Srishti was eight years old when she was left all alone in her house for the very first time. It was back in India, Precisely, Bengal in their family home when all the members of the family decided to visit a neighbor's reception after daylight faded,
Srishti had just woken up from a nap and decided to stay back, perfectly capable of being in her own company with a copy of Browning 's poems,
Or atleast, she thought she was.
She had the habit of reading in the television light in the dimly lit living room. Her feather light fingers turned the television on and had ended up on the channel that played Arundhati, the thriller. The horror had her crying hysterically for hours and nobody even noticed.
The phobia stayed with her even then, making her abandon the habit of watching television alone at all. She had never told anyone, but herself. That she'd only watch television if she had company,and that's exactly what she did with Barath everytime he came home.
She clung to Adhiran's shirt, telling him everything. The words she chose to utter felt so foreign.
She had never told anyone the words, 'I'm afraid ' all her life. She had taken it all on herself. 'Enaku- enaku bayam- bayam nu.. na sonnathu illa.. puthu- puthusa iruku uh..Adhi' she whispered and Adhi kissed her forehead tenderly,
'Srishti.. ' he made her face him, ' You've read the evolution theory right?' he asked her, softly cupping her cheek,
' I have' she muttered,
' Hmm.. Do you know why we humans were even created as a pair of two?' He asked her,
' Milton 's Paradise lost tells me that it was the secret of creation ' she answered him, unsure of where he was leading them with his questions,
' It is, Sweetheart. We were created as a pair for a reason..
Like Orwell would say, humans are social animals.. namba poranthathe innorthar ah depend panni iruka dha..
You depend on people because you love them, and they love you.. athula entha thappum illa..
Sandhosham..sogam .. ellathulayum sernthu irukarthuku dha namakunu manushanga irukaanga.. ' he explained patiently and she nodded negatively, not buying it. Adhiran pushed a lock of hair away from her face,
'Sasha Inga paaren.. ' he curled his fingers under chin to kiss the top of her nose, ' Ithana varshama.. evlavo padichaalu.. evlo sambaathuchaalu.. intha apartment kulla varumbothu oru thanima irukum..
Ipo athu illa.. en theriyuma?' he asked her and she whispered a why,
' Nee iruke di.. ' he told her, his lips ached to savor her trembling ones, ' You've filled this lonely heart with so much happiness.. ' he caressed her messy hair,
'Can- can I say it to you?' she mumbled, playing with his shirt,
' En Adhirshtam ' he whispered again,
'Na unnodathu.. Sasha.. Sirika..sanda poda.. mutham kuduka.. adika.. ellathukum.. ' he told her and she sniffled remembering the girl in his past again,
She still didn't have the nerve to ask him about her.
'Enkita urima eduthuko.. demand pannu.. ne mattu dha panlam ' he clutched her waist closer to leave a kiss on her jhumkas. Srishti pulled him closer,with a sad smile . It was hard to change what stayed for so long,
But she'd try for him.
For them.
Srishti sighed as she laid on her bed, facing the ceiling. The past few weeks have made her feel so many emotions. She realized how complex her life had become all of a sudden, the shift in the family dynamics was enough for her to wrap her head around all the time.
Her lips curled thinking about a certain professor whom she fell in love with, the man of her dreams with beautiful brown eyes, the man that made her heart swell with adoration and relentless passion. Adhiran, her own personal Romeo.
Srishti recalled what she was reading when the final year began, the day she saw him after such a long time. Her palms caressed her old copy of Romeo and Juliet once again, this was what she was reading that morning.
These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume
Srishti recalled the evening she spent with him walking around Oxford, her cheeks crimsoned remembering the explanation he gave for the excerpt. How it had become so true in their sense, Adhiran, her own forbidden fruit, and she, his.
That reminded her again, that they had to be careful for three more months until college ends. She didn't want anyone to find out, she prized his reputation and his intellect too much to remain negligent.
Her phone started ringing suddenly revealing the cause of her happiness, Her Adhiran,
' Sollunga Maharaja, ungla iniku paakama romba thavichi poiten' she murmured and heard him chuckle from the other side,
' Maharaja va?' he asked her, tongue in cheek,
' yes, My lord' she whispered in secret, clutching her palm close to heart heart and heard him take a deep breath,
' Srishti ' he started and she hummed wordlessly, a dreamy smile graced her face,
'Enkooda grocery shopping variya?' he asked her and she perked up instantly. 'Ipova?'
'Ahma di.. na kadaiku dha poren.. enakunna paakanum pola iruku.. enkooda variya?' he asked her and she bit back a giggle.
