[Nsme]

Around sharp two in the afternoon, the three of them returned home after finishing the presentation. Since college ended at two in the afternoon for both of Divya's children, Divya had also just picked them up from college and returned home.

Everyone sat down together and began eating lunch.

Tasting the delicious meal Divya had cooked and experiencing the warm hospitality of Ganesh and Divya touched Swetha deeply. "The cooking is truly amazing, Akka. You're taking care of me with so much love, just as if I had come to my own home," she praised wholeheartedly.

Chatting and laughing naturally, everyone enjoyed their lunch.

Just then, looking at Dinesh, Divya said, "Dinesh, why don't you try for a symposium at a college in Hyderabad just like this? If you get selected there, you could go visit Vicky Annan and Sandhya Anni as well!"

Hearing this sparked great enthusiasm in Swetha. "Wow... super idea, Akka! There are many big colleges in Hyderabad. As soon as I get back, I'll also search to see if any symposiums are happening there," she said excitedly.

Afterward, the conversation turned to their return journey.

Dinesh informed them that tickets for both of them had been confirmed on the 11:30 PM train that very night.

Hearing that Dinesh would be leaving tonight itself made Divya's face suddenly wilt. The longing and pain of wondering whether she wouldn't even get to spend a little time alone with her beloved brother-in-law, who had come to her house after so many weeks, were blatantly visible in her eyes.

Dinesh noticed that longing in Divya's eyes too. Without anyone noticing, he exchanged a comforting glance with her, as if telling her with his eyes alone, *'Don't worry, Anni, I'm here.'*

Disappointed as well, Ganesh asked, "What is this, da Dinesh... you could have stayed today and left tomorrow, right? Why are you leaving tonight itself so soon?"

"In a rush, we booked the tickets for tonight itself, Anne. Next time I come to Chennai, I'll definitely plan it so that I stay an extra day," Dinesh said.

Once lunch was over, everyone washed their hands and came back out.

Since he had taken leave from the office that day, Ganesh mentioned that he had to go meet a friend of his regarding something important, and stepped out shortly after.

Once Ganesh left, looking at Swetha, who was tired from the journey, Divya said affectionately, "Swetha, go lie down in the bedroom, get some good sleep, and rest, dear."

Hesitating slightly, Swetha said, "No, Akka, it's alright... I'll just lie down right here in the living room."

However, Divya and Dinesh wouldn't take no for an answer. "You wouldn't have slept properly on the night bus either; turn on the AC inside and sleep peacefully, Swetha," both of them insisted, until Swetha agreed and went into the bedroom. Divya went inside too, gave her a fresh blanket to cover herself with, made sure she was lying down comfortably, and closed the door before coming back out.

On the large mat spread out on the floor in the hall, Divya's two children lay down at one end, with Divya next to them, and Dinesh lying on her other side in a row. Opposite them, Tamil melody songs by Ilaiyaraaja and A.R. Rahman were playing on the TV at a very low volume.

Dinesh looked closely at the face of Divya lying beside him. Her usual glow had faded, and she looked slightly thinner.

"Anni... you've lost a lot of weight, Anni. Why does your face look so dull?" Dinesh asked with concern.

Hiding it behind a faint smile, Divya said, "There's nothing like that, da. I'm doing just fine."

At that exact moment, Divya's mobile phone rang. Some unknown number flashed on the screen. Frowning and calling it a spam call, Divya disconnected it.

However, within the next few seconds, the phone rang again from the exact same number!

Furrowing his brows, Dinesh asked, "Why are you getting so many spam calls, Anni? Why don't you just block and report that number?"

"Mmm... I'll report it later, da," Divya said, switching her mobile to silent mode and setting it aside.

Within a short while, both of Divya's children drifted into a deep sleep.

Now, in the quiet of that hall, Divya and Dinesh lay turned on their sides, facing each other. Their eyes met directly. The longing and yearning they had kept locked inside their hearts for weeks were blatantly visible in that gaze.

