DGZH

The Girl at the Wedding
A Prequel to the bestseller

‘Without You’
(Sreepuram Series)
Preethi Venugopala
The Girl at the Wedding Copyright © November 2019
by Preethi Venugopala.
All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical
means including information storage and retrieval systems,
without permission in writing from the author. The only
exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a
review.
Cover designed using a painting by the author and

graphics from Canva
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,

places, and incidents either are products of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely
coincidental.
Preethi Venugopala
Visit her website at www.preethivenugopala.com
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Author’s Note
Acknowledgements
Blurbs of Novels by Preethi Venugopala
“Being deeply loved by someone
gives you strength, while loving
someone deeply gives you
courage.”
― Lao Tzu
Chapter 1
Puvattur, March 17, 2007
The persistent chirping of a single sparrow at his balcony

window woke Kishore up. Unlike the pigeons that daily
created ruckus outside his window in Sharjah, this little
songbird didn’t annoy him. Its song served as a reminder that
this morning was different. One of leisure. Today he wouldn’t
encounter ready-mix concrete trucks or concrete pumps or
rebars. Nor would the unforgiving desert sun scorch him. He
pulled the cotton blanket over his head and sank back into the
bed.
He would sleep a little more. Heck, he had earned it.
For the last two years he had been forced to cancel his
vacation in favour of work. His company had rewarded him
with a three-month break this time. He would enjoy it to the
fullest.
Hours later, the scent of hot coffee wafted into his room
along with the familiar smell of neer dosa and kadala curry.
His stomach growled and his eyes flew open. His mother knew
exactly how to wake him up. He dragged himself up and
plodded into the bathroom to shower.
After thirty minutes, Kishore was wolfing down neer dosas
in the kitchen. He hadn’t even waited for his father and brother
to join him, or bothered to sit at the dining table. Instead, he
sat on a low wooden stool next to the wood-burning stove
where his mother stood making the dosas. Exactly the way he
used to during his school days. The position had two
advantages. One, he could chit-chat with his mother as she
worked. Two, he could get piping hot neer dosa served right
onto his plate without any delay.
Wrong move. He shouldn’t have.

He realized it only after the damage was done.
“You are eating like you haven’t seen neer dosa in years,”
said Uma, his mother, as she served him yet another hot dosa.
“I haven’t. Who has the patience to make neer dosa? I
mostly ate burgers for breakfast.”
“But you said there were good Malayalee restaurants in
Sharjah and Dubai. You could have eaten from there.”
“I could have. But who has the time?”
His mother had no idea how hectic his days were. When
the company vehicle came to pick him up at six in the
morning, breakfast was the last thing on his mind. He would
have attended at least ten phone calls by then, consulting with
the night-shift engineers or dealing with their clients. By the
time he reached the site office, there would be papers to sign
and emails to send. That would be followed by visits to their
construction sites. Mid-morning, his office boy would pop in
to ask if he needed breakfast. On his nod, he would fetch a
burger from the nearby cafeteria, and place it on his desk along
with some hot tea. That was the only breakfast he had been
accustomed to in Dubai. On Friday, his off day, he would sleep
till afternoon. Then he would end up at a friend’s or
colleague’s home for a pre-arranged brunch. Being a
workaholic, he hadn’t truly missed the noisy and sumptuous
breakfasts at home.
“That is why I said you should get married,” Uma said and
then wiped her eyes with the loose end of her saree.
God! How could she jump from food to marriage so fast?
Time to flee. But the prospect of eating a few more neer dosas
prompted him to talk his way out of the situation.
“Please, Mom. I told you. I can’t get married now. Not at
this phase in my career. It would be difficult for the girl as
well. I leave at six in the morning and arrive back at ten at
night.”
“That is perfectly fine. Your father is never at home. Have
you seen me complaining? We women are resilient. We adapt
to any situation, unlike you men!”
“Mom, what if my wife couldn’t cook?”
“It’s okay even if she doesn’t know. You need a companion

to make you eat on time.”
“But Mom—” Kishore began, but Uma cut him off.

“I don’t want to hear anything. You’re not going back this
time without getting married. Do you hear that?”
Kishore knew it was prudent not to argue further,

especially as she might stop making the dosas if she got upset.
So, he sat there and allowed her to nag him. Once his stomach
was full, he fled from the kitchen.
He found his brother Vishal in the living room, engrossed
in the replay of a cricket match. They were discussing India’s
chances in the ongoing cricket world cup when their mother
ambushed their peaceful get-together.
“Knock some sense into his head. Unless he gets married,
you won’t be able to marry,” said Uma, addressing Vishal.
Clever! She knew exactly which button to push.
Vishal immediately changed his allegiance and joined his

mother’s side. The cheater. “Yeah. Get married. Clear the
way.”
“You can’t get married for another two years. Who will
marry you? You will need to complete your MD for any girl to
consider you as a prospective husband. You get that?” said
Kishore. Vishal was doing his MD in paediatrics at the nearby
medical college.
“Want to bet? If I put my mind to it, I can find a willing

girl tomorrow. You don’t know your brother’s star value,”
challenged Vishal.
“Enough. Not another word,” said Uma, swatting Vishal

on his upper arm. Perhaps she was scared her younger son
might bring a girl home, just to prove his point. Then she
turned to glower at Kishore. “You are getting married this
time. That’s it. I will tell Amma to look into the matter. She has
already shortlisted a few good girls.”
A groan escaped Kishore. Her Amma, their grandmother or

Ammamma as they called her, was Cupid himself in disguise.
She was the mastermind behind every arranged marriage in
their family. Once she took it upon herself to take away the
freedom of some hapless chap, she rested only after the guy
had given up every ounce of his freedom.
But Kishore loved his Ammamma. She was an award-

winning poet and writer. All his friends adored her because of
the love she showered on them. He didn’t want to be deprived
of her company just because his mother wished her to be his
marriage-broker.
“Mom, I promise. Give me a few weeks to enjoy my
vacation. After that you may drag me to any number of houses
in search of a wife,” said Kishore. Uma beamed at him.
After two weeks, he was going on a backpacking trip to
Europe. He wasn’t going to tell her that. Vishal cleared his
throat as he knew Kishore’s plan. Would the traitor give him
away? Kishore narrowed his eyes at him. Vishal extended his
left palm towards him and then smacked his upturned right fist
on it twice. He was signing discreetly for money.
Kishore mouthed “Okay.”
Vishal went back to watching the cricket match.
“Okay. Don’t think we are going to sit idle till then. Let me
go and call Latha. She might know some girls,” Uma declared
and then walked away.
His mother had two sisters and all three were close. If his
mother declared her mission to them, they would jump in
without blinking an eye. Kishore let out a long sigh.
“Give me my money. Or…”

“Go tell, loafer,” Kishore snapped. He wasn’t in a mood to
fight. So, he picked up the car key and walked out of his
home.
His classmate Anil was getting married the next day. To
Kishore’s neighbour, Lena. One more deluded young man was
getting sacrificed at the altar of love.
Time to visit him.
Chapter 2
“Relax, Lena. Such things happen. Don’t panic. I will

make it alright, trust me,” said Shreya.
Talking on the mobile while driving was not something she

usually did. But today wasn’t normal on any account. Her
friend needed her help. That meant she had to continue
driving. She wasn’t sure how Lena would react if she
disconnected the call. That meant she had to keep talking.
Thank God these were country roads. A few cars and auto-
rickshaws kept appearing every other mile. Other than that, the
road had been traffic-free. But now she was about to enter the
main town.
“It is a sign. I shouldn’t marry Anil. Otherwise, this

wouldn’t have happened.”
Shreya couldn’t believe her ears. If Lena hadn’t ended the

sentence with sobs, she would have shouted at her friend.
“I will handle it, okay? I will be back in another twenty

minutes. Can you be a sweetheart and do nothing other than
look at your pretty face in the mirror? I am entering the town
now,” said Shreya. Without waiting for Lena’s reply, she
disconnected the call.
Lena, her best friend, had one big flaw. She sabotaged her
own happiness under stress. She did the craziest things and
took insane decisions when things didn’t go as per plan. A
single step out of the line would drive her up the wall.
Tomorrow was her wedding day. Today, her mother had
accidentally burned a hole in the sleeve and the back of her
wedding blouse while ironing it. According to Lena, it was
ruined. So was her wedding.
Not in Shreya’s opinion. Clothes were her first love. She

loved designing new outfits and dealt with such crises every
day.
She remembered the words of her teacher, the brilliant Ila

Varma, at her design school: “Every piece of cloth comes with
its own destiny. It might end up in a trash can or on the body
of a human. So do not cry over a ruined piece of cloth.
Replace it, change your design or add embellishments to
camouflage a defect. Never ever waste time crying about it.”
After the next turn in the road, the town came into view.
Now she had to find the shop where Lena had purchased her
wedding saree. She had brought the blouse with her. All she
could hope was that they had a similar blouse piece or at least
something similar that could help her restore the blouse to its
former grandeur. A seamstress in Kochi where Anil worked
had designed the blouse. None of the local tailors thought the
blouse could be rescued. Nor were they free to stitch a new
one on an urgent basis.
Lena’s house had resembled a funeral home when she had
entered it an hour ago. When she learnt what had happened,
Shreya decided to solve the crisis herself. She had rushed into
town to find a piece of matching fabric to create the garment
in question.
Though Shreya’s family belonged to Puvattur, they had

never really lived there given the nature of her father’s job.
Her father, Colonel Raghuthaman, would often be posted in
different army bases and hence they shifted homes every few
years. Shreya had, in fact, loved it.
During all her years growing up, she had lived in various
cities all over India. The only time when she had lived in
Puvattur for more than a year was eleven years ago. Her father
had injured his right leg badly during a special mission that
year. Since her father needed her full attention, her mother had
sent her to live and study in Puvattur.
Shreya had come to love the birthplace of her mother that

year. Class eighth had been memorable in more ways than one.
By the time she left at the end of that year, she had made many
friends who continued to remain her good friends. Lena was
one of them.
While Shreya had gone to design school in Mumbai, Lena
had done engineering. She had fallen in love with her senior
Anil there. Without any opposition, they were now about to
become husband and wife. And now a small glitch had caused
Lena to consider throwing it all away. How could she?
Even after going through many samples, Shreya couldn’t
find a matching piece for Lena’s blouse. So, she did the only
other choice she had. She bought a plain blouse piece in the
same shade. She would recreate the complicated zari and
beadwork design to match the ones on the original blouse. But
she had only half a day to accomplish that.
Shreya hurried to the adjacent store. It specialised in

selling all sorts of threads, needles and other embroidery
essentials. She selected matching beads to hem the sleeves and
some golden thread for the zari work. Now all she needed was
a good tailoring machine. She remembered that one of Lena’s
neighbours, Uma aunty, owned a high-end electric sewing
machine imported from France. Uma helped her neighbours by
doing hemming or repair works occasionally. She would ask to
let her use the machine for a day.
Shreya pushed all the shopping bags into the backseat of

the car and flopped onto the driver’s seat. It was almost
eleven. Would there be enough time to complete the
complicated embroidery? Wouldn’t Lena become the pretty
bride that she ought to be? She would need help.
Shreya switched on some music in her car. Then she took a

right turn at the junction to enter the road that led towards
Lena’s house. A few minutes down the route, the continuous
buzzing of her phone grabbed her attention. Most probably
Lena again. But this time, it was Lena’s mother.
“Shreya, were you able to find a match? Here, this girl is

freaking out. She already called Anil to ask him to postpone
the wedding. Can you believe that?”
“Aunty, I got it. Give me a few hours and it will be ready.

Give her the phone. I will talk to her,” said Shreya.
When Lena came to the phone, she sounded hoarse. The
idiot had probably been crying all this while.
“Listen, love, I got the matching blouse piece. Uma aunty

still has that sewing machine, right? I will work there and get
it ready within a few hours.”
After disconnecting the call, Shreya turned to throw the

phone on the passenger seat. When she looked up, a black
SUV suddenly turned the corner and appeared right in front of
her. She pressed the brake and turned the steering to the left to
avoid a head-on collision. Her heart sank as she heard the
unmistakable sound of metal scratching metal the next minute.
This was all that was needed now.
Shreya thought of pressing her foot on the accelerator and

escaping. But she was too late. The driver of the SUV had got
out and was walking towards her car. Shreya gazed at the tall
and well-dressed youth with apprehension. If it weren’t so red
with anger, his was a truly handsome face, thought Shreya.
A knock sounded on her car window. With a silent curse,

she turned off the car engine, took a deep breath and got ready
to face the guy.
Chapter 3
Kishore fumed as he waited for the driver to step out. The

reckless man had caused considerable damage to his precious
SUV. He was not going to let him go scot-free.
His jaw dropped when the car door opened. Whoosh! All
his anger vanished. All the choicest swear words he was
waiting to lavish on the driver withdrew unceremoniously
from the tip of his tongue.
The girl looked as if she had stepped out of a dream. His
dream. She was dressed in a plain white kurta paired with
matching leggings. A thin white dupatta with lace trimmings
was draped casually over one shoulder. He loved how her long
dark silky hair caressed her hips. And that face! He could stare
at it for hours and not be bored. Especially those kohl-lined,
doe eyes.
“Don’t you even have a horn in that monster vehicle of
yours?” said the girl, snapping him out of his trance-like state.
Kishore was taken aback. Oh, so now he was the offender.
She was clearly on the wrong side of the road. He had pressed
the car horn multiple times, as was his habit, at all the major
bends in the road. It was the norm here. You never knew if a
vehicle was there on the other side of the curve because of the
trees that lined the road. Clearly, he hadn’t heard any horn.
“That’s what I was about to ask you. Or is it that you don’t
know how to drive? Or are road rules beneath you?” he asked.
“Watch your words. I don’t have the time or patience to
argue with you,” said the girl.
She pulled her car door open and got inside. As she
rummaged through her bag, for God knows what, Kishore
spotted the mobile phone lying on the passenger seat.
“Oh, so, texting and driving! Was that why you were so
distracted?”
“None of your business. Call me on this number tomorrow.
I will pay for the damage caused,” she said and handed him a
business card. She then got in and closed the car door.
She was giving up without a fight? Offering him
compensation? Who wanted that?
“I don’t need your money. The least you can do is
apologise for driving so rashly.”
“I was not driving rashly. Call me tomorrow. We can talk

then, okay?”
And just when he was pondering about what to reply, she

pressed her foot on the accelerator and the car raced past him.
“What the…” Kishore bit back a curse. He then looked at
the card she had handed him. He read the name and froze.
Shreya Raghuthaman. Automatically, his left palm rose to
caress his left cheek as the memory of a tight slap came to
him. Could it be? Was this the same Shreya from school? She
had not changed much. Feisty and fierce. Interesting. He
twiddled the card for a moment and then pushed it inside the
pocket of his jeans.
He turned back and inspected the scratch on his SUV. It
would have to spend some time at the hands of their beloved
mechanic Abdulla, who was a magician when it came to
vehicles.
He was about to get inside his car when his phone rang. It
was Anil. He seemed agitated. Kishore heard him patiently
and then asked, “All that over a torn blouse? Are you sure you
want to spend the rest of your life with that girl?”
“Come on! Not you too. You know how sweet Lena really
is. It is just the wedding nerves. Wait till you get married.”
“Me? I am not going to get married. Never. Ever.”
Anil scoffed. “We will see. By the way, I called to say that
Lena might come to your house in a while with her friend.
They need your mother’s help to fix that blouse.”
“Oh, so are you planning to come to my house as well?”

