The mist lingered like a shy veil over Kodaikanal hills, refusing to let sun break through. Priya broke from her sleep and found him scooped up on the other side, snoring. A soft chill hit her naked body and she found his shirt to put on.

She smelled his shirt with a huge grin and looked at him gratefully.

The room carried a little warmth and scent of the night they had just shared. Her bare feet brushed against the cold tiles as she walked quietly.

The balcony greeted her with mist and chirping of birds. She let out a slow breath.

She couldn't even believe who she was - one who feared closeness, touch and shadows. She feared men, relatives and parents.

But last night, Deepak debunked those fears one by one. He provided warmth and safety. With each whisper, each pause, each breath he shared with her, she had let go of her pain.

The bed creaked and a low groan escaped from the rumpled blankets. Deepak stretched his arms above his head, the morning light sketching a golden outline along his bare skin.

She peeked at him from the balcony and twirled in his shirt.

"Mmhh... you stole my t-shirt," he murmured with a crooked grin, his voice still gravelly with sleep.

Priya raised her eyebrows. "You're lucky I didn't steal your blanket too."

He winked lazily, gestured to her to come near, "I'm cold. Fix that."

She tiptoed across the chilly floor. With a playful glint in her eyes, she launched herself onto the bed in a dramatic flop, landing right across him.

"Woah! That's one way to answer," he said, catching her easily. The sheets rustled and the pillows fell on the floor.

He nuzzled into her neck, brushing her skin with light kisses that made her giggle. "Deepak! Stop, it tickles!"

"That's rich coming from the person who almost scratched my skin off last night," he teased.

She gasped. "You're impossible!"

He leaned back slightly, giving her a smug look. "Oh! How can I forget those sounds you made... ah... oh... mmm... 'Deepak'..."

"Shut up!" She slapped his chest lightly, turning red from both embarrassment and laughter.

"You sounded like a broken violin," he added dramatically. She closed her face with her hands, "Shut up!!"

He opened her hands and pinned her to the headboard, "And your eyes... They were about to pop out of your sockets."

"You're exaggerating," she said, burying her face in the pillow.

"I have recordings," he teased her.

She popped her head up with wide eyes. "You, what?!!"

"Okay, not actual videos or recordings," he chuckled. "But it's all saved in my head."

She pinched his nose and closed his mouth with her hands.

"I will replay it every morning and remind you of our first night..."

She rolled her eyes but her lips curved. She was glowing.

"If I had known that you would be this beautiful after sex, I would have pounded you right after marriage..." He winked.

"Do you remember what time our train is?" she asked, trying to pull herself back to earth.

"Night. We check out at 8 p.m. That gives us around twelve hours of freedom."

She sighed, "Clean the room before the housekeeping staff faints."

"You make it sound like a crime scene," he grinned.

"It is a crime scene. You committed a crime against my hormones."

He leaned in, brushing his nose against hers. "Wanna press charges?"

She squinted, trying to stay serious. "Maybe..."

"And what can I settle it with?" He pecked her fingers.

She looped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Maybe one more round?"

He lifted her in bridal style, "It will be under the shower like you wanted."

She giggled instead of protesting this time.

Just as they made their way inside the bathroom, he opened the shower. Took of his shirt from her body and hugged her tightly. Priya let away the layers of fear, guilt and ache that was carved into her. He let his body remember every moment of the night before.

The sighs, the whispers, the surrender. He lifted her face and pecked her lips.

"Can't you stop?" She giggled.

"No.." he said and kissed her face throughout.

The sound of the shower echoed like a soft hum in the tiled room, the steam curling around them. Along with their embrace, the warm embrace of water added up.

Deepak stretched his hands, his back was tingling from that delicious night. It drained him but he dedicated the night for Priya when she needed it.

It was real and they were real.

A quiet grin tugged at his lips as he went on replaying the night. She didn't roll her eyes as he seemed to be zoned out.

He was smiling like a hopeless romantic. She too smiled, didn't know why.

His embrace under the water, she felt like it was her rebirth. No more hands pushing her. No more shame.

Even her mirror image would smile at life.

She took a pint of rosemary shampoo and lathered it on his head. He grinned like a child as she showered gentleness over him.

He took the bubbles and placed it on her nose. She just smiled and wiped it off.

She washed his hair and said, "Done!"

