Hi Dearies,
I am back with next chapter.. This chapter turned out big so I had to cut short into 2 chapters. I will post the next chapter soon. Please do comment your views❤️
Happy Reading ❤️
The next month went by quickly for both Kathir and Mullai. They had been spending a lot of time together, on account of the preparations for the conference that needed to be carried out. She would spend one part of her day completing her work while the other part was spent in Kathir's cabin.
She had hardly been meeting Meena and Theanmozhi and they would meet only during their lunch break. That had also stopped during the last one week before their departure. Kathir and Mullai had grown even closer during this time. He would pick her up from her house daily and drop her off as well.
Murugan had also come to know about the conference and was very pleased that Kathir had chosen his daughter to attend it with him. Parvathy was initially sceptical about sending her so far away on her own but eventually concluded that it would be good for her career.
She had also noticed that her daughter had begun unusually glowing and was suspicious as to what was going on in her life. But she eventually consoled herself thinking that she may be genuinely happy as to her work.
Mullai's feelings for Kathir had only grown over the past month. She had genuinely begun caring for his well-being and health. It was something way more than an infatuation or a crush for her. Kathir's sweet and thoughtful gestures had won her heart.
She couldn't wait to meet him every morning and when she returned home every evening, she would get restless hoping for the next day to arrive soon. She had not told anyone from her family about Kathir's pick up and drop. She even told Kathir to park his car away from her building entrance so that her mother wouldn't notice.
Her feelings for him were pure and genuine. She had been unknowingly falling for him, but didn't realise for she was new to the matters of the heart. She couldn't see him hurt and would make sure that he would be smiling. Due to the preparations, she had also visited his house and had bonded very well with Lakshmi amma.
From office, only Meena and Theanmozhi knew what had actually been going on. They both had shut their mouth or else Mullai's will father found out and she would land up in trouble. Everyone from office, including Murugan, believed that Mullai and Kathir's interaction was strictly professional.
Both of them had cleverly avoided public eye on the pretext of work and conference preparations. Kathir had thoroughly cherished and enjoyed the time they had spent together. He was looking forward to going to Australia, since he had planned a lot of things for them to do in spite of the conference. Mullai was not only looking forward to the conference but also for spending some time with Kathir.
After all the packing was done, Mullai re-checked the list one more time to see if she was forgetting anything. After making sure everything was in order, she heaved a sigh of relief. She was carrying two bags as check-in luggage and she was carrying her hand-bag with her. Since it was summer in Australia at the moment, Mullai had packed her formal clothing along with her summer dresses, shades and even a swimsuit. She checked the time, it was about 8 pm. She would be leaving home for the airport in about 4 hrs, and she would be meeting Kathir there itself.
Her family decided to drop her off, they were slightly scared as Mullai was travelling alone and that too to a foreign country. After eating her dinner, Mullai got dressed, she wore white t-shirt with blue jeans and wore her black colour boots. She had carried a pair of pyjamas to wear during the flight, since it was a nearly long flight. She did a little make-up and waited out in the living room.
Kathir had also finished packing all the things he required. He too had carried a pair of his swimming trunks and other summer clothing along with his formals. He also remembered to carry his laptop bag. After eating dinner, he proceeded to dress up. He wore a beige colour shirt and tucked it into his black jeans. He completed the look with his brown shoes. He applied some cologne and checked the time, he needed to leave right away. He hugged Lakshmi amma, who blessed him and then told the driver to take him to the airport.
Mullai checked her ticket and told her father to take the car to the International terminal at the Chennai Airport. They were flying by XYZ Airlines and had a two and a half hour stopover in the middle and then they will reach Sydney, Australia. They finally reached the terminal. Murugan began unloading the luggage from the trunk. Mullai got off to search for a trolley so that her father could put her bags on it. Parvathy got out of the car and gave Mullai a tight hug.
Parvathy - Dei kutty, Paathu poganum.. poitu call panum seriya..
Mullai ( Smiling ) - Seri paaru kutty, kandipa daily call pandren podhuma..
