Inline comments are love💜

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Writer's pov:

The warm sun rays filtered through the windows, casting a golden glow throughout the room as Sakthi worked around the kitchen. After frying the mushroom, she transferred it to a plate before placing it on her husband's lunch box. Her movements were deliberate and precise.

A bike horn disrupted the serene environment as the person opened the gate. Drawing the blinds aside in the living room, Sakthi looked out the windows to see Vikram parking his bike in the foyer. Beside him, Vihana stood holding his helmet as the siblings whispered to each other.

Sensing someone's gaze, Vihana waved at her smiling aunt with a huge grin when her eyes caught her peeking at them through the window. Signaling them to come inside with a smile, Sakthi walked back to the kitchen to complete the breakfast.

"Don't tell him. I swear if you said it to him, I'll surely tell Amma that you lied about sweeping your room." Vikram warned, glancing at his sister's grinning face. A sigh left his lips when she still didn't reply to him as she gazed at Hari's window.

"Did you hear or understand what I told you?"

"Crystal!" Vihana nodded, following her brother inside her boyfriend's home.

"Good morning!" Vihana chirped as she ran towards her aunt to hug her while Vikram grinned at her in greeting, hoping on the kitchen island.

"Good morning, Chellam! Sakthi greeted, patting her hands gently and moving towards the cupboard. Seeing her fetch Harshitha's lunch box, Vikram stopped her, "Athai, don't pack Harshu's lunch. I'm giving a treat for my friend, so I'll think Harshu can join us for lunch."

"Oh? Then we don't get any treat for your project approval?" Sakthi teased, raising her brow at him playfully to which Vihana snickered at his brother's shy face.

"Ah that- Of course! Just tell me when and where. I'll pick you up." Vikram offered, helping her arrange the table. Feeling playful, he added with a wink, "Maybe we both can go on a date?" which earned him a playful slap on the shoulder from his darling's mother.

"Did you both have breakfast?" Sakthi asked, looking at her brother's children to see them whispering to each other secretly. "What are you both whispering?"

"Oh, he is taking Har-

"How you look so beautiful in the morning! So eternal!" Vikram winked, pinching his sister as a warning to which Sakthi palmed her face with a smile.

"Okay, stop. Come sit here." Placing the just made hot idly on the plate, Sakthi passed it to Vikram and then Vihana, who whined seeing the extra idly on her plate, to which Sakthi shushed her and signaled her to eat.

The siblings gobbled up the hot idly in silence while Sakthi cleaned the vessel, humming a melody. A few minutes later, hearing footsteps behind her, Sakthi moved aside to let Vikram wash his hands.

"Umm, not bad, athai. Your cooking has improved a lot. Maybe I'll marry your daughter and stay here as a Veettoda Mappilai for your cooking. Vikram laughed, winching when Sakthi pinched his ears.

(son-in-law who lives with his wife's family)

Her hands abruptly left his ear and touched his hair. Sakthi glared at him and said, "How many times have I said to you dry your hair before you leave the house, Vikram?" Disappointed, Sakthi looked at her future son-in-law.

Not waiting for his reply, she gently pushed him toward the stairs. "Get a towel from Hari or get that blow dryer from Harshu before they come down."

Hiding his grin behind his hand, Vikram coughed and climbed the stairs while Vihana stared at his brother's departing figure. She swore she saw him blow dry his hair before they left the house, but on the way to Harshu's home, for obvious reasons, he stopped by Gokul's house to use the bathroom, and when she stated they were just two streets away from their home, he glared at her to shut up.

Now that explains his visit and wet hair.

'Nala pandra da anna.' Vihana thought, shaking her head at Vikram's dirty tricks.

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Vikram grinned, raising his hand to knock on his darling's door, but before it could touch it, someone grasped his wrists in a tight grip and dragged him away from the door.

"Well, good morning to you too, machan!" Vikram mocked, snatching his wrist from his cousin's hold, who scoffed and glared at him.

"What are you doing near my sister's room this early morning?" Hari inquired, standing before her door like a bodyguard.

"Well, my hair is still wet. So Athai said to borrow the dryer from Harshu." Vikram smirked, feeling the victory in his veins. There is no way Hari has the dryer as Hari only uses a towel to dry his hair.

