The late-night when the moon is hidden behind the curtains and the sky is roaring a little, Sheuli is lying upon the couch next to Sebanti's bed who was fast asleep.

Suddenly she hears it, the sound of footsteps and the main door opening. She sat up straight quickly.

A gulp.

No way she is ready for a thief now, it's freaking the middle of a night. She slowly makes her way towards the kitchen and her first instinct was to take the knife.

That would be too much.

She concludes before taking the heavy frypan and tiptoeing towards the front door.

A figure was standing in the dark with back towards her. A well-built figure who smells of mints mixed with a strong cologne, a male cologne.

She holds the pan above her head ready to attack the intruder but in a swift second he turns around pulling her towards him, making her collide with him.

Her eyes closed tightly as the pan falls on the floor. She can feel his breath upon her face, mint mixed with smoke. She slowly opens her light brown orbs which shines as he flashed his lighter.

Her brown eyes clash with his dark black ones where all the secrets of the galaxies hide, and she found him lost somewhere.

"Who are you?" She asks controlling her heart.

"I should be asking you this Miss?" he said with a frown.

Slowly his hold around her loosens after a few more seconds as the lights flick on.

She takes a step back now getting a near look at the man of six feet some clad in a white shirt with folded sleeves, a vein prominent on his left arm and the faded blue jeans standing in front of her already looking at her with an expressionless face.

"Abeer" A call from behind makes her head snap.

Abeer? As in Abeer Bose.

"Maa" He smiles a little walking towards Sebanti.

"Baba ree. You get so weak from last time." Sebanti complains about taking her son in a hug and a few tears shining on her eyes.

Her son is finally home after three long months.

"Maa I gained a few pounds rather stop complaining. And look at you so careless about health..." He went on and on about his mother health, the accident and whatnot with a voice so caring that surely doesn't go with his physique.

A smile plays on Sheuli's lips as she looks at the mother-son duo.

And suddenly embarrassment engulfs her.

She just tried to hit him.

The owner of this place.

What was she even thinking? Damn.

Something is surely wrong with her brain because if anything Sheuli Bakshi is not someone to act so recklessly or maybe she is.

"Sheuli?" Sebanti calls her.

"I.." And she doesn't know what to say. A smirk plays on a certain someone's lips but he quickly conceals it.

"What are you doing here? And what's the sound?"

"That was.."

"That was nothing Maa. I opened the door and she was just checking up on who's here." Abeer answers this time.

"Ohh baba. Anyway, He is Abeer, my son."
She just nodded what else she could've done, she had already embarrassed herself enough. But in her defence, she was just trying to be safe? Yeah, whatever.

"I think... you should sleep now, Kakima. It's pretty late and you are not for enough"

"What nonsense, my Abeer is here I'll be just fine now."

"I think she is right Maa, you should sleep now."

"What about you? Do you need anything?"

"Maa I am good and it's my home even if I need anything I know the way around." He laughed slowly nudging her towards her bedroom.

Sheuli breathes in relief, she was holding a breath until now.

She bends down picking up the pan, he was damn quick, of course, he would be, he is, after all, a freaking Air force officer, he was well trained with his senses.

"Sheuli" A call from behind in a heavy voice and she blinks her eyes before turning around.

"...Next time try hitting the knees, that works better and wouldn't be fatal" Did he just say?

Her jaws fall as her eyes widen as she looks at the smirk that plays on his lips before he retreats towards the stairs. All she wishes now is to bang her own head with this heavy pan.

"Stupid." She murmurs before shaking her head and going towards the kitchen, time to have some tea.

______

Making her way upstairs her settle down on the brown white messed easy chair on the open balcony where the bright yellow lights are on with a steaming cup of tea and a copy of A country without a post office. Her recent new obsession with Agha Shaheed and Faiz.

A sigh left her lips as she folded her legs and smells the book, an addiction, she calls it that.

"No doubt Maa loves you being around." A voice startles her and she almost fell out of the chair.

"You scared me" She whispered controlling her irradiated heartbeats.

"For someone brave enough to look out of an intruder and smart enough to use a heavy frypan as a weapon, you gets scared pretty fast." He said taking a seat on the next chair.

"I.."

"Can I have this?" He asks pointing towards her untouched tea.

"Yeah Of course" How stupid of her to make just one cup of it but then again how was she supposed to know that he drinks tea?

"I usually make it on my own but I am tired," He said taking a sip.

