Sorry for leaving you guys hanging so long!

You guys better vote and comment because it's already 2.10 am and I updated without going to sleep when I have to be studying for my SEM exam, which is exactly at 9.00 am today!

Wish me luck~ I don't even know the name of the exam🤡

Inline comments are love!💜

Writer's Pov:

.

.

The heavenly smell of cinnamon, pepper, coriander, and a few more spices from chicken curry that promised a heavenly taste wafted around the room when Radha opened the dish's lid. She gently pushed the vessel towards the twins, insisting they had the first serve.

With a wide grin, they eagerly opened all the dishes to see what their mom and aunt had prepared for them. Their eyes sparkled as they eyed all their favorite dishes in front of them.

"Come on, have a bite!" Sakthi chuckled, tapping Vihana's knee, who broke out of her food trance at her touch. There were at least ten different dishes presented before her. She kinda went into a trance when she looked at the dishes, imagining how she was going to eat each dish and enjoy it.

On the other hand, Vihana didn't wait; he served himself and took a bite of his chicken tikka. "Very nice. Cooked perfectly!" He praised, silently thanking his mother in his heart for asking them to fast in the afternoon. He was doubtful about fasting when she asked them.

Fasting for his health did not appeal to him when he thought about missing a meal, but now that he has seen how delicious the dishes are on an empty stomach, fasting does not seem very bad.

'Woah, look at those shiny eggs; they look so cute with their shell cracked. It would look even more beautiful when placed on my plate with the other food.' Vihaan swooned, taking one egg and placing it on his plate accompanied by its mother's leg, aka the chicken leg piece.

Once the twins had their first bite, everyone served themselves with a smile. The spatulas clanked against the vessels as the dishes were passed from one another to another.

Since everyone was seated in one large circle and naturally, the youngsters sat next to one another, which resulted in Harshitha sitting next to Vikram, followed by Pooja, who squeezed her way between him and Vihana to catch a glimpse of Harshitha's face.

Pooja huffed, trying to figure out who this girl was but was not getting any chance as that girl kept hiding her face whenever she tried to look. And Vikram, sitting in the middle, was not helping as he gave all his attention to that girl. From serving her the dishes attentively to pouring her a glass of water.

What does that girl have that she doesn't? She has everything! The money, beauty, brain(Umm, are you sure sweetie? - W), and everything a girl would dream of!

"Vikram! I'm thirsty; pour me a glass too." Pooja demanded with an air of arrogance, her nails digging into her palm when he scoffed and ignored her. Is he trying to make her jealous? If that, he was successful. Jealousy clouded her thoughts as she stared at her empty plate with blurry vision.

"Pooja, here, let me pour you some." Radha quickly poured her a glass and passed it to her, who thanked her for it with a frown. Not wanting everyone's attention on her, she decided to keep it silent for the next few hours.

'You're making a big mistake by ignoring me, Vikram. We will see if you have the same attitude at the end of the day!' Pooja smirked, facing away from Vikram arrogantly. Her expression turned even more arrogant when her father nodded at her in assurance.

"Don't be shy, dear. Here, have some curry!" Radha interrupted her train of thoughts.

"No, I don't like this." Pooja rejected harshly, causing everyone to pause for a moment at her tone. Vikram narrowed his eyes at the person beside him. No one had ever spoken to his mother in this tone.

Like no one, not even their father. Even if they had a fight, he has never raised his voice or spoken harshly. Rather, it was always cold shoulders and thrown vessels. No, not at each other. The victim was always on the kitchen floor and bedroom door.

"If you want to keep using this tone to my mother, you can leave now. I don't appreciate your way of speaking, Pooja." Vikram warned, glaring at her, who now pretended to be timid as she glanced at everyone with a look of pity etched across her face.

"It's a pity that God gave you, a two-faced bitch such a pretty face." Vihana taunted silently, scoffing when tears started welling up in Pooja's eyes. Siva Kumar, who sat beside her, looked at her, astonished by her words. Is that really his innocent daughter who spoke that?!

"Vihana!" He hissed through his teeth, eyes narrowed at his daughter, who stared back at him without flinching as if saying. 'She deserves it.'

