THE MORNING in the Bakshi house has always been busy. That's something that remained the same even after years. A sign that life moves on.

The breakfast table is set, Lalima makes sure it is. Something she had been doing since she was married off to this house.

Mohua sits on the right having a quick eat, she is getting late.

"Mohua how's Sujoy feeling now? Is he better?" Lalima asked looking at her.

Mohua for once finds her hands halting, then slowly nods. Lalima looks at her and holds her shoulder.

"Some people never change Bordibhai," Mohua said with pain evident in her voice.

"Sometimes..." Lalima takes a seat next to her and continues, "I feel like maybe we were the reason our family is holding the facade, maybe it was us who did nothing for the right."

"Bordibhai?"

"We never stood up for ourselves Mohua, we never spoke for ourselves. All our life we lived according to them, the men of this house, their rule their honour. Where were us in between all this?" Lalima said looking into empty space.

This place has always been like this, her home yet it chokes her sometimes.

"Perhaps we are just late to ask this now Bordibhai."

But there is nothing such thing as being late. Being late doesn't make you wrong, it was just delayed.

"Lalima my breakfast." A loud voice echoes through the hallway that makes her leave her seat and she moves towards the end of the table.

Durjoy Bakshi comes and takes his regular seat, Mohua smiles at him. Over the years, Mohua had established a reliable relationship with Durjoy.

He was the brother she never had. He was the one who asked for her hand to her father, it was him bringing her here, the one who always stayed by her side even when her husband wasn't.

He was never a perfect man, never a good father, but he was a respected man. Mohua gives him that.

She looks ahead at Sidharth walking through the door passing her a smile, "Morning Chotomaa".

She smiled, "You Kaku was asking for you, remember to visit him before leaving."

He nodded as he takes his seat next to her, "I will, everything alright? He was not well yesterday."

"Yeah. I guess it's something he wants to talk about it."

"Lalima you called Kuhu?" Suddenly Durjoy asked and Sidharth found himself frowning.

"Calling her for what exactly?" He could help but ask.

"Ask her to visit her? It's been long."

Sidharth closed his eyes, there's no way they are leaving them alone. But then again, he can't anything about this, and he is just tired.

He just stand up and left the room without another word. His mind is already a mess, and he is not ready for another argument with his father, not now at least.

He walks into the room and found himself smiling, Sujoy was creasing the old photograph.

Sujoy was a friend to him, he was never been the easiest father, but he has been a good friend to him.

"You were asking for me, Kaku?" He asked walking inside.

"I was. You are leaving already?"

"I am. But tell me what it is?"

"I haven't talked to Sheuli for quite some time, and I am not good with technologies. So maybe if you facetime her, I was just..."

Missing her. But they didn't voice it, Sidharth smiles and nodded.

Males in his house have this bad habit, they don't really voice their feelings, he knows that. He is perhaps one of them too.

"I will do that in the evening?"

Sujoy nodded with a smile, for once Sidharth felt he wants to say something but he doesn't have the time now so he just turns on his heel and started walking out of the room but Sujoy calls him.

"Sidharth" He turns his head back.

"You have been a great brother to her, be her pillar always," Sujoy said and Sidharth just nodded before walking out.

He doesn't need to be told twice. Sheuli is just like a baby to him more than a sister. But maybe he should have said something, maybe.

____

THE AROMA of mutton curry fills the kitchen as the pressure cooker whistles releasing its stream. A smile spread on Sebanti's lips as she looks at Sheuli completely engrossed with her pulau.

"You love cooking. Don't you?" Sebanti asked Sheuli slightly laughing.

"Oh, I so do. Maa used to cook great food. And that too on her off days, so I started keeping her around the kitchen you see that's the only way to spend some more time with her." Sheuli laughed at the distant memory.

Talking about her mother brings back so many memories and sometimes she doesn't even want to face them but sometimes she just engulf those, a bit tightly.

"You missed her so much right?"

"I do. Maa is not just my mother she is also my closest friend, I mostly share everything with her and the same goes for her. And mostly I am worried about her, she is always working always on shifts and hardly looks after herself. So..."

"I see you two are the closest just like Abeer and Rishab. They used to be like this. Sometimes I miss his father more than I miss my husband." She smiles sadly.

When someone leaves they left the souvenirs behind. Rishab left Sebanti with so many. Memories, moments, love and mostly herself and Abeer. That's the depth of their relationship, they were lovers who waited for their chance of love, yearned for their beloved. And they got it.

"I was never into cooking though" Sebanti laugh at another distant memory.

"Then you learn everything?" Sheuli smiles now setting the table.

"I was made to learn." A sigh.

Sebanti was never the one with domestic work, never had to. She was always too busy with studies and later with Rishab she never had to think about it. But then she was married off to Shekhar. His family was different. A typical orthodox family with patriarchy and a misogynist mindset.

"Shekhar's mother made me learn everything, everything I never liked, I never wanted to learn."

"Kakima"

"Maybe all those were signs I kept on ignoring. We were never meant to be but the marriage of convenience and the honour we were bound to make us ignorant." She smiled at the distant memory.

How unhappy she was back then but never voice that. Why? She still doesn't know or maybe she does but never voices it.