Her suave Scholar was such a baby in her arms,she thought.
That's how Srishti found herself sitting in his car beside him as he convinced her that no one from college would be around at this time of the day. Srishti gave in, she had ached to see him too afterall.
'Yaaru vara maatanga ma.. bayapadaatha.. half of the English Department goes to bed at 8.. meedi irukuravanga laam evening classes la irupaanga '
'Sari ma' she sighed again as she found them a cart and adjusted her glasses,
'Sari.. list la enna laam iruku?' Srishti asked him. She had recently taught Adhiran how to make a grocery list,that way ,he wouldn't forget to buy all the required things . ' Vegetables ' he told her, trailing behind his girl obediently,
'Kaaminga?' she got the list from him and read, ' Milk, bread, panneer,
Enathu Instant noodles ah?' she exclaimed and he eyed her in surprise,
' Madam , Don't be judgemental!
Instant noodles dha enna neraya naal pasi lernthu kaapathirku!' he defended it with poise and she gripped his hand in hers,
' I'll make food for us.. Neenga inime Instant noodles saapda vanda' she ordered him and he nodded, his lips threatening to hide the smile that formed,
'Sari nga Maharani '
'Sari.. Vera.. Chakkara.. spices…Shaving razor ah? Pona vaaram dhaana onnu vaangi koduthen?' she asked him remembering how she had brought him one after knowing that his razor had gotten blunt,
'Hey vaalu..pona vaaram use panitu tharen nu eduthutu pona.. return panniya di ?' he dashed her shoulders playfully and Srishti blushed , remembering it was in her restroom,still,
If someone had told her she'd share a shaving razor with a man a few months ago, she would've called them crazy. But there they were, so accustomed and habituated to each other in such a short span.
She hid her smile as she walked past him, Adhiran's voice echoed again from behind, 'Hey.. We need this right?' he asked her, holding a lavender scented shampoo, the one she uses,
' Ayyo! Adhi! Idhu lavender scented! Mens shampoo is way better.. irunga na eduthutu varen' she began looking for Men's shampoo when he held her hand,
' But Darling, this is for you' he mumbled with a smile and Srishti blushed visibly, under his knowing gaze,
'Ahn.. veetla gaali aachu pa.. naane vaanganum nu nenachen…kodnunga na vechirk-
'Illa..idhu.. veetuku illa.. ' he held the shampoo close to his torso as he eyed her intently,
' Enkooda eduthutu poren' he whispered possessively and Srishti had a strong urge to just pull him closer and kiss him senseless,
'Sari.. namba innu vegetables mattu dha vaanganum' she told him as she watched him put the shampoo among his stuff as he pulled the cart along, Srishti blushed again.
Little things made her the happiest, especially if they were with her man, he had always made sure to make her feel incandescent happiness with his adoration.
It felt incredible that he wanted her stuff to be in his personal space.
It wasn't even an extravagant thing, but doing grocery shopping with Adhiran felt more intimate than the kiss she shared with him in his cabin, she sighed watching him look for different vegetables and wordlessly joined him, her fingers ached to hold his arm and kiss his shoulder,
'Dr. Adhiran?' a familiar voice called him and Srishti's eyes widened,
Adhiran held the panner packet in his hand as he eyed the source of the voice,
'Dr. Porter?' he eyed his Senior, the director of the department of English, his boss as he straightened himself,
Dr. Porter smiled at Adhiran again, still dressed in his work clothes, ' Oh , I thought it was you! But I didn't guess you could be here this late!' he exclaimed and Adhiran's lips curled up to a strained smile,
Srishti's stomach was doing somersaults as she couldn't even move her feet an inch in an attempt to hide herself, her heart raced in pure worry as she clutched her skirt hard,
' Pleasure to meet you, sir' Adhiran smiled,
Srishti admired how he was so calm and composed despite being equally flabbergasted,
' I don't shop here at night very often..but you know, when your wife wants something, you're only let go after you give her that.. ' he told him,
Adhiran let out a nervous chuckle and mumbled, 'Of course, Sir '
Srishti sighed and fathomed his words, of course this had to happen! She made up her mind to twist Adhiran's ears after they reached his apartment!
The men conversed for a few more minutes when the elder man's attention fell on Srishti as he adjusted his glasses again, 'Hey! I think I know you too.. i couldn't get the name right..'
