There were not more than twenty people in the vast balcony that overlooked some trees and they all seemed to be comfortably at home sharing the space. Srishti closed her eyes,a smile outlining her features as she inhaled the fresh redolence of mango trees and the blossoming jasmine thine that swayed around.
'Sasha..pasikutha?' She felt her professor's large hand rest on her shoulder and turned to face him.
She simply nodded a yes before he led them to the kitchen where the aroma of food welcomed them. Adhiran chuckled at the way Srishti 's eyes fluttered seeing Gulan jamun in the sweet vessel and filled her plate with three pieces.
Srishti bit her bottom lip as she watched him follow her from behind as she helped herself with some pulav, naan and paneer tikka. Adhiran 's smile widened when she offered to fill his plate as well.
After getting two glasses of lassi ,he lead them both to a bench and sat down,' I thought you'd be hungry '
' Illa..you don't have to eat for my sake Professor, ungla family kooda time spend pannanum nu nenapinga la'
'Ukkaru Sasha' he gave her an intense look making her sit beside him in an instant,
Srishti basked in the feeling of being in his comfort and relished the moment before he spoke.
' Na avangla adikadi papen' he told her,
'But you see me everyday ' she replied, chewing some pulav with the small of her mouth,
'Ipdi paathathu illayae' he held her gaze again and this time, there was something more than tenderness that glowed in his eyes. Something that was arcane yet well-known.
Srishti had never seen such a beautiful oxymoron in her life.
'Prof- she was cut off by his pointed look and corrected herself, ' Adhi ' she whispered and felt the way his name rolled off her lips.
Adhiran smiled with satisfaction and nodded his head for her to continue,' Sollu'
'Do you have any siblings?' she asked him, taking a bite of her pulav.
There was a momentary pause as Adhiran looked at her intently, taking in the sight of the girl in front of him. The way she closed her eyes and arched her head as an expression of appreciation for the food was so enticing. Adhiran's eyes did a double take as he went back to his food,
' Illa..I'm a single child '
'Neenga chinna vayasulernthu Inga irunthinga nu unga amma sonnanga'
' Ama.. he smiled for a moment, gesturing her to wipe a grain of rice from her chin and continued, ' 'sonnanga'
Srishti smiled back at him and asked again,
'Single child ah irukarthu jolly ah irukum la?' she naively asked him,
Adhiran's smile broke into a huge grin yet again as he questioned her back, ' You should consider becoming a journalist, Sasha.'
'Hmmm…munnadi thonuchu…but I'm too boring to pursue it..too safe'
There was absolute reticence for a moment.
'wrong and wrong ' Adhiran stated with conviction and effortlessly brought Srishti out of her trance from his eyes, ' You aren't boring at all , Srishti 's insides shrilled at the way his voice dropped down to a shingly baritone, And believe me, you are far from safe'
