His digital clock, turned from 23.59 to 00.00, Day changed from 17 February to 18........

He was simply staring at the clock........
Whole ODC was empty, only he and his system were working.........

It's Saturday night or we can say Sunday morning.....

His vision became blurred, he blinked twice thrice his vision came back eliminating the tears from eyes to cheeks.....

No mood of wiping those tears, he still staring at the clock........

The worst nightmare of his life came true.....
Within next 8 hrs. she is going to get engaged as someone's wife........

He was not able to handle the pain his memories gave.....

May be the 5 days he got a chance to be with her....

Those 5 days......
He thought he may, able to make her accept her love.....

All he got is her empty smiles and silent tears.....

Her voice lost its confidence day by day......
Proving that she is not living in her truths but lies......

The voice which made him fall in love, made him feel guilty....

Moving his eyes away from the clock, he got to see the bunny doll which he gave her but she refused to take.......

He took the doll in his hand, but instead of doll his hands got the attention,

The same hand which held her wrist tight......

*Flashback

Yes...he knows she is going to get engaged to someone in the next 2 weeks, through Jayant when talking generally about something…

That’s when he found that he took so much time for enjoying his new found love,
He was not sure when he fell for that chirpy voice,
Which always stays in positive mood
But he found the same, when he was in leave for office, how much he missed her voice, how much impatiently he waited for her text, “can I call you?” the next day.

When she called on the week end to explain the teams expectations, full call he took good time to enjoy her voice….

But learning the news she is giving her hand to someone,
He decided not to wait anymore and started to Chennai....

Called the manager and informed him that he has some personal works here in Hyderabad so he will work there for next one week...

He was that confident he can win her love in one week....

Before he arrives, the engagement date got fixed, that too in next two weeks......
Still he got his confidence by seeing that lost eyes in the photos her sister posted in Facebook.....

It was a group photo the two families took on the bride seeing ceremony.....

He thought instead of saying his love to her, he decided to make her prove that "she loves him"......

He always know, she has feelings for him in a corner of her heart....
Her concerned voice, while speaking with him.., also the way she saves him from the mistakes, proves that often....

Coming to office, his confidence on his intuitions became strong finding her tears on seeing him.....

When she was adoring him, by leaning on the desk....
He thought it's going to be easy to explain their bond.......

But
When he held her wrist, she stood there affected by his presence but the way she was resisting herself to show that out, made him to back out....

She silently walked behind him, staring at the floor.....

While having the dinner,
While everyone was talking randomly, she asked "why this sudden visit???"

He thought she will never talk or ask about him....
His mind rejoiced at that, but her friends made it more interesting....

Rani asked, "Who has visited suddenly Yamuna"

She raised her head, to see Rani then at Akshay.......

"Tell us Yamuna", even Karunya joined......

"Except "him" nobody visited us suddenly???!!!" She answered not wanting to point at him....

He slowly shook his head in admitting her smartness....

Before he could answer, Nithya answered "he came as the uninvited person for your engagement"

Her breath was stopped, somewhere someone pushed her into vacuum.....

She started coughing badly, he got panic getting up from his place, gave her water and caressed her head to ease her........

In seconds she recovered,

Raised her head saying, "Sorry", instead of thank you.....

That sorry is for everything she did,

For not accepting the love,
For not confessing it out,
For giving someone else the position which he hold the rights, for granting the pain which he does not deserve.....

Hearing her sorry, he silently sat in his place.....

While walking back to ODC, he slowly reached her and said, "Say that sorry for yourself....., you hurt you more"

Her tears were in control but the truth of her life.....not in her control.....

The bondage of her family,
The trust of her family,
The happiness of her family,
Once she thought those things are her strength, never once she dreamt of those things make her weak....

After that, "sorry thing"
He never tried talking with her,
Regarding the work, they discussed like before....but even while professional talk, she never dared to see his eyes.....
May be she thought like, his eyes might open her heart which she locked and dumped....

On the 5th day in Hyderabad office,
She received a phone call,
As he was sitting next to her, he knows she never picks a phone if not it is from her mother....

Picking the call, hearing for few minutes she asked, "When should I come there"

......,.............

"I don't want to take leave,
Finish it in week end...."

..................

If Sunday is not possible keep it in Saturday

.....................

I have my commitments

.....................

All right, will be there on Friday night

..........

She disconnected the call and next second, she saw him already staring at her....

Don't know what happened, or what she decided....

She stood from her place...

She started getting the attention of the team, she gestured all to come with her.......

They all came out with her, coming to pantry she stood there little angry, little worried, and completely sad...

Sorry for this sudden announcement dear ones..

"What was that Yamuna, come on tell us what happened" it's Safera...

"My marriage is on next Month end i.e. March 31st, I wish everyone’s presence there......"

The whole gang became silent, everyone knows the clouded relationship of hers and Akshay's......