"But you finally got yourself out, you freed yourself and him too." Sheuli smiles at her. Sebanti creases her face softly before nodding and asked her to call Abeer for lunch.

Sheuli made her way towards his room. It's been three weeks since they talked in the park since then it was all shines and happiness.

Late-night chai session and hours of talking. Quite a few times the midnight glory had hidden behind the clouds and the dawn welcomed these two on the same position, still talking about something or other.

For Sheuli, Abeer is quite fun to talk to. For Abeer, she is the sunshine on his gloomy monsoon, she is just like Sheuli on those autumn evenings. She is slowly making her way in his life and he is letting her.

"The lunch is ready, Abeer you there?" She asked walking inside his room.

"Coming" He walks out and

"Looks like this shirt suits you more." She laughed looking at him clad in her black T-shirt.

"Well, what can I say, I look great in everything." That cocky reply.

"Let's go." She just shakes her head going out of his room and he follows her lead.

The ease between them dances in the place, smiling from eyes to eyes. Life is surely moving, and so far it was great.

THE LATE NIGHT ambience of the open balcony was the same as every day. Laughter echoing through the space as the two souls seats next to each other with chai and lit up cigarettes, she still hasn't shared one with him.

The vast green yard before them, the fireflies and the sweet petrichor, all witnessing their late-night chats. With some people it's just easy to talk with, you just find solace, they found that.

"Shayaars have this power of redemption like no other."

"For example?" Abeer

"Like when Faraz said, Uski yaad raat din, nahi magar kabhi kabhi. Just look at his power of redemption.

He is not denying that he misses his lover, but he is also accepting that he doesn't always miss his lover. And that's the reality.

We don't always miss people but we do that sometimes.

That's the thing about grief, you see, when everything was over, you have moved on and all, suddenly out of nowhere their memories will come up and will make your heart bleed and you let it.

It's just love, memories and grief.

So beautifully painful." She said looking at the bougainvillaea plant in the yard and those glimmering fireflies.

"Sometimes you just amaze me with all this. So perfect." He smiles looking at her with amusement.

"I love reading and then judging the things I read, a clear interpretation is what I believe should be there." She laughs a little.

"I never read much" He sighs, he never did.

Literature is not Abeer's thing but somehow with her talking, he just wants to keep on listening to her. Maybe it's because of the simplicity Sheuli holds, the shine on her eyes every time she explains something in detail, or just the way she is, so simple so easygoing yet so secretive.

For Abeer, Sheuli is still a mystery, at least some parts of her are. But doesn't really want to hurry in knowing her, he wants to nurture her like a small plant, he wants them to grow and eventually bloom together.

"Always wanted to serve the nation? Bring some change?" As the words slip her lips her smile drops. A fade memory comes up and she just shakes her head to let it go.

"Serve the nation, yes. But never to bring change." At this, her head snaps at him.

"Why?" She asks gulping a lump keeping her emotions at bay.

"Bringing change is not something that was supposed to my work, that's for leaders and politicians, I always dream to be someone who will serve the nation and that's all" Abeer completes and she keeps on looking at him.

So different yet so passionate. Greif lingers behind.

"Nice." She smiled.

"So you don't smoke?" Abeer asks taking another puff.

"I used to. I don't really smoke with everyone." She smiles again.

"So I am everyone?" His voice carries a tinge of heart but she just smiles.

"Abeer, we are just knowing one another, I feel it's too early for us to talk about anything like that." She said and he nods at her.

"I agree."

"Anyways so when you are going to base?" She asks looking at him this time.

"Next week I suppose. I was thinking about Maa though" He sighed thinking about the three weeks he had spent with her, with them,

"About what exactly?" She asks with brows furrowed.

"She is getting old. And I hate that." He sighs.

"I understand." She said with a tight-lipped smile.

"You do?"

'I do have parents too Abeer. I know what it feels like. I keep on worrying about Maa always." She laughs a bit.

"What about your father?" She smiles.

"We don't really have the best relationship but we are not that bad too."

"And who are there back at your place?" He changes the subject quickly.

"My uncle is there, aunt too and their son, my cousin Siddharth Dadabhai. He is a professor and very supportive. He keeps on motivating me."

Dr Siddhart Bakshi has supported her all her life, and she knows he would do that till the end.

"So you two are close?"

"Always. I was more like a daughter to him. He was I guess some thirteen years older than me. He didn't get married."

"Why though? May I ask if you don't mind."

"He believes marriage bound us and he wants to live freely."

"That's true though but somewhat" He leaves it there not knowing what to say.

"Not acceptable in the society. I know he does too. But you know for some people it just doesn't matter. Dadabhai is one of those, always having his own point of view always standing on them." She completes him.

People like her brother are rare and they should be cherished. She knows how her family is and why he didn't actually get married but Abeer doesn't need to know that, not now at least.

A comfortable silence engulfs them, with some people even the silence is so beautiful and that you never want it to end. With them, it's like that.

A serene silence with just the winds and glimmering stars.

Suddenly her phone rings, Dadabhai calling.

A fear engulfs her heart, it's past midnight already.

She slides her receive button and the next words just shook her world.