"Dryer is in my room." Now it's Hari's turn to smirk as he looked at Vikram mockingly.

"Oh, but I want a towel, so I'll get it from Harshi."

Before Hari could counter back, Sakthi's words echoed from the living room. "Hari, accompany Viha to the supermarket. I forgot to buy milk!"

Giving the last glare on Vikram's way, Hari descended the stair to accompany his girlfriend while Vikram grinned, entering his girlfriend's room to see her coming out of the bathroom in her robe.

Vikram cleared his throat and leaned against the door, his right arm raising up to bolt the lock as his warm brown eyes locked with Harshitha's bewitching black once.

"Vikram! Heard of knocking?" Harshitha gasped, covering her face with her palm. For a second, her heart skipped a beat in fear.

"My dictionary does not contain that term for you." Vikram joked, walking towards her. He knocked, but she didn't hear him.

"Why are you here?" Harshitha smiled, glancing at him through the mirror as she removed the tangles with her fingers while Vikram stared at her with a grin.

"Athai sent me."

"My mom sent you here? Not a chance!" She raised a brow as she searched for her comb on the dressing table while Vikram effulged her in a back hug, his strong arms going around her petite frame in a firm yet gentle grip as he swayed them side to side playfully, causing Harshitha to erupt in giggles.

"Good morning, boyfriend!" Harshitha sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder to look at him and placing a quick smooch on his jawline.

"Good morning, future wife." Vikram greeted, peppering kisses across her cheeks to her neck, earning a playful eye roll from Harshitha for his choice of words for greeting.

"Wear something comfy, we're going out," Vikram whispered in her ear, his breath tickling against her skin, causing a series of goosebumps to appear. Harshitha shuddered when he placed one long kiss behind her ear and pulled back, leaving her to feel cold.

"Where? Would we come before four?"

"Surprise! No, both our moms are going to a wedding tonight. They will start at three and come later tonight, so we will reach by six or seven. But surely before them." Vikram winked, pecking her lips, and went out of her room so she could get dressed.

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"Okay, love birds, enjoy your day. If anything, call me!" Gokul waved at them as he parted ways with them. Vikram and Harshitha waited under the tree until Hari's car rode past their way.

"Ready, baby?" Vikram grinned, accelerating his bike as he waited for Harshitha to hop on behind him. Harshitha smiled, wrapping her arms around Vikram, and nodded happily.

The couples traveled at a medium speed as they sped past the familiar road from CBE to Mettupalayam. Harshitha's giggles and chuckles never stopped as Vikram cracked jokes every five minutes or reminisced about their embarrassing childhood stories.

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"Woah, who found this place?" Harshitha squealed, looking around the green scenery in awe while the sound of water thundering down into the gigantic rock echoed through the lush surroundings, deafening their voices.

"Gokul and his brother."

"Ahaan, it's so beautiful!"

"Baby, your periods have got over, right? The water is cold. I don't want you to catch a cold during your periods." Vikram asked, his arms wrapped around his darling's waist as they stood before the waterfall. Vikram wants to confirm it before diving inside. Even though the water felt warm at the start if they went in-depth near the fall, it would be super cold.

"Hmm, yesterday," Harshitha answered, releasing her hair from the restriction of the scrunchie. Her dark shining hair gathered in a ponytail back loosely was now cascaded over her shoulder like a waterfall.

"Goddess!" Vikram breathed, stepping closer and slipping his other hand around her waist, and pulling her gently against him.

"Okay, my Lord, now can we get in?" Harshitha blushed, hiding her face against Vikram's warm bare chest as he nuzzled his nose across her neck.

Vikram brought spare shorts and a shirt. Harshitha wore his shirt and her pants that she came in, and Vikram just wore his shorts. Their belongings were safely tucked inside Vikram's shirt that hung on one of the branches.

"Yeah, but wait for a second." Vikram slowly slid down the sloppy rock. His body shivered when the cold water came in contact with his skin. Waddling around the water, he searched for anything that might harm Harshitha if she dived in. When he found none, he extended his hands towards Harshitha for her to jump.