After a few seconds all clapped and one by one asked for details........

She explained everything very calm....
But all he noted is the weeping soul of her....

Her eyes had no happiness,
Her words had no excitement,
She became a life less......

As Saturday they had office,
She invited all for small treat at her home on Sunday which her father promised to his business people...
Yamuna invited her team..........
After seeing her struggles of hiding her feelings,

Even Akshay decided to return by train at night 11 to Chennai.....

He came to her house,
Every wall had her photos, he got to see how much she is attached with her family.......
He got to know many things about her in one single day, But it haven't changed his love, instead it got increased to the level from where he can't return back,

After morning breakfast, all sat under the clear sky.......
They were sitting in the garden at the backyard of house....
Akshay, was staring around aimlessly....
A beautiful wall painting got his attention, it was sooo real.....

A chained hand, crushing a heart into its hold......

He stood up reaching the painting, he slowly touched the painting.....
It seem to connect with him.....

A voice got him to turn,
"It was her recent painting pa," it's Yamuna's mother.....

"Oh, Yamuna do painting...." He asked and All the gang accompanied him to see the painting.....

Ya, whenever she feels she will.....

She painted this last week, never she paints on wall but differently she did that on last Sunday.....

"Oh ...” All spelled and saw Akshay, as if he knows that.....

He nodded,
Yamuna's mother invited all for brunch and all entered.....

The house was getting ready for the engagement....
New vessels and things has been arranged in the sides...

"Amma, have you saw my blue cover book, came her voice....."

"I haven't touched anything in your room, and now why you need that book"

"Ma, you know right ..." Her words stopped seeing all, no no not all, but him staring at her.....

Akshay was admiring her,
She was wearing a traditional dress,
With few jewels.....
Making her more beautiful her hair was flowing on her shoulders......

She composed herself and joined the gang, and continued,

"Ah, ma, I was saying that,
You know right I keep my paper crafts in that blue book, it got missed somewhere...."

It should be there, you please stop your paper works for few day, we will shift all your things to your husband's house in a month, you play there, and enough of putting paper waste here...."

"No ma, I am not going to take anything from here, let it be here"

"But you can't even survive a day without your books......"

"I am going to survive without you hereafter, what for those lifeless books....."

Saying this, she saw him, he was bowing his heads down.......

"Are you the one, who says every book has your life in it?”

"Mmmmm, even I am life less, why not my books,"

"Yamuna,” Her mom shook her....

"Ma, chill just said......” she averted her face from her mom looked at her friends

"Guys come will show you the famous temple at near....."
All nodded......

A day with her ended as a second for him....

At 8 all left to their home or hostel,

As Yamuna's house was near to railway station, her father asked him to stay there till 10, he himself will drop him to station.....

Few booked cab for them, and pickup was at area corner, all walked till there, cab came....
Saying bye to all, Akshay and Yamuna were walking towards the house,

"Do you think it is possible,” Akshay asked from nowhere

"What???" She asked again....

"Do you think it is possible to cheat yourself for lifelong....”

"What do you think, I am cheating, and “she asked hiding all her emotions....
One week she trained herself.....

"Cheating that, you don't love me"

"Oh No, what stupid are you talking,"

She tried walking fast, but stopped on her tracks.....

"You are running away from me or the truths....."
She recited in her mind, "stay strong just few hours he will leave, stay strong".......

She turned, and said,
"I don't want to run away from anything and what you are trying to say, I love you but not expressing that.....
Stop imagining things....."

"Imagine?” He let out a dry laugh.....

"May be.....
I imagined,
But you are very clear and realistic right, answer my questions...."

"What questions??"

Answer me why your voice hold that much concern on that day when I said I am on sick leave....???

Answer me why you were down for those 2 days when I was in leave and your productivity was very low

Answer me why you got all the scolds in the place of mine and never conveyed me those....

Answer me why your voice was that much cheerful while talking with me and only me not Varun or any of your team mate......

Even if you don't have answers for those, just answer me why your eyes cried when it met mine on that day after your engagement got fixed..... "

She stood there like a statue recalling her last one week..........

*********

Yes, every single question he asked, was the same set of questions she asked herself on the day when she cried when her dad announced her engagement with his best friend's son.......

She cried badly cried for more than an hour after hearing the announcement, but she was not able to find why she was crying....
She felt very guilty, she felt fear of losing something......
Yet she was not able to figure out what it was......

Getting tiered of tears, her eyes pulled her to sleep....

"Yes Yamuna," his voice made her to wake up from sleep with jerk......

His voice rang in her ears,
She closed her ears tight with her palms.....

It started to echo in her ears....

There she found, he is the one who rule her heart, and that's why she feels guilty to give her hands to someone.....

