Is the last chapter a flop? 🤡

Nevermind, enjoy~

Surprise at the end! 🙈

Inline comments are love!

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Writer's Pov;

Despite the cold breeze biting on their skin harshly, Vikram and his family stood outside, watching Hari reverse the car out of the garage. On the side, Harshitha was embraced by his mother as she refused to let go of her while Sakthi helplessly glanced at her husband's stubborn figure as he stood at a distance as if he hadn't done anything.

"Bid your farewell and come soon. I'm getting in." Stating coldly, Krishnan got into the car as Hari parked it before the gate and strode toward everyone.

"I apologize for his behavior." Sakthi sighed, squeezing Radha's hand gently. The other women squeezed back as she glanced at the couple standing with the twins silently.

"Give him some time, Sakthi. He will come around." Ganesh spoke a word of comfort when he noticed his daughter's distressed expression.

However, it looked like his words triggered someone because the next second, Harshitha remarked angrily, "If you didn't expose us in front of Appa, we wouldn't be in this situation, old man."

"It's all for your own good, little girl." Ganesh rebutted, patting her head like petting a puppy, to which she pouted and moved away, causing him to laugh out loud.

"Appa, please stop rubbing salt on the wound." Sakthi beseeched, signaling him to stop as he continued laughing at the couple's expression.

"Aish! You guys don't appreciate my help at all."

"You think you helped us? Do you want me to tell Paati what you said to us?" Vikram threatened, tilting his head slightly with a smirk when their grandpa's face changed, to which Lakshmi raised a brow at his words curiously.

"What did he say?" Lakshmi's expression slowly changed as Vikram whispered about their conversation in her ear. Her whole face felt hot, and her pulse palpitated as she listened to the nonsense her old man spouted.

On the other hand, sensing her forthcoming anger, Thatha attempted to walk in sneakily, but before he could close the door, Vihaan quickly pointed out. "Thatha, where are you leaving?"

"You! Is this something that someone tells their grandchildren? I should have listened to my brother and married some gentleman instead of marrying you. Shameless man." Lakshmi yelled; her slightly wrinkled face reddened in embarrassment when Vihaan asked what his brother had said.

"Nothing! I'm going inside!" Lakshmi informed. Snatching her hands off his hold and pointing an angry finger at her now guilty-looking husband, she added, "Don't come inside my room today. Sleep outside, shameless man."

Casting an angry glance at his smirking grandson, he followed her back into the house hastily. "Lakshmi —"

"Then we'll be leaving, anni. It's already 11.30, so you guys go to bed soon." Sakthi looked at the time and spoke to Radha, who nodded her head sadly. Turning to Vikram, who stood beside Harshitha silently, she breathed deeply and walked over to them.

"Vikram, don't think about this too much. Do you think he would have let Harshi stay with you now for long if he was against your relationship? He was just in shock, but he will come to accept it soon. I'll speak with him and contact you. Till that, wait patiently and relax." She patted his cheeks softly and laughed when he nodded like a happy child who was given his favorite dessert.

"And you too, Harshi. Don't fight with your Appa when you go home. It was really a lot to take in, so wait for him to calm down. Meanwhile, I'll handle someone here too," Radha promised, casting an accusatory glance at her husband, who coughed guilty.

If they had said Harshi was the girl Vikram was dating, he wouldn't have any objection at all! Now he has to spend the night on the sofa. '

At least, his father was also thrown out of his room.' Sivakumar comforted himself.

"What amma is saying is correct; if maama was at odds, you all would have left by now! Don't worry, anni." Vihana exclaimed, embracing Harshitha from behind.

At her word, everyone gasped. Each sported a different reaction; the elder looked at her shocked, while the youngsters looked amused at her new way of addressing Harshitha.

Noticing their bewildered expressions, Vihana rolled her eyes and exclaimed, "What would be the difference in me calling Harshi anni? It was already confirmed that Harshi and my brother are together. It's only a matter of time before she gets used to it. Why wait then?"