Parvathy - Thaniya engayum poga kudathu.. Theriyatha oor vera.. Kathir thambi kudave irukanum puriyudha...
Mullai - Kandipa ma.. Mr Kathir ena safe ah paathupaaru.. ne kavalapadatha..
Parvathy smiled at her and kissed her forehead. She hugged her father he also gave her couple of instructions to be safe and to call him. She then finally headed towards the entrance, showed her ticket and passport to the security personnel and headed inside, waving a final goodbye to her family. Murugan and Parvathy stood outside till they made sure she had gotten in safely.
Mullai headed towards the sitting area and waited for Kathir to arrive, since he had told her that they would be checking-in together. Ultimately, he arrived and Mullai just couldn't stop staring at him. He was looking really smart in the shirt he was wearing. She openly admired him as he walked towards her with his luggage in tow.
Kathir was also mesmerised looking at her. He had seen her in casuals before but she looked the best in them at that time. She looked really smart with the boots. Finally, he stood in front of her and Mullai stood up, smiling. He looked into her eyes with love.
Mullai- Hello, Mr Kathir..
Kathir - Hi Mullai. Come let's check-in our luggage.
They headed towards the long row of check-in counters. Mullai was pushing her trolley and was walking behind Kathir. They both stood in the queue, when Kathir turned to look at her.
Kathir- Unnoda passport and ticket kudu
Mullai(surprised) - edhuku?
Kathir - Ada kudu ma.. I'll complete the check-in formalities. Ne poi ukaru po..
Mullai - Hmm okay.. apo na washroom poitu vandheren..
Mullai moved her trolley near the loading dock and smiled at him as she headed to the washroom. Kathir completed all the formalities and their luggage was finally checked-in. She returned soon and he headed towards her, with his hands full. He handed over her passport, ticket, the immigration form and boarding pass to her and told her to attach the baggage tag on her hand-bag. She looked at her boarding pass to check the gate number. There was an expression of astonishment. She looked up at him while he continued to smile at her.
Mullai (surprised ) - Mr Kathir ...first class??
Kathir(lovingly) - Ama.. Na un ticket ah economy la irundhu first class ku upgrade paniten.. Enaku nethu than theriyum unaku ticket economy class la um enaku first class la um potrukanga nu.. Na una epdi thaniya vidrathu... una paathukra porupu enaku iruku la.. adhan en pakathu seat la book pana soli vaangitu vanten.. I hope you don't mind..
Mullai(smiling) - Of course ilaa.. naanum thaniya travel pana bayanthutu than irundhen.. idhu enoda first time ipdi oru foreign poradhu.. Infact rombave bayama irundhuchu.. Thank you so much Mr Kathir..
Kathir - Evlo thanks soluva.. seri va immigration form fill panni kudukanum..
Only if Kathir could tell her, that he got her upgraded because he couldn't bear to be away from her on the longggg flight.. He wanted to spend as much as time with her possible. And if that meant getting her a seat beside him, so be it. He was very much looking forward to the flight now, mainly because his Angel was going to be by his side.
Both of them filled in their details in the form and headed for the immigration formalities to be completed. The flight finally took off at 3 am, its scheduled time. After eating the snacks which were served, Mullai went to sleep immediately. Kathir, who was working on his laptop, caught a glimpse of her. He looked at her with awe and love, as he stroked her head.
Kathir MV - Ne evlo alagha iruka .. thoongrapo avlo cute.. En Devathai.. full of innocence and purity. Enaku ipo una paathave romba peaceful ah calm ah iruku..
Kathir smiled as he pulled the blanket to cover her shoulders so that the blast from the air conditioner didn't make her feel cold.
Some hours later, there was an announcement.
Air hostess - Attention passengers, we are going to land in Singapore shortly. Please fasten your seatbelts, make your seats upright and open the window shutters
Mullai opened the window shutter beside her seat and was mesmerised by the view outside. It was truly beautiful to see from above. The plane finally landed. since there was supposed to be a change of aircraft. They entered the airport and went to the waiting lounge where they would have to wait nearly two and half hours till their next connecting flight took off. Both of them spent the next two hours chatting and enjoying in each other's company.
