Ch 3- Hopes and Wishes ( Kaavyam )
@vibishalakshman and I are backkk!
Vishva was in a hurry to get home. His cousin, Suresh, had let slip that Jeevika would be at his house with Kaamaakshi that day, and he wanted to see her, especially after the long day he had, coupled with a bad feeling of something big coming his way, case wise.
He rushed in through the door, hastily taking off his shoes. His sister smirked at him and made an excuse to leave at that moment, exiting into the kitchen and leaving him alone with Jeevika.
*”Vishva! Hey,” she smiled softly, her sweet voice like nectar to his tensed self. He automatically relaxed, leaning into the couch next to her, just needing to be close.
"Hello, Jeevika," he said softly. He ran his eyes over her face, wondering how it was possible for any woman to look this beautiful.
Her gentle concern filled his heart with delight, her warm gray eyes making him smile in delight almost.
Her small smile melted his heart instantly. He would do anything for her to be his- but he'd rather he suffer without her than make her suffer with him.
“Home, hmm?” She smiled softly. “You know, this home is like home to me too?”
He brightened. Was it really?
"You're practically family, Jeevika." He whispered. Oh, if only he could really make her family.
“Really? Practically family? Akka and Anna have been pushing me to move in, actually,” she blushed.
Oh, he'd love it if she moved in! But could he really see her every day at home and resist the urge to take her into his arms and kiss her?
*”I don’t want to push myself into living here though, Vishva. I would be a burden for you all,” she said sadly, diverting him from his work stress with purposeful words that made him suddenly realize what she was doing.
"A burden? Why would it be a burden?" He asked, confused. When had Jeevika ever been a burden to him or his family?
“No no, I’m not saying you think of me as one. I am saying, what if I become one?” She said softly. “I love being here, but what if you three get bored of me? What then?”
"We could never get bored of you," he said firmly, "You don't get bored of family. That's not how it works."
“I’m glad you think of me so, Vishva,” she reached out to pat his hand. “Now tell me, what’s bothering you. You can’t hide from family, right?”
He gave her a tired smile. "Just a bad feeling about work." He frowned, "I need to talk to Varun to see if he feels the same."
“He will be here soon, he said,” Jeevika responded. “He has just gone to get me chocolate ice cream. I was craving, and.."
"And Varun can never resist you." He said with a knowing smile.
“Best friend’s charm,” she giggled softly. “Hey, I am making him peach cobbler in return, so…”
"Would I like some? Absolutely." He smiled. Jeevika was, in his not so humble opinion, the absolute best at cooking. He would never turn down food from her.
“I kept you in mind before offering it for him too,” she laughed. “It will be enough for the whole group of us.”
"Good. Akka and Anna will get mad otherwise."
“Okay so, I have been thinking to do a food drive to raise money for the cancer patients at the Apollo cancer ward. What do you think?”
"I think that's a great idea." He said, smiling at her kindness.
“Will you help?” She looked at him with such beautifully hopeful eyes. How could he deny her?
"Of course I will." He said softly. More time with Jeevika and helping people in need? He would never refuse.
She smiled at him and was about to ask something, when of course someone interrupted.
“Yes Anna?” Jeevika turned to Aakaash, who had just come out of his room, or man cave as Vishva teased him.
“Will you ask the designer to come for the event? I want to thank her for such a perfect suit. Really, it fits like a glove.”
Vishva laughed at his brother. "Finally decided to make an appearance?"
Jeevika smiled at him, elbowing Vishva. "I already planned to, Anna."
“You read my mind, baby sister. Vaalu, you just came home da. How was your day?” Aakaash looked at Vishva in concern, just as Kaamaakshi came out.
“Well, dinner is almost done,” she smiled softly. “We are having peas pulao, and Jeevi’s potato karamadhu.”
"Nothing, Anna, don't worry. And I'm starving, so let's go eat!" He said cheerfully.
Vishva frowned, tensed as he heard the details of the case. His bad feeling had inteunsified that morning, despite seeing Jeevika’s lovely face.
He looked up as Varun walked in, sighing in relief.
"Varun!" He called him over.
Varun walked towards Vishva, frowning at his friend’s tense frame.
“What happened? You were smiling this morning at the house?”