'Im Srishti ' she was so doomed, she thought,
'Ah.. Srishti, yes, i remember seeing your name in the Annual students report, you've such a wonderful profile!' he told her kindly and Srishti smiled wholeheartedly,
Dr. Porter 's kind smile vanished with a stern glance at once,
'Forgive me for asking this, but.. you two are shopping together?' Dr. Porter asked, putting all the pieces together and Srishti nodded negatively,
'You aren't? ' he asked her again,
'Erm.. not at all Dr. Porter, i was just looking for some stuff and I didn't have a cart with me … so Adhi- Professor Adhiran was kind enough to help me' she tried her best to lie and Adhiran scrunched his eyes in defeat,
His girlfriend was not just a terrible actress, she was such a terrible liar as well!
'Really?' asked Dr. Porter,
'Yes sir… she was really having a hard time trying to balance her stuff so I thought it'd be nice if I help..' he voiced out,
'Oh.. I guess it explains the lavender scented shampoo.. ' Dr. Porter told them,
'I guess I can take my leave now sir, I need some other stuff on the other aisle..' Srishti smiled nervously,
Srishti grabbed a few things from the cart and turned to look at Adhiran, 'Thank you, Professor Adhiran. That was very kind of you' she softly smiled,
'Anytime, Ms. Srishti ' he mumbled and reminded himself to be conscious once again,
'Sorry for the confusion, Sir ' Adhiran told him as he eyed Srishti from afar,
' That's alright, Dr. Adhiran.. I totally understand that you're strictly professional..
Guess this old brain is playing with me' he chuckled and Adhiran's heart beat so fast in his chest,
Srishti heard him as he said that,her insides shriveled realising how wrong he was,
It was hard to leave him alone infront of Dr. Porter, taking baby steps ahead she realized the severity of the situation, she sighed at her fortune. They couldn't even do grocery shopping together, proprietary condemns their relationship for another three months and they had no choice than to stay careful,
Srishti paid for the stuff and was about to walk out of the grocery store when she remembered that she came along with Adhiran. She was about to text him when her phone pinged with a message,
Wait behind the building, I'll pick you up, please be safe <3
Srishti's palms shivered as she locked her phone and stood outside the building, she looked around at the lonely buildings as fear crept into her mind again. Thankfully, a familiar car stopped beside her as the passenger door opened, 'Ulla vaa, Sasha'
She quickly slid in and buckled her seatbelt before turning to face him. She saw him glancing at the road with stern eyes, his palms gripped the steering wheel hard, ' That was bad..' he mumbled,
'Yaarum vara maatanga nu sonninga?' she asked him back,
' Avaru dha sonnaru la? Epomae Inga vara maataru nu..enakum therila..' he told her,
'Namba idha panirka koodathu ' she mumbled once again,
'Ahma..' he sighed, 'Panirka koodathu '
Srishti's happy little bubble broke all of a sudden processing it, it hadn't been anything scandalous, but such a mundane activity of shopping for a simple meal. The rules made it all forbidden, she wished from the bottom of her heart that it wasn't this way and turned to look at him when he held her hand, lacing his fingers in hers,
'Sorry da.. unkita en frustration ah kaamichirka koodathu' he told her, guilty for his actions,
'Its okay' she told him endearingly,
'Its not.. ' he told her again, ' Na enna nenachu ipdi pannen nu enake therila' he bit his lips anxiously,
'Enaku theriyum..' she made him look at her, 'You wanted to spend time with me, like any normal couple would, but we aren't a normal -
'Of course we are, Sweetheart! Intha rules-
' Rules that we wish to ignore, but we can't.. she softly smiled at him, easing his tension as she continued, intha rules ah maranthutu normal ah irukanum nu aasa padlam.. but we can't.. athu dha reality '
' Enna solla vara, Srishti?' he gave her his earnest attention,
'Enna solla varen na..' she turned to face him properly and held both of his palms in hers, ' Namba innu responsible ah irukanum nu solla varen.. or you could lose everything, baby'
'I could lose everything?' his eyes flashed a strong force of remorse as he gripped her shoulders hard, ' I don't give a damn about anything… I'm only worried about you, Srishti!'
' Adhi.. kashta pattu padichu vaanguna per ah ezhaka porathu naan illa..you don't have to worry about me!'
' I don't car-
' Don't you dare say that Dr. Adhiran Vedhamanikam ! ' It was her turn to be furious, ' I will be the one who'd be damned if you threw away everything you've earned… Unga arivu.. unga padipu.. ungluku kedacha angeekaram..
