"Amar sir, what are you doing in our cafeteria?" Vennela was surprised to see Amar in the cafeteria for normal employees. He usually eats in the twelfth floor.

"To have lunch, of course." He answered sitting down next to her. He waved at her friends who waved back. They were excited to have lunch with the MD. Almost everyone in the cafeteria was looking at their table and a few of them were pointing at Amar. He ignored it.

"But, you eat along with your manager and assistants. Don't you?" asked Vennela.

"Yes. But it was before I got married to you. Now that I'm married, I want to spend some time with my wife" said Amar.

"Awww" her friends chorused. Amar smiled at them and started eating. Vennela observed that two of her friends were gazing at him, almost drooling. She cleared her throat and spoke loudly, "Amar sir, thank you for the special lunch you cooked for me" emphasizing the last part.

"Your husband cooks for you? How nice!" said Deepika, her best friend from her project.

"But why does she call him sir?" One of the two girls mocked her while the other one sneered. Vennela's ears turned red with anger.

"It's because she wants to maintain the etiquette. She can't call me Amar darling like she does at home" said Amar. Vennela's eyes widened with shock. She looked at him not knowing how to respond. "What happened, sweetheart? Why aren't you eating? Shall I get something else for you?" Amar asked Vennela.

"Awww" her friends chorused again.

Vennela looked at the two girls who mocked her. She wanted to show them that she is close to him. "So sweet of you Amar darling. But the food you cooked for me is more than enough."

Amar, who understood everything, took advantage of the situation. "How about a movie this evening sweetheart?" He asked her, grinning.

She glared at him. He signaled at the two rude girls who were gaping at her with envy. "I'd love it." She gritted her teeth and answered. He immediately opened his phone and booked the tickets so that she doesn't refuse later.

'It's okay. Nothing wrong with going for a movie with a friend.' She told herself. She finished her work quickly and waited for his call. He called her at 5.30 pm like he promised, asking her to come. When she reached the car, she was amused to see him wearing his over-sized spectacles again.

"Weren't you wearing these the first time we met?" she asked him.

"Yes. It's my lucky charm." Amar was blushing a dark shade of pink. He tried hard to hide his face. Vennela turned away pretending not to notice anything.

They reached their destination in no time. "I'll get popcorn" said Amar.

"No. You already paid for the tickets. I'll buy popcorn." Vennela paid for the popcorn and drinks.

"But why?" asked Amar.

"Because we are just friends. I know it sounds harsh but I don't have any right on your money. And I want to apologize for calling you Amar darling during lunch. I was just mad at those two girls. I'm sorry Amar sir. I hope you understand," said Vennela.

Amar was slightly hurt. "It's alright sweetheart" he said trying to look cheerful.

"Don't call me sweetheart." She glared at him.

"Why not? Unlike you, I said it right from the bottom of my heart." He said pointing at his heart.

"Let's go inside. The movie is about to start." Vennela changed the topic.

They went inside and sat in their seats. A girl of about fourteen years of age sat next to Vennela. A few minutes later a man sitting next to the girl started talking to her. "You are here on your own? Didn't your parents accompany you?" He asked her.

"No, sir. My parents are busy." She answered politely.

"Where do you stay?" he asked her.

"I stay nearby. Just two kilometers away" said the girl.

'Why is she telling him everything?' thought Vennela. She shrugged it off and turned towards the screen. During the intermission the man brought some eatables and drinks and offered them to the girl. She refused to take it.

"Come on. Have it. My late daughter used to love them. She was of your age when she passed away," said the man.

She took the snack and almost ate it when Vennela caught her hand. She sniffed at the snacks. They smelled strange. "Are you mad? Haven't your parents told you not to accept food offered by strangers?"

"You mind your own business. I'm just taking care of this little girl." The man told her. "Don't mind her child. Eat it." He turned to the girl and offered her more snacks.