"It doesn't work that way for us, remember?" Standing behind her, Hari whispered in her ear. Logically speaking, when Harshitha becomes Vikram's wife, she would call her Anni, and similarly, when Vihana becomes Hari's wife, Harshitha would have to call her the same.

Realizing he was just teasing, she turned around and mouthed, 'Shut up, smartass' and turned back with a huff. His eyes twinkled in amusement when he noticed her cheeks redden. 'Cutie!'

"Anni? Then from now on, I'll call her Harshi anni!" Vihaan tested, liking the way the word rolled off his tongue.

Everyone laughed, looking at the now shy couple who avoided everyone's teasing glances. Vikram had to bite his lips to stop himself from grinning at his darling expression.

Her long hair was gathered in a bun, a few strands of hair grazing the corner of her red cheeks, her eyelashes still damp from tears that made his heart skip a beat when she looked up at him with a shy smile.

'Oh, God. Thank you for giving me this goddess.' Vikram breathed deeply, blinking back the happy tears that threatened to fall as she hid her face in his arms with a chuckle, to which everyone awwed at the scene.

But, in the blink of an eye, the smile on everyone's face vanished when suddenly the horn sounded. Hearing the car door open, Harshitha quickly moved away from Vikram. A second later, her father's figure popped out, his eyes flickering coldly from the ladies' happy expression to his daughter's shy appearance.

"Why don't we just stay in the street for the night?" Krishnan suggested sarcastically, glaring at them.

At his words, his family quickly scrambled to the car while he stood staring at his daughter's secret boyfriend, who gave him a small smile. As he climbed into the driver's seat, he nodded lightly at the family standing outside in the cold.

Harshitha rolled down the window and waved at them as their car slowly drove out of the compound. When her eye met Vikram's, he blinked twice and mouthed, 'I love you.' But before she could reply, her window rolled up automatically, obscuring her view outside.

She glanced ahead to see her father pressing the window lock from the driver's seat. Caught redhanded, he cleared his throat and stated silently. "It's cold."

"Oh, but then the AC is not cold?" Beside her, Hari chuckled and asked, indicating the AC, which was on full blast. His father hastily switched it down while the sibling laughed at his pettiness.

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The door clicked lock behind as a freshly showered Vikram walked outside the bathroom, his feet patting against the carpet softly filling the quiet room with a soft noise. He dropped the hand towel he used to dry his hair onto the laundry basket while he made his way to his bed.

Flicking off the lights and blasting up the AC, he fell back on the bed softly while a tired sigh escaped from his lips as he thought back to what had happened today.

Their fathers acted as if they would have allowed them to be together if they revealed it during their school day. Instead, they'd have warned them and said to concentrate on their studies.

And for sure, everyone would have treated them differently and wouldn't leave them unattended without any elders.

He couldn't even imagine not spending his teenage years with his darling. Though they were both dead afraid to sneak up for the first time, they didn't show it out. In fact, their first attempt was a disaster. They didn't know what to say and kept stalling by looking at each other shyly.

Though they spoke only for a few minutes in those two hours, the euphoria of being alone and spending time together was too much for them to resist. And, the feeling of being alone without their siblings crowding around them all the time was peaceful, not that they don't like spending time with them; they do.

But, still spending time alone was different; maybe it was the night? Stars? Moon? Or it was the person in his arms.

And the saga would have continued, but that old man has to interfere and break down their secret. A ping sound rang through the room, breaking his train of thought. The neatly made cover wrinkled under his weight as he reached for his phone on the nightstand.

"Shit." Vikram squinted when the phone's brightness blinded his eyes. His frowning face relaxed when he saw his wild cat's message.

My wildcat: [You there? I have something to tell you.]

Vikram quickly sat up, hitting the call icon. His mind raced through a variety of scenarios as he awaited her to pick up. What would have happened? Did something happen there?

"Baby, what happened?" Vikram breathed, trying to sound calm but failed when he heard no sound from the other side. "Babe?"

