Hello beautiful people!

I apologize for the delay. Thank you for being patient with me.

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Inline comments are love💜

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Writer's pov:

The next day's dinner was awkward, to say the least. The mother-daughter duo acted as if walking on eggshells around Krishnan while Hari calmly scanned through the television, his legs stretched out on the sofa, making his father sigh in irritation when he entered the living room after the day of work.

"Hari, put your legs down," Sakthi warned gently, patting him on the knee, making space for her husband. Hari obliged, shifting to the left and handing the remote to his father but snatching back the remote and quickly switching the channel from news to Hungama when he caught the glance of Shinchan playing.

Harshitha coughed as she attempted to hold her chuckle from the look of astonishment on her father's face. Sakthi breathed, glaring at her son, who shrugged playfully with a wink.

"Hari, change the channel. For goodness sake, you're 21 years old. Shinchan is a kids' show." Feeling his ego bruised, Krishnan ordered his son even though he watched Shinchan with them usually.

"Appa, you asked me to order the Shinchan movie CD last week, remember? And FYI, the cartoon doesn't have an age limit." Hari mocked, raising his eyebrow in question, to which his father cleared his throat, avoiding his eyes.

In his childhood days, he didn't have the luxury of television or any sort of entertainment that a child should have, so Krishnan indulged his desire by watching cartoons with them throughout their childhood. Even when Harshitha and Hari overcame this phase, Krishnan still watched cartoons when everyone headed to bed.

"That-" Krishnan stammered, thinking of a way to escape the situation. The earlier urge to put his son back in his place for speaking like that yesterday - disappeared. Yesterday, he spent a sleepless night thinking about the conversation that took place in the kitchen. In the end, he concluded the things his son said were true, and he agreed with everything he said.

Children don't owe them anything. Period.

But his parental ego doesn't allow him to voice out his defeat, making him grumpy the whole day. "Okay, increase the volume a little bit." He grumbled, causing his wife to snicker.

For an hour, their household filled with laughter as Krishnan yelled comments about how Kazama should follow Shinchan's advice throughout the movie. During the advertisement, Sakthi glanced at her husband, who was huddled close to their children while they talked about the show as if they were on a board meeting. His previous demeanor changed from the strict father to a friend as they laughed at something Hari said.

"- no, it's not me! Vihana is Nene, and Hari Anna is Masao except for the crying part. He was the one who went to any length to please Viha." Harshitha protested, breaking free from her father's arm to glare at them playfully, to which Hari mirrored her action and repeated her words but substituting his and Viha's name with her and Vikram's.

"What? No! During my 2nd grade summer holiday, you are the one who forced us to play house when we all wanted to play hide and side just because Viha wanted to play house." Harshitha exclaimed, pointing her finger at her brother. Sensing his stance to oppose, she continued, "You are the one who asked us to give a positive review when Viha cooked for the first time. A solid 10/10 for that horrible dish-" Her face scrunched up in distaste as if she remembered the taste. "-do you know I still get nightmares whenever I remember that dish? It tasted and looked horrible!"

Sensing the brewing fight between the siblings, Krishnan interrupted, "Kids, bashing someone while the said person is absent is not right-

Before he could finish speaking, the doorbell rang, startling them. Hari raised from his comfortable position and approached the door to attend to the unannounced visitor at 9 pm.

'Speak of the Devil, and she appears.'

His brows raised in surprise when he met the smiling face of his girlfriend, accompanied by her twin. The creaking sound of the gate made him break eye contact with Vihana briefly, who glanced behind her. He glanced over the twins' shoulder to see Vikram closing the gate after parking his bike beside his father's car.

"May I know the reason for the sudden visit?" Hari questioned. Moving aside to let them in, he waited on the doorstep for Vikram, who patted his shoulder and moved towards the living room without answering.

"No reason!" Vihana waited till her brothers were out of sight before catching Hari off guard by placing a lingering smooch on Hari's cheek and running inside when he tried to hug her. His arms raised in midair as he stood speechless, trying to process if it was real or a dream, but the still-warm feeling, where Vihana's lip was a moment back, answered his question.

