"My dear athai ponnu! I'm Arjun. unoda maama paiyan." At his reply, I can feel Vikram's arms tightening around me.

(My dear aunt's daughter, I'm Arjun. your uncle's son)

"Apo naa yaru." Vikram asked sarcastically through his clenched teeth.

(Then who am I)

"Harshi, are you there? is anyone with you?" Arjun asked

I quickly hung up the call and took a glance at Vikram.

His eyes narrowed and jaws clenched.

"Calm down! Vikram." I buried my face against his chest, trying to calm him.

"He has the guts to call you even after I warned him." He seethed, tightening his arms around my waist, pulling me closer into his arms.

.

Two years ago,

I just wrote my 11th board exam, and Vikram wrote his 12th board exam. Hari anna completed his 1st year in civil, and the twins entered the 11th std.

It is the summer holidays, so we came to our grandparents' place to enjoy the holidays. Vihaan kept on whining about how his holidays are wasting by just playing the same games daily, and it's boring to stay inside the home all-day so, thatha brought us to Ganesh maama's home.

Dinesh maama is my mother's cousin. He married his lover Valli against his parent's wishes, so they both ran away and settled in Chennai.

However, after they had a baby, their parents forgave them and asked them to come back to Pollachi, but Ganesh maama had a stable job in Chennai, so they stayed there.

As we are not that close with them, we don't know that they have shifted back to Pollachi.

"Grandpa, when have they come here?" Vihana asked, munching the corns as we walked through our field.

"Just a few days back they shifted here, their son Arjun is also Vikram's age, He wrote his 12th exams."

"Ohh, then how should I call them" She questioned, throwing the cob after eating the corn aside.

"You and your brothers should call him Chittappa, Harshitha, and Hari should call him maama." Thatha answered, pausing on his step to pull out the weed on the way.

(Chittappa- dad's brother or mom's sister's husband)

"Ahaaan, Then Harshi have another maama paiyan.'' Vihana exclaimed, throwing her arms around my shoulder with a teasing grin. (maama paiyan- uncle's son)

I looked at Vikram, who is walking behind us.

He looked calm but I can see him throwing dragger at Vihana with his eyes.

I don't think Vihana will speak this recklessly if she knows I and Vikram are loving each other.

.

.

Thatha knocked on the door as we stood behind him waiting for someone to open the door. A man in his 40's opened the door, he stood shell shocked seeing thatha.

"Won't you invite me inside?" Thatha asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Chittappa, please forgive me)." He dropped down on the floor, hugging thatha's leg as he cried softly.

"Get up!" Thatha said, pulling the man up from the floor.

He hugged thatha asking sorry repeatedly.

"Rascal! I'm not even angry at you anymore, look who I brought with me." Thatha exclaimed, turning towards us with his arms around the man's shoulder.

"Dinesh, this is Vikram, Hariharan, Harshitha, Vihaan, and Vihana." Thatha introduced, pointing at each one of us.

"Is this Hari? He has grown so much, the last time I saw him was when he was just 1." Dinesh maama exclaimed, looking at Hari anna with a wide smile.

"Uncle, how are you?" Hari anna asked, smiling at Ganesh maama.

"I'm very fine after seeing you all. First, everyone come inside." Dinesh maama exclaimed, welcoming us inside the house.

"Valli Arjun! come and see who has come." He shouted, calling his wife and his son out.

A woman in a red saree came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands in a towel. She paused on her steps as soon as she saw thatha.

"Valli, do you remember me?" Thatha asked, smiling at her.

Her eyes filled up as she walked towards us.

"Maama! please bless me" She touched my thatha feet, her shoulder shook as she controlled her sob.

"Live long!" Thatha blessed, patting her head softly.

Suddenly the door adjacent to the kitchen opened, A tall boy in a black shirt came out speaking on his phone.

"I will call you back later bye." He hung up the call as he entered the hall.

"Arjun look your chinna thatha and your cousins have come." Valli athai exclaimed, introducing us to him. (Chinna thatha- grandpa's younger brother)

He took blessings from thatha and said hi to all of us.

Thatha enquired them about their life, Dinesh mama started explaining his current job and some stuff.