Radha frowned in disappointment, cursing her husband in her heart for inviting his friend -whose daughter was obsessed with Vikram, who doesn't give a fuck about her- to their family dinner. Did he think bringing them here would be any good? Stupid man.

Suddenly, Siva Kumar coughed as if he had heard her curse. His eyes tearing up from the interruption in his windpipe, he nodded gratefully when his sister passed him a glass of water. Radha guilty cleared her throat, adding another piece of chicken to her husband's plate as a way of saying her sorry.

Following that, everything went pleasantly as everyone joked around while they ate. Devi became the star of the dinner with her witty remarks and cute comments, making everyone swoon in love for the little girl, which served as a soothing distraction from the previous tense atmosphere. However, Vikram still received frowns and angry stares from his uncle when he spoke with Harshitha, but it didn't stop him from caring for his darling.

.

.

"Here," Hari whispered, picking a cashew nut out of his dessert bowl and placing it in Vihana's, who thanked him with a shy smile.

As they lounged out on the lawn post-dinner with a bowl of dessert each, accompanied by the sliver of moon in the cloudy night, the cold breeze picked up, howling against their ears as it touched their skin in a gentle caress.

Vihana's lip lifted up in a smile, gazing down, desperately trying to hide the pink hue that coated her cheeks when Hari moved closer to her discreetly as he spoke with Devi's father about that year's IPL.

Her heartbeat accelerated when his fingertips touched her hand that was picking up the strand of grass to distract herself from blushing. Very discreetly, he squeezed her hand softly and retracted back. His touch was so gentle that she felt it barely. If not for his warmth, she wouldn't have known.

"Dhoni not playing in IPL would be my 13 reasons why!" Vihaan exclaimed, leaning back with a tired sigh, without any regard for the dirt staining his brand-new white shirt.

"Vihaan!" Hari warned, glaring at his girlfriend's twin, who responded to him with a nervous laugh. "Didn't I say not to use that term?"

"Okay, sorry!" The new adult apologized, grinning sheepishly as he slowly rose up from the ground and dusted the dirt off his black denim. Seeing him walking back inside, Devi's father joined him to refill his dessert bowl.

Heart still racing in anxiety for their upcoming confrontation with their parents, Harshitha cleared her throat awkwardly when she realized only the three of them were left behind. Leaving Vikram in that still tense atmosphere while relaxing outside felt like a crime.

As a matter of fact, she wasn't relaxing, more like escaping that crazy Pooja. Her presence wasn't a threat to Harshitha, but in a circumstance such as this, avoiding her would be the best move. They shouldn't give her the space to cause trouble.

Nevertheless, she felt she ought to go inside before they began the talk.

"Umm-" Her kohl-lined eyes flickered from her brother to Vihana, who blinked innocently at her next sentence. "I won't disturb you guys. Please carry on." Before the couple could comprehend the meaning behind her words, Harshitha hitched up her long skirt and sprinted inside, leaving the pleasant sound of her anklet clanking behind to resonate in the air.

"So?" Vihana lifted her brows in question, biting her lips as she glanced at her boyfriend of four months. In the four months, they have learned more about each other than during their childhood. Even though they both grew up together, they never thought about each other romantically.

While they- Vikram, the twins, and Harshitha were rebels, he was more of a gentle and calm guy who would softly warn them when they were mischievous but never stop them from having fun. As Hari was always the responsible one among them, Vihana never got along with him -as she was with Harshitha- for fear of getting scolded from him even though he never scolded the girls.

Her train of thought was interrupted when a gentle deep voice asked, "What are you thinking?"

Hari's dark hair swayed along with the breeze, falling slightly against his forehead, a gentle smile on his lips that seemed to be plastered all day. For a moment, Vihana stared at him in a daze as her eyes took in his features.

The slight scar on his forehead reminded her of their childhood when he fell on the paddy field while trying to save them from the dog. That was one crazy day! His naturally shaped eyebrows rose in question, causing his nose to twitch slightly at the action, and lips parted in question bringing her out of the trance.

"Viha? Back to earth! What crazy stuff are you dreaming about?" He chuckled and repeated, leaning slightly forward to hear her response. She always has some crazy stuff to say when she looks like this. Totally day-night dreaming.