A lazy smile spread across his face as he entered the living room only to find Vihaan occupying his previous seat and Vikram sitting on the ground with his head on his mother's lap, who looked ecstatic as they gossiped about their relative. Harshitha and Vihana whispered among themselves as they both indulged in Vihana's mobile with his father nowhere in sight.

Hari sighed as Vihaan stretched out his leg on the sofa when he crouched down to sit on it.

"Fetch him a blanket, Hari! It's cold." Krishnan ordered from the kitchen when he remembered Vihaan's knee-length shorts as he arranged the dinner on the dining table. Vihaan was the one who caught colds easily, so the elders in their family coddled him whenever the temperature dropped.

Mainly Hari's parents. 'Vihaan is exactly what they want in a son- one they can spoil without the said son acting like a grown-up.' When he just started LKG.

Not that they don't love Hari, he just didn't let anyone spoil or take care of him. As a result of being the firstborn in the family, Hari took upon himself to be mature and take care of others even when he was only five years old.

Vihaan is the exact opposite. Lazy, childish, and spoiled. He enjoyed being pampered and eating nonstop. And their parents made sure to provide him with an endless supply of food.

Hari passed the blanket to Vihaan, who wrapped it around himself like a cocoon as he lay on the sofa comfortably. Looking at the two-seaters occupied by the girls, Hari sat down on the floor beside Vikram.

"-that aunty really said that, Attai! Amma was speaking to Paati on the phone this evening about this, and she sounded excited. You must call and ask her tonight!" Vikram insisted, nodding his head along with whatever Sakthi replied.

The ladies' charmer in their home- Vikram. Even though he didn't take part in gossip, he would surely know everything by the end of the day. If he is missing on the spot, Radha and Sakthi made sure to fill his ear with everything they heard and asked his opinion about that. Their family's charmer and adviser.

Harshitha and Vihana? No need to say at all! They were treated like a goddess by their whole family. Their comfort and opinion come before anything.

"Kids! Anyone hungry?" Krishnan's call broke his train of thought. Switching off the fan and tv, Vihaan raced to the dining followed by the girls as they fought over who would sit at the head of the table.

In the end, his father supported Vihana to sit at the head of the table, while Vihaan sat beside Harshitha. Straight opposite to his darling, Vikram sat down after throwing a flirty smile towards her. Hari silently sat beside Vikram.

"I only made idly enough for Hari and Harshu, so eat slowly. Within that, I'll prepare some dosa too," Sakthi informed, keeping two idlies on everyone's plate.

"What about you and mama?" Vikram questioned, looking up from his plate. His hands unconsciously transferred his portion to his darling and his sister, to which Vihaan glared at him hostilely for not giving him anything.

"The two of us ate at seven." Sakthi smiled, placing the dosa tava on the stove.

"You both go to sleep, Athai. Everyone has a holiday tomorrow but what about you? You are working all day without any rest! Now go." Circling his arms around Sakthi's shoulder, Vikram ushered her towards her room while the cousins started eating.

Vikram is not a great chef, but his dosas are the best.

'I said before, charmer? Isn't he?' Hari rolled his eyes with a smile when his mother looked at Vikram with an awestruck expression. Her hands reached to cup his face as she praised Radha for raising such a good boy. Vikram being the charmer he is, flashed his bright smile, making the dimple on both his cheeks pop up, making him look like a sweet boy next door.

Hari frowned at his sister when he heard her sigh looking at Vikram.

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Vikram served the first dosa to Harshitha, who looked at him with a sweet smile while the others stared at him speechless. Her plate still had an idly, while the others were empty, but Vikram turned a blind eye to everyone as he returned her smile with a wink and walked back to the kitchen.

Once Vikram is out of sight, Harshitha split the dosa into two and put it on the twins' plate. Vihaan beamed, returning to his work while Vihana stared at Hari's empty plate for a moment. Hari's heart filled with warmth for a second thinking, she would share but like a bucket of cold water poured on him, Vihana shrugged nonchalantly and continued eating.