“How did you know?”
“I read minds. You don’t know?” teased Kishore. Vishal

had told him how often Anil came visiting just because Lena
lived nearby. His dear friend had often used his house for
many a secret rendezvous over the years. Whenever Anil came
to his house, Lena would drop by to get a piece of cloth altered
or repaired. In a way, his brother and mother were the cupids
in their love story. His mother had even acted as mediator
between the two families and showered enough praises on
Anil. Lena’s family had been convinced that Anil was the best
match for Lena.
“I might. If not, do come in the evening to celebrate the
last night of my bachelorhood.”
“Are you regretting it?”

“No way. I can’t wait to get married,” said Anil.
“Hey, I can’t come to your home today. But I had a minor

accident now. Have to take the car to the mechanic to get it
checked properly.”
“Oh! That’s bad. Go and check on Lena then. Tell her

everything will be fine.”
“Fine.”
“Tell her I miss her and that I can’t wait to bring her
home.”
“Tell that yourself.”
Kishore rolled his eyes as he disconnected the call.
Why were his friends so eager to lose their precious

freedom?
Marriage came with so many responsibilities.
Bachelorhood was bliss. He was in no mood to sacrifice his
privileges. Not anytime soon.
With Anil getting married, his mother was going to take
out all the weapons in her arsenal. But he wasn’t going to
allow her to succeed.
Chapter 4
Shreya had met Uma aunty multiple times at Lena’s house

over the years. The kind lady was often alone as her husband
travelled for business. Her elder son lived and worked in the
UAE and youngest was doing his MD in paediatrics. Both
were rarely home. She had met the younger son but never the
elder one.
Shreya pressed the bell and waited for Uma to answer.
Instead, it was Vishal who opened the door.
“Hey, nice to see you again. Come in,” he said. Shreya

didn’t know whether to go in but Uma soon appeared behind
him and invited her in.
“How nice of you to come here. How are preparations
going on at Lena’s house? I was planning to visit in the
evening.”
“Actually aunty, I need your help,” said Shreya

straightaway. She didn’t have any time to waste. When she
filled in Uma with the details, Uma was eager to help.
Uma took her into the utility room upstairs. Shreya let out
a long breath when, on inspection, she found the machine in
excellent condition. While Uma was arranging Shreya’s
supplies on the table to start their work, disaster struck. Two of
the glass bottles containing golden and red seed beads slipped
out of the bag and crashed on the floor.
“Oh my God,” Shreya cried. The whole room was flooded
with tiny beads. It would take hours to get them all sorted
again.
“Oh God! What have I done? But don’t worry. Let me get
some help.” Uma went out. Minutes later, she heard her holler,
“Vishal, where are you?”
Shreya began to think furiously. The best thing would be to
discard these beads and get two fresh bottles from the shop.
Time was of essence. And then she remembered. She had
picked the last available bottle of the golden ones. Despair
overwhelmed her. Her only option was to get these sorted.
Uma arrived with Vishal. Vishal tried to flee when he
understood what he was supposed to do. But Uma wouldn’t
allow him. Shreya felt sorry for the poor guy.
Uma quickly swept the floor and gathered the beads in a

heap on a white blanket.
“Help her by sorting this, Vishal. The girl has a lot on her
plate. Come, give that to me, Shreya. I will remove the stitches
of the sleeves.” Uma took the blouse from her and sat in a
corner and began to meticulously remove the stitches, taking
care not to damage the rest of the blouse.
While they sorted the beads, they started talking. When

Uma asked about her family and her studies, she told about her
wanderlust life.
“I studied here at Puvattur high school for a year. I left for

Delhi after one year.”
“Don’t tell me…” said Vishal as he searched her face as if

he was trying to place her.
“Tell you what?”
“MOM! Mom, she is that Shreya. You remember, the one
who…” he was winking and making weird gestures at Uma.
They must have made sense to her because Uma turned and
gave Shreya an assessing look.
“No wonder! She is very pretty.”

“I told you. Remember, he nearly killed me for telling
you,” said Vishal.
Mother and son continued talking as if she weren’t in the
room. Shreya lost patience after five minutes of listening to
their cryptic utterances.
“Hello…I am here, remember? What are you talking

about?”
Vishal grinned broadly. He rubbed his palms together.

“I can’t wait for him to come home.”
“Vishal, enough. Do your work. Enough talking,” said

Uma.
“Come on, Vishal. Not fair. Tell me,” said Shreya.

Vishal seemed very pleased that she asked.
“Do you remember slapping somebody in school, a senior

for…”
Shreya gasped. Kishore. Of course, she remembered him

clearly. Was he related to them? Or worse, was he Vishal’s
elder brother? She hadn’t forgotten the arrogant senior that
most of the girls in her class loathed. He used to behave almost
like a B-class movie villain, threatening juniors and making
them do his bidding.
And then to her horror, he had given her a love letter while
she was returning from school one day. She had slapped him
right then on his left cheek. She had expected him to retaliate
but he had merely walked away. As she had been alone, no
one else at school had known about the incident and she had
kept it to herself. Kishore had never bothered her again. She
had left school at the end of the academic year.
“Where is Kishore now?” she asked hesitantly. She
remembered Uma saying that her elder son was home on
vacation.
“He has gone out. He and Lena’s would-be husband are
engineering classmates.”
Could her day get any worse? She had to escape before he
came home. Also, she would have to hide from him tomorrow
as well. She didn’t want to face him.
That good-for-nothing boy was now an engineer? Who

would have thought? Good for him. She hoped he was not still
the same old bully.
“Where’s everyone?” A vaguely familiar voice sounded

just then from downstairs. Shreya’s spirits plummeted when
she recognised the voice. She was doomed. Like, seriously
doomed.
“We’re here. In the utility room,” Vishal hollered.
Shreya sat frozen. Could she borrow Harry potter’s

invisibility cloak? She badly needed it.
Chapter 5
“My, my…who do we have here?” asked Kishore the

moment he stepped into the utility room.
He hadn’t expected to see Shreya again so soon. Though
he had wished to. Wasn’t there a popular saying that warned to
be careful about what you wished for, because it might just
come true?
Shreya wasn’t even looking in his direction. The other two
had gleeful smiles pasted on their faces. So, had she
remembered who he was? Or did his rather helpful family do
something to jog her memory? His left cheek tingled again.
“Kishore, do you remember Shreya?” asked Vishal
excitedly. Vishal seemed elated as if he had been granted the
key to Ark of the Covenant. Kishore narrowed his eyes at him,
fully realizing his intention.
“Yeah, we met briefly in the morning. And yes, I do

remember her from school. That was years ago. Wasn’t it,
Shreya? We have better things to deal with for now,” he said
and smiled when Shreya finally looked up at him. Her cheeks
had grown red with embarrassment. Somehow that red tinge
made his heart beat twice as fast. He looked away.
“That is like my boy. Come and help her. Or else, your
friend would have a runaway bride to deal with in the
morning,” said Uma.
Oh, so Shreya was Lena’s friend? The one who had
become the crisis manager? Great!
“Vishal, come with me. I want you to go and buy some
ghee. I have promised to make ghee rice for your father
today,” said Uma. Vishal seemed eager to leave. Should his
family leave him alone with Shreya like this? She clearly
seemed distressed.
Anyway, he would have to manage for now. For Anil. For
Lena.
Shreya didn’t talk and he followed her example. He
concentrated on separating the damn beads that were proving
to be very difficult to sort. As time progressed, he watched her
skilfully use the tiny beads to create intricate patterns on the
plain piece of cloth that was to replace the sleeve. He admired
her fingers. They seemed so delicate. He loved how they raced
across the cloth with alacrity.
Years ago, he had taken one look at the new girl who had
joined the school and he had been transformed. It was as if
lightning had struck him. Till then, girls had merely been
annoying creatures in his eyes. No one had captured his
attention till then. He had started to follow her around just to
get to know her. The more he watched her, the more infatuated
he had become. So, one day, amassing all his courage, he had
written a heartfelt letter pouring out his heart on paper. And
she had rejected him outright. Her rejection had remained like
a wound inside him for so long. Add to that Vishal who had
seen him getting slapped and had turned his life into a living
hell. Kishore had paid heavily for treating him like vermin all
his life.
Now when he looked at her, he found some of those old

emotions resurfacing. He swallowed. He didn’t want to feel
and act like a fool again. Love was not for the ones like him. It
would be better if he nipped it in the bud right now. The beads
were finally sorted.
“It’s done. Tell me if you need anything else. I will be

downstairs.”
She nodded. The second he left the room, he felt strangely
bereft. He wanted to go back in there and be in her presence
for a few more minutes. There, he was entering forbidden
territories yet another time. He hauled himself downstairs.
Vishal was sitting on the couch, leafing through a
magazine.
“So?” asked Vishal when he saw him.
What did he expect in answer? Kishore ignored him and

walked out of the house. For the next few hours, he wandered
in the garden and in the mango grove in their backyard to
while away time.
When he returned, Shreya was getting ready to leave. She

said her goodbyes to everyone but she avoided looking in his
direction. Very well. And then something untoward happened.
Shreya’s car wouldn’t start. She tried multiple times and yet it
didn’t budge.
Kishore looked at Vishal and he averted his gaze. He
looked at Uma and she seemed to have found something very
intriguing on her sari pallu. What were they up to? He didn’t
need to wait long.
“Kishore, take her to Lena’s house. Her car has broken
down,” ordered Uma a few minutes later.
Okay. So that was the plan.

“Ask Vishal to take her,” Kishore said, refusing to play
along.
“He is going out for a movie with his friends. You go,”
Uma said.
“No, aunty. It is okay. I will walk. I am staying at Lena’s

home today anyway,” said Shreya.
“No. Wait. No need to walk. It’s night already. I will take

you. I promised Anil to check on Lena anyway. Give me a
minute,” Kishore said.
Kishore rushed into his room, ignoring the looks of

triumph on the face of his mother and Vishal. After taking a
quick shower, he changed into a fresh T-shirt and a trouser. He
liberally sprayed his favourite cologne and stepped out of the
room, reiterating to himself that he wasn’t trying to impress
her.
Who was he kidding?
When he drove out of his compound, he rolled his eyes

when he saw his scheming mother and brother enthusiastically
waving at Shreya.
Chapter 6
Shreya watched stealthily as Kishore mingled with the

other guests in Lena’s house. How did the bully from her
childhood transform into this well-respected, well-loved
youth? And to be honest, he took her breath away whenever
their eyes met.
During the five-minute drive from his house to Lena’s, he
hadn’t uttered a single word. She had expected him to start
needling her about the accident in the morning, asking for
compensation. To her surprise, he hadn’t.
“This is perfect. How can I thank you, dear?” It was Lena.
The blouse was back to perfection. All those hours of hard
work had paid off. Her friend was finally happy.
“You should thank Uma aunty. Vishal and Kishore as well.
Without them, it might have taken more time.”
“They are a jolly bunch. You must have had a good time
there.”
“Yes. I did,” Shreya said. Now that she thought about it,
Kishore had been kind to her. He hadn’t told his family about
the accident or tried to tease her. She owed him an apology
and a ‘thank you’.
As was the custom, friends and neighbours had arrived at
Lena’s home to wish her good luck. A dinner party and some
entertainment had been arranged for the guests. An orchestra
would be performing tonight and a temporary dance floor had
been erected in the middle of the courtyard where young girls
and boys were already dancing away to the music.
Shreya went to the room allotted to her and changed into a
comfortable chudidhar and top. A few other friends of Lena’s
had stayed back. Once the guests left, they were planning to
take over the stage and dance the night away. But before that,
a sumptuous dinner awaited them. Someone knocked
impatiently at her door. Shreya hurried to open the door.
“There you are. I am starving. Let’s eat something before
that wretched photographer asks me to pose for more weird
photos.” It was Lena.
Shreya laughed and hugged Lena. Lena, who was not

overly fond of dressing up, was mad that the photographer had
made her change costumes thrice already.
They walked through the semi-dark corridors, taking a

shortcut via the garden to the spacious dining hall housed
inside a beautiful shamiana, the ceremonial awning which
covered the entire front yard of Lena’s house. Multicoloured
fairy lights and decorative figurines had given a festive aura to
the surroundings.
Lena paused when her phone rang.
“It’s Anil. You go ahead. I’ll join you in a minute,” said

Lena. Her face was now devoid of all the clouds that had
marred it earlier.
Shreya sighed happily as she watched Lena chatter away
and walked towards the shamiana. Lena was a lucky girl. She
was marrying the man she loved.
The biggest drawback of her army upbringing was that

Shreya had never been at a place long enough to forge
relationships. She’d had her share of a few innocent crushes
and that was it. What good did it do to harbour crushes on
people you might never meet again? She was pragmatic and
never tried to tax her heart in any way. Or maybe none of the
men she had met had managed to steal her heart till now.
Caught in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the small boulder
in her path. Her foot struck it, and she stumbled and fell
forward. Two strong hands broke her fall. Shreya grabbed the
person’s arm to steady herself and clung to him till she
regained balance. She found herself pinned against a warm,
hard chest. At the brief contact, she tingled all over. Startled,
she looked up at her rescuer. Kishore. Blood rushed to her
cheeks and she quickly let go of his arm. Her abrupt
movement upset her balance and she swayed again. Kishore
caught her arm and steadied her yet another time.
“Slowly, not so fast,” said Kishore. He held onto her hand
till she gained back her balance.
“Thank you,” she muttered, feeling like a starstruck
teenager. The male in front of her was superstar material. He
was above six feet tall—nearly a foot taller than her. The surly
teen she knew had transformed into a gorgeous male capable
of making her heart skip multiple beats with a single glance.
He also smelled divine. She breathed in the woodsy fragrance
of his aftershave mingled with the musky smell of his cologne.
She reluctantly withdrew her hand and stepped back.
“You had dinner?” she asked, willing her wandering

thoughts to focus.
“No. I am helping them to serve. Will eat later. Not hungry

at all now,” he said. How nice of him to step in to help. This
was one thing that she loved about small-town Kerala
weddings. Most of the relatives and guests would volunteer to
help with catering or other chores. It was like the norm.
Lena, who had finished her call by then, interrupted them.