"Do you have...a bad feeling that something is going to come up?" He asked, rubbing his forehead. It had slowly turned into somewhat of a headache for him.
“I did, actually…” Varun said slowly. “What’s going on?”
He shook his head. "I don't know... the Commissioner wanted us to take a case and I've been feeling off about it. He just handed me the file, I've yet to look in it. Didn't want to start without you."
“I’m here, let’s do this.”
Varun sat next to Vishva, the latter opening the file, and both reading the details, horrified.
"So our uneasiness was justified." He groaned.
“Let’s start then, Varun,” Vishva said, taking over once more, focused completely.
Pandimaa poured over her recent designs, crumpling the paper and throwing it away. Her room was filled with various pictures: dresses, awards, designs- all interspersed with pictures of her foster brother and Aakaash from when she was in college.
The sound of the shop opening reached her ears. She had to go and attend to a customer it seems.
She walked out, only to hear a familiar voice say, “are we at the right place, Jeevi?”
“Yes Akka, I am sure of it,” came a sweet voice.
Her eyebrows furrowed. It almost sounded like Kaamaakshi- the girl was only a year younger than her, born three years after Aakaash. They had shared a lot of classes together.
"Welcome to Authentic Madurai, how may I help you?" She asked sweetly.
Kaamaakshi’s eyes widened.
So it was Kaamaakshi. She smiled and invited them inside. "Considering your shock, I'm going to guess your friend brought you here?"
“She did. Pandimaa, this is Jeevika. Jeevi, this is Pandimaa, you would have heard about her from Anna,” said Kaamaakshi frankly.
“I have indeed! It’s a pleasure to meet you. Aakaash Anna loved the suit!” Jeevika said. “It was I who ordered it for him. He keeps… forgetting, apparently.”
She sounded incredibly skeptical when she said that.
Pandimaa blushed. "He might have just wanted you to do it." She said, "Do you want some tea?"
“That would be lovely,” Kaamaakshi smiled.
“He absolutely did, so that he can make me order Vishva and Varun’s too,” Jeevika said. “He does not have an assistant, so I basically seem to have become a fusion of people for these two siblings.”
Pandimaa laughed, pouring them some green tea. "How are you both?"
“We are good. How are you? Where have you been?” Kaamaakshi said. “Anna kept searching for you. He was nearing the thought of asking Vishva to find you.”
Nandhini's heart melted. He'd searched for her? Really? She had assumed he would have moved on after a while. Hoped, really.
"An anonymous person got me in touch with my birth family in college and I moved away." She said. "I finished most of my education abroad and then moved to Madurai to start my own fashion business. I managed to get back in touch with Anna but not... not Aakaash."
“Do you want to get back in touch with Anna? Becoming the CEO made him have to shift into private numbers and emails,” Kaamaakshi said apologetically. “But he did try to find you. Jeevi even knows all about it.”
Pandimaa bit her lip softly. "I don't want to interrupt his life if it's going fine without me," she said firmly, "But if he wants me, then yes."
“He always wants you,” Jeevika said. “I have heard a lot about you from him in our late night Maggi sessions.”
So clearly he and Jeevika were close. She figured as much from the internet, which hinted at potential romances between Jeevika and someone in the family but Pandimaa had paid it no mind. People commonly speculated whom celebrities were dating.
"I'd love to reconnect with him then," she smiled, a text on her phone gaining her attention.
“Then come for our event? Let Anna meet you as a surprise from Jeevi and I?” Kaamaakshi said, pulling out the invite.
"Hm?" She said, shooting a quick reply after frowning. "Oh! Yes, I'd love to."
“Here you go. The dress code is inside,” smiled Kaamaakshi. “Let’s exchange numbers, and Jeevi and I will get going.”
Pandimaa smiled and nodded before handing over her phone. "Just type your number in. And I have Jeevika's too, from when she placed the order."
Kaamaakshi typed the digits in, saving her number and smiling.
"Sure," she nodded, shooting her a quick 'Hi'.
“It was good to see you, Pandu,” Kaamaakshi smiled, hugging her gently. “Let’s go, Jeevi.”
Jeevika smiled and said her own goodbyes before both left, arms linked and giggling about something like best friends do.
Pandimaa smiled down at the invitation and opened up to see the dress code. Oh, she could work with this.
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