Valli athai went to the kitchen to get the refreshments. I and Vihana asked if we can help her, but she refused, asking us to just relax.

"So, Arjun which college you are planning to join." Hari anna asked, taking a seat next to Arjun.

"PSG or Krishna." Arjun replied.

The boys started talking about sports so I and Vihana went inside the kitchen to help athai in making lunch.

.

.

.

.

"Athai, can I use the restroom?" I asked athai.

"Sure dr." She replied, showing me the direction.

After using the restroom, I came out humming.

Suddenly someone spoke making me jump.

"You have a nice voice"

"Omg, Anna nigala, sollitu varakudatu," I asked, turning around to see Arjun leaning against the wall.

(Omg, brother, can't you come announced)

"Well, if I come announced, I can't get this reaction you see," Arjun replied, smirking at me.

"Haha." I nervously laughed, walking towards the door.

"Hey wait! I want to talk to you." He said, grabbing my hands.

"You can talk with me down there itself; Viha will be searching for me." I said, trying to remove my hands from his hold.

"From morning I'm trying to talk to you alone, but either Vihana or Vihaan is with you." He pointed out, coming near me.

"I don't think there is anything to speak with you in alone." I snapped, moving back hoping someone will come.

"Hey, I think I like you; you look so beautiful and hot, can we date? We will make a beautiful pair. I will buy you anything you want." He confessed, touching my cheeks.

"Anna, you are crossing limits, don't come near me." I warned, slapping his hands off my face.

"Hey, you should not call me anna, I'm your maama paiyan so, you should call me maama."

{The word Maama has many meanings. But in common it refers to Uncle. (dad's sister's husband, mom's brother, father-in-law) Sometimes it means the same word as honey or darling...like Tamil women prefer to call their husband or lover by this word(maama)}

"For what the fuck's sake she should call you maama?" Vikram stormed inside the room, punching Arjun on his face.

"That is between us, who the hell are you to question?" Arjun rebuked, pushing Vikram back.

"She is my girl if I see you talking with her, you are finished." Vikram proclaimed, wrapping his arms around me.

Arjun opened his mouth to speak but a knock interpreted us.

"Harshi are you there?" Vihana asked, opening the door.

She looked shocked seeing me in Vikram's arms and Arjun's swelled face.

"w..wh....what happened here?" She shuttered, looking back and forth between us.

"Why are you here?" Vikram questioned her.

"Th..that.....thatha asked if we can leave." She replied, still looking at us with wide eyes.

"Okay You both go down, I will talk with Arjun and come," Vikram said, asking us to leave them both alone.

"Vikram, we don't want any problem," I stated, holding his hands tightly.

"I will be just talking. don't worry." Vikram assured, kissing my forehead.

.

.

"Omg omg! Harshi, you going to be my Anni." Vihaana squealed, hugging me as soon as we came out of the room.

(Anni- sister-in-law)

"Shhh. don't shout." I shushed, keeping my hands on her mouth.

"Okay okay, from when are you both together?" Vihana asked, shaking my arms excitedly.

I showed two fingers.

"Two months?" Vihana asked, raising her brows.

I shook my head and answered. "Two years"

Vihana gasped, keeping her hands on her mouth.

"Harshi pinch me, I feel like I heard you and anna are together for two years."

I controlled my laugh and pinched her, making her yelp.

"Come thatha will be waiting for us." I said, tugging her along with me to the hall.

"Don't think you have escaped. We will speak about this tonight." Vihana teased, throwing her arms around my shoulder.

.

.

"Come home when you are free Dinesh."Thatha said, patting maama on his shoulder.

"Surely I will come" Dinesh maama replied with a smile.

"Kids can we leave?" Thatha asked, getting up from the sofa.

"Ah, we can leave thatha"

"We will be leaving." Thatha said, looking at them with a smile.

We all stood up and walked towards the door.

The elders walked in the front, we all walked in the back giving privacy for the elders to speak.

"Where is Vikram?" Hari anna asked, looking around. ()

"Anna went to answer a call." Vihaan replied, putting on his slippers.

After few minutes Vikram joined us, looking normal.

"What happened?" I asked Vikram in a whisper, for which he just blinked his eyes at me, assuring.

.

.