Hello guys, here is the second part! Hope you will enjoy it.

Again, this story is not to hurt anyone, just fictional. Enjoy the story and please do share and vote. Do not hesitate to convey your thoughts in the comments!

*****

The sudden sound brought Sivaangi's attention to her phone. It was laying on the couch, next to the now empty popcorn bowl and chocolate wrappers. She stared at the displayed name, wondering if she had to pick up the call. Lazily, she reached for the phone and slid her thumb across the screen.

"Paapa? Enna ivalo neram ah phone edukamal irukkura?" Pugazh, her brother from another mother asked. (Dear, what took you so long to answer the call?)

"Anney, ondum illai." (Nothing anna.) (Anna/Anney means brother)

"Ean Paapa un kural ippidi dull-ah irukku? Ethavathu pirachanaya?" (Why do you sound so dull? Is something bothering you?)

"Nothing. Eppidi irukkinga anna?" She asked, trying to inject some chirpiness in her voice. (How are you?)

"Naan nalla irukkean ma, ippathaan movie success party mudichu veeda vanthanaan." (I am fine. I just came back from the success meet of my movie.)

Sivaangi had forgotten about this. It was the success party of Ashwin and Pugazh anna's movie. The movie was a huge success and the producer had thrown a party for their whole team. The fans had been celebrating the movie and Ashwin-Pugazh duo since the announcement of this project. They had shown the extent of their love toward them by carrying the movie on their shoulders and in their hearts since the release, 25 days ago.

"Party nalla irunthatha anna?" She asked. (How was the party?)

"Super ah irunthathu ma", Pugazh replied. "Aana antha Ashwin thaan, yarodayum perusa mingle agamal, enn kudaya suthithu irunthaan. Avan drinks pannuratum illai, summa antha airpods ah kaathila vachithu, Kovil thiruvizha la tholanchu pona Kuzhanthai mathiri oru oram ah ninduthu vanduthan." (It was great. Just Ashwin who did not try to mingle with people, he stayed most of the time with me. He doesn't even drink, he just had his airpods in his ears and stayed in a corner like a lost kid.)

Her brother sounded tired, from his long day and from Ashwin's behaviour. Sivaangi knew that Ashwin had become somewhat comfortable with the team from his film, then what happened to him suddenly?

"Seri Paapa, ada vidu. Naan naalaikku konjam free ah irukkurean, shoot ethukum illai, nee naalaikku free na velila polama? Romba naal achu unnai paarthu." (Leave that aside, dear. I don't have any shoot scheduled for tomorrow, shall we go out? It has been a long time since we saw each other.)

Sivaangi was hesitating. She did not want to go out, not when her mind was in such turmoil. But at the same time, it had been so long since she had seen her brother and she did not want to let him down. Making up her decision, she said:

"Haan anney. Enga paarkalam, enna time ku?" (Okay, when and where?)

"Paapa naan unnai 10am ku vanthu pick up pannurean, naanga velila poyi sappidalam. Okay?" He said, rejoicing at the idea of meeting her. (I will pick you up at 10am, dear. Let's go eat out.)

Agreeing to the plan, and bidding goodbye to him, she cut the call. This was when she noticed an unread message on her chat. It had come during her phone call with Pugazh. She could have read it from the notification bar and none would have been wiser. But she intentionally opened the chat and read the message.

'Hi ma, how are you?'

This single line was the reply to her last 23 messages left on seen. She had counted them! And he did not even reply to any of her previous messages. How dare he send this after 2 months without any communication?

She purposely left the app and opened it again to click on his name with force. She wanted to make sure that the message would be displayed as seen for him. 'Kaanadhu unakku!', she thought with vengeance, even though her heart was pining to reply. (Serves you right!)

She got up from the couch and switched off the TV. Crushing the wrappers in her hands and throwing them in the bin, she left for her room, her phone clutched in her hand. It was again going to be a long night, she knew. She had already so many questions in her mind and after that long silence, he had the audacity to ask her how she was!

***

Ashwin looked at his black watch on his wrist and then looked at the wall clock. It had been 5 minutes since he sent that message and she did not answer it yet. He threw his phone on the bed with force, and when it vibrated, he jumped on the bed to get hold of it and unlock it. His movie co-workers and co-stars were tagging him on stories and posts from the party.

