Naanam Mozhi Agum

Thaabangale

A/N: Major votes for finishing off NMA before getting back to NKM so that's what i will be doing now. Are you enjoying this story lol let me know hahaha!

____________________________________________________________________

The small rectangle hall that could only fit ten people at best, occupied more than twenty five today. For something that her mother claimed to be a small ceremony, took a fancy turn very quickly. So, quickly in fact that, she felt as though she wasn't still done processing the fact that her parents had already seen a prospective groom for her...

While she sat there, in her earthy red brick coloured saree. It was her mother's saree, more specifically the saree that, Mullai had her eye on ever since she was a little girl, asking her mother if this could be her wedding saree. "Un kalayanathuku innum alzhagana podavai lam vathurum, en rajathiku na athu vangi tharan seri ya?" Her mother had said clutching Mullai's chin dotingly. But Mullai's heart was already taken, then, by the red saree, and almost ironically today too... her heart was not with her.

It was her fault. Mullai thought. She agreed to her parents looking for a guy for her.. but that was before yesterday. Before, meeting Kathir, again. She should have know her mother would have jumped at the band wagon of finding her a groom the second she said yes, 5 months ago. It was Mullai, who was negligent to reality.

Oh god, she should have known...

Even as her favourite saree adorned her with purpose. Kavi had never looked more troubled in her life as she was one of the girls in the midst of Mullai's distant cousins, who were talking chattering amongst themselves while getting a flat and vacuous looking Mullai, ready.

Kavi stood there anxiously looking at Mullai, who gave her no emotion to go from.

"Kavitha... inga va ma" called Parvathy, after throwing Mullai a worried look, Kavi left to see her friend's mom.

Mullai sat there at the dressing table, looking at her made up radiance. She had always been a perfect balance of a girls girl and a tomboy she always thought. her mother would berated her for acting so much like a guy, being so unladylike with her way of sitting or her shouting at cricket matches. But Mullai was a feminine girl too, she loved everything to do with beauty and wardrobe...falling in love... happily ever afters. That's what she had hoped. That one day, she would think back to Kathir and smile at that memory of unrequited love fades away, while the passions of a new fire consumes her.. So, looking at herself today the normal girl in her would have been so elated at the fact that this was a start of something new. Something exciting to look forward too.

But no, nothing but cold fear gripped her every cell as she felt herself go numb, looking at the streams of marigold flower décor all around her. She felt so much weight on her chest that even breathing ever so slightly seemed to be a burden. She was tired. Absolutely tired of feeling so much and receiving so little... so she shut down.. She was done. There was no more energy in her to fight, what seemed like an arrow to her chest every step of the way. Come what may... she was done, holding up her shield.

"Mullai.." Kavi tapped her shoulder, waking her senses. "Ellarum vathanchan... va kupuduranga..." her voice had an edge to it.

"Hmm.." was the only thing Mullai kept say the entire day, as she stood up, not even boring to glance at her final reflection. Kavi was getting twitchy by the minute. Mullai's absolute calmness, first off all, was very out of character and frankly, secondly very scary. She had been waiting for Mullai to say something to stop, this ceremony. Or just talk to either of her parent. But by every minute Mullai only grew gravely silent.

Kavilet the clam of girls walk before Mullai, when they were a foot away from thethreshold of the door of her room , Kavi pulled back her deadpan looking friend.