"An important matter." She shrugged, not wanting to give him satisfaction, but in reality, all she thought was just the usual stuff. She glanced at their house to see the front door tightly shut. She breathed deeply, pretending to be casual while her heart fluttered like crazy when he leaned back and laid his head on her lap.

His head on her lap felt a pleasant weight that she could carry all day. Okay, little cringy! But really, it doesn't feel as heavy as her sibling's!

Breath hitching in her throat, she reached out to caress his hair, her fingertips barely touching his tresses before Hari spoke, causing her hand to halt in the air. "Oh, thinking about me? I'm glad."

Lipstick-tinted lips parted as she exhaled and narrowed her eyes at the person on her lap, who connected their fingers together and placed them on his chest, charmingly winking at her when he noticed her expression.

'Is he trying to kill me?!' Vihana thought, avoiding looking at his dark eyes as they stared at her like piercing through her soul. He was being extra flirty these days and causing a zoo of butterflies to flutter inside her with his pickup lines.

"Hey!" Hari whispered, cupping the back of her neck and gently tugging her to lean down. Vihana took a quick glance at the front door to see it still tightly shut and complied with him, and leaned down.

"Hello," She whispered back in anticipation of what he wanted to do in this open layout. Her eyes flickered close on their own accord when she felt their breath mingling. However, her eyes snapped open when she felt cold metal sliding against her finger. An elegant silver band encrusted with a single tiny diamond encircled her left fourth finger, gleaming when she moved her hand.

"It's so beautiful!" Vihana breathed, a hundred emotions running through her mind as she gaped at the beautiful ring he gifted.

"Not much as you." He stated, gazing at her slowly reddening cheek with a gentle smile. Trying to contain the smile from escaping her lips, Vihana looked around in a daze, not knowing how to reply or even face him.

"Is it your mission to make me speechless every time we speak? If then, you succeeded!" Bashfully she tried to get up, but Hari refused to move from her lap, encircling his arms around her waist, keeping her grounded.

"Give me a return gift, and then you can go." He demanded, twirling a strand of her hair around his fingers.

"Here!" She leaned down, placing a loud kiss on his cheeks, his freshly trimmed beard slightly pricking her soft lips, causing her brow to furrow in annoyance, but she loved the tingling sensation that left her lips quivering in need when it made contact, so it's okay.

"That's not how you do it. Lemme teach you." Laughing, Hari leaned up slightly, connecting their lips in a soft kiss. As she traced her fingers over the scar on his forehead, she was baffled by the sudden kiss, but she soon kissed back when he nudged his nose with hers in a playful attempt to get her attention. Hearing the door open, they parted, smiling with their hearts racing at the idea of getting caught.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," Hari wished, rising up from the ground and offering his hand for her to get up as his father stared at them skeptically from the door.

"What are you guys still doing out in the dark while everyone is in?" Krishnan asked as soon as they reached the door, his eyes zeroing on his son's hand, which was enveloping Vihana's.

Vihana cleared her throat and quickly removed her from Hari's hold before her uncle would doubt and ask anything.

"Just enjoying the breeze, Pa. It was so lovely, wasn't it, Viha?" Hari asked, referring to their kiss while slyly winking at his girlfriend, who ran inside without answering his question, leaving them standing out on the porch.

.

.

Vikram breathed deeply, sweat rolling down from his forehead even sitting under the AC. He glanced at his darling to see her carrying Devi around the kitchen to distract her from the cake distributed to everyone. The little devil already had half a piece of chocolate cake, if she had any more, she wouldn't sleep at night.

Now the dinner and dessert were over, only the guest had to leave then- seriously, he didn't know what would happen.

'Be positive!' He swore to himself.

However, for some reason, Pooja was very silent after he warned her at the dinner. After that, she didn't even try to look at Harshitha's face. She just remained silent, sticking close to her father.

"Vikram, can you please go call Hari inside?" Sakthi requested, signaling him toward the front door. Nodding, he walked towards the door but halted when Hari walked inside, smirking.

"Well, I didn't know you fancy wearing lipstick, machan." Vikram mocked, looking at his slightly stained lips and messy hair that was probably the handwork of Vihana. But no, he wanted to believe it was by the wind, but he and Harshitha had been doing this for so long he could identify when someone *cough* made out *cough* with just a glance.

