I'm born, just to love you 💕 1

[gavudham]

1
Shiva woke up. The sound of falling rain reached his ears, filling him with a sense of ecstasy. He gazed at Anita, who was sleeping soundly beside him, watching the contours of her face.
There was still one week left—one week until the deadline she had set was over. He had no idea what her answer was going to be.
Lost in thought, Shiva gently adjusted Anita’s ruffled clothes. He pulled the blanket over her, covering her tucked-in frame while leaving only her face exposed. He kissed her forehead. Even in her sleep, Anita smiled.
The memory of her passionate affection from the previous night flashed through his mind, bringing a smile to his lips.
The rain intensified. Anita was just like the rain.
She would make you wait, wondering if she would ever pour, but once she started, she would turn into a torrential downpour, showering her love with fierce intensity. Yes, Anita was exactly like the rain.
Walking out to the balcony, Shiva watched the relentless downpour. The weather report said it would rain throughout the month. This was a rare instance where the weather forecast actually turned out to be true.
Shiva had grown to love Thrissur. The constant rain, the cool breeze, and the divine presence of Vadakkunnathan Shiva, Paramekkavu Bhagavathy, and Thiruvambadi Unnikrishnan had made him fall in love with the town over the last three weeks.
Malayalam was an easy language to pick up. Even otherwise, almost all Malayalis knew Tamil. If spoken in Tamil, everyone understood. The way they called Tamilians “Anna” (elder brother) had a unique beauty to it.
Shiva would be turning twenty-eight this November. He worked at Fluent Systems on Chennai’s East Coast Road, but for the past six months, he had been working from home. That was the only reason he could accept the condition Anita had set.
Thinking back to the moment she first laid out that condition—and how he had stood there, stunned—made him chuckle even now.
Kanchipuram.
Rangasamy Kulam.
“Where did he go? It’s getting late!” Alamelu’s tension was rising.
Paranthaman smiled. “Don’t worry. There’s still half an hour left. He’ll be here.”
“This is the last girl I’m going to see for him. If this doesn’t work, I’m not coming along for any more bride-seeing trips!” Alamelu declared.
Paranthaman chuckled to himself. This was Alamelu’s standard dialogue every single time. The reason was their son, Shiva. He seemed to dislike every girl they saw.
“Hey, what was wrong with the girl we saw today?”
“Nothing wrong, Ma.”
“Then why did you say no?”
“What are you saying, Ma? Shouldn’t I like her?”
“But you just said there was nothing wrong with her!”
“Those are two different things, Ma. If she’s going to be my wife, there has to be something about her that draws me in.”
As Shiva explained, Alamelu gave him her usual glare while Paranthaman just smiled.
“What exactly are you expecting?” he asked his son one day.
Shiva replied, “She should be outspoken. Realistic. Natural. She shouldn’t be ‘acting’.”
His father understood his train of thought. Well, the girl born for him must be out there somewhere. When the time is right, she will appear on her own. He believed that Lord Ekambaranathar would bless them when the moment was right.
“I’m asking you something, and you’re off in your own world! What are you thinking?” Alamelu asked, standing close to him. He pulled her into an embrace. No matter how angry Alamelu was, she would melt like ice at her husband’s touch.
“Alamu.”
“Mm?”
“Don’t worry about Shiva.”
“Mm.”
“He will get a very good girl.”
“Mm.”
“His horoscope is like that.”
“Mm.”
“Ma!” Shiva called out as he walked in, and Alamu quickly stepped away from her husband.
“Where did you go?”
“Just nearby.”
“Get ready quickly.”
“I’m ready, Ma.”
The three of them set off in their car.
“Shiva.”
“Yes, dad?”
“We need to stop at the Ekambaranathar temple before we go.”
“Okay, dad,” Shiva said, turning the car left.
They reached the temple in five minutes. Alamelu prayed with deep devotion, while Paranthaman looked at Lord Ekambaranar with a sense of fulfillment. He felt a surging confidence that Shiva would like the girl today.
Leaving the temple, they continued their journey. The car entered a residential area opposite the Kanchipuram Collector’s office and stopped in front of a house. Two people were waiting at the entrance to welcome them.
“Come in, come in!”
After the formal pleasantries, Anita was called into the room. When Shiva looked up, he forgot to blink.
What a radiant face! It struck a chord in his heart the moment he saw her. Clarity in her eyes. A sharp nose. Alluring, slightly moist lips.
Alamelu cleared her throat softly.
Shiva snapped out of it and realized Anita was standing there, holding out a cup of coffee. He took it, feeling a bit awkward. He tried to smile, but Anita didn’t smile back; she looked him straight in the eye.
She said, “I need to speak with you in private.”
As everyone looked at Anita in surprise, Shiva stood up. “Sure.”
He followed her upstairs. The terrace was lovely, decorated with a well-maintained garden. Shiva, admiring some unfamiliar flowers, asked her, “What flower is this?”
“It’s called a ‘Changing Rose’.”
“What does that mean?”
“It changes color. One color in the morning, another in the afternoon, and another in the evening.”
“Super.”
“Mm. You said you wanted to talk?”
“Yes.”
“Go ahead.”
“I never take risks,” she began.
“I don’t follow.”
“I know nothing about you. How can I just marry you?”
“Isn’t that how it’s been happening for generations?”
“I can only worry about myself,” Anita said bluntly.
Shiva actually liked her bluntness. She was natural; she wasn’t putting on an act. He smiled. “Tell me.”
“I want to live with you for a month. Then I’ll tell you if I like you or not. If I say I like you, we get married. If I say no, you go your way and I go mine.”
Shiva was shocked. “What are you saying?”
“I mean it.”
“I’ve never heard of anything like this.”
“Mr. Shiva,” she continued, “I already told you, this is my life. When we go to a shop to buy a kilo of sweets, do we just buy them? Don’t we taste a sample first?”
“This is life, Anita.”
“That’s exactly my point. If we look for a sample for a kilo of sweets, how can we blindly accept a married life?”
“What you’re saying is... new.”
“It might be new, but I cannot take risks in my life. So, I will only marry you if I like you after living together for a month.”
“One doubt,” Shiva said.
“Ask.”
“Does ‘living together for a month’ include... everything?”
“Why beat around the bush? You mean sex, right?”
“Yes.”
“That too.”
“What?” Shiva looked at her in shock.
She continued, “What do you think is wrong with me deciding after seeing if we have a satisfying physical relationship? This is 2026. In a few years, this is how it’s going to be.”
Shiva watched her as she spoke rapidly, a smile forming on his face.
“If you agree to what I just said, come downstairs and say you like me. If not, say you don’t like me and leave.”
As Anita walked downstairs, Shiva realized... he really liked her.

To be continued