A silly giggle came through, extinguishing the panic in his heart. A smile spread across his face as he heard her giggling as she shuffled through her bed to find a comfortable position to speak.

"You said you wanna tell me something?" His brows raised when he heard her laugh again.

She drawled cutely.

"Do you wanna me come over to show you the message?" He suggested playfully but didn't expect her to answer that.

"Seriously?" He chuckled; a yawn escaped his mouth as he fought the urge to close his eyes and sleep. His line of vision fell on the digital clock on his nightstand. [2.40 AM] It's late; they should definitely go to sleep.

'Something is definitely wrong!' Vikram sighed as he waited for her to finish complaining.

Finally!

"Babe?"

"Are you in chance drunk?" Vikram laughed when he heard her loud breathing pause at his words. 'Definitely drunk!'

She sounded sad and cute.

"Hmm, what did you drink?"

She repeated, her breathing coming in quick gasps as she tried to sound convincing, causing him to laugh again.

"Okay, darling, I believe you. Now tell me what you wanted to tell me?"

"Maybe it was gifted to him by his business partner?" Her father's business partner often visited foreign countries, so he would have gifted him that. It might be vintage wine or something, but for sure not pure alcohol.

'Please don't ask any more questions, baby.' Vikram exhaled, pinching the area between his brows as the wall clock in the hallway tick tocked three times. [3.00 AM]

"Yeah. Could you please tell me what you wanted to tell me?"

Warmth filled his heart at her words as she confessed along with something incoherent words, but it sounded sweet to his ears.

"Yeah, right baby, go to sleep. We will meet tomorrow. And also come to college with Hari until Maama calms down, okay?"

"What? No, no! Don't cry— Tell Hari to drop you in Ukkadam; I'll pick you up from there, okay?"

Her voice became distant, and her breath became even as she closed her eyes tiredly.

"Good night, darling. Sleep well." He whispered through the phone and took it off his ear to hang up but stopped and laughed out loud when he heard a drunken order before the line went dead.

'Drunk Harshi is a mess, but my beautiful mess.' A soft smile spread across Vikram's face as he snuggled up to his blanket. The scent of her lingered in his bed, lulling him to sleep.

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A smile appeared on Hari's face as he reread Vihana's and his conversation.

Viha: [I'm going to get my beauty sleep.]

You: [Okay, I won't disturb you. Good night.]

Viha: [Hmm, I love a submissive and considerate boyfriend.]

You: [Are you confessing?]

Viha: [DID YOU JUST READ THE WORD LOVE? I called you SUBMISSIVE?]

You: [I didn't know you were into that, my sweet Viha. If you are my dominant, I don't mind being your submissive ;)]

Viha: [I— GO TO SLEEP! BYE]

He chuckled at the all-caps text as he sat on the hammock that hung from the balcony ceiling. His feet kicked against the ground to rock the swing as he enjoyed the midnight breeze.

His movement stopped when he heard the glass door that separated the hallway and balcony slide open. He turned around to see his father walking toward him, taking long strides to reach as he inquired, "Hari, what are you doing out in the cold? Get inside."

"It's not that cold. Come here, pa; it's so nice here."

"Oh, still not sleepy? It's already 2.30!"

"Yeah, long day, and I wanna feel refreshed before going to bed. Perhaps you could use some since it looks like you need it more than I do." Hari waved him to sit on the chair near the railing.

Krishnan didn't sit. Instead, he walked up to his son and leaned against the pillar opposite Hari.

For a few minutes, the duo just enjoyed the silence before Hari stood up, announcing he was going to bed.

"Okay, sleep well." Krishnan wished him a good night and leaned back on the pillar again to enjoy a few more minutes of peace. But it didn't last long when he heard his son stop near the door.

"Maybe I would send mom out too so you could reminisce about your college days," Hari suggested, smiling when confusion spread across his father's face.

"Huh?"