Shreya welcomed her intrusion and walked away from
Kishore with a quick wave of her hand. Every extra second in
his proximity was doing weird things to her.
While they ate, Shreya’s thoughts began to travel through

scandalous routes whenever Kishore appeared before them.
Once he passed by carrying a big container of curry and

she suddenly wondered how it would feel to be carried by
Kishore.
A little while later, she saw him standing in the direct line
of her vision, moving a chair to seat an elderly woman. Shreya
ogled at his very sturdy butt and had an insane urge to pat it.
Then he came to their table to serve them payasam, the

dessert of the feast, and she used the opportunity to scrutinize
his face up close. A smile played on his sensuous lips when he
saw her. And suddenly she wanted to know how it would feel
to be kissed by him. She choked on her food at the thought.
Lena handed her a glass of water and gave her a knowing look.
Shreya shrugged and concentrated on finishing her
payasam. The man was clearly a danger to her sanity.
Chapter 7
Kishore was starving by the time he sat down to have

dinner with his other friends who had helped to serve. The one
good thing about volunteering as a catering helper at the pre-
wedding dinners was that in the end, they were fed till their
tummies burst with food. Mostly, there would be alcohol
served along to thank them for all the help. Today’s exertion
had been fruitful in multiple ways.
Kishore had initially tried not to stare at Shreya all
evening. But then she had literally fallen into his arms and had
enchanted him with her coy smile and mesmerizing beauty.
Those brief moments when he had touched her had become
imprinted in his brain. Her skin had felt like satin. Her citrusy
fragrance had mesmerized him and those lips had resembled
rosebuds. A complete package of temptation. Tonight, was the
universe conspiring to put them together? It had almost
become impossible after that to stop his eyes from seeking her
out in the crowd.
The orchestra had stopped their performance as most of the
guests had already left. The silence felt welcome after hours of
torture by mediocre singers and terrible Karaoke singing by
some of the guests.
Just as he began eating, the loudspeakers came alive again,
this time blaring Bollywood hits. A giggling gang of kids had
begun dancing on the stage. His irritation at the loud music
vanished when he noticed that some kids were dragging Lena
and Shreya onto the stage. Kishore stopped eating and stared.
Her graceful movements reminded him of the enchanting
creature he had fallen head over heels in love with at school.
The hurt of her rejection reopened like a festering wound.
Kishore didn’t look at the stage again and concentrated on
eating. When he looked around, none of his friends seemed to
be eating. Their eyes were glued to the stage. Shreya and a few
other girls were now dancing to the latest Bollywood hit.
“That girl in pink is a bombshell. Do you know her

name?” asked the guy next to him. The girl in pink was
Shreya. Kishore’s anger rose to the surface like froth. He
elbowed the guy in the ribs.
“Stop ogling at her, got it?” he snapped.
The guy gave him a what’s-gotten-into-him stare and went
back to attacking the pieces of chicken on his plate.
Shreya looked in his direction at that moment and her gaze

pierced his heart. Just then, all the other dancers parted and sat
around to watch Shreya perform a duet dance with Lena. They
had chosen the song ‘Koi tumsa nahi’ from the movie Krrish.
Shreya had tied her dupatta across her forehead to take on the
role of the male dancer. It was a slow dance with mellow beats
and talked about pure love. Yet her every move made his body
temperature shoot up. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead
and his fingers ached with the need to touch her again. Kishore
swallowed. To his relief, the song ended soon and both Lena
and Shreya got off the stage. A group of four little girls started
dancing next.
Shreya was standing at one corner of the courtyard and
was quietly wiping the sweat from her neck with her shawl.
How would it feel like to press his lips on her slender neck? A
pleasant shiver raced across him at the thought. She looked in
his direction then and their eyes met. His lips automatically
curved into a smile. He pressed his index finger and thumb
together and flashed the well-done sign. She accepted the
compliment with a nod and then walked away with Lena after
mouthing a ‘goodnight’ to him.
Once they left, the elders came and switched off the
loudspeaker.
“Enough, kids! Off to the bed now.”
Kishore noticed that all the others had finished eating. He

hadn’t eaten much but he stood up and walked out of the
shamiana after refusing to be part of an alcohol binge with his
friends. He was already intoxicated. It was time to go home,
time to find a cure for his latest obsession.
When he got into his car, her thoughts gripped him again.
Was her citrusy scent still lingering in the car? Or was his
brain overreacting? He took a deep breath and was about to
start the engine when he noticed something glittering on the
mat in the passenger side. Leaning in, he picked it up. Her
silver anklet.
His first urge was to go in search of her and return it to her.

A perfect reason to see her once again. But then, he held it
inside his palm and gazed at it. It lay there looking pretty,
quite like its owner. He stared at it for a long minute and then
pressed it on his lips. It had adorned her lovely foot. He will
keep it. He tucked it into his T-shirt pocket.
To his relief, both his scheming mother and brother were
asleep by the time he returned home. His father answered the
door and let him in.
That night when sleep evaded him, he took the anklet in

his palm again and listened to its low tinkling sound. It
reminded him of her laughter. He ran his fingers on the
delicate lace-like design, thinking about her.
He finally fell asleep watching it as it lay on the other

pillow on his bed. In his dreams, its lovely owner took its
place right next to him, driving him crazy with her talks, her
laughter and her alluring beauty.
When he woke up, he felt lightheaded as if he had a

massive hangover. He gazed at the anklet lying on the pillow
and sighed. He should return it to her without delay. It was
leading him down a dangerous one-way lane. There was no
scope of returning if he ventured into it.
Did he want to go there?
Eighty percent of him was in favour of marching straight

there. It enticed him with visuals of Shreya on his bed, their
limbs tangled, their bodies spooning.
The measly twenty percent proclaimed vainly that he

would end up losing his carefree bachelor life. And suddenly,
his bachelorhood didn’t seem as attractive as before.
He couldn’t wait to see her again.
“Kishore, Amma is here. Are you not up yet?”
Kishore’s face lit up. Ammamma was here? So, Lena had
invited her to the wedding as well. But the problem was his
grandmother would immediately set the marriage bandwagon
into motion. And surprisingly, that didn’t seem like a bad thing
anymore.
https://t.me/magazineandbookpdf
While a song played on his lips, Kishore kept the anklet
secure in the innermost chamber of his cupboard and locked it.
With his sleuth of a brother poking around in his room often, it
was better to be safe than sorry.
He wasn’t ready to part with it. Not yet.

Chapter 8
“Isn’t that Arundhati ma’am? Is Uma aunty related to

her?” asked Shreya as she watched Arundhati, her favourite
writer, entering Lena’s house together with Uma. Lena’s
window offered a clear view of the entrance to her house.
“You don’t know? I invited her especially as I am a big
fan. I hadn’t expected her to come. It turns out, Anil is related
to her as well.”
“Good for you. I wish I had the copies of her books with
me. How I wish I could get them signed.”
“I think that won’t be necessary. If I go by how you were

interacting with a certain young man yesterday night, you will
soon be a part of her household.”
https://t.me/magazineandbookpdf
“Shut up.” Shreya’s cheeks grew warm as Kishore
appeared alongside Arundhati. She patted her hair and
smoothed her marigold yellow lehenga. Was she looking
okay? Lena’s beautician arrived just then and she got busy
arranging things for her. After making sure the lady had
everything she required, she excused herself and went out to
find Arundhati. Would she be as warm and enchanting like her
stories? She couldn’t wait to find out.
She needn’t have bothered because Uma sought her out
almost as soon as they entered the house. She met them in the
main hall.
“Amma, this is Shreya. The girl I told you about. Shreya,
this is my Amma, Arundhati Mukundan,” said Uma
introducing her to Arundhati.
“Smart girl. So, you are the one who stood up to this bully
while in school. I am impressed,” said Arundhati and she gave
an admonishing look at Kishore.
Shreya smiled nervously. Ugh, she could have used
another intro. Especially as the boy she knew as a bully was no
longer one. Kishore scratched his head and then slowly
escaped from the room.
“Uma told me you are a designer. Do you have your own
boutique?” asked Arundhati.
“No, ma’am. I used to work as an intern under a celebrity
designer in Mumbai. Now planning to set up a boutique in
Kasaragod.”
“That is wonderful,” said Arundhati. By then, many others
came by to talk to Arundhati. When Shreya tried to walk away,
Arundhati asked her to stay. Lena’s mother welcomed the new
guests and then led them into the dining room where the table
was laden with tea, sweets, fruits and snacks. All the women
soon settled on the many chairs around the table. Shreya had
already had breakfast, but Arundhati made her sit next to her.
“Uma, I heard your son has come home on vacation.

Aren’t you getting him married this time?” asked the lady
sitting beside Uma. Shreya wondered why her cheek felt
warm. For God’s sake, why was she so bothered by the
discussion?
“I wish to. But he isn’t interested. What can I do?”
“Not a good sign. Tie him up or he might come home
married to a foreigner just like Susheela’s son. Her son used to
say the exact same thing. I am not interested,” said the woman.
Many of the ladies laughed.
Was that why? Shreya knew that Kishore worked in the
United Arab Emirates. The UAE was a melting pot of multiple
cultures. It was possible to fall in love with a foreigner there.
A long, deep sigh escaped from her and she studied her
fingernails thoughtfully. It was better not to build castles in the
air yet.
“No. I don’t think he is in love or anything. He is a

workaholic. I want him to get married. Just yesterday morning,
he was wolfing down dosas like he had been starving all these
years. Burgers, bread and biscuits are all he eats. I should find
a good girl and get him settled. He needs some discipline in
his life,” said Uma.
“Okay. I know many good girls. Just let me know when he
is ready to come and see them,” said the same woman.
Shreya was disliking the woman with every passing

second. For one thing, she hated these marriage-interviews
that girls were forced to go through. Her parents had promised
her not to put her through the trauma. But she knew her own
mother set up secret interviews that felt like random meetings.
Many of these meetings often resulted in yeses from the boy’s
side and nay from her side when she came to know what had
actually happened. For one thing, she didn’t like being tricked.
And how could one like or dislike a person just by talking

for a few minutes? But her mother often shut her up using
herself as an example, “I have been married to your father for
twenty-six years. Do you think I know him fully yet?”
She had a point. Even those whom you met on a daily

basis and thought well of could be hiding darker sides.
Whatever, she was not ready to just throw her future making
assumptions. She wanted to get to know the man she would
marry before she married him. That was one thing that she
would insist on. No matter who it was.
One of Shreya’s friends got married to a guy within seven

days after meeting him at one such arranged marriage-
interview. She was shocked to hear that. How could she agree
to get tied to a stranger just like that? When she had voiced
that opinion at home, her grandmother had told her that
decades ago, while she was about to be married, she didn’t
even see her groom before marriage. And look at her, she had
produced eight children, hadn’t she? And she was the happiest
woman in all Puvattur.
Good for her. She had been one of those lucky women who
had found love by chance. But Shreya didn’t want to leave
everything to luck. She thanked her good stars that she was
born in this century where women had a say in selecting their
life partners.
“Are your parents here? I would like to meet them,”

Arundhati said to Shreya.
“They are not. They are travelling and would arrive back
this evening. I stayed here last night,” said Shreya. Her parents
had gone to visit Guruvayoor temple to offer prayers to Lord
Krishna who was the main deity there.
Why was Arundhati wishing to meet them? A doubt raised
its shy head in her mind. Were they considering her for
Kishore? Her cheeks felt hot just at the thought. It wouldn’t be
a bad thing to be his bride. He seemed genuinely nice. His
family had made her feel loved too. But was he even interested
in her?
A love letter from eons ago, a few stolen moments in his

arms and the fire in his eyes whenever he looked at her were
the only signs of his interest. Nothing solid. She wished for
more clarity.
The next few words from Uma crashed her daydream.
“We want to get him married before his vacation ends.”

What? Shreya’s eye grew wide with surprise.
“How long is his vacation this time?”
“Three months,” said Uma.
No way. Even if he was interested in her, there was no

fricking way that she would agree to a marriage that soon. She
wanted a long engagement, at least six months, to get to know
the man she would eventually marry. Marriage was not child’s
play.
Kishore was certainly not in her destiny.
But she forgot everything when he stood right behind her

as Anil married Lena. She could perceive his every movement.
She could feel his eyes burning into her and that had her pulse
racing. She wanted to turn and glance at him just to convince
herself that he was looking at her. But she didn’t dare to. Then,
while they were showering rose petals on the newlyweds after
they garlanded each other and sought blessings, she found
herself being showered with petals.
The person behind her was either too weak to aim the
petals at the wedded pair or the flower petals were for her. She
chuckled.
Chapter 9
Kishore had never liked yellow. But somehow, the colour

looked stunning on Shreya. He lingered near the outer
perimeter of the house and continued to watch her. His family
had taken her under their wing. Especially his grandmother.
And he could guess what was in the offing.
He wasn’t yet sure if he liked it or not. What if they went

ahead and asked Shreya’s parents for her hand? He wasn’t
even sure if he was ready for marriage yet. Hell yes, he was
attracted to Shreya. More than he liked. And his family had
definitely noticed. He wasn’t sure if it was a temporary feeling
caused by his unrequited love. After all, she had been the first
girl he had liked. More like obsessively loved. That love had
suffered a silent death. He didn’t know the extent of his
current feelings. Would it last?
Also, he wasn’t sure she was attracted to him. She treated
him like an acquaintance. His ideal wife should be his best
friend. She should know him better than anyone. Could Shreya
be all that? Looks-wise, she was everything he could wish for.
But other than that, he knew nothing much about her.
First things first, he had to stop his family from hounding
him to get married. Then he would find a way to get to know
Shreya. After all, she lived in Puvattur. Only a few miles
separated their houses. If they were compatible, he would
allow his family to meddle.
As of now, he wanted them off her back. He had to do
something or by today evening a proposal would go to
Shreya’s house. The way his mother and grandmother were
behaving, he could predict that much.
What if his childhood infatuation didn’t live up to his

expectations? He wasn’t even sure if that had been indeed
love.
The warmth he felt whenever Shreya came into his line of

vision convinced him of one thing—he wanted to explore the
depth of his feelings toward her. In fact, he could visualise her
as his partner easily. But he wanted to be sure. And for that, he
needed time alone with her. They should talk.
Kishore was so distracted with his thoughts that he hadn’t
even given attention to the main wedding rituals of his friend.
His focus had remained fixated on the girl who stood in front
of him, dressed from head to toe in yellow.
According to tradition, a group of friends and family
accompanied the bride to her new home on her wedding day.
Usually, the bride’s family would arrange a bus for this
purpose. Anil’s home was located in Kannur and the travel
time required was almost three hours from Puvattur. Hence,
Lena’s family had arranged a luxury bus. If Shreya was taking
the bus, he would join her. He desperately wanted to spend
time with her.
But he shouldn’t have worried. His scheming family were

one step ahead. They had convinced Shreya to go with them in
their SUV. He was overjoyed.
Also, Vishal had taken over the role of the driver and
hence he was free in that area too. And then when he entered
the SUV, Shreya was sitting alone in the last row of the SUV.
All the other seats were occupied.
“Go give Shreya some company. She is getting bored with
us oldies,” said Arundhati. Ugh, couldn’t his family stop
scheming so openly? Shreya seemed all flushed. She was
obviously embarrassed.
“Are you okay with this?” he asked as he sunk into the seat
next to her.
“What?”
“Everything. They are trying to throw us together. Can’t
you see?” he said, lowering his voice.
“Are you bothered?” she shot the question back. An

amused smile was playing on her lips.
“No. I am excited,” he continued in the same low voice.

He loved the blush that crept onto her face. Pleased, he leaned
back on the seat and let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was
holding.
With the ice thus broken, they began to talk. As the miles
and minutes flew past, his questions provided him with the
answers that he wished to know.
Soon he understood that she was a movie buff just like

him. She loved Mammooty more than Mohanlal. Atta girl, she
certainly belonged to his gang.
She also loved to travel. In fact, she had visited most of the
tourist places in India with her parents. Though she had always
dreamt of travelling abroad, the restrictions her father had on
travelling overseas had prevented them from visiting foreign
countries.
And she loved cooking. That was certainly a piece of

information his mother would love to hear.
But she was a huge football fan and did not like cricket
that much. He loved football, though not as much as cricket.
Once they reached Anil’s place, Shreya went into the

house with Lena to help her change her attire for the reception.
Kishore felt her absence as if she had always been beside him.
He was getting addicted to her smiles and her easy
camaraderie.
While Shreya led Lena to the decorated stage in Anil’s

courtyard where the newlyweds would be greeted by relatives,
Kishore experienced yet another emotion. Desire.
Shreya, bothered by the heat, swept her hair to the side.