"Aama romba mukkiyam ippo ithu." He mumbled harshly, going toward his kitchen to get some water. (Just what I needed right now!)

After drinking water and taking something to eat, he opened the app again to see if she had replied. The blue sticks were glaring at him. He waited some more and then a bit more for an answer.

It was 2am and she had not replied. 'Unakku venum da Ashwin!' he thought, ruefully. (You deserve this!)

Seeing no other solution, he looked at his phone, then quickly searched for the number he wanted, and pressed the call button.

***

Sivaangi woke up at 8.30am, turning her alarm off. She stood up in front of her cupboard, deciding on a dress to wear for her outing with her brother. She finally decided on jeans with a floral top and went to take a shower.

After taking her breakfast, she waited for Pugazh, watching the TV to pass time. The music channel she was watching was playing the party song that was the new trend, from his movie. She scoffed at the familiar stranger on the screen, her mind wanting to turn off the TV but her heart wanting to see a glimpse of him.

She watched the whole song, her eyes fixed on his moves and his smile. She missed calling him 'Ashwineyy', she missed his smile, his care, his voice... She missed him so much, and in his absence, she missed herself.

A horn sounded outside her gate, startling her. As her parents were away for some recording, she grabbed her bag and left her house.

"Paapa, good morning da!" Pugazh was at her gate already, smiling at her. (Good morning, dear!)

"Anney!" (Brother!)

She rushed in his waiting arms, engulfing him. He swayed on his feet with her in his arms, making her laugh.

"Evalo naal acchu unnai paarthu ma!" (It has been so long.) Pugazh said, cupping her face and smiling wider, if possible. "Vaa ma pogalam." (Come, let's go.)

Pugazh gripped her hand tight as he made her cross the road safely. The smile on Sivaangi's face disappeared as she noticed the car toward which Pugazh was taking her. The white Hyundai Creta was neatly parked, its owner surely in the driver seat, checking their approach on the side mirror.

She made sure to glare at the side mirror in question, wanting to throw a punch on the car or hit the tyre with her leg, but her brother's presence prevented her from doing that. As Pugazh opened the back door, she noticed her reflection on the glass. She had done the strict minimum, her eyes lined with kajal and her hair gathered in a low ponytail. She had not bothered to do much, afterall, it was supposed to be an outing with only her brother.

She was now definitely regretting her lack of make-up, having seen the kind of women surrounding him nowadays. But she was not going to let him affect her, she decided. Pugazh made her sit behind the passenger seat, and closing her door, he went to open the front door.

"Hello, Sivaangi maa."

Ashwin turned toward her, a smile grazing his lips, his eyes boring into her neck, as she stubbornly kept looking through the window. She nearly averted her gaze to him at the longing she heard in his voice, but she kept a firm control on herself and stayed aloof to him, shifting herself on the seat behind Ashwin.

Pugazh got in the car and asked Ashwin to start driving, not noticing or ignoring the tension in the car and his sister's choice of sitting.

"Enga anney porom?" Sivaangi asked, her eyes now fixed on her brother. (Where are we going brother?)

"Inga thaan Paapa. Oru 2 hours drive irukkum, naanga shooting pona idathuku pakathila thaan. Super ah irukkum, unakku romba pudikum." Pugazh replied, turning in his seat to look at her with a smile. (It's just a 2 hours long drive, it's near one of the shooting locations of our movie. You will like it.)

"Naama rendu perum poratha thaaney irunthathu?" Sivaangi asked. (We made plans just for both of us, didn't we?)

Sivaangi knew she was rude at the moment, but she was also hurt. She saw Ashwin's hands grip the wheel tighter, his back straining. His eyes flickered to the mirror, searching her eyes in it. This time, her eyes briefly met his hazel orbs in the mirror and she flinched at the hurt she saw in them. He put an end to the eye-lock by concentrating back on the road. Pugazh was silent looking at the unfoldings, exasperated at them both.

"Athu ma Thangatchi, Mappillai ku thaan antha idam nalla theriyum. Naanum neeyum anga thaniya poyithu kashta padamal thaan ivanayum kuppudean." (It's nothing my dear sister, Mappillai (brother-in-law) knows the place better than me. I didn't want to take you there to get lost in that place, that's why I asked him to come with me.)