"You guys used to sneak out during the night and spend time together in the park, right?" Hari raised his brows, a faint smug smile on his lips.

"Where did you hear this nonsense from? We didn't do anything like that!" The older man's head snapped in his son's direction as his heart raced at the thought of him knowing their secrets.

"Don't be a hypocrite, dad." Hari laughed, wiping imaginary tears from his eye at his father's guilty expression.

"Ah, it hits home, right?" Having asked that, Hari turned back and walked inside but halted halfway as if he remembered something.

"Oh, I heard it from mom, pa. What a great love story you guys had! The college don falls for the silent lab geek. Isn't it lovely?"

Krishnan stood stunned as he comprehended his son's words, the wind howling against his ear as if protesting against the words he spoke at Vikram's home.

'Did he overreact there?'

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The next morning,

The heavenly hymn of Suprabatham rang through the kitchen as Sakthi prayed. With freshly washed hair gathered in a towel on her head, she closed her eyes in concentration, murmuring the Goddess Annalakshmi's chant to bless their food for the day ahead.

The sun rays came through the window casting a golden glow on her skin which made Krishnan, who was coming to make his coffee, pause at the threshold in awe of his wife's beauty.

Sensing another person's presence, Sakthi turned around to see her husband staring at her without blinking. "Krishnan? What happened? Why are you staring at me?"

"Sakthi, you look so lovely." The compliment slipped out of his mouth naturally as he walked towards her slowly.

Startled by the sudden compliment, Sakthi's cheeks reddened as she looked at her husband in shock.

"T— Thank you." She shuttered when he neared her and stood beside her with a gentle smile on his face.

"Do you remember the time I would drive you to the temple that was one hour away from our college every Friday?" He had a thoughtful expression as if remising a happy memory. Indeed, it was a happy memory.

"Yes, you used to wait outside at the beginning telling me, 'I'm a don, so I won't come inside the temple and all, but after a few months, you are the one to be excited more than me to go inside." Sakthi laughed, a warm smile spread across her face as she thought back to those days.

"Hmm, shall we go there today? I'll come soon in the evening, we can go to that temple, and I heard my assistant talking with his wife about this nice movie. Maybe we would watch that movie on our way back. Shall I book a ticket?"

"Okay" She nodded with a smile.

'What happened to this man?' She thought when he caught her hand and brought it to his chest, as he spoke about the movie plot excitedly.

"— and we should go to the mall to buy Vikram a gift for getting a job!"

"Buying a gift for Vikram?" Wide-eyed, she stared at him in shock.

"Yes, he got placed in good company; I should buy him something, no?"

Sakthi gasped, staring at him in disbelief. Wasn't he the same man who kept glaring at Vikram yesterday? The shock doubled when he stated, "I'm leaving for a business trip to Ooty tonight, and you are coming with me!"

"Wait, what? Why do I have to come?" Still processing his sudden actions, she asked.

"It's been a long time since we traveled together alone, Sakthi. We could use some alone time."

"A— alone time?" Sakthi gulped, glancing at the kitchen entrance to see if any of their children heard them. What is this man speaking about? Did he wake up on the wrong side?

"Yeah, don't you want that?" Like a child denied candy, his face fell, the earlier excitement in his eyes disappeared as he stared at her sadly.

Not able to resist his pitiful expression, she nodded. "I want, but what about the kids?"

"The kids can stay at your brother's home for two days."

"You!" Sakthi shouted, having enough of his sudden change in behavior. "Aren't you a hypocrite! What you said yesterday and today doesn't match at all!

"Sakth—

"Stay at my brother's home? Do you remember how you behaved yesterday? 'Bid your farewell and come soon. I'm getting in' What do you think of yourself? You were so rude yesterday!" She panted hard, closing her eyes to calm down but opened them in astonishment when she felt him place a kiss on her forehead.

"Sakthi, honey calm down"

"What honey?" Bewildered, she took a step back from him. Something happened to him for sure! She quickly has to call the pandit and book an appointment for puja.