Raining Love for Her by Kalai Selvi Arivalagan (digital e reader .TXT) 📕

loudly.

“Nothing.” Reema looked at her with a sheepish smile.

“Something has happened yesterday evening. What is it? Let me know.” Caroline looked at her with a question.

“No, no, nothing happened.”

“I can understand from the way you are talking itself that something had happened. You need not tell me now. I myself will know it by myself.” Caroline left the place with a sarcastic smile.

“Ok, then there is no need for me to tell also.” With this reply, Reema started to key in the content. She now required a break to come out of the love trance that had suddenly occupied her without her knowledge. She did not want anyone to know about it until she succeeded and received the proper response from Vel.

“When did you reach home yesterday? I was worried.” Caroline asked her.

“It is a story. The bus got struck in the middle of the road. It was raining heavily. Luckily, I got a lift from Vel. He dropped me home.” Reema replied her.

“Oh, that is reason why you are in a trance.” Caroline teased her.

“Yes, it may be.” Reema answered her back.

“Is it? It sounds interesting.” Caroline laughed at her.

“I am not bothered about people who didn’t even have the decency to reply back or call back.” Reema replied her with a frown on her face.

“What happened? Are you not happy with your ride back home?” Caroline questioned her.

“No, he helped me as a colleague, nothing else. Let him go to hell, I don’t want to talk about him. He thinks too much about himself.” Reema could not control her anger. To divert her from the topic, Caroline smiled at her.

“Cool, cool! Carry on with your work, I will meet you later.” Caroline went to her place to complete her pending work.

Chapter 5

“Reema, do you mind joining us?” Caroline called Reema around 8 pm at night.

Caroline told Reema about their weekend trip down the ECR and their visit to Mahabalipuram. Some of the team members wanted to go for a short picnic and celebrate the success of their upcoming project. In the beginning, everyone was willing to join the trip, but one by one went away with some excuse or other. Finally, ten people were willing to go for the trip. Out of the ten only three were girls. As the maximum number turned out to be boys, they planned to arrange for a trip in their own bikes.

Vel felt so excited to join the group as it is his first trip that covered a longer distance. He had often heard about the exciting trip down the ECR from his friends, so he did not want to miss the opportunity. When Caroline gave her name to join the group, he asked her to check with Reema and know if she is also interested.

Initially, Reema reluctant to join the trip took some time to tell yes. But, when she heard Vel is also part of the trip, she told Caroline that she will join them. For Reema it looked like an opportunity that is god sent and wanted to make use of this trip to her maximum advantage.

Reema’s mind constantly worked and rehearsed what to talk to him and how to make him understand her mind.

Everyone who participated in the trip assembled at Aavin parlor around 6 am. The park with so many green trees made the morning pretty cold and Reema could feel the fresh air that carried the strong fragrance of flowers that started to bloom from the trees and plants around the parlor.

The road around the parlor also looked empty. Only morning walkers kept the place busy.
“I must have brought my sweater, so cold over here.” Reema complained when Caroline arrived there completely tucked in warm clothing that protected her from the morning cold breeze.

“Sorry, for not telling you.” Caroline apologized.

“Ok, I think it will be good once the Sun is up in the sky.” Reema replied back Caroline. Within another ten minutes, all the members of the group assembled in the park.

“Hi, dude, morning.” Vel called Caroline with a brilliant smile.

“Morning. How is your day?” Caroline replied him back.

“Wonderful to start with, I feel so excited to go for the ride.” Vel smiled at her.

“It is same with me. I have never been to such trips, so exciting.” Caroline shared his excitement with much joy.

As if planned earlier, everyone got into their bikes along with their pair.

“Hi, Reema, do you mind if I go along with Vel?” Caroline teasingly called Reema.

“Never mind. Carry on.” Reema fumed with anger. She clearly understood that Caroline wanted to provoke her and make her feel tensed. All of her excitement went away in a few seconds. Reema could not hide her unhappiness. Whatever she kept rehearsing for a while went away just like fumes of smoke in the air.

“Come on, Reema.” Vel called her loudly. Reema felt so jealous to see Caroline sitting beside Vel on his bike.

“I am not coming.” Reema started to walk toward the gate of the parlor.

“Hi, Reema, what is happening?” Caroline got down from Vel’s bike and came running toward her.

“Why do take small things so seriously? You go along with Vel. I will come with Sanjay, no problem.” Caroline whispered to Reema.

“We are getting late. What is happening over there?” Sanjay shouted at them.

“Nothing, we will join you in a few minutes.” Vel started the bike. Reema sat on the pillion.