Some tension left from Ashwin's body, and he threw a small smile at Pugazh. Not only did he manage his sister's question well, but also, Ashwin knew that Pugazh used the endearments to bring back memories of their time spent together in their show.

People would always think of Pugazh as an entertainer, someone who would make everyone laugh with his jokes and actions. It was true, but there was also another side of Pugazh, shown to some fortunate ones. The side that was very responsible and understanding, and would never let go of the people he loved.

This was why Ashwin had called Pugazh at 2am yesterday night. After greeting him with some colourful choices of words, Pugazh had listened to his lament. Ashwin had explained to him rather miserably that he had willingly kept himself away from Sivaangi. He was afraid that the different rumors around them would affect both their careers and eventually their personal lives. He had kept himself aloof in the hope that everything would soon die out, but it had not.

In fact, the negativities had doubled. He knew that he should not concern himself with such things, that it ought to happen to any public figure, and that he should concentrate only on the people who were celebrating them. But how was he to stay unaffected when she was thrown in the middle of everything?

By the time he had realised that he would better protect and support her by being at her side than away, he was taken by the hectic schedule and chain of events around his first movie and the shooting of his other projects, thus leading him to not speak to Sivaangi for 2 whole months.

Pugazh had listened to his whining about how Sivaangi was now royally ignoring him and how desperate he was to make amends or at least explain himself. He had stayed silent the whole conversation, until he cut the call telling Ashwin to come pick him up in the morning at 9.30.

And here they were, all three in his car, all silent. It used to be Sivaangi who would bring up a topic chirpily or sing a song. Now, she was silent, her hands crossed and Ashwin knew that he might as well crawl on his hands and knees to change her mood and make amends.

Pugazh tried to bring up some topics and, rewarded with monosyllabic sentences from either of them, he switched on the radio and promptly fell asleep 10 minutes later. Ashwin looked at Pugazh, then at Sivaangi and sighed. This was going to be a long journey.

On the way to their destination, he spotted an ice cream store. Stopping the car and putting on a mask, he quickly left the car and came back 5 minutes later with three ice cream cones. He extended the chocolate one toward Sivaangi, but she stubbornly kept her arms crossed and refused to take it.

Deterred, he brought the strawberry ice cream cone near Pugazh and kept it on his cheek. The coldness of the dessert jerked Pugazh up from his sleep.

"Dei loosu payaley!" (You fool!) Pugazh screamed disoriented, his hand thrown in the air in Ashwin's direction. Seeing his expressions, Ashwin started to laugh, his body trembling under mirth. His joy doubled when he heard Sivaangi's laughter join him. He saw Pugazh's expression crack with a smile, before he regained composure.

"Ippidiyada oru manushana pannuva? Iravu ennada na thoonga vidamal call pannura, ippa thoongithu irunthavana ippidi elupura! Oru masatchi vendam?" Pugazh scolded him. (How can you do this? Last night you didn't let me sleep with your call and now when I tried to have some sleep, you go and do this. Don't you have any compassion for me?)

Ashwin knew very well that Pugazh was adding more and more to the situation just to keep hearing her laugh. Sivaangi was clutching her stomach, laughing her heart out and Ashwin could only look gratefully at Pugazh, glancing now and then at the pure joy on his Angel's face. Pugazh gave him a wink that could only mean one thing, he would do anything to keep her smiling.

Still mock glaring at Ashwin, Pugazh snatched the two other cones from his hands and extended the black currant flavoured one to Sivaangi, keeping the chocolate ice cream for himself. Ashwin was left with the strawberry flavoured cone, disappointed as his two favourite flavours were gone.

Sivaangi took the ice cream from her brother's hand and started tearing the paper. 'Aama naan kudutha vendam aana unn annan kudutha mattum okay va? Vanginathu naan di!' thought Ashwin, resentful. (When I gave it to you, you didn't take it and you took it from your brother! I was the one who bought it!)

Scowling, Ashwin started eating his strawberry ice cream and Pugazh smirked at him, eating the chocolate one.

"Paapa, nalla irukka ma ice cream?" he asked Sivaangi. (Is the ice cream good, dear?)

"Haan anney, romba nalla irukku." (Yes, it's very good.)