She had worn a nearly backless choli, giving him the glimpse
of her flawless back. He looked around and saw that a few
other young men standing on the stage were ogling at her.
Taking quick strides, he stood behind her and then glared at
the men. They left the stage in haste. He stood that way,
wondering how it would feel to explore its smoothness with
his lips. He wanted to taste every inch of her. He was on the
verge of losing his control when thankfully, she flung her long
hair back.
They left Anil’s place after spending about two hours

there. Lena cried on Shreya’s shoulders when they were
leaving. When Shreya returned to the SUV, her eyes were red
from crying as well.
Kishore always felt bad for the girls on such occasions.

How difficult it would be for them to leave their home and
start anew at an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strangers? For
men like him, it was only about making space for a new
person in their life and inside their home. For the girls, it was a
difficult uprooting. And he discussed with Shreya about that.
“It is difficult when I think about it. But love can make any
place seem like paradise. By tomorrow, Lena would be smiling
broadly. It is just the initial nerves,” Shreya said.
Kishore studied her face as she said that. She clearly

wanted a love marriage. Not a hurried arranged marriage. She
deserved to be courted, wooed and loved thoroughly. And
strangely, he wanted to be the one walking her down that path.
While returning, they stopped at his mother’s ancestral
home in Sreepuram to drop Arundhati off. They all alighted to
have tea and snacks. Shreya was thrilled to finally see
Arundhati’s house.
“I wish I had your books with me to get them signed. But

can I come here and get them signed some day?” Shreya
asked.
“No need. I will give you signed copies of all my books.

Kishore, take her to the library and find her copies of my
books. I will sign them for her. Also, show her around the
home. She is coming here for the first time, remember?”
Kishore nodded. His grandmother was back in her Cupid
mode. But who was complaining?
First, he took her to the lower rooms which used to be

occupied by the boy gang of him and his cousins during school
vacations. He told Shreya about their childhood, his cousins
and their various summer adventures. Among his many
cousins, he was mainly attached to three of his maternal
cousins: Naveen, Navneet and Ananya. They always got
together during summer vacations and this house was full of
so many wonderful memories. As they passed by the various
rooms and spaces, he filled Shreya in about them. He wanted
her to know them, like them the way he did.
“This was officially our room. We never allowed
Ammamma to give it to anyone else,” he declared, showing her
the sunny little bedroom in the west wing that still held
remnants of his childhood. Arundhati had carefully preserved
and displayed photos of all the four boys. His old cricket bat, a
couple of school photos and a photo of him holding a trophy
he had won in high school were among the many items
displayed on the walls.
“I remember that boy,” said Shreya, pointing at his school

photo, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
“Of course, you do,” said Kishore. As an afterthought, he

added, “It still hurts, you know.” Playfully he patted his left
cheek.
Her face fell. Immediately, Kishore wished he hadn’t said

that.
“Hey, I was joking,” he said, cursing himself mentally. He

certainly needed lessons in courtship.
“Let me make it alright,” she said softly. Even as he stood
wondering what she meant by that, she closed the distance
between them and dropped a quick kiss on his left cheek. That
single kiss transformed him back into the teenager who had
pined for her for so long. When she turned away from him, he
reached out and pulled her into his arms.
“Not so fast. my dear. Not so fast. That’s not enough,” he
murmured. He caught her chin in his hand and felt its softness
with the pad of his thumb. He felt her trembling inside the
circle of his arms, yet she was looking deeply into his eyes.
Her petal-soft lips entranced him. The urge to taste them was
overpowering and his pulse thrummed. He touched her cheeks
and slowly lowered his mouth to hers. A single touch and
desire blinded him. He deepened the kiss even as he wondered
if his passion would scare her. But to his relief, she sighed and
parted her lips, melting in his arms as if she wanted this too.
He loved everything about her: the feel of her, her taste, her
scent.
Every second of their togetherness would forever be
etched in his memory. He didn’t want to let her go. Not now.
Not ever.
Footsteps sounded in the corridor and they quickly sprang
apart. Embarrassed, Shreya excused herself and slipped into
the attached toilet and closed the door behind her.
Uma appeared in the room a minute later.
“Where is Shreya?”
“She is in the washroom.”
“Okay. Good. So, what do you think? Can we go ahead
and request for her hand in marriage?” Uma whispered.
“What? Are you crazy? How can I marry her? I don’t even
know her,” said Kishore, lowering his voice. He knew that if
he said yes, tomorrow they would go to Shreya’s home. They
would fix the marriage and probably get them married within a
fortnight.
He didn’t want that. He wanted to savour many more
moments like these before she became his completely. He
wanted to take her to movies, go for long drives with her and
give her the taste of a heady romance before they embarked on
the journey of marriage. She deserved that.
And when he had showered her with enough love, he
would marry her.
Chapter 10
Shreya couldn’t believe her ears. “How can I marry her? I

don’t even know her.” Those had been Kishore’s exact words.
Were those words spoken by the same man who had kissed
her senseless just moments ago? She regretted giving in to the
temptation. What had she been thinking? She was beginning to
like him. Those hours in the SUV they had spent talking had
deepened the affection she had felt for him. Together with all
of Lena’s teasing, she had begun to dream a forever with him.
She had been hyper-aware of him throughout the day. What
had happened a few minutes ago had been the result of the
sexual energy that had been infusing around them all day. And
now he had thoughtlessly broken all her dreams.
So, that was it? He couldn’t marry her, but he could kiss
her? Or was all this part of his revenge? She felt like a fool.
She couldn’t wait to be away from him and the treacherous
web he had woven around her.
Shreya blinked back the tears that had started forming in
her eyes. She felt filthy. He had kissed her like he wanted to
consume her. She splashed water onto her face, willing it to
wash away the tingle left by his lips. Yet, her swollen lips
reminded her of how his kiss had made her feel. How could he
dismiss her so cruelly after what they had shared?
Shreya waited for Uma to go away. After arguing with
him, trying to coerce him into marrying her, she left. After
giving herself another minute or two to recover, Shreya re-
entered the room. Kishore was sitting on the bed, his head
resting on his palms. When he heard her enter, he looked up.
His face looked troubled. Was the thought of getting married
to her so disturbing to him? She would not trouble him in any
way. But she was not going to allow herself to be used again if
he was just seeking closure. Maybe his ego was now satisfied.
After all, he had taken a taste of what he had wanted all those
years ago.
She was about to walk out of the room when she heard him
calling her name softly. Her fickle heart melted and she
stopped.
“We need to talk,” said Kishore.
“No need. Don’t worry. I am not going to chase you just
because we shared a kiss. It was possibly disgusting to you as
well. I heard your conversation with Uma aunty. I have
forgotten all about it already,” she said, and then pasted a false
smile on her face. “Do take me to the library. I can’t wait to
hold autographed copies of my favourite books.”
Kishore seemed shocked by her reaction and stood up and

cleared his throat. She braced to hear his explanation. She was
saved from hearing any more of his lies by the arrival of
Arundhati, who had come to invite them both to have tea.
For the rest of the day, she avoided being in the vicinity of
Kishore. The SUV was half empty now that Arundhati and
Devi, her maid, had remained at Sreepuram. So, she sat next to
Uma. Kishore sat where they had sat previously. All through
the trip, she felt his eyes on her. And many times, she felt
close to crying. It required all her effort to remind herself that
she didn’t like him. Not anymore.
Shreya alighted from the SUV at Lena’s house. She felt
relieved when she entered her own house later that day. Back
in the closed confines of her own room that night, she had a
good cry. She ached all over. Badly.
The next day, Vishal brought her car home. She had half
expected Kishore to bring it. Her disloyal heart still tempted
her with images of that kiss and those hours of laughter they
had spent together. It had become his fan and told her he
would come to her. It told her that she had misunderstood
Kishore. Vishal’s presence made it clear to her that she needed
to put a tight rein on her heart.
“Kishore couldn’t come as he…”
“I know,” Shreya said, cutting him off midway through his

explanation. Of course, Kishore wouldn’t come. Why would
he? Her mother came in with tea then and she left them to
converse.
While walking to the kitchen, she texted Lena to call her
urgently. She didn’t want to face Vishal or see anyone from
Kishore’s family. It felt humiliating.
Like the loyal friend she was, Lena called while Shreya
was handing over a tray filled with sweets to her mother.
While her mother served them to Vishal, she excused herself
citing Lena’s call and escaped to her room. She came out only
after she saw Vishal walk out of the front gate.
That night at the dining table, her father told her about the
proposal. The boy worked in the US as a techie. He was home
on vacation and was searching for a bride. He had seen her at
Lena’s wedding and liked her. When his parents had enquired
if they were interested, her parents had asked to check if their
horoscopes matched. If it matched, they wanted the boy and
girl to meet.
“You are a lucky girl. Your horoscopes match perfectly.

The boy is handsome and belongs to a very reputed family.
You won’t believe this. He is related to Arundhati Mukundan,
your favourite writer,” Shreya’s stomach dropped on hearing
the last line.
Were they talking about Kishore? Had Uma aunty gone

ahead with the proposal? But Kishore worked in the UAE and
was a civil engineer. Had they got the details wrong?
“Abhishek is a charming boy. I have met him twice

already. Arundhati is his mother’s maternal aunt. He is Anil’s
cousin as well. In fact, they are neighbours. Can you even
dream of a better proposal?” said her father.
Abhishek. Not Kishore. Shreya was crestfallen. She hoped

her disappointment didn’t show on her face.
Of course, now it was up to her. What harm was there in

seeing the boy? After facing such a blunt rejection from
Kishore, it might soothe her wounded ego if his own cousin
liked her.
She needed to do something fast before her demented heart

made her commit something as crazy as calling him.
Chapter 11
A harsh light blinded Kishore as he opened his eyes.
“Close the curtains. I can’t stand the light,” he cried.

Vishal pulled the curtain closed and turned to him.
“Thank God, your temperature has gone down. Continue
to rest today as well. You will be back to normal within a day
or two.”
Kishore pulled himself up and sat up on the bed. His body
felt like a truck had over run it. Every inch of his body ached.
But the emotions that clamoured inside his heart were creating
more pain. He had hurt Shreya unintentionally. And he hadn’t
been able to right his error. He had to call her. No, he should
go and speak to her.
He set his foot on the floor and flinched. The tiled floor
felt too cold. With effort, he stood up and walked towards the
bathroom. On the way he picked up his bath towel. When he
was about to enter the bathroom, he swayed and sagged down.
Vishal caught him before he hit the ground.
“What do you think you were doing? Come and lie down.
Now,” shouted Vishal and half carried him back to his bed.
“I want to take a bath. I need to go…”
Vishal cut him off midway.

“You will do no such thing. For the last five days you were
burning with a fever that refused to come down. I was
seriously thinking of shifting you to the hospital if you didn’t
show any signs of recovery today as well. Today, you are at
least awake. Do you even remember anything from the last
few days?”
“Five days? What is wrong with me?” he asked. He
remembered coming down with an unbearable headache after
he returned home from Anil’s wedding that day. He had taken
a painkiller and slept. By next morning, he had developed a
high fever. Everything after that was a blur.
“A viral fever, though I couldn’t identify what kind.

Initially I thought it was dengue. You had similar symptoms.
But the lab ruled it out after a blood test.”
“I feel okay now. I think a trip outside would do me good.”
“Not today. You have been completely bedridden for the

last few days. Take a bath today.”
“I need to. You don’t understand. It is important. I have to

go out today,” said Kishore.
“What for? I will fetch whatever you want. Tell me.”
“No, you can’t. It is personal.”

“Personal? It can wait.”
“It can’t wait. You don’t understand.”
“Make me understand then.”

“I want to apologise to her. She is angry with me now.”
Vishal must have clearly understood whom he meant but

he didn’t say anything in reply.
It hurt even now when he recollected the way she had

behaved on their return journey. She had refused to even look
at him. Given him no chance to explain. But he couldn’t blame
her, could he? In an effort to make his mother slow down, he
had alienated Shreya. By the time he had reached home, his
thoughts were screaming in his head, holding him responsible
for hurting her. And then that ominous headache had made all
thoughts vanish. Only pain had remained.
“You see, at Sreepuram I hurt Shreya. Cruelly. I hadn’t
meant to,” he said, trying to make things clear to Vishal.
“What did you do? Did you try to exact revenge for your
old hurt?” Vishal’s face had turned red.
“No. I said something and hurt her. I didn’t mean to.”

“Whatever you did might have hurt her deeply. She didn’t
even want to hear anything about you when I went to return
her car.”
“You returned her car?”
Vishal nodded. Kishore had been planning to use it as an

excuse to go to Shreya’s home. But the fever had spoiled all
his plans.
“But anyway, it is all water under the bridge now. Leave

it.”
“What do you mean, water under the bridge? I still love
her. I want to marry her. I need to tell her that in person.”
Vishal’s jaw dropped open. He remained silent for a whole
minute and then swallowed.
“It is too late for that now,” he croaked.
All sorts of worst-case scenarios danced across Kishore’s

mind on hearing Vishal’s statement.
“Why?” he asked even as his pulse raced.
“She got engaged to our second cousin Abhishek

yesterday.”
Kishore shook his head. It couldn’t be. Breathing became
difficult, as if there wasn’t enough air in the room. Curling his
hands over his head, he bent forward as his body began to
tremble.
“I can’t lose her again. I can’t. I should do something,” he

muttered.
“What are you saying? She just got engaged to our cousin.
The wedding will be sometime in October.”
“That means I have time.”

“You are not thinking clearly. You can’t do anything now.”
“Engagements are broken every other day. I won’t allow

that idiot Abhishek to marry her.”
“What if she wants to marry him? She obviously agreed to

the proposal. Else the engagement wouldn’t have happened.
Also, as far as I know, you told mother that you don’t want to
marry her. If not, she would have done something to prevent
the engagement.”
“I did that because I wanted to spend more time with

Shreya before I married her. And how can she marry someone
else when she loves me?”
“She told you that?”

“No. But I know she loves me.”
“You were clearly mistaken. Spending a few hours in her

company doesn’t make you her lover.”
“We kissed, you idiot! And that single kiss told me
enough. And the very next moment I went and destroyed it all
by openly refusing to marry her.”
“You mean, you kissed her at Sreepuram? You are a
devious fellow,” said Vishal. He seemed very pleased by that
bit of information.
“Okay. Now help me. Take me to her. I have to talk to her
as soon as possible. How can she break my heart again?”
“Let me think. You can’t just go and propose to her now

that she is engaged. She belongs to Abhishek now.”
“Don’t tell me what I can or can’t do. I am going to her

now.” Kishore got up from the bed. He cursed and sat back as
another bout of dizziness came over him.
“I heard from mother that Abhishek is taking both the

families on a trip to Munnar so that the families can get to
know each other.”
“Honeymoon even before marriage? Over my dead body.”

Kishore seethed with anger as multiple images of Abhishek in
Shreya’s company assaulted him.
Abhishek kissing Shreya.
Abhishek hugging Shreya.
Abhishek making love to Shreya.

Kishore stood up and paced.
“Bro, your imagination is clearly running wild. Didn’t you

hear that her whole family is going as well? Many families are
doing it nowadays. A planned courtship.”
“Do you know where they are staying?”