She could not control her emotions and her heart beat increased raising her blood pressure and in no time her eyes looked blurred with brimming tears.

Reema could not get back to her excited mood for a while. Just like a prick in the balloon, all her excitement was drained in seconds. The chilling morning breeze from the sea accompanied the rising sun and the entire place looked like heaven. The group stopped often to take pictures of the beautiful morning that painted clouds with changing colors. The long stretch looked gracious and fit to be a romantic hide out from the bustling crowd of Chennai.

Whatever Reema yearned for came within her grip in a very short time, but somehow she felt low and isolated. Though she sat inches away from Vel, she could not enjoy his nearness. Vel rode the bike so elegantly without any jerk. Maintaining the speed all through the way, the ride must have turned into a romantic one but for Reema’s mood everything looked so blunt and without any specific meaning.

The group once again stopped to take snaps. The place looked breathtakingly beautiful and Reema could hear the calls of sea gulls. The smell of sea drifted slowly in the air, and the air smelled salty and new.

“Hi, Reema, are you not excited? You look so occupied with thoughts, what happened?” Caroline
questioned Reema with a concern. But Reema did not reply her back and kept her lips tight.

“Nothing, I am fine.” Reema answered Caroline after she kept on pestering her with too many questions.

“Leave me alone.” Reema’s words sounded worried.

Caroline looked at Vel. “Don’t worry. I will take care.” Vel answered Caroline with a hope that Reema would be back to normal once they reached their destination.
Vel could feel something went wrong with Reema. She was not in her usual self. He started the conversation to break the ice and wished Reema would be back to normal to enjoy the trip.

“Hi, what happened? Why do you look so dull?” His voice sounded with real concern.

“Hmm, now I know. You are angry I did not answer your messages or called back. Is it right?” Vel asked her as if reading her mind.

Reema did not reply immediately to Vel. For a while she struggled to hide her rising emotions.

She did not answer any of his questions and continued to be silent without answering him back.

“Have you decided not to answer me”? When Vel asked her, Reema only smiled back.

“I know how to make you talk to me.” Vel raised the speed of the bike and applied the brakes suddenly. The bike stopped with a jerk and it threw Reema towards Vel. The sudden jerk shocked Reema to an extent that she hugged him tightly. With her face tightly closed on his broad shoulders, Reema closed her eyes thinking that they have met with an accident.

The way Reema’s head bumped into his broad shoulders sent a spark across him. For Vel it was a pleasant shock that introduced him to the softness of a feminine body along with its enticing curves. It took a while for both of them to regain their composure and realize where they are.

“Sorry.” Reema fumbled for words. She could feel the blood rising up on her cheeks and made her blush.

“No excuse. I must thank for your bump into my shoulders. You have brought heaven for a while.”
Vel replied her back with his usual teasing tone.

“Why did you do that?” Reema sounded sweet to his ears. Still her heart was beating faster with the shock of meeting with an accident and she could feel the palpitation high at her wrists.

“I wanted to make it an unmemorable moment in your life, my dear.” Adjusting his helmet, Vel started the bike.

Though Reema was reluctant to accept that she also enjoyed her bump with him, at heart she felt things were falling in place and she would win Vel’s heart definitely one day.

“Reema, wear your sweaters. It will be chilly.”

“Oh, no problem, I have not brought my sweaters. Caroline did not tell me to bring me one. I can manage.” Reema answered him with a hope that she would be able to manage the chillness while on the ride.

But things turned out the other way. She could not withstand the piercing chillness of the cold wind. Half way through, Vel had to stop the bike and give his jerkins to wear for he could continuously hear the cluttering sound of Reema’s teeth in the cold.

“Do you like to munch some chocolates?” Vel handed over her a bar of fruit and nut which turned out to be her favorite. With a single bite of her favorite chocolate, Reema felt the sudden rush of adrenaline once again.

Chapter 6

Reema remembered what she read in an Internet article. According to Helen Fisher, Professor at Rutgers University, when you see your beloved your heart starts to race. (Why Him? Why Her? Finding Real Love by Understanding Your Personality Type). It happens because of an adrenaline rush. The brain sends love signals to the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland secretes hormones, namely, adrenaline, epinephrine and norepinephrine. They flow through the blood and cause the heart to beat stronger and faster. Norepinephrine, a stress hormone, governs the attention and responding actions, and makes you feel weak in the knees.

The research team headed by Fisher did brain imaging of people who said they were "madly in love" and found activity in the area of the brain that produced the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine and norepinephrine are closely related. Dopamine gives you that focused attention, the craving, the euphoria, the