He took the sandalwood body wash and applied it all over her body. He even hummed as he lathered it around her breasts. She slapped his hand in embarrassment.

The scent of sandalwood soap and lavender shampoo wafted in the bathroom.

Deepak washed them with the hand shower, "God, what a trip it was..."

She met his eyes, "Hmm.. it was wonderful... How did we even get here?" she wondered.

He chirped, "I have an idea, you tell about these 5 days in your point of view and I will share with mine..."

She passed him a warm towel and patted herself, "Can we go out? I am shivering..."

"Okay," he said and lifted her by hips, "Start your point."

She laughed, "Okay... Let me rewind..."

Five days ago, she had been a quiet woman sitting at a railway station, scared of her past but she had a little hope that Deepak won't hurt her. She embarked on this half-alive trip. For her, sunsets meant nothing. Deepak was her way out of her house.

"Hello?" Deepak waved his hand, "Where did you drift off?"

Priya smiled, "From a stranger, you became the pulse behind my smiles. My body had once been a battlefield. But last night, with your love, it became a sanctuary. You cherished me the way I wanted it to be."

She remembered his gentle kisses and touches. He let her decide the night and didn't show any dominance.

That mattered to her.

"I'm not scared anymore," she whispered softly. "I won't run away from intimacy, Deepak. And you are the reason for this new lease in life."

In a world that used and discarded her, this man, even though slightly annoying, he was patient with her. She still remembered his teasing, mischievous eyes and longing kisses.

"Oh, madam.. Can you at least listen to my view? You keep your secrets within you..." he bickered.

She waved her hands in permission.

He passed her a box of tissues, "You might need this..."

She frowned and took the box.

He opened an imaginary notepad and gave a dramatic look at her, "Report card of Priya Deepak, day one: didn't meet my eyes. Polite and careful but very uncomfortable. Maintained distance with me."

She recalled that this trip was just a friendly one. No expectations. But she would love to omit her father's initials and take name as Priya Deepak as this man gave the life she wanted

"Before you drift off to a wonderland, I have my verdict on day two. You saw me shirtless and blushed. I understood that your hormones needed a little tickle."

She smiled.

"And day three..." He started.

Her breath hitched. She told her truth to him and the next day followed was a cold punishment from him.

He understood her uncomfortable stare, "We went to rose garden. She fed me cotton candy and we became children."

She eased a bit.

"The day four was my ego ass ruined her day... Let's skip it." He said in embarrassment.

She gave a straight lip.

"And last night, she jumped into my arms. Made love with me... I was able to use all my knowledge about porn videos on her. I told how much I loved her. And she moaned about her love for me..."

She frowned, "Can you stop recalling that!"

Then a thought hit him hard. He had seen the hollow look in her eyes after he emotionally withdrew, she was curled up like a forgotten petal in the wind.

Then, she was laughing again. Running her fingers through his hair. Whispering things that made his chest fly high.

She clicked her fingers, "Looks like you zoned out!"

Kodaikanal had been a trip for them to become "husband and wife" by their consent.

Priya would live with him out of love. He wanted her to stay because she chose him. She smiled freely and her voice no longer trembled.

And he had some selfish reasons, to look at her naked form, to get kisses from her and to tease her.

She walked towards him, "Are you here?"

He just smiled as he recalled the days.

For her, Kodaikkanal was about healing, truth and loyalty. It was about the man who walked beside her through crowds, mists and rains.

She remembered how he'd kissed her chin and how he turned her pain into peace.

The bracelet sparkled just like her.

There she was, Priya.

Not the broken niece. Not the obedient daughter. Not the girl who had survived in silence.

But the woman who had dared to speak.

Who had dared to love.

Who had dared to begin again.

He twirled her to some tone in his mind. She too danced along with him and laughed.

She was going back to Chennai as someone being loved.

"Three to four babies," he had joked yesterday.

But honestly? Even if they never had children, she knew he had already made her a better woman.

Softer, slower, kinder. Less afraid.

She gave him silence when he needed it. She gave him her fears. Her stories. Her body. Her awkward, stumbling, giggling love.

And that was enough.

It was their story, not having grand declarations or posh proposals. It was simple and personal. With damp towels, cups of coffee and sweet whispers.

Something had healed.

And he believed that love wasn't a risk. It was a return.

To the self. To hope. To someone worth holding on to.
*****