Idhu ellathukum ennala prachana vara koodathu!' she whispered again, her eyes steadily on his,
Adhiran looked visibly taken aback, 'Sasha-
' Enakaagha neenga kavala padrathu puriyuthu.. she took a deep breath as she lowered her voice, ' But you're just as important as I am.. ungluku epdiyo athe maathiri enakum neenga dha ellathavida mukiyam- irunga! Na innu mudikala! She told him off when he raised his hand to interrupt and continued,
' Namba onna irukarthoda consequences namaku theriyum.. we will be careful..Only for the sake of you, for me.. for us..
Unmaya sollatuma? Neenga enakaagha unga career ah thooki poda nenacha.. You won't be the Adhiran I feel so in love with!' she told him, her eyes threatening to shed a few tears that she had been holding back from earlier.
She had managed to voice out what she thought after quite a long time and now her heart felt immensely light,
Srishti continued, holding his hand steadily as she looked down, 'Look, Adhiran.. I've seen love do terrible things to people if they are reckless enough..
Ungluku apdi aagarathu oru naalu na anumathika maaten..enaku neenga venu.. neenga nalla irukanum.. neenga sandhoshama iruntha dha naanu sandhoshama irupen.. ' she told him , her nose now in a rosy red color owing to all the tears that fell off from her eyes,
'Ne soldrathu dha correct ' he whispered after a momentary pause before continuing,
' I'm not the person who'd throw off my career.. Na idhukaagha neraya kashta patruken..
Being a professor is all I wish to be.. enaku poetry.. Srishti …amma.. idha vita vera ulagam illa.. ' he smiled a little making Srishti blush profusely at his choice of words, ' Na idha seyya maaten ndrathu entha alavuku unmayo.. athe alavuku na unmela vechirkara anbu unma..
You're very important to me ,Sasha.. en career kaagha unnayum.. unakaagha en career ahyum vitu koduka maaten.. ' he held her palms as he promised and Srishti kissed his forehead, wiping away the droplets of sweat from his half moon forehead,
'Na responsible ah irupen.. for us.. ' he whispered again,
'Three more months ' She whispered back,
He smiled again before pulling her closer, his hand caressing her neck as they trailed down freely, stopping right above her bosom. Srishti noticed his wavering hand and held it, ' I know how intimate it is to feel a woman's chest.. the place where her heart beats.. and I will wait..' he whispered, his hands trailing back to cup her cheek. Srishti held his palm and placed it on her bosom as she got closer,
'This heart beats for you, Professor Adhiran.. ' she kissed his jawline and trailed her lips down his throat, earning a strained groan from him, he touched her breast, open palmed as she kissed his cheek again, Adhiran pulled her closer to kiss her on the lips,
'Unkooda na irukumbothu.. na ennayae marakaren , Srishti ' he whispered caressing her dry lips, his own bothering to wet them on her behalf as he cupped the small of her back in his palm pulling her closer, kissing her senseless.
Srishti 's palms caressed his warm chest, his hands undoing a couple of buttons in the process. Her silky strands of hair and her soft fingers put Adhiran in a dangerous trance as he growled against her mouth, his own leaving harsh , tempests forming in the brown of his eyes,
Adhiran's eyes widened as he stopped relishing her rosy lips when his eyes fell on something outside the window,
'Ah! Adhi ennachu?!' he gently pushed her down to his lap suddenly and looked outside,
' Dr Porter 's car' he whispered without missing a beat,
Srishti's heart beat so fast that it almost made it impossible to stay calm after the earth shattering invasion of their passion. She stayed in his lap for a few more minutes,
'poitaara?'
'Illa.. car ah reverse panraru.. just a few more moments ' he told her,
Srishti sighed and prayed that he'd leave soon . She had no excuse this time, what else would she see when she was clearly lying on her professor's lap after being kissed by him like a mad man starving?!
'Ipo ? Is it safe to come up yet?' she asked him and he looked at her with a quizzical brow,
' No no no! I think it's best if you stay there , Actually!' it took a few moments for Srishti to notice his smirk and innocently asked,
'Innuma pola avaru?'
'Not yet.. he's coming closer so I think it's best of you hide near my-
Srishti's eyes widened in realization as she started to hit him, 'Adhi! You pervert! ' her lips smiling on their own as she hugged him around his waist,
' Ne dhaana di responsible ah iruka sonna?!' he exclaimed chuckled,
' Chi po! Pervert!!' she nuzzled her head in his chest as she muttered hushed whispers,
' Ne ipdiyae sirichite iru.. I'll handle the rest ' he kissed her head as he drove them home.
Tbc
Hey guys,
Good to be back after a while,
Hope you'd like this one!
Awaiting your loving comments and opinions!