Kathir had easily gotten lost in her laughter and innocence. They also ate some snacks and Kathir bought some perfumes and chocolates from the duty-free shop. Soon, there was an announcement.
Announcer - All passengers travelling on the XYZ Airlines flight, XZ 462 to Sydney are requested to proceed for boarding at Gate No. 2
They went near the boarding gate and produced their boarding card. They then proceeded through the walkway and entered the aircraft. They headed to the first class where an air hostess guided them to their seat.
She obviously found Kathir attractive and was continuously smiling at him. Mullai noticed this and was slightly annoyed at her. Though the smile from Kathir's side was very formal, Mullai couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She felt as if she was trying to hit on him. She brought a glass of water for him, giving him a slight grin as an irritated Mullai looked on.
Mullai(in an annoyed tone) - Could you please get me some orange juice? Thank you.
The air hostess left from there, with her smile fading away. Mullai smiled in victory at the fact that she managed to drive her away.
Kathir- What happened, Mullai? Ena indha mari oru sirippu??
Mullai - Ah.. onum ila..Just excited for Australia..
Kathir(smiling) - Oh okay. Inum oru 9 to 10 hours la reach aiduvom..
Mullai gave him a wide smile and let out a slight chuckle. She decided to read a little and pulled out the current romance novel she was reading from her bag. Mullai, who was searching for a suitable movie to watch on the entertainment system, flicked to the cover-page of the book, it was indicative of it being a novel of that particular genre.
Kathir MV - Oh romance novel ah.. Nama aalu romantic thaan pola..
The flight finally took off as per the scheduled time. Since, it was morning in Singapore breakfast was served on the flight. They both ate the sandwiches and fruits served to them. Kathir, who had hardly slept on the previous flight, decided to sleep. He switched off the reading light and pulled the blanket over himself. Mullai decided to watch an English rom-com on the tv. She was intently watching, till her eyes shifted towards a now fast-asleep Kathir. He looked utmost peaceful and happy. Her eyes were fixated on him.
Mullai Mv - Thoongratha paren.. apdiye kozhandhai madhiri.. cute ah irukaarey.. avaru mooku, udhadu.. andha kannu.. ivaru evlo azhagha irukaaru.. ivlo kitta paaka inum azhagha manly ah irukaaru.. andha hair.. enaku paakrapolam thalai kodhi vidanum pola iruku..(running her hand through his hair) evlo soft ah iruku.. aiyo mulichika poraaru..
Mullai realised of what she was doing and quickly withdrew her hand, as she blushed. She didn't want to wake him up and answer him as to why she was touching his hair. It would be too embarrassing. She continued watching her film.
Some hours later, there was an announcement that the flight was going to land at sydney International Airport shortly. Their baggage soon arrived, and after claiming it, A car was waiting to pick up them to the hotel.
The route to the hotel was beautiful, The weather was bright and sunny and the sky was cloudless. All the time, throughout their journey to the hotel, both Kathir and Mullai kept looking at each other and smiling. He continually glanced into her eyes while she blushed and looked away, as they held hands throughout. They reached the hotel They dragged their luggage towards the reception area.
Kathir - Unnala ivlo weight thooka mudiyuma kudu na eduthukaren.
Mullai (smiling) - Ila paravala Mr Kathir.. Na paathukaren.
Yet he took her luggages, Kathir smiled back at her as they headed to one of the counters. He was greeted by the Receptionist at the counter.
Receptionist- Good afternoon, Sir. How may I help you?
Kathir- Good afternoon. I have one reservation on the name of Kathiravan Pandian and another reservation on the name of Mullai Murugan.
Kathir gave him both the reservation slips.
Receptionist - Okay Sir. Let me just check it up on our system.
He checked the system as they waited. Mullai looked around the lobby and was amazed. Not only was it huge, but it was very tastefully designed. There was a lounge area for visitors at one end and a coffee shop at the other. A huge chandelier hung in the centre, giving the place a majestic feel.