Pugazh repeatedly flexed his index finger at Ashwin, in a mocking gesture and Ashwin replied to him maturely by sticking out his tongue. Sivaangi chuckled at them both, but when Ashwin turned to look at her, she glared at her ice cream and bit on it with force. Ashwin winced at that, somewhat glad that she was too angry with him to actually bite him instead.

Somewhere in his mind, a voice whispered that there were some bites that would not be painful, and he shivered at that thought. His eyes shifted on their own to her pink lips covered with ice cream. She darted out her tongue to lick the delicacy and he felt his blood rush, warmth spreading over his body.

'Dei Ashwin, enna da pannura?' He thought, shaking himself out of his stupor. 'Ithellam romba thappu. Chinna ponnu da aval, avalukku idhu therinja unnai kevalama ninaippa da!' (Ashwin, what the hell are you doing? This is wrong. She is still very young, if she comes to know about your thoughts, she will loathe you!)

Thankfully, the other two did not notice his lapse as they were enjoying their ice creams. He looked down at his melting strawberry ice cream, its pink shade reminding him of two pink petals. Annoyed with himself, he threw the ice cream in the nearby bin and got into his car, slamming the door.

Pugazh and Sivaangi jerked at the sound and looked at him, startled. They exchanged concerned looks, puzzled about what went wrong with him. Ashwin started the car and Sivaangi frowned at him, wondering why he was blowing hot and cold suddenly. He was now even refusing to look at her in the mirror.

Pugazh frowned at them, having enough of their behaviour. He was already a bit cranky because of his lack of sleep, and Ashwin and Sivaangi were not helping the situation. Nonetheless, he kept an eye on the road, in case Ashwin was too distracted. Thankfully, the roads they had taken were quite deserted.

Having had enough, Pugazh was about to open his mouth to scold them and forcefully make them talk to each other, when he noticed the song playing in the car. The sound was so low that he was sure that those two fools did not even hear it. 'Ithu thaan pa Kadhavul setting ah?' (Is this what they always mean by God setting?) He thought smiling and reached for the button to turn up the volume, making Ashwin and Sivaangi jerk at the song.

♪ Manam Vittu Unmai Mattum,
Unnodu Pesida Vendum ♪

Ashwin's eyes bore into hers in the mirror, letting the lyrics speak for himself. He had so much to tell her, if only she was willing to listen to him.

♪ Nee Ketkkum Kadhalai Alli,
Un Mel Naan Poosida Vendum ♪

Sivaangi looked back at him, his eyes telling her that he always wanted to give her as much as she was giving him, even more.

♪ Naan Kaanum Otrai Kanavai,
Un Kathil Ularida Vendum ♪

There were so many unsaid words he was keeping inside himself. Would he dare utter them, when he did not even know their meaning himself?

♪ Enai Meeri Unidam Mayangum,
Ennai Naan Thaduthida Vendum ♪

Would he dare keep himself away from her, when she gave everything to him?

♪ Koodadhey Koodadhey, Innal Mudiya Kodadhey,
Pogathey Pogathey, Enai Nee Thandi Pogathey ♪

Her eyes were now pleading with him and he looked away, flinching at the plain hurt he found in her eyes. It was stirring something in him.

♪ Nerungathey Nerungathey, En Penmai Thangadhey ♪

Had he been too cruel to her by letting his overthinking come in between them?

♪ Thirakadhey Thirakadhey, Enn Manathai Thirakadhey ♪

He had been a closed shell, and she had come with a magical touch and opened him to the world. It was in her eyes that he had unraveled himself.

♪ Nanaika Theriyadha, Adai Mazhaiye,
Nanaiya Theriyadha, Malar Kudaiye ♪

Like a magnet, his eyes searched for her eyes and he willingly drenched himself in her sole attention, leaving her no other choice than to drown herself in his hazel orbs.

♪ Maraiya Theriyadha, Pagal Nilave,
Ennai Theriyadha, Pen Azhage ♪

Why had he wanted to hide from her when she had shone a path amid his darkness?

♪ Nanaika Theriyadha, Adai Mazhaiye,
Nanaiya Theriyadha, Malar Kudaiye,
Maraiya Theriyadha, Pagal Nilave, Ennai Theriyadha... ♪

***

Ashwin parked his car in front of the restaurant and unclasped his seat belt. They had decided to first stop to eat something and then go to explore the place they wanted to show Sivaangi. He got out of his car and opened the back door, lifting his hand to help Sivaangi get down.