“I don’t. But your friend Anil might know. I heard that
Abhishek is crashing his honeymoon. They are accompanying
Lena and Anil on their trip. They are cousins after all. The
poor fellow should have taken Lena somewhere far away from
that mad gang.”
Kishore couldn’t help but smile. Anil would not be pleased

at all. He really had an ally there. And Lena was Shreya’s
friend. A tiny bit of hope blossomed in his heart.
“Okay. When do they leave for the trip?”
“Today evening.”
“I have to pack now.”
“You are doing no such thing. Rest. You cannot travel

today.”
“No. No. I have to.”

“Listen, bro. I am your doctor. And I forbid you to travel
today. You need to get a grip on yourself. Shreya is not going
to vanish in a day. If she loves you as you claim she does, she
will be yours.”
“But it will be too late by then.”
“They are travelling by a mini bus late tonight. It is a

twelve-hour trip, at the very least. We will take a morning
flight from Mangalore to Kochi, which is the nearest airport,
tomorrow. From there we can take a cab to Munnar. We will
reach there by evening. We will only be a few hours apart that
way.”
“We? You need not come.”

“You are not stepping out of this house alone, my dear
brother. And I like her too. She will make a good sister.”
Kishore smiled at Vishal and fist-bumped him.
“Now rest. Let me book the tickets and find out where they
are staying.”
“Hey listen. Not a word about this to mother.”
“Okay.”
After Vishal left the room, Kishore sank back into his bed
and lay staring at the ceiling. His life resembled a
Shakespearean comedy. He had messed up so badly.
Would he be able to convince Shreya?
Chapter 12
Munnar, March 24, 2007
Munnar was breathtakingly beautiful in the early hours

of the morning. Despite the despair that was eating her from
within, Shreya couldn’t help but admire its beauty. The rolling
hills enveloped in mist reminded her of love songs filmed in
similar locations. One handsome face popped inadvertently
into her mind’s eye. She closed her eyes to get rid of the
visual.
Abhishek was snoring in a seat five rows behind her. For
several hours last night, he had bombarded her with glowing
tales about his life in America. He had bragged about his well-
paying job and the many trips he had gone on across America.
She would have tolerated it all if he had not started to paw her.
She had told him strictly not to touch her after he had
squeezed her thighs for the second time.
“But you are my fiancée,” he had said.

“So what? Don’t touch me that way again until we
marry. I won’t allow it.”
Abhishek looked crestfallen. The whole purpose of this
trip must have been to indulge in all sorts of such disgusting
things.
Shreya hadn’t even wanted to come on this trip. But her
parents were all in for a pro-bono trip to one of the prettiest
hill stations in South India along with her soon-to-be in-laws.
They were getting along famously. She often heard sounds of
laughter drifting towards her from the other end of the bus.
Her father must have unfurled his bundle of army tales and
jokes. He had his audience captivated.
She shouldn’t have agreed to this marriage. What had
she been thinking? Clearly, she had not been thinking. What
else? Kishore was Abhishek’s second cousin. In a moment of
madness, perhaps she had wanted to see Kishore’s reaction
when she got engaged to Abhishek. But no one from his
family had come, other than Arundhati. And she had felt
trapped from the moment Abhishek had slipped on the
engagement ring.
She fondly remembered the time she had spent talking
with Kishore on Lena’s wedding day. Every second had been
enjoyable. Every accidental touch had made her spirit soar.
And that kiss! Sweet, soul-stirring and unforgettable. It had
seared into her memory even though Kishore’s subsequent
words had killed all her joy.
Whatever, she couldn’t continue with this. To get even
with Kishore, she had committed the worst mistake ever. If she
couldn’t tolerate Abhishek even for a few hours, how was she
going to spend the rest of her life with him? She should end
this.
Or was her intolerance stemming out of Kishore’s

rejection? She had agreed to marry Abhishek mostly because,
even though they were cousins, they looked poles apart. While
Kishore was tall and fair, Abhishek was slightly dark and only
a few inches taller than her. She had thought she would never
compare Abhishek with his lean body and nerdy face to
Kishore’s athletic build and handsome face. Yet, every second
in Abhishek’s presence had reminded her of Kishore for some
unfathomable reason. She wasn’t in control of her own heart
anymore. It resolutely pined for Kishore. A tear slipped past
her lashes and rolled down her cheeks. She didn’t even bother
to wipe it.
“Can I sit with you for a while?”
Shreya surreptitiously wiped her cheeks upon hearing

the question. It was Arundhati. She had come along on the trip
with her maid Devi.
“Yes, of course,” said Shreya and scooted to the window
side of her seat.
Shreya’s heart raced. Arundhati hadn’t even greeted her
when they had met at the beginning of the trip. What did she
want to speak to her about? Shreya glanced at Abhishek. He
was still asleep and lost to the world.
“Why are you doing this?” Arundhati’s question shocked
her. It was as if she had seen through all her lies and pretences.
“What do you mean?” Shreya asked though she knew
exactly what she meant.
“Your heart is not in this relationship. I can see that.”

Shreya didn’t say anything. What could she say?
Arundhati was speaking the truth.
“I don’t know what happened between you and Kishore,
but it certainly was something that broke both of your hearts.
Have you even considered how Kishore would feel when he
saw you with Abhishek?”
“Why should I care about all that? He didn’t want to get
married to me. I heard him tell that to Uma aunty immediately
after he…” Shreya paused not wanting to tell Arundhati about
the kiss. Yet Shreya felt that Arundhati knew exactly what had
transpired between them. Perhaps her swollen lips that day had
given away her secret.
“Because he cares about you. He looked heartbroken

while leaving my home that day. What did you say to him?”
“I told him I wouldn’t chase him just because he had…”
“Kissed you?” Arundhati completed the sentence for her.

Shreya looked down, unable to face her. After remaining silent
for a while, Arundhati spoke again. “Isn’t that reason enough
to believe he loved you? As far as I know, he avoids girls like
the plague.”
“Why did he say he didn’t want to marry me then? And

if he really loved me, wouldn’t he have come forward when he
knew I was getting married to Abhishek?”
“Was that why you did it? To provoke him into

confessing his love?”
Shreya didn’t know what to say. Perhaps she had done it

exactly for that reason. Had she expected Kishore to dash into
the venue and declare forever love to her? In Bollywood style?
“Silly girl, he didn’t know. That is why! Perhaps he still
doesn’t know. The last time I spoke to Uma, he was still
unwell. He became bedridden with a debilitating fever since
the night of Lena’s wedding. Maybe you can tell me what
brought on that fever.”
Shreya’s heart dropped. A lump developed in her throat.
What had she done?
“How is he now?”
“I don’t know. Uma said he was better. But anyway, it

doesn’t matter, you have made your decision. He will have to
learn to deal with his heartbreak.”
“I didn’t know. I am so sorry. But how can you be sure

he is sick because of me?”
“If you have lived as long as me, you will know that
human beings don’t fall ill all of a sudden. Whatever happened
between you two hurt his very soul. Medicines failed to bring
down his fever for that very reason. Vishal was worried sick
about his condition because the fever simply refused to leave.”
A sob escaped from Shreya’s lips.
“I want to talk to him,” she murmured.
“First, end this charade you are playing. Abhishek

doesn’t deserve this.”
“I will.” She couldn’t wait to see Kishore.
But what she didn’t know at the time was that it

wouldn’t be so easy to end the charade she had begun.
Chapter 13
“You won’t believe it. He booked into the same resort as

us. I have all the mind to slap him.” Anil was still miffed at
Abhishek for messing up his honeymoon.
“You told me. Can you please give the directions now? We
took the wrong turn and ended up in the middle of nowhere,”
said Kishore. There was no road ahead. They had surely taken
the wrong turn at the last town they had passed. Their driver
seemed clueless as to the location of the resort.
Every passing minute tortured him physically and
emotionally. The fever had not completely gone. Vishal had
tried to dissuade him, but he wanted to meet Shreya as soon as
possible.
What if during the three days in Munnar, Abhishek
succeeded to win Shreya’s heart? Even now, his mission
seemed doomed right from the beginning. It seemed as if
destiny didn’t want him to be with Shreya. Otherwise, why did
he get that fever all of a sudden?
Why did Shreya get engaged to his own cousin?

It was the torture of the worse sort. Many times, he felt
like he was on a fool’s errand. He had missed his chance.
There was no way he would succeed. His pragmatic brain was
telling him over and over again, yet his stubborn heart
wouldn’t listen. He couldn’t give up now. Not when his heart
threatened to snap into two just at the thought of losing Shreya
forever.
Kishore gave the phone to the driver so that Anil could
instruct him.
“Sir, we have come almost twenty kilometres in the wrong

direction. Once upon a time, I knew these paths like the lines
on my palm. Growing old and taking the wrong turns every
time,” said Hanifa, the driver they had hired from Kochi, after
noting down the directions. Kishore swore. That meant they
wouldn’t reach the resort before midnight.
They had travelled a few miles along an arterial road in the

hilly terrain when the car’s headlight fell on a herd of
elephants crossing the road. The driver turned off the headlight
immediately. He swiftly reversed the car and retreated to a safe
distance. Then they watched as the group of elephants passed
by slowly. Most of them crossed the road within a few minutes
and moved out of sight. One lone tusker lingered and began
foraging on the roadside. Just when they thought the jumbo
was moving into the forest, another joined it. Kishore groaned.
While they waited, Hanifa launched into a series of stories
about travellers who had been killed by tuskers in the area.
The ordeal lasted for two hours. Kishore was almost at the end
of his wits by the time the duo slowly got up and vanished into
the forest. They all heaved in relief.
Perhaps they had thanked God too soon. Because this time,
the car failed to start.
“Now what?”
“Probably the fuel pump. It gives me trouble in almost

every trip,” said the driver. They all got out to inspect.
Kishore wanted to pull his hair out. He got into the car and
shut the door with a bang.
“Gently. The tuskers might return,” warned Hanifa.
When Vishal got into the car, he was shaking with

suppressed laughter. Kishore shot a withering glance at him.
Vishal settled into his seat and began humming a love

song. Kishore wanted to strangle him. The driver had perched
on the bonnet of the car smoking a beedi. Kishore got out and
snatched the beedi from him and took a long drag.
“Seems like a case of hopeless love,” said Hanifa, eyeing

him.
“What if it is? Do you have a solution?” snapped Kishore.

“Yes. Never fall in love. Else, you will drown and die.
Haven’t you heard? Ishq ek aag ka dariya hai, aur doob ke
jaana hai.”
Kishore glowered at the old man for reminding him of the
saying that love was a river of fire. The one trying to swim
across it was doomed to die.
Kishore pulled his hoodie over his head and plodded

forward along the moonlit road, urging his mind to calm
down. From somewhere deep inside the forest, the trumpets of
a pachyderm rang loud and clear. The possibility of the jumbos
lurking in the woods ambushing him didn’t seem as terrifying
as the prospect of Shreya being snatched away from him
forever. He continued walking. The sound of the trumpets
slowly faded away.
A cool breeze caressed him as it passed. The pearly moon

was shining brightly in the clear summer sky. Its beauty lit a
hope inside him.
Shreya’s anger was triggered by his rejection. Hadn’t she

melted in his arms when they had kissed? She loved him. He
was sure of that.
Was there a pain greater than the one inflicted by two

lovers on one another? He wasn’t going to let life sweep him
away from the one person he truly loved. He wanted her. All
of her. Her giggles, her frowns, her tears. Everything.
Chapter 14
Shreya paced in her room, waiting for her parents to arrive.

She couldn’t continue doing this. Not anymore. Not when
Kishore was uppermost in her mind. And certainly not when
Abhishek was being such a weirdo.
Abhishek had taken her around the resort immediately
upon their arrival. Whenever he had got the chance, he tried to
take her into his arms. He clearly didn’t understand the
meaning of the word ‘no.’ It had taken so much effort on her
part to escape from his perverse actions.
“All girls say no. Then when we unleash our little tricks,
they slowly start to come to us demanding more,” Abhishek
had said when she had repeated her warning at dinner.
“Count me out from among the tons of girls you know. I
am not interested.” Shreya had said. He had laughed aloud and
continued to hold onto her hands. She had left dinner midway
using a non-existing headache as an excuse. But if this
continued, she would surely go mad. She cursed the moment
she had decided to say yes to this relationship.
Her parents were in a jubilant mood when they entered the
room. She had heard Abhishek inviting them to visit him in
the states to help him furnish his house to prepare for Shreya’s
arrival. Due to her father’s high rank in the army, they hadn’t
travel abroad as he needed special permission. Since his
retirement, her father had been dreaming to go on a world tour.
“Once you get married, we are going to roam the world,”
her father declared, slumping down on the couch in their
bedroom.
“I don’t want to get married,” Shreya countered. Better to
get that out of the way as soon as possible.
The silence that loomed in the room was ominous.
“What do you mean you don’t want to get married?” her
father thundered. Shreya shuddered. She had almost forgotten
the temper outbursts of her father.
“What will we tell people?” added her mother. Her face
had drained off all colour.
“I don’t like Abhishek,” she managed.
“What is there not to like? He is good looking, has a good
job and comes from a good family. That is all that matters,”
said her father.
“How can you say that? It is my life. I can’t tolerate him
for even a few minutes. I hate his presence even. How can you
expect me to live with him all my life?”
“Where was this hatred when you agreed to get engaged?
Did I put a gun to your head to agree? If you commit to
something, learn to stick to it. You are not a kid anymore.
Marriage is not child’s play. Grow up.”
“Exactly. I know it is not child’s play. When I agreed to
this relationship, I didn’t know him much. But now that I am
getting to know him, I realise I cannot love him. Not in the
way a wife should love him. Please understand.”
“Is there something else we need to know? Are you in love
with somebody else, girl?”
Shreya didn’t know what to answer. She was saved from
the need to answer as her mother slipped into a dead faint. A
scream stuck in her throat as she raced to her mother.
“Don’t touch her. You and your unnecessary tantrums.

When are you going to grow up?”
Her father’s jibe brought a lump to her throat. In all her
growing up years, she’d had to take care of stuff herself,
thanks to her high school dropout, shy mother and her
absentee father. Be it college applications, travels, or going to
visit doctors, public offices, accountants or home-
maintenance, she had always been the one in charge.
Raghuthaman laid her mother on the bed and then

sprinkled water from the flask on her face. To her relief, her
mother opened her eyes. Yet, when Shreya took her hand in
hers, she burst into tears.
“It will be such a shame. Don’t make us go through it. I

would rather commit suicide than go through it. You know
how people will talk, right?” her mother said feebly.
Shreya squeezed her hands.

“Promise me you will stop this madness. Abhishek is a
good boy. The best you can get,” her mom demanded.
Shreya nodded. She was close to crying. She patted her
mother’s arms and escaped to the balcony of her room. She
couldn’t do this to her mother. Her mother had endured so
much in life. She was also a heart patient. She shouldn’t add to
her worries.
What had she gotten herself into?

She leaned on the wall of their room and then slid down to
the floor. Keeping her head on her knees, she sobbed.
A cloud parted in the sky and the moon showered its

pearly rays on her. Her heart ached.
She wished she hadn’t met Kishore.
She wished she hadn’t fallen in love.

She wished she hadn’t agreed to this marriage.
But she had met Kishore. She had fallen in love. She was
also bound to Abhishek forever now.
Her tears were not going to change anything.

