Author's pov :
Maya was sleeping peacefully when she felt a hand caressing her head lovingly. She stirred a little in her sleep. A smile formed on her face automatically as she recognised the touch—the touch that never left her heart. She opened her eyes slowly and saw her grandmother sitting beside her, looking at her with a smile on her face. The smile on her face widened, and she flung herself into her grandma's arms and snuggled into her, seeking warmth from her.
She gave her grandma's cheek a sloppy kiss, just like she used to do as a kid, to which her grandma laughed loudly. She lay in her grandma's lap and started blabbering. Savitri was caressing Maya's hair and listening to what her granddaughter was saying.
"Do you know, Nanamma?" Maya asked Savitri.
"What?" asked Savitri.
"I love Avi so much," Maya said with a cute smile playing on her lips.
"Acha, how much?" Savitri asked, raising an eyebrow.
"This much," Maya said, opening her arms widely and grinning like a child.
"So, did you tell him?" Savitri asked Maya.
"No, I want to propose to him, but I don't know how," Maya said, pouting, thinking about how to propose to her Avi.
Savitri shook her head and chuckled, looking at her grown-up granddaughter, who was still a kid at heart.
"Are you happy with this marriage, Kanna?" Savitri asked Maya.
Maya got up from her lap and took her grandma's hands into hers and said, "I won't lie. At first, I was afraid—afraid of the responsibility. And I was in a dilemma about whether to accept the proposal or not. Because he is a gem, Nanamma, and I'm a person with my own flaws. Not only that, to be frank, I've never thought of marriage. Yes, I have some wishes regarding my marriage, but I have always wished to achieve something in my career before settling down in my life. But things turned out to be something else. So, when his proposal came, I was reluctant at first, but deep down, my heart knew I couldn't imagine anyone in his place. I've always admired him since I was a child. But then I thought it was just an infatuation that would fade away with the years passing by. But my feelings for him grew stronger with time. I tried my best to shut down those feelings, but instead, they grew strong. My day never used to end without thinking about him once. Now I just can't imagine my life without him. Maybe he deserves more, but I'm selfish enough to let him go."
She took a deep breath and said, "I know I've hurt him a lot. Of course, he would be because, since my childhood, I've shared my every secret with him, and the same goes for him. But after that incident, I grew distant from everyone, mainly from him. You know, I have caught him admiring me many times. I know he loves me too. If there was anything that kept me sane through all my nightmares and those scars of the past, it was him. And I won't lie, I waited for him to bring forward the proposal. When Nanna told me that they were searching for an alliance for me, I was afraid that I might lose him. I thought about telling Nanna, but I was afraid of his reaction. I know Amma and Nanna won't deny, but a somewhere a part of me was scared of their reaction. You know about them more than me, right? When Ankit's proposal came, I was searching for a reason to reject him. When I learned that he had a smoking habit, I rejected him for that reason. When Gayatri Ammamma came to ask for my hand for Avi, my heart just jumped with joy. But somewhere, a question used to run through my mind: "Do I deserve him?"
"Why do you think that you don't deserve him, Kanna?" Savitri asked Maya.
"He is the perfect Nanamma, while I'm a girl with trust issues and insecurities. I'm weak," she said, and before Maya could speak further, Savitri spoke.
"So what?" Asked Savitri.
"Huh?" Maya asked, confused.
"So what? So what if you are not a perfect person? Remember, no one is perfect in this world. Everyone has their own flaws. OK, tell me one thing. Do you love the moon?" said Savitri.
"Of course," said Maya.
"Even the moon you love has a black spot on him, and that didn't stop us from admiring him," said Savitri.
She cupped her granddaughter's face and told her, "Just remember this: embrace your imperfections and fall in love with your flaws. You gave up on your dreams so easily, Kanna. I thought you would fight for yourself. But you have disappointed me."
Tears pooled in Maya's eyes as she listened to that. Yes, she has always wanted to achieve something in the career she loves. She noticed how her grandfather's eyes used to twinkle whenever she used to tell him about her dream of becoming an agricultural engineer, but her parents never allowed it. She didn't understand why her parents opposed her dreams all of a sudden. Her career goals changed within seconds. They wanted her to study something she hates. Nevertheless, for the sake of her parents, she accepted, and she even bagged a job in campus placements with a decent package during her third year only. She went to work for a year and a half. She also got a seat in IIM Ahmedabad, but her parents told her to quit the job and prepare for civil service exams. In her first attempt, she cleared the prelims but failed the main examination. Her father was so angry that she couldn't even fulfill her parents' dreams. So they started to search for alliances for her.
Sometimes, she used to wonder, Do they think of her as a burden? She knew that she was just assuming things, but their behaviour always proved her thoughts to be true. They weren't like this in the past. What changed them? Or were they acting back then? Is there something that she should know? Are they hiding something from her and Nandan? A lot of thoughts used to run through her mind every day. She sighed and prayed that one day she might get answers to her questions.
Maya was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Savitri wiping her tears off. She hugged her grandmother tightly and cried her heart out. Since her childhood, she has always tried her best to make her parents proud. She was her school, college, and university topper. But they were never satisfied with her achievements. She got tired of making her parents happy. She won't deny that sometimes she used to get jealous of her cousins, as their parents always encouraged them to follow their dreams. Mostly, she used to feel low because of the bond between her cousins and their parents. Though her parents love her and her brother a lot, they are strict. They failed to understand them. They didn't trust her enough. Her body shivered at that thought. They trusted him over her. She felt numb; her palms became sweaty and cold. Savitri patted her head, and slowly Maya drifted off to sleep.
*******************
Maya heard someone calling her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Avi looking at her with a tense face. She blinked her eyes properly and then looked around. Suddenly, reality stuck to Maya. It was a dream. But it felt so real. She could still feel her grandma's touch. She looked at Avi. He was looking at her with a lot of emotions, mostly fear. She then looked around and noticed other people. Her best friend, Arjun, and Diya standing there. They all had the same look on their faces.
She signalled for Avi to sit beside her. He obliged her and sat beside her. She hugged him tightly and told him to take her home. He tried to come out of the hug, but her grip on him tightened. He sighed helplessly and told Arjun to complete the formalities. Arjun and Surya went to complete the formalities, while Diya too left from there to give the couple their privacy.
Maya snuggled deeper into Avi's arms, while Avi sat silently. He pulled her more into him, absorbing her warmth and assuring himself that she was fine. He kissed her forehead lovingly while she kissed him on his chest just above his heart and mumbled "I love you" slowly but loudly enough to him. He went stiff and looked at her face keenly. There was a smile playing on her lips, and her eyes were twinkling. She was scribbling both of their names on his chest as if nothing had happened. He was lost in his thoughts. Did he hear correctly? Did she just confess her feelings for him? She raised her head a little and pouted, seeing him lost in his thoughts. Here she just confessed her feelings for him, and there he was daydreaming instead of replying to her. She rose a little and bit his chin, making him hiss a little, and pecked his cheeks, bringing him out of his dreamland.
He looked at her, stunned. Well, that was totally unexpected of her. She waved her hand in front of him. He came out of his shock and pulled her closer, making her bang on his chest. He bit her earlobe and placed a sloppy kiss there, making her shiver. She clutched his shirt tightly in her fist and closed her eyes in bliss. Both were lost in their worlds when Arjun barged into the room, making them come out of their little world. Arjun thought about teasing them a bit but dropped his idea after seeing the smiling face of his sister. It's been a long time since he last saw her smiling wholeheartedly. He informed them that the formalities were complete and they could go home. Both of them nodded in agreement. Soon all of them were on their way home.
Stay safe and take care.