It's a ‘yes’ from me, Sindhu.

Gautham looked at the girl who was still tirelessly playing in the waves. Sindhu was fully drenched by now but that did not seem to faze her. Her laughter made him feel things he didn't know how to describe. He was not a sappy person and for him, the term ‘love’ relates to people he understands deeply and after spending a lot of effort and time together. He does not believe in sudden magic and sparks. But looking at that girl playing in the water, the sun descending behind her with crimson bleeding throughout the sky and her laughter ringer in his ears- he knew he was happy at that moment. And that happiness came because of her presence without her ever doing anything. But that was all he needed to know. He knew he could be happy with her. He knew if it was with her, he can make a family. And that is what he was looking for in a marriage…

On an impulse, he stood up and sneaked behind Sindhu. But before he could scare her as he planned, she turned around and shouted, "Bhooo" and started laughing seeing Gautham's startled face.

Sindhu was still in the middle of her laughter fit when Gautham caught one of her hands and jerked her towards him. She crashed against his chest.

Gautham never gave in to his urges to be close to Sindhu so far because he wasn't sure about her, or rather he wasn't sure about himself. But now that he was, he found it impossible to restrain himself to keep his hands away from her.

Sindhu yelped and held on to his shoulders to steady herself but was still giggling at Gautham's expense. Gautham looked at her amused then slowly circled one hand around her waist and the other hand, he took it towards her face and brush away the sand on her cheeks with his thumb. Gautham's look on Sindhu was intense and burning. Sindhu became nervous when she felt his steady gaze on her. She wanted to step away but Gautham held her in place. The intense look Gautham giving her was suffocating her brain. She couldn't think straight when he was looking at her like this. But after a while, she found her voice and asked in a confused tone, "What are you staring at???" She even brought her hands to her face to look at whether something is sticking to her face. Gautham just swatted off her hands as if they were interrupting in his view of the TV while he is watching something very serious in it. So she just let her hand slide down with a pout.

Seeing her pout Gautham chuckled and ruffled her hair. Then he took a deep breath and looked deeply into her eye and said in a very serious tone," It's a ‘yes’ from me, Sindhu."

Sindhu was confused, at first. She did not know what he was talking about but then realization struck her. She was surprised, obviously. Her eyes bulged in shock but once the surprise subsided she started panicking.

"Yes, as in?? You... you mean ‘yes’ for marriage. You mean you're ready to marry 'me'??" Sindhu asked in a nervous voice stammering while pointing a finger at herself.

Gautham nodded solemnly. Sindhu's panic grew leaps and bounds as soon as she confirmed the meaning behind his words. She didn't know how to handle this situation. In a panic, she started backing out. She freed herself from Gautham and started walking backward.

"You can't say ‘yes’ just like that. I mean… I mean how can you just up and say yes to a girl like me. You don't even know me to start with..." Sindhu started rambling incoherently. But it did not seem like she was talking to Gautham. Her eyes were out of focus.

Gautham did not expect her reaction to being this extreme but he did not have time to dwell on it for long. He hurriedly walked towards her and said in a teasing tone in an attempt to distract her, "I know you are not going to conspire against my mum and turn me against her." Sindhu said that at their first meeting.

Thankfully, his words worked like a charm. Sindhu looked at him with a slight vengeance, "Well of course not. Why would I do that? Do you take me for an idiot? I mean she is soo cool. If possible I would conspire against you and take her away from you and keep her to myself." she fired up looking at him as if he was the king of idiots. And her tone betrayed the kinda adoration she had for his mum.

"Wow", Gautham was speechless. He did not know how the hell did his own mom became his rival in romance!!?? Just thinking about it made him frown. But wait that was not the point, the point is when did she start fangirling on his mum?? How??

"How do you know my mum is cool???" Gautham asked confused.

"You thought you were the only one I had lunch with from your family. You were not even the first one." Sindhu replied shrugging her shoulders.

Gautham's frown deepened. "So you had lunch with my mum before you ever came to meet me??" he asked in a dry voice.

"Your mum and dad actually," she said in a matter-of-fact voice and continued, "I actually thought hard whether to go to your mum first or dad. But then I went to your house and met with both."

"Wow and nobody bothered to inform me about it", Gautham whined grimly puffing his cheeks.

"Oh please! Don't be such a spoilsport. If not for them I wouldn't have even bothered to come and meet with you in the first place. I mean they straight out said you were reserved and you won't approach me on your own. It was useless to wait for you to take the first step." she said it with a straight face but the underlying amusement is not lost on her voice.

"That just makes me feel so much better," Gautham said in a sarcastic voice.

His own family is enough. He did not really need any other enemy from outside. His own mum and dad are enough to make him look like an idiot in front of the girl he just about started to like.