Chapter 15
Their car rolled into the courtyard of the resort at two in

the afternoon. All of them headed directly to the restaurant to
pacify their growling stomachs. They hadn’t eaten or drank
anything since six the previous evening.
They ordered a thali meal because it would be served
immediately. Once the hunger diminished, Kishore looked up
from his plate and took in the surroundings.
Most of the customers in the restaurant seemed to be
honeymooners. They were lost in their own world and hardly
gave attention to anything around. Even if a bomb exploded in
their vicinity they wouldn’t know.
A group entered the restaurant then and Kishore

immediately recognised Shreya. Abhishek was right beside
her. She was laughing at something that he had said. Kishore’s
heart dropped. She looked so happy. Why had he come? He
felt like a fool. He looked away and concentrated on finishing
off the rest of his meal.
Vishal nudged him after a while. He had seen Shreya and

their gang. Kishore looked in their direction and waved at Anil
who was frantically trying to capture his attention. They had
all settled into the mezzanine floor of the restaurant, which
overlooked the area where they sat. Kishore avoided looking
in Shreya’s direction but he could feel her gaze on him. Anil
was asking him to join them. Kishore signed that he would
join them after he finished lunch.
“Listen. I think I should leave Shreya alone,” said Kishore.
“Are you out of your mind? We came all the way here just
because you wanted to talk to her.” Vishal sounded angry.
“It is not right. See how happy she is. I feel like an
intruder.”
“You are crazy. And a fool,” said Vishal.
“I am. I know. If they ask why we are here, tell I am
meeting a colleague who is a native of Munnar,” said Kishore.
“And who is that?” asked Vishal.
“His name is Ashok. Okay, I am not bluffing. I have a
colleague named Ashok who is a native of Munnar.
Unfortunately, he is in Dubai now. But they wouldn’t pry,
right?”
“They might not. But Ammamma might. The way she is

looking at you right now, she has seen through your
deceptions. Better come clean. At least to her.”
“I will tell her. But anyway, mine was a fool’s errand. I

shouldn’t have come,” said Kishore.
“Is your girl the one who is wearing the white top?” asked
Hanifa.
“Technically, she is not my girl anymore,” said Kishore,

raking his fingers through his hair.
“Trust me, she is still your girl. She has been staring at you
whenever she thought you were not looking. Look now. She is
staring at you again.”
Kishore gazed in Shreya’s direction and their eyes clashed.

Abhishek elbowed her then and she looked away. Was it
sadness that he had glimpsed in her beautiful eyes?
Vishal cleared his throat and said, “It will be better if we
stick to that story of yours. Else, you might get Shreya into
trouble. Her father is already looking at you every now and
then. Clearly, they are talking about you now.”
Kishore concentrated on finishing whatever was served in

his plate. As he ate without relishing its taste, he furiously
pondered if it was prudent to go up and meet them after lunch.
Maybe he should slip unnoticed and return to Puvattur. His
was a lost cause.
Yet, by the time he finished lunch, he couldn’t deny his
heart the pleasure of being near Shreya again. To breathe in
the same air she was breathing was a privilege he might never
have again in this lifetime.
After he had dallied downstairs long enough, he went up to
the mezzanine floor along with Vishal. Pasting a false smile
over his face, he greeted them all. He couldn’t make himself
look in Shreya’s direction. But the familiar citrusy fragrance
wafted towards him and his heart leapt against his ribs.
“Young man, I was wondering why you looked so familiar.
And Arundhati told me why. You are the spitting image of
your father. Mohan was my college buddy. It’s a pleasure
meeting you, lad. Come sit with us,” said Raghuthaman in his
booming voice.
Kishore felt another stab of disappointment. He had

messed up mightily. Shreya’s father would have waved a green
flag if he had asked for Shreya’s hand in marriage. If he
remembered right, Raghuthaman and his father had been best
friends in college. Though they hardly met after Raghuthaman
joined the army, they had occasionally kept in touch via letters
and phone calls. They would have blessed this relationship. No
wonder his mother was so interested in this alliance.
Kishore sat on the extra chair the waiter brought for him
and explained why he was here. While he talked, his eyes met
Shreya’s twice and each time a fiery fist engulfed his heart.
How was he ever going to forget her?
A while later, he bid goodbye to them after enduring a few

bear hugs from Shreya’s father. Ugh, the man obviously didn’t
know his own strength. His ribs ached as he dragged his tiny
suitcase to their room. Hanifa had left after making him
promise to call him for his wedding with Shreya.
He took a hot shower and pulled on some warm clothes.

He didn’t know why he had agreed to join them for a boating
trip they had planned.
How could he refuse when a certain fragrance was

tempting him?
It didn’t matter that they hadn’t exchanged even a single

word. Yet, her eloquent eyes had talked.
Hadn’t they enticed him to grab any chance to be in her

proximity again?
He was going.
Who was he to ignore his stubborn heart?

Chapter 16
Thank God for cooling glasses. They were a blessing in

disguise. She could look at Kishore as much as she wanted
because nobody would realise what she was gazing at. His
very presence here told her that he had come for her. She
didn’t believe a word of the story he had fed the others. She
had to do something. She felt like a fool when she had seen
how lovingly her father had treated him. He would have been
chuffed to have him as his son-in-law. God had a strange sense
of humour.
At the boating place, after they had donned the life jackets,
Abhishek selected a row-boat to explore the riverside view.
Though she had no clue how to row, she hoped Abhishek was
an expert. She was wrong. His choice of boat had nothing to
do with expertise but everything to do with the alone time it
would provide. While the paddle boats and motorboats raced
downstream within minutes, they moved in circles for a while,
trying to figure out how to row to make the boat move. It was
frustrating as hell. Abhishek was enjoying every second of it.
The guy had a stock of lewd jokes for every occasion. She was
finding it hard to tolerate him.
“Let’s sit together. That would make it easier to row,” said
Abhishek when they finally began to drift downstream. As of
now, they were seated at the opposite ends of the boat.
Though she despised the idea, it seemed sensible. She
wanted this ordeal to end as soon as possible. She had to find a
way to tell Kishore that she loved him. And that she wanted to
end this farce. She didn’t care about the temper tantrums her
father might throw. Her mother would understand. It was time
to take control of her life again.
Shreya knew that her decision to change positions was a
mistake the moment she sat near Abhishek. He welcomed her
with a pinch on her butt. Gross! She wanted to kick him but
sat down after glaring at him.
They had almost travelled a kilometre downstream when

Shreya felt Abhishek’s elbow pressing against the side of her
breast as he rowed. She shifted a bit to avoid it but the next
minute she felt it again. Her temper rose and she elbowed him
hard on his ribs. He lurched sideward with a groan and fell
into the river. As he fell, he grabbed frantically at the boat. The
motion upset the balance of the tiny boat. Before she could do
anything to stabilize it, the boat capsized.
Because of the life jacket, they remained floating.
Remembering the survival tips they had been taught, she
allowed herself to drift towards the boat and then held onto it
for dear life. Someone would surely pass by and see them.
Abhishek was trying to swim towards the shore. He didn’t
even stop to ask if she was alright. Either she had pissed him
off completely or had scared the shit out of him. She didn’t
care. She felt better being alone than with him.
The river current continued to drift her and the boat

downstream. As she watched, Abhishek was halfway to the
shore already. He gestured to her to swim as well. She only
knew the basics of swimming and had only swam in shallow
pools. There was no way she could swim across a river with
such strong undercurrents.
“I can’t. Go get help. I will hold on to this,” she shouted at
him. He continued to swim. After a while, he became
exhausted and slowed down.
The water was becoming colder as the sun was slowly
sinking down the horizon. Her teeth had begun to chatter when
she heard another boat. Her eyes lit up when she saw Vishal
and Kishore approaching in a motor boat. But the glee lasted
only for a few seconds. There was no way they could take
them both in as it was a tiny one which could hold only two.
As they approached, Abhishek called out to them.

“Help me. I am drowning.” Perhaps the cold had got to
him as well. His face had become red.
“You go help him. I will be with Shreya. Come back for
us. I will try and get ourselves to the shore,” shouted Kishore.
Without even waiting for Vishal’s approval, Kishore

jumped into the water and was near her within a minute.
“You, okay?” he asked and her heart warmed over.

“I am now,” she said. Kishore looked deeply into her eyes
and his eyes became intense as if he understood what she had
meant.
Vishal dragged Abhishek onto his boat and then the duo
left, leaving them with each other. To Shreya, the cold didn’t
matter anymore.
“Don’t leave me, Kishore. Please,” she said.

“I won’t, darling. Don’t worry,” he said moving closer.
Darling! That single word sent energy gushing through her
entire being.
They drifted downstream together to where the river was

nearing a curve.
“The current becomes stronger there as another shorter

stream joins it.” Kishore said, pointing to the bend in the river.
“We have to swim to the shore. Do you know how to swim?”
“I do, but I have never swum in a river.”
“Your teeth are chattering. The cold water has already

robbed your body heat, I fear. You need to get out of water
fast. Can’t wait for help to arrive.”
“I don’t know if I can manage.”

“Just hold onto me. I will guide you,” said Kishore and he
made her hold the belt of his life jacket. And they were off.
She held onto him as he swam towards the shore with

steady strokes. He was a strong swimmer.
“You are good,” she commented as they finally reached the

safety of the shore. He had swum so effortlessly, dragging her
along.
“I don’t miss a day at the pool. It is the only routine I never

break back in Sharjah. Some of us friends also go swimming
in the ocean,” he said.
“No wonder,” she said. She shivered as a passing breeze

caressed her.
“You need to get out of these wet clothes as fast as
possible. You need to get warm.” Saying this, he pulled off his
jacket and shirt and wrung out the water from it.
Shreya stared at his perfect abs and sighed.
“I can think of a perfect way to get warm,” she said.
“What?”
Instead of answering, she moved into his arms and hugged

him tight.
She heard him let out a whoosh sound. Next moment, he

had wound his arms around her and was embracing her.
“I love you, Kishore. Forgive me. I acted like a fool,” she

said.
“Sshh…Don’t say anything, darling. I am the fool. I

messed everything up.”
His lips claimed hers with a hunger that took her breath
away. She pressed herself against him and allowed herself to
revel in the feeling of happiness that coursed through her.
“Don’t let anything come between us again. Take me away

from here, Kishore. My parents are determined to make me
marry Abhishek. I would rather die than marry him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I won’t marry that guy. You should marry me.”
“Yes. Of course. First let’s get back to the resort. I will talk
to your parents. They will be worried.”
They heard an approaching motorboat and called out to

attract their attention. Whoever was passing didn’t hear or see
them. Darkness was already surrounding them. Yet, she wasn’t
worried. The one she loved was near her, after all.
Kishore swore as the sound of the boat died downstream.

“What will we do now?” she asked.
“Don’t worry, we will find a way.”

As she looked around, a faraway light flickering through
the trees caught her eye. She showed it to Kishore.
“I think that’s a house.”

“Yes. Let’s go. We need to alert Vishal and your father.
They will be worried.”
So off they walked in the direction of the lights, making

way through thick bushes, and finally found what seemed to
be a narrow path that led towards the hut. Their heartbeats
were now merry and hopeful.
Chapter 17
The light source turned out to be a beautiful cottage owned

by an old couple. Joseph and Sara were relaxing on the porch
with hot cups of tea when Kishore and Shreya entered their
compound. They welcomed them in after Kishore explained
their predicament.
“Honeymooners. He must have tried some hanky-panky

while on the boat. Otherwise, why would a boat capsize?”
muttered Sara as she handed a nightie to Shreya. Kishore bit
his inner cheeks to stop himself from laughing out.
Sara wrinkled her brows as she handed a mundu and T-

shirt to him. Kishore didn’t say anything. It was better to let
them believe that they were a married couple.
“You did. I know. You look the type. Just like that rickety
old man there who trapped me,” said Sara, waggling her index
finger at Joseph. Joseph flashed a toothless smile and she
snorted.
“Change out of the wet clothes and hand them to me. I will
put them in front of the radiator so that they dry out,” said Sara
to Shreya.
Sara showed them into their spare bedroom. The cottage,
though small, was fitted with all modern amenities and was
sparkling clean. Old Joseph really did care for his old woman.
The bedroom they were shown into also had a fireplace.
Extreme winters in Munnar would be intolerable if not for
such fireplaces.
Shreya went into the attached bathroom to change. Kishore
got out of his wet clothes and wore Joseph’s T-shirt and
mundu. The T-shirt was slightly tight but comfortable.
Kishore enquired if they had a phone.
“There is a landline. It’s not working properly. You can
only speak. You can’t properly hear what the person at the
other end of the line is saying, but they can hear you,” said
Joseph. “Have been complaining since eons but they haven’t
replaced it yet. You know how government agencies are!”
It would suffice. He had to just let Vishal know that they
were safe. He would be out of his mind with worry by now.
He dialled Vishal’s number and he picked up on the first
ring. As Joseph said, the voice was broken and faint.
“Vishal, it is Kishore. We are safe and at a small cottage
along the river bank. We will return to the resort early in the
morning as it is dark already. Tell Shreya’s father that she is
alright and not to worry,” Kishore said.
Vishal was saying something but he couldn’t understand a
single word.
“Listen, I can’t hear anything you are saying. Don’t worry,
okay?”
Vishal continued to ask something but Kishore gave up

trying to decipher after a few minutes. The strange buzzing in
the phone that began whenever the person at the other end
spoke was irritating as hell.
“I am hanging up. Hold the fort till morning. I hope
Abhishek is okay.”
He hung up and turned to find Joseph flashing his toothless
grin.
“I told you. It is useless. You are stuck here for tonight. I
am delighted. We rarely have company.”
Sara had vanished into the kitchen and he could hear the
clattering of vessels.
“You sit. Let’s play a game of cards.”
Joseph had pulled out a deck of cards already and had

started shuffling. Just as they began playing, Shreya emerged
out of the bedroom dressed in a pink nightie. Kishore forgot to
breathe. As Sara was chubby and short, the nightie reached a
few inches below her knees, revealing silky, smooth skin. She
walked into the kitchen to handover the wet clothes to Sara to
get them dried. She had picked his clothes as well.
While he played cards with Joseph, his whole attention
was on what Shreya was talking with Sara. He heard them
laughing. What were they talking about?
“Boy, you are going to lose badly if you don’t concentrate
on the game,” warned Joseph.
But all Kishore could think about was how it would feel to
touch her toes, to…. Ugh, he should stop fantasizing.
The women brought in dinner in a while. Sara had indeed

magic in her fingers. Dinner was generous and was finger-
licking good. He attacked the kappa and fish curry
combination with relish.
“He is a keeper. See how he is eating? The path to his heart

is definitely via his stomach, girl,” said Sara, addressing
Shreya.
Shreya looked at him coyly and he forgot to eat. Sara had
no idea that the said girl had already cemented a place for
herself inside his heart.
After dinner, all four of them sat and talked. Sara was an
Anglo-Indian whose British grandfather had made Munnar his
home. Joseph, an English professor from Kozhikode, had
come to Munnar in his youth and fallen in love with Sara. He
had stayed back and made Munnar his home.
“When love comes calling, one does not say no. If anyone
did so, he is the biggest fool in the world. For there is nothing
in this world like love,” declared Joseph as he poured wine to
all of them.
Kishore gazed at Shreya and the love he saw in her eyes

enraptured him. He sipped the wine as his hungry eyes raked
her from head to toe.
Joseph was slowly turning into the romantic hero who had
won Sara’s heart long ago. He led Sara to the chair in front of
the fireplace and made sure she was comfortable before he
started to recite poems in her honour. It was heartening to see
such genuine love.
“… I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.”
Joseph picked up Sara’s hand and kissed it as he finished

reciting Elizabeth Barret Browning’s sonnet ‘How do I love
thee.’
“Stop it, old man. You are making me cry,” Sara said and
wiped a few tears that were running down her cheeks. Even
Shreya sniffled.
While they were getting ready for bed, Sara came in with a
bag of coal and lit the fireplace.
“The air inside gets cold towards the morning. Add in a

few more coals before you sleep. Have a goodnight, darlings,”
Sara said as she softly closed the door behind her.
Kishore perched on his side of the bed, trying hard not to

look in Shreya’s direction. His resolution lasted for exactly
five seconds. The amber light of the fire lit a fire within him as
it had made her nightie look almost translucent. Her entire
body glowed. He became aroused as his eyes involuntarily
scanned her from top to bottom. He turned away and bounced
his knees. Maybe he should sleep on the couch in the living
room. There was no way he would survive the night if he
didn’t touch her, kiss her and made sweet love to her.
He stood up and was about to walk away when he heard

Shreya calling his name softly.
“Stay. God has plans. Don’t you think we should listen?”
she asked.
“No, Shreya. You are still engaged to Abhishek. I

cannot…”
“You cannot what, Kishore? Because I am not going to be

Abhishek’s ever. I only want to be yours. Today and forever.”
“That is what I want too,” he whispered and sat back on

the bed. Shreya moved closer to him and rested her head on
his shoulders.
“I want us to grow old together like Sara and Joseph. They

are still so much in love.”
“I would love that,” Kishore said and smoothed her silky
soft hair. He couldn’t stop himself from burying his head
between her tresses. This was heaven.
They sat that way and talked. Creating new dreams and
sharing jokes. As the room began to get warm, the sexual
tension in the room too became palpable. Kishore cupped her
face and dipped his face to taste her tempting lips. He groaned
upon hearing the soft, tempting moans coming from her throat.
“We shouldn’t do this. It is wrong. Ask me to stop,

darling,” he whispered against her mouth.
“Don’t stop. We can. We must.”
“I want you more than anything that I’ve ever wanted. But
we should stop,” he said. But his hands had a mind of their
own and they strayed. They cupped her breasts and stroked
them. He gasped when he realised she was naked underneath
the thin nightgown.
“Don’t you think the room has become too warm?”