"Ahem." Hari cleared his throat awkwardly as he wiped his lips with his thumb while Vikram closed his eyes to control himself from punching Hari's face as he straightened out his messy hair and shirt.

"Be discreet if you don't wanna get caught yet." Vikram passed him a tissue and strolled back inside.

.

.

"Vihana, please go call your elder brother down," Krishnan demanded, looking straight at the girls who were sitting on the floor as they watched an episode of some K-drama. Everyone has already left, leaving only their two families. The boys went up to play some games while the girls stayed behind in the living room.

Vihana nodded, passing her laptop to Harshitha, who gulped nervously and paused the show. The elder stared at Vihana as she climbed up the stairs to call the boys. Sakthi and Radha glanced at each other and nodded in silent agreement. Radha quickly stood up and sat beside Harshitha, showing her support.

"We are here for you guys." She whispered, holding her son's girlfriend's shaking hands, which induced the youngster to relax and smile. Harshitha felt the heavy sensation in her heart fade when Vikram climbed down the stairs while staring at her with a reassuring smile. She beamed back, nodding at him.

'We are together in this.' They promised each other as everyone took a seat in the living room.

An awkward silence filled the room, the only sound heard was the ceiling fan running above their heads. Vikram took a deep breath and began, "Harshitha and I love each other."

"What?" Even though everyone knew, Vihana gasped, pretending to be oblivious as she stared at them in surprise. Hari looked down to hide his smile at her acting. Not only him but there were also a few sniffles from others as they tried to hold their laughter.

"We very well know that, Vikram," Krishnan stated calmly, which kinda scared them, hearing his calm tone.

"We have been together for a few years, pa" Now, Harshitha inputted, her eyes staring straight at her father's eyes, whose expression slightly changed when he heard the word years. Though everyone knew they were together, no one except Vihana knew the exact count. Not to forget their grandfather, who somehow also knew that. Did he tell by fluke, or did he really know? God only knows!

"Years? Why didn't you guys tell u-" Before he could complete, the doorbell rang. Vihaan quickly strode towards the door and opened it to see Pooja and her father standing.

"I want to speak with your father." Pooja's dad announced, moving inside with Pooja, who smirked at Vikram smugly.

"Nishanth, what happened?" Sivakumar questioned his business partner.

"I heard that Vikram was joining the XXX company the next month for a fresher's program in Bangalore. Was that true?" Nishanth questioned, tugging his daughter to stand in front. Vikram narrowed his eyes at the duo skeptically.

"Ah yeah. What's the matter?"

"Umm, you know that my daughter is also the same major, and she was also selected for the freshers' program, so why don't they live together and get to know each other?" Nishanth suggested, looking around to see everyone standing shocked at his words.

A sudden crunch sound echoed through as the glass in her hand slipped down. Harshitha quietly apologized, bending down to pick up the broken piece of glass.

"Baby, it's okay." Vikram quickly stopped her; he scooped up the glass fragments with a tissue and threw them in the trash can while Kirshna stared at him silently. The sudden slip of endearment shocked everyone but not as much as Pooja.

Her breath hitched when she finally saw the girl's face, tears pricking up in her eyes as she pointed her finger at Harshitha and screamed. "So, it's true! You both are married?!"

"What? Who's married?" Nishanth embraced his daughter as she cried hysterically in his arm while pointing at Harshitha and Vikram.

"They both! They are actually married. She showed me their wedding pictures!" Pooja yelled, running away embarrassed. She didn't believe it at first, but now the girl stood before her, she felt ashamed to even stay before everyone. She felt like a loser standing before her. Her Vikram is not hers anymore!

"Pooja!" Nishanth ran after her before she did anything crazy, while everyone stood stunned at what she uttered.

"Married? What is she saying? Can any one of you explain?" Krishnan murmured absentmindedly, sitting down on the sofa with a thump. His eyes were unfocused as he stared at the wall before him silently.

"No pa, she was talking about the photo shoot we had done for Dhanya," Harshitha explained, praying they wouldn't ask for the photo, but guess what? God didn't hear her prayer as their grandpa spoke next. "Show that."

"Huh?"