At that very moment, the soul-stirring song *"Kurukku Siruthavale"* from the movie *Mudhalvan* began playing softly on the TV. Hariharan and Mahalakshmi Iyer's voices filled the quiet room with a melody of deep, inseparable longing:

> *"Oru thadava izhuthu anaichapadi*
> *Uyir moocha niruththu kanmaniye...*
> *Um mudhuga thulaichi veliyera*
> *Innum konjam irukku ennavane..."*
> *(Hold me tight just once and stop my very breath, my darling... There is still a little further to go for my soul to pierce right through your back and merge with you, my love...)*

As the song continued, the lyrics spoke of a love that defies even death—asking if a lover's gentle words and warm gaze could accompany one until the body is buried in the earth, and answering that even death itself would be confused seeing two souls fused as one, yearning to be smeared like turmeric on her skin or turned into a tiny bell inside her anklet.

Then came the poignant lines where the female voice sang of tears seeping from one eye while life itself seemed to seep through the lips, dying and being reborn a few times over for her lover, her heart following him like a fallen leaf carried away by a river's current:

> *"Oru kannil neer kasiya*
> *Udhattu vazhi usir kasiya*
> *Unnaale sila murai irakkavum*
> *Sila murai pirakkavum aanadhe..."*
> *(Song: "Kurukku Siruthavale" — Lyrics by Vairamuthu, Music by A.R. Rahman)*

Every single line of that song touched their very souls. When the line *"With tears seeping from one eye, and life seeping through the lips..."* played, neither of them could hold back their emotions any longer.

Moving closer slowly, the two of them embraced each other tightly. Dinesh's lips captured Divya's trembling lips. It was not a kiss of lust; it was a kiss of life, exchanging the ache of separation and a profound love!

For reasons unknown, even as they kissed, teardrops welled up and trickled down from both their eyes. As tears kept flowing, both showered a rain of kisses all over each other's faces. Burying her face against his chest, Divya unloaded all the emotional weight in her heart.

Afterward, mindful of the reality that Swetha was sleeping inside the bedroom, the two of them pulled back slightly.

However, near the pillows, their hands remained tightly interlocked, refusing to let go of each other. Gazing at one another with longing and deep love, right in the warmth of that embrace, both drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.

---

After a while, Swetha, who had been sleeping in the bedroom, woke up and came out to the hall.

In the hall, the TV was still playing at a low volume. On the floor, while the children slept on one side, on the other side, Dinesh was fast asleep with his face buried right in Divya's palm. Divya's other arm rested supportively around his shoulder.

Looking at that scene, nothing about it seemed inappropriate or wrong to Swetha even in the slightest. To her eyes, it looked sweet and pure, like him sleeping affectionately beside a motherly sister-in-law.

Not wanting their sleep to be disturbed, Swetha silently walked over and switched off the TV.

Just then, Divya slowly opened her eyes. Smiling at Swetha standing opposite her, she asked, "Has it been a long time, dear?"

Smiling back, Swetha said, "Yes, Akka... I slept really soundly too."

Very gently moving Dinesh's face from her palm and resting his head on the pillow, Divya got up. "Wait right here, dear, I'll go make some hot tea," she said, heading into the kitchen.

Following right behind her into the kitchen, Swetha chatted away cheerfully with her. Through the kitchen doorway, looking at Dinesh still sleeping dead to the world in the hall, both women shared a laugh.

In a short while, Ganesh returned home after finishing his work outside. The children woke up too. Everyone sat together, drank tea, and chatted, spending that evening very pleasantly.

After finishing dinner and resting for a bit, right on time, Ganesh set out to drop Dinesh and Swetha off at the railway station.

While leaving at the doorway, Dinesh looked into Divya's eyes and bade her farewell. Although his leaving so soon saddened Divya, crying against his chest that afternoon and knowing he had come all this way just for her had given her heart immense comfort.

Ganesh drove both of them to the railway station and saw them safely onto the 11:30 PM train.

On the train, two adjacent upper berths had been allotted to Swetha and Dinesh. Climbing up onto their berths, the two of them lay down and smiled at each other.

"If you need anything during the night, don't hesitate to wake me up, Swetha," Dinesh said considerately, setting an alarm on his mobile before closing his eyes. With a smile, Swetha too drifted off to sleep.

At dawn the next day, the train reached Trichy.

Stepping off the train, Swetha thanked Dinesh wholeheartedly for looking after her like his own family in Chennai before heading off to her college hostel.

Dinesh returned to his home as well. His entire mind was filled with thoughts of Divya Anni. Even though her faded face and that tearful kiss left him aching with longing, having seen her in person brought a sense of peace inside him.