Shreya’s eyes twinkled with mischief.
Before he could blink, she got up on his knees and yanked

the nightie over her head.
Then she sat coyly, every inch of her skin glowing and
exposed. Her dark, silky tresses that hugged her hips made it
even more enticing. As if that was not enough, she sent a
flying kiss his way, teasing the hell out of him.
And he certainly was no angel.
Leaning across the bed, he pulled her onto his lap.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, admiring the way
her silky skin gleamed in the flickering orange glow from the
fireplace. Shreya arched and offered her lips to him for a kiss.
His mouth came down on hers hungrily. Her lips parted with a
content sigh as he urged them open with his tongue. She
twined her hands around his neck as he continued to tease and
torment her.
“I want you, Shreya. I want you so badly,” he breathed

against her ears.
“I am yours, Kishore. Tonight, and every night from now
on.”
“And I am yours,” said Kishore, planting another soft kiss
on her cheek.
And with such solemn promises, their worlds became one.

Chapter 18
The feel of him against her, all warm and male, felt
wonderful. Birds were chirping and the world outside was
slowly becoming bright.
Kishore was sprawled over her, his right hand resting
possessively over the curve of her hip. They had hardly slept
last night. She blushed, wondering if she had been too loud.
Did Sara and Joseph hear her cries of ecstasy? He had claimed
her thrice and each time, she had loved the sense of being his.
Her whole world had become just him.
She didn’t want to go back to the resort where reality

awaited her. Couldn’t they just stay here or run away together?
Kishore stirred then and pulled her closer. His hands

roamed over her, seeking and teasing her pleasure points one
after the other. Soon he was driving into her, possessing her,
stretching her, taking her to that special place where he had
taken her multiple times the night before.
Everything felt right as he finally slumped over her, his
muscular body pinning her down on the mattress.
“I love you. I adore you. I can’t live without you. Marry
me, Shreya.”
“Neither can I. Of course, I will marry you,” she said,
kissing his sensual lips again.
They showered together and ended up in bed again. It took

all her effort to drag herself to the kitchen and grab their
clothes.
They had just finished breakfast and changed into their
own dry clothes when they heard voices coming in the
direction of the house. It was a search party led by her father
and Vishal.
When he saw Shreya, Raghuthaman ran toward her and
hugged her. He then thanked Kishore profusely for saving her.
Then he ran and shook the hands of Sara and Joseph for taking
such good care of his kids.
While they were strolling back to the main road, Shreya

kept walking next to Kishore. She was reluctant to leave his
side.
“How is Abhishek? Is he okay?” Kishore asked
Raghuthaman.
“Down with fever. A small shock and he is down sick like
a baby. I wonder how he is going to take care of my daughter.”
Her father seemed disappointed in his future son-in-law.
Shreya took that as a cue and jumped in.

“I don’t want to marry him. The boat capsized because he
tried to—” She hadn’t even completed what she had begun
before her father cut her speech short.
“Don’t marry that fool,” he murmured. He seemed lost in
thoughts. All the fight seemed to have gone out of him.
“Dad, I am sorry. But I can’t marry him,” Shreya said.
“Who will marry you then? The whole world knows you
came with him on this tour. No sane guy will marry you.” Her
father turned away from her and started walking as though he
was in a trance.
“I will,” said Kishore.
Raghuthaman stopped walking and stared at Kishore, his
mouth open in a big O.
“I love Shreya. I will marry her in a blink,” Kishore

repeated.
“That’s settled then. I will talk to Abhishek’s parents and

call off the engagement. Nothing better.” Raghuthaman
resumed walking.
Shreya couldn’t believe her ears. She froze. She stared at

the retreating back of her father, holding onto Kishore’s hand.
What had just happened?
Vishal flashed a thumbs-up sign at them and grinned. He

quickly followed Raghuthaman who seemed eager to give
them privacy. Maybe he wanted Kishore to repeat his proposal
in private.
Kishore pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard on her
mouth.
“I can’t believe you are finally going to be mine,” said
Kishore.
“Thank God my father is super impressed by you.”
“Thank God!”
“And thank God he doesn’t know how this young man had
thoroughly ravished his daughter yesterday night,” said
Shreya.
“THANK GOD!” said Kishore loudly. They both laughed
together.
Back at the resort, it was chaos once Raghuthaman
declared his intention to call off the engagement. But he stuck
his foot down and stood firm in his decision. He wasn’t going
to give his daughter to an indecent coward.
Shreya happily hugged Arundhati as she came to

congratulate them both.
“Destiny plays such devious games. I am so glad that you

are finally together. Now stop dallying and marry her as soon
as possible,” she said, addressing Kishore.
“Do we have a priest here at the resort? I am ready to

marry her now.”
“Your mother will fry you alive if you did such a thing.
She has made elaborate plans for your wedding. Don’t you
dare break her heart,” warned Arundhati.
Uma was ecstatic when she heard the news. She
immediately disconnected the phone, saying she had to run to
the astrologer.
Arundhati stayed with her as Kishore and Vishal went to
make travel arrangements. Abhishek and family had left the
resort in anger. Shreya made Arundhati tell her about the
mischiefs the gang of cousins did at Sreepuram every summer.
“All my grandchildren are my precious darlings. Kishore is

a gem and I am glad he found you.”
Shreya agreed readily. She had never been so happy.
Vishal and Kishore returned within an hour. They had

booked a minibus so that they could all travel together
comfortably.
Uma called again while they were packing to leave.
Kishore put the phone on speaker mode.
“Kishore, I consulted the astrologer. There is a muhurtham

tomorrow morning and the only other muhurtham in the next
few months is on May 31.”
Kishore immediately said he wanted to get married in the

available muhurtham the next day. Uma would hear none of it.
“Mom, my vacation ends on June 5th,” complained

Kishore.
“So what?”
Shreya giggled as Kishore uttered a curse and flung the
phone on his bed after hanging up.
So much for their dream of going on a honeymoon to

Europe. Kishore had told her about his planned Europe trip.
Vishal mouthed ‘chill.’ Arundhati left to share the news

with Shreya’s parents and Vishal followed her.
“Maybe we can go for the honeymoon before marriage.
What say?” Kishore whispered when they were finally alone.
“I am ready. Anytime.”
Kishore swept her into his arms and showered her with
kisses.
Chapter 19
Puvattur, May 5, 2007
He should have eloped with Shreya rather than giving in to

his family’s demands of an elaborate family wedding. The
entire thing had sucked Shreya into an endless mire of
shopping, random trips to homes of her relatives and the
beauty parlour. Her father had forbidden him to visit her often.
“Young man, we don’t want tongues to wag again. Stop
coming here so frequently. It is only a matter of a few weeks
more. She is going to be near you full time from then.”
Raghuthaman had said and chuckled. Kishore had laughed
along, though he had all the mind to growl at him.
She wasn’t even available to talk on the phone today. She
hadn’t answered his texts either. He was going mad.
“I have good news. Your elusive bride is joining us

tomorrow to shop for the wedding sari. Mom thought it would
be wise to take her along. She is a dress designer and would be
having a clear vision about her wedding look.”
“Excellent. At least, I will get to see her face.”
“Seeing. That is all you can expect. There will be six pairs
of eyes watching you both like hawks.”
“Six? Who all are coming?”

“Mom, Dad, Ammamma, Devi, Gopu and me.” Great!
Ammamma was bringing her man Friday Gopu and his wife
Devi as well. Gopu was newly married to Arundhati’s maid,
Devi. She considered them family.
“You too? Damn it. Do something and grant us some alone
time. You can ask me for anything.”
“Hmm. I will find a way if you promise to send an Apple
MacBook Pro as soon as you reach Dubai.”
“But…” he began and stopped. He had already gifted
Vishal the latest iPhone this time.
“Okay, then,” said Vishal as he turned around, ready to exit
his room.
“Okay. Okay. I promise.”
“Great. I will put my grey cells to work and find a way to

give you lovebirds some trouble-free time.”
Even if he didn’t, Kishore was going to find a way to carve

out some alone time with Shreya.
But none of Vishal’s efforts seemed to be working this
time. When Kishore stepped into his SUV the next morning,
Shreya smiled at him. But to his dismay, she was flanked on
both sides by his grumpy looking Mom and his Ammamma.
His Ammamma, who had conspired shamelessly to put them
together before their engagement, didn’t budge an inch when
he gestured that he wished to sit near Shreya.
“Patience, young man. Patience and fortitude conquer all

things, said Emerson,” Arundhati whispered to him as he
flopped onto the seat behind them.
“Emerson can go and die,” muttered Kishore to himself.
But wait, the guy was already dead. He breathed in deep as
Shreya’s citrusy scent assaulted his senses. He wanted to touch
her, feel her and desperately wanted to kiss her. Oof!
His entire family, including Vishal, seemed bent on

making sure that he and Shreya were never left in each other’s
proximity for more than a few seconds. He hadn’t even been
able to hold her hand once. Whenever such a possibility arose,
he was immediately called to inspect one or the other
disgusting piece of cloth or Shreya would be called to ask for
her opinion about an item they were purchasing for her.
“I have convinced everyone that we should watch the latest
blockbuster movie at the mall today. Grab your chance and
make use of it to the fullest. I will make sure that the seat
beside Shreya is empty. You join us last,” said Vishal as they
were eating lunch.
Kishore would have kissed Vishal. He felt that happy even

though his family was continuing their keep-Shreya-away-
from-Kishore-he-might-eat-her strategy. This time, she was
sitting between Devi and his father. Ugh.
Kishore waited. He had taken over the task of loading the

SUV with their shopping bags as the others went into the
theatre. He deliberately waited outside till the movie began
and the theatre plunged into darkness. Then he stumbled
through the darkness till he found his way to the last row of
the aisle, where their seats were. He flopped into the empty
seat at the edge. His heart was thumping hard. His right hand
roamed towards the person sitting next to him and landed on
the arm that lay over the armrest. Instead of the silky arm that
he had hoped to find, he encountered a hairy one.
“Yes, son. You wanted to tell me something?” It was his

father. He’d had it.
“No. Nothing.” What else could he say.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he found that Shreya

was sitting at the other end of the row. The seat next to her was
empty. She was looking around as if she was searching for
him. His darling. She was as anxious to be near him as he was
to be near her.
He waited for the intermission so that he could claim his

rightful place beside her. But luck was totally not on his side
or perhaps his family had foreseen his intention. When he got
up to go to her, Arundhati, who had gone to the washroom
sometime before interval, returned and sat on the empty seat
next to Shreya.
As if they pitied his plight, on the way back home he found

Shreya waiting for him in the back seat, her face beaming. His
family suddenly seemed to have turned deaf and blind. Music
was blaring in the SUV. No one bothered to check on them.
They got only fifteen minutes before the SUV rolled into
Shreya’s courtyard. But they had talked and canoodled as
much as they could.
It was the happiest fifteen minutes Kishore had

experienced in a long while.
Chapter 20
Shreya bit her nails nervously as she paced inside her

bathroom. Never had five minutes felt so long. She shuddered
when the timer on her mobile beeped. It was time to face
reality. With fingers that trembled like leaves, she picked up
the pregnancy test strip. There was only a single red line. A
single red line! She was not pregnant. She sat weakly on the
commode and exhaled deeply.
She wasn’t ready for an ill-timed pregnancy. When she had
surrendered herself to Kishore at Munnar, pregnancy had been
the last thing on her mind. Lust had blinded them both.
Next month her periods had failed to come on time. She
never had irregular periods. Because of what had happened in
Munnar, she had begun to panic. She checked for pregnancy
symptoms online. Even though she had none of the symptoms,
just to be sure, she’d asked Lena for help.
Lena was an expert when it came to all things connected to

getting pregnant. In fact, she was obsessed with getting
pregnant these days.
“I want to get pregnant in the first year of our marriage,”
Lena had declared when she was about to get married.
So, when Shreya told Lena about her doubts this morning,
Lena had quickly arrived with a pregnancy test kit.
“Don’t worry. Even if you are pregnant, you’re soon
getting married to the father of your child. I’m sure he will be
elated.”
“Shut up. I don’t want to be pregnant now. I don’t want the
arrival of my first child to become fodder for the gossip mill. I
should have got my period on April 20th. It is never this late.”
“You should have considered all this before you gave in to
lust,” teased Lena.
When Shreya glared at her, Lena chuckled and had quietly

gone out of the room.
Shreya had almost told Kishore about it when they had met
the previous day.
“Do you like kids?” she had asked tentatively while they
were returning from the shopping expedition.
“I like them. But get pregnant only after I make love to
you at least a thousand times,” he had said in a husky voice
before planting a brief kiss on her lips.
From then on, she had fretted over those words and bitten
off half her nails. Thankfully, she could now relax.
“Are you not getting out?” Lena pounded on the door.
Shreya pulled the door of the bathroom open and hugged

her.
“I’m not pregnant.”

