#chandamama

Chandamama

చందమామ

चंदामामा

ˏ⸉ˋ‿̩͙‿̩̩̥͙‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ

She came in the night, silver anklets shining through his closed eyes that dreamt about a different life. Perhaps a string of warped reality where everyone didn't just assume what he wanted.

"Yevandi? " her voice came low, urgent syllables over the sounds of moonlight. "Yevandi..." Bangles clanked near him.

Well this wasn't a dream. Sita indeed stood hunched in front of him with pleading eyes. Bheem sprung up, only to be shushed by her. Her gaze flitted to Lacchu behind him in the open verandah— his cousin snorted in his sleep and wriggled back into deep sleep.

All his other cousins and family weren't awake, no beds creaking of the seven others he could see. His family did everything as a team: shopping? Together ; eating? Together ; Seeing a potential bride, the entire football team would march in.

"Sita gaaru," Bheem followed her beckons out to the back garden, giving into her insistent grip on his forearm. Even in a white sari that restricted her steps around the sprouting grasses, Sita's legs rushed in front of him, fluent in the language of grace.

"Please, I really need to talk to you."

When they reached a secluded spot, Bheem waited for her to stop avoiding his eyes and talk to him.

"I'm not saying this out of any spite that you're a village leader." Sita had finally started. "In fact I admire you for all that you do for your loved ones... But I think one thing built up to another this morning, I didn't really say yes to the marriage proposal."

Sita Mahalakshmi, daughter of the revered sarpanch Athreya Pani, had just sat in front of him that morning a few hours ago. She was decked in gold, her kohl-rimmed doe eyes hid everything she was probably feeling.

She hadn't spoken at all when the elders talked of their marriage. All in all, Bheem had realized he hadn't heard her voice till then.

And the first thing she said was that she didn't want to get married to him.

Bheem knew it was unfair of him to feel happiness blossoming in his chest. Especially when his recently would-have-been-but-no-more fiancée was sobbing into her knees.

"It's okay andi..." he said the only thing he could have without spilling his heart out.

His mother never loved his father. "What has love got to do with marriage na verri kanna!" she used to say. The abject result of their marriage was a child who never saw his mother be treated like a person.

"It's better you said it now. I don't feel bad."

Her wet brows peeked out from between her locked hands. "Really? What will we say to the elders?"

He kneeled down beside the pond in front of her with an understanding smile. "If you really don't want this marriage, I am not one to force. We can say I changed my mind."

"But you don't understand!" she shouted.

They immediately cringed at the noise, Sita looking around to catch anyone awake and running to them.

Silence.

Bheem watched her relax and sniffle.

"Is there any specific problem? Cheppandi, it's okay..."

"It's not something that is accepted!" she insisted.

Bheem never drew boundaries. He saw to it that he could treat people around him as tenderly as a farmer tended to a newborn calf. The calf led the way and the shepherd protected it.

"Sita gaaru," he said, "You don't have to talk to me, but looks like you've been carrying some weight inside you. I just want to help."

He knew what she was thinking. Pages of guidelines would have been flipping in her head, trying to find where such a guy had plopped down from. People in this village wanted to know nothing but where the snake had bit. Anything else was of no use to them. But Bheem was different.

He was an ally.

Slowly, her gaze opened up a new puzzle. "There was a girl..."

A/N: So.... 👉🏽👈🏽If you can't tell yet, this is based on the Telugu movie Chandamama (Kajal fans wya) and I really liked the au idea -> Rambheem and Sinny but the Chandamama way... Here's the prologue. It was a spontaneous decision, don't judge 🐠🐠 Pls don't expect frequently vomited updates: NEET is a thing unfortunately and so is writer's block. You can send suggestions and what you think about this fic to my ask box (can't promise that all the suggestions will be incorporated)

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