she bunk class with her friends.

'Baby, what happened? Everything was fine till yesterday, but now? Why do I have the feeling that something is going to go wrong?' Vikram thought as he returned to his designated seat.

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"So, what do you wanna do till this afternoon?" Dhanya asked, taking a seat next to her best friend. The walk from the abandoned lab to the new lab left them breathless. They hope that Pooja finds her way back home. They didn't plan to leave her there, but sometimes, someone's face will irritate the hell out of you without even a reason. That's how Harshitha felt when she looked at Pooja.

"I feel like going home." Harshitha breathed, leaning against Dhanya. Her eyes darted from one corner to another as she observed her friend's sketching lab.

Dhanya's classmates were busy decorating the lab to welcome their juniors. It was like a tradition for the second-year students to welcome them on their first day.

In the middle of the fully glammed-up fashion divas, Harshitha felt underdressed. But who cares! It was fun watching the girls do their make-up and hair. Some of them wore daring dresses, and few opted for traditional.

If she was at their place, she would have gone for something traditional, but hey, she is not here to judge. In their own style, each girl shone.

"Why are you hot?" Dhanya questioned, bringing her out of her thoughts. Harshitha looked at Dhanya when she palmed her face suddenly and checked her own temperature with the back of her hand.

"huh?"

"Why are you hot?"

"I'm always hot!" Harshitha smirked and laughed when Dhanya rolled her eyes at her statement.

"Of course, you are always hot, babe!" Dhanya exclaimed and continued. "I'm asking about your temperature. It was kinda hot 'hot'! Here touch my forehead. Mine was normal, but yours felt kinda high."

"I don't know, di. I'm not feeling well today, and I feel nauseated too." Harshitha murmured, a tired sign left her mouth as she leaned against the desk while Dhanya looked at her in horror. Her eyes widened at each second as a different reason ran through her mind.

A sudden yelp left her from Harshitha's lips when Dhanya dragged her outside the room before she could explain.

Once out of everyone's earshot, Dhanya left her arms and started pacing across the veranda while biting her nails nervously.

"Dhanya?"

"Oh my god! What am I going to do? They won't allow me to meet you hereafter, right?" Dhaya fretted as she circled Harshitha while looking her up and down, wide-eyed.

"Dhanu, what are you speaking? Nut edachu kalundrucha?" Harshitha laughed at her over-dramatic friend, who stared at her stomach weirdly. Dhanya's fingers shook as her hands neared her stomach and retreated as if electrocuted.

"Babe, please tell me you are not pregnant!" Dhanya whispered, hugging her tightly, her whole figure shaking in fright as she embraced 'her pregnant friend.'

"What the hell? Have you lost your mind?" Harshitha yelled, pushing her best friend out of her arms and crossed her arms across her chest when Dhnaya stared at her stomach again.

"Stop staring at my stomach, Dhanya!"

"See, this is what I'm talking about. You never yell at me but see now! You feel sick, nauseous, tired, and moody, and all this leads to pregnancy, but you promised Vikram's mom, Prathy Akka, and her police husband. Now, what should we do? Shall I help you guys elope? Wait, is it legal to have a baby at this ag--"

"Dhanya!"

"OMG! what am I going to do?"

"Babies, don't form from just making out!" Having enough of her nonsense, Harshitha yelled, pinching her best friend's arms to bring her out of her fantasy.

"What? then you are not pregnant?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Umm, girls?" Both of them gasped when they heard a new voice behind them.

Like a deer caught in headlights, Harshitha turned around to see Vikram's computer professor, who stared at them and then gazed at Harshitha's stomach in doubt.

"No, no! Mam, this is not what you think!"

"Ahaan?"

"Mam! She is not pregnant. They just made out, it seems. As she said, babies don't form from just making ou-"

"Dhanya, shut up!" Harshitha glared, pinching her arms while Sudha looked at them amused.

"You both follow me!" The professor ordered, walking away while the best friends tried to stall but walked fast when they heard her yell. "Come fast!"

'Why god? why?' Harshitha thought, glaring at her guilty best friend, who pouted and linked their arms together.

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A few hours later, at Harshitha's home.

"Harshitha! Lock the door. I'm going to meet my friend, and Hari will be home by five. Don't open the door for anyone. If post or courier comes, get it from the window!" Sakthi exclaimed, collecting her things off the coffee table hurriedly when her friend called her from outside.

"Okay, ma. be careful on the way and don't let Mala aunty drive the car!" Harshitha yelled back from the kitchen as she transferred the boiling soup to the bowl carefully.

"I heard you harshitha! I'll drop your mom home safe!" Sakthi's friend hollered from the entrance while the other ladies laughed, teasing Mala for her driving skills.