Taking a step back, Harshitha dived in but yelped when Vikram moved aside, the water cold water slapped against her skin harshly. Vikram laughed when Harshitha emerged from the water, shivering and cursing him.

"I thought you would catch me, idiot!"

"You want both of us to catch a concussion? It's not that deep, and if I caught you, we would surely hit the bottom rock from the momentum."

"Okay, come hug me. It's so cold." Harshitha whined, extending her arms towards him. Vikram chuckled softly as he pulled her closer, his hand reaching inside her shirt to caress her bare skin.

Harshitha wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his face down for a kiss. Vikram leaned down with a smile and connected their lips, their kiss growing from soft to passionate as their hands wandered across their body in a gentle caress.

"I love you," Vikram whispered in between their kisses as they clung to each other in the cold water. Harshitha returned his kiss passionately, clenching his hair tightly as Vikram licked her wounded bottom lip teasingly, soothing it with his tongue. Breathing hard, Harshitha pulled back and whispered, "I love you more."

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For an hour or so, the couple swam around, playfully splashing and dunking one another inside the water. Exhausted, they leaned against the rock, letting their limbs rest while they whispered sweet nothings to each other.

"It's been five years, baby. Should we tell our parents about us?" I'm almost financially stable, my project got approved, and I got selected for training in Bangalore. Even you started your project ideas too, and one more year, you are out of college. It's high time we told our parents. What do you say?" Vikram asked, his eyes looking at her for an answer.

"I'll think about it," Harshitha promised, her hands caressing Vikram's cheeks as he leaned against her with a sigh.

"If we trekked for 10 minutes, there is an Amman temple at the peak. We would go there, relax a bit and get down, have lunch and go home. What say?" Vikram murmured against her neck as he busied himself by placing lovebites near her beauty bone.

"Okay, V."

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Harshitha and Vikram stood side by side as they waited for Pusari to bring the kumkum. Once getting their prasad, the couple took a seat in the corner. The breeze caressed their cold skin as they leaned against the temple wall silently.

"Here." Vikram offered, extending his hands to apply the kumkum on her forehead, but correctly Harshitha leaned down so that his fingers came in contact with her hairline.

"Oops, baby, we are married now." Vikram laughed, looking at her darling as he handed her his mobile to look at her face. Harshitha blushed as she looked at her face in the camera, the red streak of kumkum contrasted with the scalp that made her look like a married.

"Babe, you look like a married woman." Vikram awed as he gazed at her with adoration while Harshitha tried to hide her face from his stare.

"Thank you for stating the obvious, babe." She huffed when Vikram tried to capture her face with a laugh. Their lovely banter echoed through the temple to which the Pusari shook his head with a smile, remembering his happy youth days with his wife.

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Vikram dropped her at home before six and went back home with a departing sweet kiss that left Harshitha breathless as she waved at her boyfriend.

As if God had heard their prayer, no one was home when they both entered their house. Their small getaway became another one of their sweet secrets that would be locked away in their heart forever.

By seven, everyone was home, Harshitha doing her assignment in the living room while her mother and brother prepared their dinner and their father sat in the dining room in silence.

8.30 Pm.

An excruciating silence filled the dining room as the family of four ate quietly. The only sound echoing in the room was the high-speed fan running over their heads and the clinging of cutlery against the gravy utensil when it's passed over the table.

Unable to bear the silence, Hari cleared his throat to gain his mother's attention. Sakthi looked up, followed by Harshitha, who raised a brow at her mother in question.

"What happened?" Pointing towards his father, Hari mouthed towards his mom, who shook her head negatively.

"Appa, is anything wrong in the company?"

Hari looked up at his sister in surprise to see her initiating the conversation. It is an unsaid rule between the siblings to avoid speaking with their father when he's in a bad mood. No one wants to face Krishnan's wrath on that day. They would always avoid him when he is interested in peace over conversations. And this is one of those days.

The moment he entered their compound, his actions screamed upset from the way he parked the car a little over the parking line, socks thrown in the shoe rack instead of the laundry basket to the way he sat at the head of the table instead of sitting beside his wife. And Sakthi made sure to make her husband's favorite food, her typical way of showing her love.