Vennela immediately stood up, held the man's shirt collar and punched his nose and stomach. The man howled in agony. Everyone present there stood up. The man tried to hit her, but he was no match for her. She blocked his hand with her left hand and punched his shoulder. Amar was shocked. It happened within seconds. The man fainted.

The guards came running into the theatre. "Why did you hit him? He's seriously injured." They shouted at her.

"He tried to kidnap this girl by offering her these things. He added something to the food that would have made the girl unconscious. He just had to tell you people that she's his daughter. You would have allowed him to take her away." Vennela answered bravely without a hint of fear in her voice.

"Can anyone confirm that he spiked them?" asked the guard.

"Just try to smell them. You will understand," said Amar. The guard did as told, "You're right. They smell different."

"Arrest him. Hand him over to police," yelled a man. "It's because of men like him that we are scared of sending our children out."

The guards led the man out of the hall. Everyone applauded Vennela. The girl thanked her profusely. Amar was proud of his wife. But Vennela seemed to be distracted. She didn't speak a word during the journey back home. Amar started cooking dinner. She wasn't helping him like she usually does. He called a servant who was also a part time cook for him. "Shanti garu, I'm a bit tired. Please supervise the cooking today and send the food to us once it is done. Come Vennela." He held her hand and took her out of the kitchen.

"I'm sorry Amar sir" she said as they reached her room.

"Sorry for what? You haven't done anything wrong. In fact I'm so proud of you." Amar patted her shoulder.

"Our first movie outing got ruined. I wanted to see you happy," she said lowering her head with guilt. Amar wanted to reduce her guilt. 'Come on Amar. Your wife's upset. Cheer her up.'
"You should have told me. I would have beaten him up. Not that you didn't, but I would have hit him harder. I would have broken all his bones. You see, I'm stronger than you," he said loudly.

"Hey! I'm the strongest. You are just taller than me." Vennela always took pride in her strength.

"I disagree. I eat more. I weigh more. So, I am stronger." Amar was happy that his plan was working.

"Just because you eat more doesn't mean that you are stronger. Don't forget I'm a brown belt in Karate. If you are so sure about your strength, then prove it." Vennela challenged Amar.

Amar lifted her up with his left hand. "See I can lift you up without using both the hands."

"What's so great about that? I saw many people doing it. If you remember, you already did it during our wedding reception" said Vennela, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. She secretly liked it. She was disappointed when he put her down.

"But still, I can lift you up while you can't" said Amar.

"Says who?" Vennela bent down and wrapped her arms around his legs and lifted him up, a foot above the ground.

Amar gaped at her open-mouthed. She put him down. "Sweetheart, you're amazing." He praised her.

"Don't call me sweetheart" said Vennela. "The score is 1-1" she added looking smug.

The servants brought the dinner. Vennela asked them to place it on the table. She wanted to serve the food herself. She understood that Amar did this to cheer her. She picked up a plate and said, "Our scores are equal. We need to have a tie breaker. Think of something."

Amar chuckled. "Right. If you lose, you'll stop calling me sir."

"Okay. If you lose, you will stop calling me sweetheart," said Vennela.

"Okay. Here comes the tie breaker. Look at me," said Amar.

Vennela looked at him. He winked. She gasped and dropped the plate from her hand. She could feel her heart pounding. She stood still, looking at him with a shocked expression. "What was that?" She spoke after a few moments.

"Tie breaker. The score is 2-1. I won." He smirked.

"But this is cheating" said Vennela.

"Strength doesn't necessarily mean physical strength. It includes mental strength. And I'm mentally stronger than you because you couldn't handle a simple wink. So, now my sweetheart, you need to stop calling your husband Amar sir." Amar seemed pleased with himself.

"Okay Amar garu. Let's have our dinner."

"Why Amar garu? Why not Amar? Don't add garu," said Amar.

"The bet was to stop calling you sir. You failed to mention what I should call you," Vennela laughed.

"Fine. But I'll be happy if you call me by my given name without any suffix. And I'm sure you will do it without me requesting you to" said Amar in a determined voice.

---***---

Please do vote and comment. Thank you.