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Harshitha hummed, inhaling the petrichor and wrapping the blanket around her extra tight as she snuggled up on the couch in their living room. It was summer, but soon it started raining cats and dogs, which led her to get cozy on the couch for a while, watching the rain splash against the glass window.

She blinked when she heard the doorbell ring. It's 2 in the afternoon. Who might it be? Leaving her warm and cozy setting, she walked to the window and looked at the door to see Vikram drenched from head to toe with his helmet on his arms and a parcel in the other hand.

Taking the key out, she opened the door to see him grinning, his black shirt now drenched, sticking to his body like a second skin. And don't even start with the jeans, they looked uncomfortable. Moving aside, she let him in, taking the parcel and helmet out of his forwarded hands and passed a towel to him.

"Hey, stranger!" Vikram grinned, placing a peck on her temple, but she moved back when he leaned down to kiss her.

"Go to the restroom. I'll go bring your clothes."

Vikram hurried inside the restroom while Harshitha went to fetch his clothes from the guest room.

Once showered and changed, Vikram emerged from the bathroom shirtless, his shirt hanging on his arms as he walked towards his darling, who was standing near the window as she stared at the rain.

"Leave me." Harshitha huffed when he stepped closer, slipping his other hand around her waist and pulling her gently against him. She can feel his heat through even with her two layers of clothing.

"Never!" Slowly his warm lips kissed their way down to her neck in an intimate caress. Harshitha gasped when she felt him sucking on her sensitive nerve. Controlling the urge to hug him, she removed his wandering hands from her skin.

"Not now. No hugging or anything before you explain the stunt that you pulled today!" Harshitha moved out of his arms and sat on the love seat that held only one person while Vikram huffed and sat on the floor beside her legs.

"What is so important that you travel in this rain?" Harshitha murmured, snatching the towel out of his hand and starting drying his hair.

"You are!" Vikram whispered, placing a soft kiss on her palm.

Harshitha smiled as he placed her legs on his lap and massaged them gently as he explained what happened on Sunday night.

He didn't leave out any information. He started from his father's confrontation, Pooja's entry, his dad asking him to drop Pooja at college, and ended it with how he almost got caught sneaking out by the watchman.

By the end of it, both of them were laughing hard as he imitated the watchman's expression. Suddenly Harshitha gasped, clutching her stomach to which Vikram looked at her confused, but his expression changed to worried once he remembered her menstruation day.

"Baby, did you get your period now?"

"Yeah, stay here. I'll be back." Harshitha rushed to the restroom before it stained her dress.

It's been fifteen minutes since Harshitha walked away, but there is no noise. Unable to stand the silence, Vikram knocked on the restroom door gently and asked. "Baby? You okay there?"

"Yeah, can you please keep the hot pack ready? I'll be back in a min, hon!" Vikram signed a relief when Harshitha replied in a gentle voice.

"Yeah, sure babe!

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Harshitha squealed when he lifted her off the floor once she came out and walked towards the cozy setup. Leaning against the couch, he picked her up and gently leaned her against his bare chest.

Placing the hot pack near her lower stomach, Vikram started massaging her lower back softly with his warm palms while his other hands played with her curls that hung gently over her back.

"I love you, baby!" Vikram confessed, kissing her beauty bone with love while Harshitha smiled and placed a kiss on his forehead softly and whispered. "I love you more."

"Hey! stop, it's tickling." Harshitha laughed, trying to pry his hands off her waist as he laughed and squeezed her waist again, causing her to laugh even more.

"Oh? Who do we have here?"

The laughing couple froze, their breath hitching as they looked at the person leaning against the door. Vikram scrambled up, picking his shirt off the floor as Harshitha stood up nervously while adjusting her hair.

"Anna that's not what you think." Harshitha stammered, shaking her head as her brother stood near the kitchen entrance holding the back door key.

"It's exactly what I think Harshitha." Hari scoffed, entering the room. The look on his face became furious when he saw the couch. Their blankets were tangled near their feet as they struggled to unravel them.

"Vikram, do you mind explaining why you are 'shirtless' and hugging my sister intimately?" Hari hissed, throwing down his jack.

Before Vikram could answer, they heard another voice.

"Hari idiot! You bruised my lip! If it's cold, drink coffee, don't kiss m-"

"Viha?" Harshitha facepalmed when Vihana emerged from the back door and stopped right on her track when she saw her brother standing near Harshitha, shirtless.

'Oops!'

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to be continued...

Another cliffhanger! I like teasing you guys *hehe*

Somebody-- not somebody, everyone got caught

Few of you were asking where is the drama? Here is it! Enjoy guessing what happens next~

Please vote and comment if you liked this chapter! it would mean a lot.

I didn't sleep yet, but the day has already started.

Bye, take care