She got the hint,
Why she felt concerned with his sick leave, why she felt weak and sad on his leave day, why she was much happy to hear his voice, why she was always supporting him even he was wrong......
She explored her love for him and jumped in the excitement

But when she came down to say this to her parents, story was there upside down, her father's trust on her played badly, they were exchanging the plates of flowers and fruits giving assurance for marriage......

She stood there rooted up,
Staring at the happiness her family is enjoying

When she tried saying all to the groom Karuna, he was not a new one for her but her childhood beastie, He even before listening to her, admired their parents 50 yrs. of Friendship...
And he stated that this marriage going to shower new bond to the family....

She got a new fear that, this may ruin the family.....
The family which pampered her for 21 years became her priority more than her love which was discovered before few hours........

But what she haven't expected is even he realized the same thing in the same time and will reach her........

She took the whole night to cheat her, that this is not love.......
Supporting her lies, the engagement date got fixed....

She again and again made her believe that it is just an infatuation, but all her lies were broken on the second she saw him there in ODC...

**********

Her tears made a way, she felt the reality, standing in a corner of road with him next to her.....
Waiting for her answers......

She was not able to answer him,
He asked,
"Please don't push yourself to the hell, I will talk with your parents and make them understand....
They loves you sooo much, they will accept this.....
Just tell me that you love me, I will take care of the rest....."

She simply said,
Can we start walking may be it may rain....clouds are dense....

She started walking in front making him follow her, she slowly started saying,

You know how much I adore my father, he never did something for himself, and all he wants is my happiness,

This is the first time, he does something for himself, that too after making sure that if Karuna is best for me or not.....

I can't let him down, I don't want him to suffer, she stopped and turned to see him on tears, even she was crying...

He held her hands into his.....

"Please....." He pleaded...

"Sorry ........" She murmured.........

Both lost their words....

She is not best in words....
Nor he.....

But her hold on his hands
Spoke more.....

Even he is not best in gestures...
Nor she....

But his eyes connected with her
Expressed more....

He knows it was neither her mistake nor his......
Still he stood there unable to forgive her....

She too knows it was neither her choice nor his.....
Still she stood there unable to accept him.....

Always a Men's mind finds solution first......
Yes!!!!!
In a next second of realization....
She was into his arms, just as a child in womb of warmth......

She cried as much as she could,
To say how much she was hurt
He tightened the hold as he could,
To say how much he can heal.......

May be......
Still it's too late.....
Said the banner under which they were standing

Yamuna
Weds
Karuna

A strong thunder sound, made them move out of each other's embrace.....

She slowly said,

"Forgive me, and so you can forget me soon....."

He just nodded his head, even he knows that's impossible....

That night was a horrible night for Akshay....

He was broken much, even before his love bloom the roots were rotten......

He continued his works, he haven't even got a single call from her.....

But she was in online and working......

Nithya, Karunya, and their lead everyone called and discussed but he never got a chance to hear her voice...

On Friday while winding up the meeting, Manager Varun said like he will be there in Hyderabad on Friday night to join Yamuna's engagement as he have some works on her marriage date.

That's when he heard her voice,
She explained the route and became silent again....

No one was excited or happy for the marriage as every knows at corner of their hearts that, Yamuna is not happy.....

He ended the call, even before all said bye...

Flashback ends....

__________________________
He walked to the parking area, his bike was welcoming him....

He came to office, just to make himself accept the fact that he can't love her anymore, she is going to be someone's soon....

He gave life to the bike, and it roared aloud....

In next few seconds, his bike is moving in OMR road...

His phone rang, he picked the call,
"Akshay, we have a visitor for you, he is waiting in the hostel admin entrance".....

He saw the time, it's 5 in morning who is here to meet that too at this time.....

He came to his hostel and parked his bike....

He slowly walked to admin entrance, got nearly a shock......

It's Yamuna's father standing there completely collapsed....

Seeing Akshay, he hurried to him.....

Please Akshay, please show her to me,
She is my dream and life.....
If she wants to be with you, you keep her with you, but please show her to me....
It’s been 24 hrs. I saw her...
Please Akshay....
Please don't take revenge on me.....

Hearing that,
He got anger....
Pulled him with his collars,

Where you people lost my girl...
Where is she,
She decided to leave all her happiness for you people, you can't even keep her safe,

"Where is she...?”

Yamuna's father too asked him, “Where is she???"

Learning that even they both have no details about her, both stood there in the stage of darkness engulfing them.....

Taking some minutes to regain his self, first he asked sorry,

"Sorry uncle, in an emotion I just got...."

"No, don't be sorry, now I could understand how much you love her, but why she haven't come to you...."

This confused him more,
She was very strong to accept the marriage her father arranged...
Why she left and how her father found their love story.....

Above all,

"Where is she...?”

_______________________

Yamuna left from her house,

How Akshay is going to find her....

Stay connected...
Will give the sweet ending with beautiful romance in next few hours......

Ezhilharish