“I knew. If you were, I would have never forgiven you for
overtaking me.”
Shreya giggled.
It was only a few days later that her much-delayed visitor
made an appearance. Never had she welcomed her monthly
visitor with so much enthusiasm. Even the pain that
accompanied it didn’t bother her.
Her home was being repainted after years. New furniture,
new curtains, her father was giving her home a totally new
look. Her relatives too had started arriving to help with the
wedding arrangements. Female relatives had started dropping
heavy hints about ‘the wedding night’ and started teasing her.
How would they react if they realized she already knew all
about it?
On the eve of her wedding, when she was getting ready for
bed, her mother came in to her room and sat on her bed. She
appeared tense. Was she worried that her only daughter was
getting married the next day? Or was it something else?
After sitting silent for several moments, her mother cleared
her throat and began in a monotonous tone, “It is a mother’s
duty to let her daughter know what to expect on the wedding
night.”
Shreya’s jaw dropped open. Was she going to talk about
that? Oh my God! Shreya wanted to flee from the room.
“My mother had alerted me and hence what followed did

not terrify me. She wants you to be prepared as well. Has been
behind me since weeks.”
Her loving grandma! Always so concerned.
“Don’t say another word. I know everything.”

Her mother narrowed her eyes and asked, “How?”
“Lena… she told me a bit. Also, I have read about it in

books,” Shreya managed.
“They write about it in books? Disgusting.”
Shreya tried hard not to laugh. She seriously pitied her

mother. She had perhaps never experienced the pleasure of
reading romances.
But her mother appeared relieved. She placed a kiss on

Shreya’s forehead and bid her goodnight. When she went,
Shreya wondered what she would have told her. It would have
been a real ordeal. Thank God she didn’t need lessons.
And at that moment her phone began to ring. She smiled. It
was her ‘teacher’, the one who had taught her things she
hadn’t known about her own body.
Shreya picked up her phone and flopped onto her bed.
Instead of a hello, she was greeted by what sounded like the
jingle of anklets.
“What is that sound?” she asked, puzzled by the sound.
“It is being made by my bedtime companion,” Kishore

said.
Shreya knew he was joking but still she felt stabs of panic
and jealousy.
“You don’t miss this?” he asked making the jingling sound

again.
“Miss what?”
“Aren’t you slow? Your anklet, darling,” he said.
“But how did you get it? I lost it on the eve of Lena’s
wedding. You should have given it to me. I got scolded for
being careless, you know?”
“By losing it, you gave me something to remind me of
you. If not for this, I might have soon forgotten you,” said
Kishore.
“You would have?”
“Nay, just joking. How can I ever forget you? I have to

only touch my left cheek to remember you.”
Shreya rolled her eyes. That slap would forever haunt her.
Even in her old age. Kishore was not going to allow her to
forget. But who cared? She loved this bully.
“You deserved it, Mr bully. You haven’t changed one bit,”

she said and waited for Kishore’s retort.
The night grew old as they continued their banter. The two
lovebirds talked till Shreya’s eyes started drooping.
When she finally fell asleep, a content smile was playing
on her face. Both her dreams and her reality were now equally
beautiful.
Chapter 21
Kishore was going to murder them. All four of them.
Naveen, Navneet, Ananya and Vishal sat cross-legged on

his ridiculously decorated bed, getting to know his new wife.
They were acting as if he would devour her completely
overnight and they wouldn’t have anyone left to acquaint with
by morning. Their chat had begun during dinner and the trio
had followed them shamelessly into the bedroom. It was his
wedding night, damn it!
Naveen, the eldest among his cousins glanced in his
direction and he glowered at him. Naveen looked away, acting
as if he hadn’t seen him at all.
“So, you mean to say all the Bollywood stars look very
ordinary in real life?” asked Ananya, the lone girl among his
cousins.
“Yes. You are prettier than most of them,” said Shreya.
“She and pretty? Kishore, you need to get Shreya’s eyes

checked. She just called our monkey pretty!” said Navneet.
Ananya swatted on Navneet’s arm. He howled as if he was
in great pain.
Kishore was losing it by the minute. He went and sat
beside Vishal.
“You too will get married one day soon. I will remember
this then!” He whispered in his left ear.
Vishal inserted his index finger inside his left ear and
shook it.
“Did you say something? My ears are buzzing weirdly,”

Vishal asked with a smug smile.
Kishore ground his teeth.
“Bro, did you know Shreya is a big Salman Khan fan and
has actually met him?” asked Navneet.
Shreya had told him how during her internship she had
worked for Maneesh Malhotra, the hottest designer in
Bollywood. During that period, she had met almost all the
famous Bollywood stars.
“So? Should I dance?” asked Kishore.
“Please don’t. We didn’t commit that big a sin,” said

Navneet coolly. He then shot one more ill-timed question
about yet another useless movie star at Shreya. Kishore
twiddled his thumb, contemplating which one of his cousins
he should strangle first.
Shreya looked at him just then and flashed a sympathetic

smile. Then she addressed the gang of four.
“Guys, let us continue this discussion tomorrow. I am dead

tired. Got up at four in the morning today. It is already 11.30
now.”
“Oh! Didn’t realise it at all. See you at breakfast

tomorrow,” said Ananya.
“Yes, time flies,” said Naveen.
“We should go now,” said the other three in unison.

Liars. All four of them. They had planned this and had
executed it to the T. They had often told him they would exact
revenge for all the things he had made them do in childhood.
He had earned this for being the big bad bully. Kishore glared
at them as they slowly got up from the bed.
While they were passing by, Vishal paused near him and
whispered, “The walls are thin. Don’t make me hear stuff that
I cannot unhear.”
“Run before I kill you,” Kishore bit out.

The moment they stepped out of the room, he pushed the
door shut and locked it. Then he stretched his arms and let out
a long sigh of relief.
All these days, he had been waiting for this moment. The
chaos following their scandalous engagement had made it
almost impossible for them to meet. A month and a half had
flown past, deprived of her warmth and her kisses.
When he turned around, Shreya launched herself at him

and wrapped her arms around him. How much had he missed
this togetherness! He picked her up and carried her to the bed
and set out to make up for all the time they had lost till now.
Within minutes, they stepped into a divine trance, pulling each
other deeper and deeper into a dance of ecstasy.
Hours later, as they lay spent in each other’s arms, Kishore

tugged at a strand of her hair spread on his pillow and breathed
in its smell.
The citrusy fragrance had become his aphrodisiac. And the

girl next to him was the reason he believed in love.
Shreya shifted her legs in sleep, and a pleasing jingle
sounded. The anklet, which he had practically stolen, was now
back where it belonged.
In his arduous quest for love, his heart had guided him
down the right path.
Love was indeed a miracle.
*THE END*
Author’s Note
Writing Kishore and Shreya’s story was fun right from the
beginning. As they had already made appearances in ‘Without
you’ and ‘His Sunshine Girl,’ I had a framework for their story
in my mind when I started writing it. But they proved to be
more adventurous than I had imagined.
If you liked their story, do tell me about it.
You can write to me at authorpreethi@gmail.com
Do not forget to leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
Connect with me on Twitter and Instagram at

@preethivenu
Thank you,
Preethi Venugopala
Acknowledgements
For any book to come to life, there is always a trigger
point. When I wrote my debut novel ‘Without You,’ many of
my readers expressed their wish to read about the stories of
some of the other sub characters in it.
‘His Sunshine Girl,’ the sequel to ‘Without You,’ made
readers mailing me, asking if I would be writing stories of the
other cousins of Ananya, the protagonist of ‘Without You.’ So,
a big thank you to my readers.
Writing Kishore’s story seemed like a no brainer initially

because I had created a framework of their characters in the
two books already. But it was not. The main issue was carving
out time to sit down and write it. A big thank you to my writer
friends who motivated me throughout the writing period of
this book.
A heartfelt thank you to authors Ruchi Singh and Aathira
Jim for beta reading this book and boosting my confidence.
Thank You, as usual to my dedicated editors Mr. H and
Mrs. G. They make me a better writer.
A huge thank you to Dola Basu Singh from Shiuli Editing
Services for doing a thorough job of proofreading the
manuscript.
As always, a BIG thank you to my dear husband
Venugopala and my son Akshaj for being my cheerleaders. I
love you both.
Thank you, God, for helping me through the many
personal demons I faced while writing this book and guiding
me towards light.
Lastly, thank you dear reader for picking up this book.
Preethi Venugopala
Blurbs of Novels by Preethi
Venugopala
Without You
Blurb:
Dr. Arjun enters Ananya’s life like a whirlwind, bringing with him the spirit of
young love.
Does the path of true love ever run smooth?
Circumstances force them apart even though they were irrevocably in love. She
becomes a victim of depression. When everything fails to return her to normalcy,
help arrives from an unexpected source.

Will she ever find happiness again?
Will time allow her heart to heal and forget Arjun?
What indeed is true love?
What is that strange secret that locks all the circumstances together?
Travel with Ananya to the picturesque Sreepuram, face the chaos of
Bengaluru, and relish the warmth of magical Dubai in this heart-warming tale of
love, betrayal, friendship, and miracles.
His Sunshine Girl
Can two damaged souls heal each other?
Shalini is dusky and has faced body shaming throughout her life because of it.
She has gone through a lot in her life, including a failed marriage and divorce, and
is at a crossroad when the story begins.
She arrives in Sreepuram as the live-in literary assistant to Arundhati
Mukundan, an eminent author.
Dr. Vishal, Arundhati’s grandson and a pediatrician, has seen love and loss at
close quarters.
When they meet in Sreepuram, it is a reunion of two childhood friends who

were once inseparable.
Will their friendship help them heal?
Isn’t friendship turning into love the most beautiful thing on earth?
Would fate allow that to happen or would it play its devious role again?
This is a standalone sequel to the best seller ‘Without You.’ You can read this
even if you haven’t read ‘Without You.’
This story picks up from where ‘Without You’ ended.

Look out for some of your favourite characters from ‘Without You’ taking on
significant roles in this story.
A Royal Affair
Blurb:
A British commoner in love with an Indian Prince
When Jane Worthington, a reporter with a London based entertainment
channel, comes to India she is sure of two things.
Firstly, she would find Daniel Worthington, the lost twin of her beloved
Grandfather and fulfill his last wish.
Secondly, now that she was in India, she was not going to think about Prince Vijay
Dev Varman, the scion of the erstwhile royal family of Sravanapura, the man who
broke her heart years ago.

Two seemingly impossible tasks.
Vijay always believed he knew everything about himself and his family. But
when Jane storms back into his life, secrets tumble out one after the other
disturbing the very thread of discipline that had granted his life a semblance of
sanity.
Jane cannot refuse Vijay’s offer of help but every moment with him is a
torture because he is not the carefree youth she had once fallen in love with.
Will they succeed to find Daniel Worthington when every single trace of his
existence seems to have been carefully wiped off by unseen hands?

Or will their quest reveal secrets that will make it impossible for them to even
dream of a happily ever after?
A Suspense Novella about Second Chances in Love

The Princess and the Superstar
A Princess in love with a Bollywood Superstar
Saketh Rao aka SR, India’s latest Bollywood heartthrob, has bagged the role
of a lifetime: to play Hari Varman, the doomed royal scion.
When he arrives at Sravanapura Palace with his director friend Rajeev
Ratnam, little does he know that his life is about to change forever!
Princess Kritika is overjoyed that Saketh Rao will play the role of her
ancestor. But when she comes face to face with the arrogant superstar, she is
determined to scuttle the project.
Fate, however, has different plans for them. The feisty couple is soon head
over heels in love with each other.
As they uncover the secrets of Hari Varman’s life, Saketh makes a discovery
that can rip them apart and their new-found love.
Will the secrets and lies of the past deny them a future together?
Or will they overcome the obstacles to love?

Remember When
A Passionate Love Story with the Chennai Floods 2015 as Backdrop
Dedicated to the volunteers who kept Chennai afloat during the floods
On the outside, Tara leads a perfect life. A home of her own, a handsome
husband, a doting son and a promising career as an author.
But inside, she is a wreck. Her marriage is a sham and she hasn’t succeeded in
forgetting her one true love, Manu, the man she had wronged. The man she had
almost married.
Manu, now the senior editor with a science portal, firmly believes that he has left
Tara where she belonged-in his past. But in reality, he hasn’t forgotten anything.
Not the love nor the hurt.
Their past and present collide when they accidentally meet in Chennai. The city
has come to a standstill after facing the worst flood in a century. While nature is
unleashing its fury on humans, they must make peace with their past.
Will they have the courage to do that?
Can they fight the attraction that still burns bright?
Or will the bunch of people they are with, teach them new life lessons?
What is the secret that is burning Tara from within?

Other works by the author
Short Stories
A Christmas in London
My Red Knight
Kid’s Books
Anya and the Spring Fairy
The Teddy who ran away
Learn Malayalam Alphabets through English

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The Girl at the Wedding

A Prequel to the bestseller

Cover designed using a painting by the author and

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,

The persistent chirping of a single sparrow at his balcony

Wrong move. He shouldn’t have.

“It’s okay even if she doesn’t know. You need a companion

“But Mom—” Kishore began, but Uma cut him off.

Kishore knew it was prudent not to argue further,

Vishal immediately changed his allegiance and joined his

“Want to bet? If I put my mind to it, I can find a willing

“Enough. Not another word,” said Uma, swatting Vishal

A groan escaped Kishore. Her Amma, their grandmother or

But Kishore loved his Ammamma. She was an award-

Kishore mouthed “Okay.”

Vishal went back to watching the cricket match.

“Give me my money. Or…”

“Relax, Lena. Such things happen. Don’t panic. I will

Talking on the mobile while driving was not something she

“It is a sign. I shouldn’t marry Anil. Otherwise, this

Shreya couldn’t believe her ears. If Lena hadn’t ended the

“I will handle it, okay? I will be back in another twenty

Not in Shreya’s opinion. Clothes were her first love. She

She remembered the words of her teacher, the brilliant Ila

Though Shreya’s family belonged to Puvattur, they had

Shreya had come to love the birthplace of her mother that

Shreya hurried to the adjacent store. It specialised in

Shreya pushed all the shopping bags into the backseat of

Shreya switched on some music in her car. Then she took a

“Shreya, were you able to find a match? Here, this girl is

“Aunty, I got it. Give me a few hours and it will be ready.

“Listen, love, I got the matching blouse piece. Uma aunty

After disconnecting the call, Shreya turned to throw the

This was all that was needed now.

Shreya thought of pressing her foot on the accelerator and

A knock sounded on her car window. With a silent curse,

Kishore fumed as he waited for the driver to step out. The

“I was not driving rashly. Call me tomorrow. We can talk

And just when he was pondering about what to reply, she

“Oh, so are you planning to come to my house as well?”

“I read minds. You don’t know?” teased Kishore. Vishal

“Are you regretting it?”

“Hey, I can’t come to your home today. But I had a minor

“Oh! That’s bad. Go and check on Lena then. Tell her

Kishore rolled his eyes as he disconnected the call.

Why were his friends so eager to lose their precious

Shreya had met Uma aunty multiple times at Lena’s house

“Hey, nice to see you again. Come in,” he said. Shreya

“Actually aunty, I need your help,” said Shreya

Uma quickly swept the floor and gathered the beads in a

While they sorted the beads, they started talking. When

“I studied here at Puvattur high school for a year. I left for

“Don’t tell me…” said Vishal as he searched her face as if

“No wonder! She is very pretty.”

“Hello…I am here, remember? What are you talking

Vishal grinned broadly. He rubbed his palms together.

“Vishal, enough. Do your work. Enough talking,” said

“Come on, Vishal. Not fair. Tell me,” said Shreya.

“Do you remember slapping somebody in school, a senior

Shreya gasped. Kishore. Of course, she remembered him

That good-for-nothing boy was now an engineer? Who

“Where’s everyone?” A vaguely familiar voice sounded

Shreya sat frozen. Could she borrow Harry potter’s