Harshitha snickered at her brother's expression. It's fun to look at her always composed brother breaking because of Vihana.

For the next 10 minutes, Vikram walked back and forth from the kitchen to the dining table, serving them crispy dosas for each taking turns.

After five dosas, Vihana slumped back on the chair tiredly while Vihaan looked like he would keep eating. Hari silently collected her plate when he finished eating. He blinked his eyes at her when she smiled at him, thankfully.

"I have a big day tomorrow. I have to have my beauty sleep." Next, Vihaan got up mumbling, incoherently. His footsteps were heavy as he put the plate in the sink, leaving it to Hari to clean. Hari narrowed his eyes at him but didn't say anything when Vihaan practically sleepwalked to the stairs.

"Viha, help him." When Hari saw Vihaan stumble near the sofa, he softly ordered, continuing to wash the remaining dishes. Vihana immediately got up and assisted her brother toward the stairs.

"Anna, you go to sleep. I'll prepare dosa for him, and we'll clean the dishes once he eats." Harshitha stated, taking the scrub off his hand. Hari hesitated, glancing at Vikram to see him smearing the batter around the tava. If Hari knew how to do it without burning it, he could help.

"Go to sleep soon," Hari instructed her, and pointing his finger at Vikram, he warned, "You are going to sleep right after you eat. No funny business." Hari's gaze flickered from his sister to Vikram, who nodded his head obediently.

Harshitha stared at her brother's exiting figure, who looked back at them briefly before climbing up the stair. A second later, Harshitha's mouth fell open in surprise when Vikram embraced her from her back and peppered kisses across her neck, causing her to clutch the counter with a gasp. "Vikram!"

"Hey, baby," Vikram mumbled against her skin, his warm lips skimmed to her ear, leaving a trail of warmth behind while his hands slipped inside her shirt, wandering across her waist and stomach in a gentle caress. Harshitha's eye fluttered close when she felt his lips behind her ear, sucking the skin teasingly. Her head leaned back against his shoulder in bliss as Vikram breathed in her scent, his arms going around to switch off the stove. In a teasing gesture, his hands traced a circle around her belly button with his fingers while he cupped her cheeks with his right palm and kissed her sideways.

"Do you feel deja vu, baby?" Vikram whispered when he felt her smile against his lip. Turning her around, he backed her away until the corner of the kitchen counters trapped her.

"Of course! We almost got caught by your mother that day!" Harshitha smacked his chest playfully, recalling how Vikram's mom almost caught them in their grandparent's house when he was feeding her at midnight.

"Wanna recreate?" Vikram whispered suggestively, leaning his head towards her. His arms that had rested against the counter now slipped into her T-shirt and touched her skin.

"We are in the kitchen!" Harshitha giggled, pushing his prying hands away, to which Vikram playfully tickled her sides one last time and removed his hands from her skin reluctantly.

"As if it gonna stop you guys." A voice commented, causing them to scramble away fearfully.

The couple breathed a sigh of relief when they saw it's Vihana standing on the threshold. Vikram playfully smacked his sister's head and sat at the dining table while a flustered Harshitha poured a scoop of batter on the dosa tava and smeared it around skillfully, ignoring Vihana's teasings.

Not getting the expected reaction, she hopped on the counter beside Harshitha and started speaking about their visit to the mall tomorrow.

"Do you think Dhanya will come tomorrow or-" Vihana drawled, raising her brow expectingly as she peeked at her brother to see if he was eavesdropping. Thankfully, he was engrossed in eating as he scrolled through something on his phone.

"There is no 'or' and 'ifs'! She is determined to make Vihaan her boyfriend!" Harshitha asserted, swiping the strand of hair off her forehead while Vihana nodded thoughtfully.

"So, everyone is in a relationship in our family, and even if one pair gets caught, we can support each other!" Vihana cheered, to which Harshitha looked dead in her eye and commented, "Don't jinx it. We shouldn't get caught till we complete our studies."

"We won't!" Vihana nodded confidently but facepalmed the next moment when Vikram exclaimed loudly, "Babe, dosa!"