"No, Chellam. Everything is going well in our company." Krishnan smiled at his daughter and patted her head gently.

Hari smiled at his sister for cracking the silence, but the smile was short-lived as Krishnan continued, slumping against the chair tiredly, "But, our manager's daughter eloped with her lover this morning."

"Mani's daughter? she is only our Harshu's age, right?" Sakthi questioned, stopping eating and putting the morsel of food she took to eat back on her plate on hearing the news while Harshitha's face slowly fell as she made eye contact with her brother.

"Yes. Mani's daughter turned 18 last week, and she eloped this early morning. I only called him to ask about his reason for absence when he didn't show up to work. I totally didn't expect this from her. Th- they sounded so heartbroken, Sakthi." Krishnan choked as he remembered his manager's heartbreaking sobs.

"Did they give any police complaint?"

"Yes, but she is a major, so they said they can't do anything, and she married that boy, so they cannot file any complaints too."

"Krishn-" Sakthi began, patting her husband's hand that rested on the table.

But Krishnan interrupted his wife and continued, "How can children even think of betraying their parents for a boy/girl, who they only knew for a few years? Do the parents mean nothing to them? The parent who raised them all their lives by working day and night so they could lead a comfortable life. Is their love that important that they betray their parents' trust like that?

No one spoke after that. The siblings looked down at their plates silently while Sakthi tried to calm her raging husband.

The shrill of the cellphone broke the painful silence but attracted her father's attention. Panicking, Harshitha quickly swiped the red icon, declining the call, and glanced at her father. Krishnan gave his daughter a warning look and continued eating.

Not a minute later, the cellphone rang again, making Harshitha sigh in annoyance at the caller. Muttering a curse at the caller, she switched off the phone and pocketed it in her hoodie.

"How many times do I have to tell this? Is it too much to ask you not to bring your phone to the dining table, or am I being unreasonable?"

"Sorry, Pa." Harshitha apologized, looking down at her plate of chapati and pea curry. Her vision became glossy as she tried to blink back her tears.

"If she liked him, why didn't she tell her parents? Is Mani against love marriage?" Sakthi asked, trying to deviate from the topic while Hari stared at his sister, who was lowkey trembling under her oversized hoodie. Worried, he leaned forward to peer at her expression, but her head lowered, and her hair obscured her face from his view.

"She hid it from them, hid it for five years, Sakthi! How can they betray their parents?" Enraged, he spoke as his wife tried to calm him down by patting his hands. Hari narrowed his eyes when he heard his father avoiding his mother's second question.

"It's been five years, baby. Should we tell our parents about us?" I'm almost financially stable, my project got approved, and I got selected for training in Bangalore. Even you started your project ideas too, and one more year, you are out of college. It's high time we told our parents. What do you say?'

Vikram's words echoed through her brain as Harshitha gulped painfully, her hands balled inside her hoodie pockets as she stared at her father. Her mother's gaze flickered from her father to hers for a moment.

The guilt over hiding their relationship from her father hit her like a truck as she struggled to breathe. Seeing his sister panicking, Hari quickly caught her cold hands between his warm palms and squeezed them assuringly.

"And say the reason for her eloping too, dad. Why are you leaving out the other information?" Hari asked sarcastically, and his eyes narrowed at his father as he leaned back leisurely. Sakthi looked at her husband questionably.

"I-- Krishnan stammered as he avoided everyone's eye contact.

"In fact, Sneha has been in love with that boy for more than five years. Mani uncle and his wife verbally abused her for speaking with her classmate, and the school she studied was so sick in mind that they slut-shamed and informed her parents that she spoke with a boy, lying that they were in love. But it was actually her classmate who was asking a doubt. And her cousin, with whom she was close, was forcefully married to some man when she confessed her love to her family."

"What does it have to do with her eloping?"

"Oh, do you think telling her parents about her relationship will make them accept her? They didn't even let her explain about the school situation, and you think she betrayed them. God forbid what they would have done to that poor girl if she had said she loved him."

"Hari, who are you supporting? Her parents were devastated over their daughter's betrayal, but here you are defending her action!" Krishnan questioned, already standing from his seat to tower over his son, who gave him a smug look.