Kayalvizhi
When I opened my eyes, the sunlight was filtering in through the curtains like golden threads.
For a second, I didn't move.
Something felt... off. Not wrong. Just different.
I was lying on the bed.
Not on the chair where I fell asleep.
Not beside my half-open notebook.
But in the bed. Under a blanket. With a pillow under my head.
And the worst part?
I wasn't alone.
My fingers were still interlocked with his.
I turned slowly.
Ezhil.
Eyes closed. Breathing steady. Still warm, but not burning. Thank god.
My heart did a little flip-flop. I tried to remember how I got here.
Last thing I remembered was writing something, checking his forehead, holding his hand because he kept turning in his sleep. Then... nothing.
He must have picked me up.
I sat up slowly, trying not to wake him.
But of course, the moment I moved, his eyes fluttered open.
"Morning," he murmured, voice husky with sleep.
I narrowed my eyes. "Did you carry me to bed?"
He blinked innocently. "You were sleeping like a crooked comma in that chair. I had no choice."
"You could've woken me up," I muttered, brushing my hair behind my ear.
"I tried," he said with a small smirk. "You threatened to bite me in your sleep."
I gasped. "Liar!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Then what were you murmuring about 'I swear I'll slap that old sir if he gives me balance sheet questions'?"
I groaned and buried my face in my hands. "Oh my god."
He laughed softly.
And just like that , my embarrassment melted into something else.
Comfort. Familiarity. Us.
"You're okay now?" I asked, peeking at him from behind my fingers.
He nodded. "Fever's almost gone."
I exhaled, relieved.
Then, after a pause, I said, "Next time, don't carry me. It's weird."
"Noted," he said. "Next time I'll just roll you onto the floor."
"Very funny," I grumbled, tugging the blanket off and standing up.
But before I could leave the room, I heard him saying softly, like he didn't mean for it to sound so sincere, "Thank you, Kayal ma."
I turned back.
He was sitting up now, eyes still a little tired, but steady. Warm.
"I meant it," he added. "You stayed. You took care of me. No one's ever done that before."
I looked away, suddenly unsure what to do with my hands. "Well... I'm your wife, no?"
He smiled. "Yeah. You are."
For once, I didn't have a sarcastic reply.
Instead, I walked to the kitchen, hiding my flushed cheeks behind a spoon.
But my heart?
It stayed in that room a little longer.
Right beside him.
Ezhil's pov:
I woke up to the smell of something... nostalgic.
Oh i fell asleep again.
A faint sizzle. The aroma of sautéed onions and curry leaves. That earthy, warm scent of home.
For a second, I thought I was dreaming.
Then I heard movement in the kitchen.
Kayal?
I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. The fever was gone. Body still heavy, but the kind of heavy that follows rest — not sickness.
I walked toward the kitchen and paused at the doorway.
There she was.
Wearing my oversized white shirt over her kurti like an apron, hair twisted into a messy bun, forehead creased in concentration as she flipped something on the pan.
"Kayal?"
She turned, mid-stir, eyes widening. "Ah! You're awake! Go sit , it's almost done."
I blinked. "What are you making?"
"Surprise," she grinned, then turned back to the stove.
Ten minutes later, I was seated at the dining table, staring down at a plate full of hot kathirikai kara kuzhambu with paruppu thogayal, crispy applam, and a spoonful of ghee on steaming rice.
My heart may have stopped for a second.
"Wait... this..." I looked up at her. "How do you even know this is my favorite?"
She shrugged, not meeting my eyes. "You mentioned it once. During a random conversation with that boring uncle at that family function. You said something like, 'If you really want to impress me, make kara kuzhambu with thogayal and applam.' I just... remembered."
I stared at her, then took the first bite.
Perfect.
Tangy. Spicy. Comforting.
Better than amma's.But she won't make this regularly as arjun hated this.
I chewed slowly, then looked at her again. "Kayal... this is amazing,the best kara kulambu i have ever had."
She tried to play it cool but the smile that slipped through gave her away. "Of course should be because watched 12 YouTube videos last night."
"You cooked all this just for me?"
"Well," she said, scooping a bit of rice for herself, "I did it because I wanted to. Not because you were sick or weak or whatever. Just because... you've been doing so much lately. And I thought maybe for once, I'd beat you to it."
That lump in my throat again. What was it with this girl and making me feel things I didn't know I was allowed to feel?
We ate mostly in silence, but it was a good silence. Comfortable. Familiar.
Halfway through her second helping, she casually glanced at her phone and froze.
I looked up. "What happened?"
She blinked. "Wait... no. No no no."
"What?"
Her voice went full panic mode. "Ezhil! The final semester exam dates are out. It's in one week. ONE WEEK."
I choked on the thogayal.
She was already pacing the room. "I thought we had two more weeks! I haven't even started revising Company Law properly. Oh god. Cost accounting. Macro economics. Oh my god I'm going to fail."
I wiped my mouth calmly. "You won't."
"I will. I will walk into the hall, and my brain will blank out and I'll write draw lines at the bottom of every answer sheet and walk out."
I stifled a laugh. "Kayal."
She didn't hear me. She was spiraling. "I knew that question bank was misleading. I shouldn't have trusted it. Why did I spend an hour trying to roast that garlic when I could've revised—"
"Kayal."
"What?!"
I stood up and held her by the shoulders. "You'll be fine."
She stared up at me.
"I'll help you revise. We'll make a plan. One subject a day. And make summary notes, whatever you need. We've got this."
She blinked. "You'd do that?"
"Of course. What do you think I'm here for?"
Her face softened a little, the storm in her eyes easing. "To eat kara kulambu?"
I grinned. "Also that."
And just like that, we found a new rhythm. One she didn't expect, and one I was ready for.
This was just the beginning.
And something told me — her topping that exam?
Was going to be our next victory.
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