"Your brother is enough for getting us caught." Harshitha shook her disappointingly and walked towards Vikram, who pulled her on his lap playfully casing Vihana to facepalm.

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The next day, the cousins had breakfast at Vikram's home and spent their morning playing cards. Around noon, everyone began to get ready for their outing. When standing at the counter to get movie tickets, Vihaan suddenly exclaimed 'raincheck' causing the boys to look at him in doubt.

"Where are you going?" Vikram question, narrowing his eyes at his brother's nervous figure. The girls hid their smiles when Vihaan refused to reveal his plans. He is going to meet Dhanya for 'her boyfriend interview'.

"Amma kitta sollava?" Vikram blackmailed, crossing his arms across his chest.

'Shall I snitch to mom?'

"Naa amma kitta sollava?" Vihaan countered, signaling his eyes at Harshitha and him discreetly.

'Should I tell my mom about this?'

"She knew," Vikram smirked, throwing his arms around his darling's shoulder but winced when Hari shrugged off his arm off her.

"Keep your hands off my sister!" Hari warned.

"You too!" Vikram countered back, intertwining his fingers with his darling.

Wide-eyed, Vihaan looked back and forth between his brother and Hari, but his jaw dropped when he saw his twin's hand engulfed in Hari's palm.

'Ena da nadakudu inga!?'

'What is happening here!?'

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Dhanya stood before the bathroom's mirror as she rehearsed how to smile surprisingly. She should act surprised when Vihaan meets her now and maintain the act throughout the day without slipping off. The girl, who exited the cubicle, gave her a strange look and hurried outside.

The message tone broke her from her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, Dhanya picked up with shaking hands.

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Harshu🐣

Babe! Vihaan is on the way!

Dhanya👽

OMG! Okay, guys. Wish me luck.

Viha😈

All the best, future sis-in-law!

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Harshu🐣

Babe, don't embarrass yourself in front of him. He is already super nervous throughout the drive. Just wait for the right moment and use it well.

Dhanya👽

Information not clear, hottie!

Do you mean that I should catch him off guard by kissing?

Do couples kiss on their first date?

Harshu🐣

Dhanu! Wait-

Maybe try and see!

You go bestie😏

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Viha😈

Eww!! That's my twin Harshu😭✋🏼

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Harshu🐣

Don't act as if you didn't kiss my brother when the lights turned off now!

Dhanya👽

I-

Keep your family fight off the chat guys.

Bye! I'll text you soon.

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Vihaan tapped his tegs impatiently as he glanced at the entrance of the coffee shop as he waited for Dhanya to arrive. He rechecked the email to see if he got the cafe's name correct.

'Correct. Vihaan, don't panic and embarrass yourself. Even if she rejects, don't cry in front of her. Try to act cool and get out of the mall if it goes negatively.' Vihaan repeated in his head to himself when Dhanya came into his view.

'She's gonna reject me.' Vihaan's smile dropped when Dhanya stopped on her track as she stared at him, covering her mouth with her mouth shockingly.

'Why does he look at me like he's constipated? Did I overreact?!' Dhanya panicked as she walked forward slowly.

"Vihaa-

"Dhanya Akka-" Vihaan stammered out, shutting his eye when Dhanya raised her bag to hit him for calling her sister but stopped when his cheeks reddened at their proximity. Her cheeks heated up when his palm stopped her hand. His warm palm wrapped around her wrist like a vine sending warmth to her heart in the cold room.

"Sit!" Dhanya shyly ordered while Vihaan gaped at her blushing face in surprise. Is he dreaming? Did he just make her blush?

'That's a good start for the date, I guess?'

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To be continued...

Ahh! Finally, Vihaan and Dhanya are on a date!!! Poor babies! Always been the third wheel, but now they are going to be the most PDA ist couple!

My Vikram-Harshu, Hari-Viha heart!!! They are really cute, aren't they?

So, did you like it? I hope you liked it, guys!

Please vote, comment, and share if you like this story. It would mean a lot!

Take care, see you soon!❤