She lifted her eyes, clashing with his gaze. Her brown orbs, and he knew that his eyes too, held the aftermath of the song. She averted her eyes to his hand, then back at him, pondering the situation and he immediately clenched his hand, dropping it down. She followed the movement of his hand with her eyes, and Ashwin took a step back to give her some space, dejected.

Sivaangi, however, halted his movement by reaching out and clutching his left bicep tight, her nails piercing his flesh. She then jumped down and walked away, her front brushing against his chest, freezing him on the spot.

Ashwin stared at her back, her low ponytail swaying with each step she took away from him. He was burning in the places she had touched him. Not wanting to put too many steps between him and her, he shook himself out of his daze and followed her, locking the car. He was behind her, like a too tall shadow, matching each one of her steps.

Pugazh was behind them, rolling his eyes at the 5'11 tall man following an 'Anjadi perfume' like a lost puppy. (5 feet tall perfume bottle)

The trio entered the restaurant, and after asking for a private seating, they were directed toward the VIP lounge. Sivaangi sat on one side of the table and Ashwin rushed to sit in front of her, leaving the seat beside her to Pugazh. A waiter came and gave them the menu card.

Pugazh started ordering some veg samosas for Sivaangi and two plates of non-veg for Ashwin and him, when Sivaangi interrupted him:

"Anney indaikku Saturday, avaru non-veg sappida mattaar. Avarukum veg samosa sollunga." (It's Saturday today, Ashwin doesn't eat non-veg food. He will also have the veg samosas.)

Ashwin, who was lost in his thoughts and was not even aware of the ongoing discussion, was brought back only when he heard her place the order for him. 'Athu thaan ivala care irukkudea, konjam pesina thaan ennavam?' he thought, looking at her with a pout. (You care about me a lot, then why are you not talking to me?)

"Mappillai, Thangatchi, neenga pesithu irunga naan vanthidurean." (You guys keep talking, I will be back in a minute.) Pugazh said, before leaving them alone at the table. Just as he was leaving, he turned back to look at them. 'Pesithalum!' He thought with a sigh. (As if they are going to talk, now!)

Back at the table, Ashwin watched Pugazh walk away and turned to look at Sivaangi. He winced as he saw her bend over her phone, scrolling through her social media account, ignoring him.

"Sivaangi maa...", he sighed. Her finger froze above her screen, and when he thought that she would keep ignoring him, she locked her phone and looked up, her gaze meeting his desperate eyes.

"I... Adhu... Adhu..." (I mean...) He was at loss, now that she was staring at him with those eyes.

"Dha... Bha... Dha... Dha..." She imitated his stutter and started giggling at his frozen state.

He was the one who usually would make fun of her, but here she was, laughing at him. Ashwin joined her in her laughter, relieved to have her back. As they calmed down, Ashwin threw his hands in the air and shrinking his eyes, he said apologetically:

"Sorry ma!"

She nodded, and with a pout, she added: "Innimel ippidi panna koodathu!" (Don't ever do something like this again.)

He nodded eagerly, and just like that, they fell back into their equation. When Pugazh came back to the table, he glared at the laughing duo until they calmed down.

"Oru manushana ivalo paadu paduthithu ippa ungalukku sirippu kekutha?" He asked, making them laugh again. (You guys are laughing after making me suffer this much?)

Ashwin reached across the table and clasped Pugazh's arm: "Thanks da, Machan. Nee illai enda iva enkuda pesi irukkavey maatha!" (Without you, she wouldn't have talked to me at all.)

"Aama, ivar mattum udaney pesiduvaar, naanga thaan pesama irukurom!" Sivaangi muttered, slapping his arm, making Ashwin wince. (As if I was the one not talking to him!)

At the same time, the waiter came with their starters, and Sivaangi rushed to get hold of a samosa and started eating it. Ashwin and Pugazh smiled at her enthusiasm before starting to eat. Silently, Ashwin pushed one of his samosas into her plate and when she smiled at him, he smiled back, content.

*****

So? How was it?

As you would have guessed, there will be another part to this story. It was starting to get too long to add here, and I still have so many scenes to write, so wait for me!

Do share, vote and comment. Thanks a lot guys, see you soon!