Suddenly, her eyes fell on a couple in the lounge area who were kissing each other as if there was no tomorrow. She felt shy and blushed as she looked away. Kathir noticed this smiled to himself. He was glad that he would get to see her like this for nearly a week.
Kathir checked the time on his watch. The receptionist went to check with his manager. Nearly 30 mins had gone by and there was no sign of the receptionist. He had kept them waiting while he jumped from one counter to the next enquiring.. Finally, after all the enquiries, he got back to them with an apologetic look on his face.
Kathir- What is the matter? Why is it taking so long?
Receptionist (apologetically) - Sir the thing is that our online reservation system crashed around two days back and we had lost all the data we had stored on it. However, we managed to recover most of the data. But some entries were still not found
Kathir- So what are you trying to say?
Receptionist- Well...sir we have a reservation on your name for the royal suite. However, mam's room was given to someone else due to the system crash.
Kathir was shocked to hear this. He couldn't believe that the hotel had committed such a major mistake. Mullai too was shocked.
Mullai - Isn't there any other room you can give me?
Receptionist- I am sorry mam.. but we are fully booked till the next weekend.
Mullai couldn't believe this was happening. She was in a foreign country for the first time and would have to stay alone in a hotel away from Kathir. She was fearful and confused as to what she should do next.
Kathir - Hmm.. Mullai.. ne thappa nenaikalana naan onu kekava??
Mullai - Enna?
Kathir - Ne en room la stay panikriya?
Mullai (Shockingly ) - What????
Kathir - Listen, Kavalapadatha.. enoda suite la extra 3 bedrooms irukum.. ne oru bedroom ah unakaga eduthuko.. you will have complete privacy and I won't disturb your personal space. So ok thana? Theriyatha oor la una vera hotel la thaniya vida manasu ila.. adhuku idhuvey better..
Mullai was slightly taken aback by his suggestion. She didn't want to stay at another hotel but she wasn't sure of this arrangement. Kathir sensed her thought on her face.
Kathir(nervously) - Naan un permission ilama un room kula kuda varamaten.. promise ah..
Mullai smiled at his words. She trusted him, she had full faith that he would not do anything to her against her wishes. The main reason she was worried was about her parents reaction if they got wind of the fact that she was staying in Kathir's room.
Although, she was happy that she would be spending more time with him, her parents angry faces were flashing in her mind. Her mother had been very angry at the previous instance when she had gone to get the papers. She couldn't imagine the look on her face if she came to know that she had stayed in a Man's room..
Mullai - Mr Kathir.. Unga mela enaku mulu nambikkai iruku.. Naan enga veeta nenachuthan yosikren.. idhu therinja avanga edhum thappa react panuvangalonu bayama iruku..
Kathir - Mullai.. Ne kavalapadrathu crct than ana ne enoda responsibility ver engayo thaniya vidraku enkitaye una safe ah pathupen.. endha prechanayum varadhu trust me.. And unga veetla kuda purinjipanga.. nama orey bedroom la stay pana poradhu ilaye.. ne vera bed room la than stay pana pora but adhu orey suite avlothan..
Mullai thought about what he said. He was right, this place was new to her and she had already felt intimidated. She was highly dreading the thought of living alone. Kathir on the other hand, took it to be his moral responsibility to take care of her. In no way was he going to let her be all alone. He had already taken a firm decision on this front, she would be with him, and he would take care of her.
Mullai - Okay Mr Kathir.. Naan unga kudave stay panikren.. Veetla sona purinjipanga nu nenaikren..
Kathir(smiling) - Apo seri.. Room ku polama? Tired ah iruku..
Mullai - Polam Mr Kathir
Kathir then told the receptionist to give him two keys to the room; one for him and the other for Mullai.
Oru kutty hint for next chap - Mullai finds about Kathir's wild dreams about her🙈
Sorry for a filler chapter dearies, I will post the next part soon❤️ Please do vote and comment❤️
Thanks and Much Love❤️