"No, it's okay. I should have asked you, I am sorry"

He just shakes his head saying it's nothing. His side facial was in her view and she couldn't stop herself from looking at his stoic expression and notices that he had changed into his trousers and a black T-shirt, wait that's too familiar to her.

"I want to thank you," He said suddenly.

"For what?" she frowns a little.

"For looking after Maa." He said now looking at her showing his sincerity.

She smiles in response.

A few minutes pass in silence then she heard a flicking sound, sure enough, he was lightening a cigarette.

"Want some?" He offers and for a minute she wanted to take the offer but choose otherwise.

Sharing a smoke over a tea is something too intimate for her, and this person is just another known stranger after all.

"No thanks, I should leave now it's late and I don't want to leave Kakima alone for long." She said standing up with her book while dusting her trousers.

"The tea is great." He smiles and she does the same.

Suddenly she notices something and laughs making Abeer raise a brow in amusement.

"That's my T-shirt" She laughs, no doubt it fits him a little too tight.

Even her loose boyfriend T-shirt is tight on him, making his abs looks prominent.

He looks at himself than at her and slowly joins her in laughter.

Their laughter echoes through the balcony of the first floor of the red-painted house suddenly making it bloom on a gloomy night like today. The dawn is near but theirs is just finding its way.

As Sheuli makes her way towards the stairs she turns back at him who has already gazed at her, the light brown eyes shine against his dark black ones and small smiles play on their lips.

The first meeting is not that bad.

Ye mulaqat mulaqat nahin hoti hai
baat hoti hai magar baat nahin hoti hai

She goes away but his eyes somehow keep staring at the empty space.

Why?

He doesn't know and he doesn't bother to.

For now, the tea is good that goes perfectly with his cigarette as he takes a puff again.

______

The midweek buzz in the hospital is very much evident. The ER is having yet another rush hour. And it is not something out of normalcy.

The sun is ready to bid farewell for the day when Kuheli walks out the glass doors of the hospital. It was a rough day for her, back to back surgeries and then some rounds around the ward. Her shoulders were stiff and the forehead formed in a frown.

As she takes two-step a figure catches her eyes, and she sighed. Now she can't avoid meeting, not anymore, not at least now.

So she walks the distance between them and bends touch her feet when she was pulled and engulfed in those familiar arms, home.

And she tightens her hold around closing her eyes for a second, inhaling the motherly essence.

"I thought you are too ashamed to meet me," Mohua said with a voice that made her break the hug and shook her head in denial.

Though her voice holds a sense of mischief, it nevertheless made Kuheli feel guilty.

"I wasn't. Chotomaa, I swear. It was just I was busy with everything and then you were at the annexe building."

She said in a remorseful voice with a pause then continues taking her warm hands in hers, "So I couldn't make time out to meet you, and I would never be ashamed of meeting you. You were my ideal and still are."

Mohua laughs and nods as she said, "I was just kidding Kuhu, stop fretting over it now."

"How are you?" Kuheli asks with a warm smile.

"Fit and fine like always, but just gotten old you see."

"You haven't aged much trust me on that."

"Oh I have, trust me I have. And that's more of a reason I want my daughter in my house." Kuheli finds herself smiling at this.

"You don't have to worry, Sheuli will come back soon. And you know right things are not easy for her, maybe this space will be good for her?"

"I don't know about that, sometimes I feel too helpless for a mother but then again I know she will come around, I hope so."

"But the thing is Kuhu, I wasn't talking about her. I was talking about this daughter of mine who seems to have forgotten the way back home"

She has lost her home.

Home of cards

"Chotomaa, I.."

"Kuhu, we are getting old. Me and Lalima Bordibhai both. And we aren't wrong if you think carefully. We want our children to be happy, be together."

Happy and together.

Even the sound of it seems too foreign to her.

It's been ages she heard of it, eons she thought of it.

She gulps visibly preparing her mind for the same excuse she had been giving everyone for years.

"I am.." As soon as she began Muhua trailed off her and tighten her hold around their adjoint hands.

And Kuheli finds herself looking into those pairs of black eyes who has always held love for her, a love she had cherished since the age of twelve.

"Don't lie about not being ready, I am not buying that anymore. You are twenty eight old enough to get married."

"Chotomaa, it's just I need some time. I have a career and my research and everything that's going on. I don't think I have time for this."

Lies, all lies.

She has all her time for them, but then again, has he had any?

Has he had ever?

"I don't even know what to do with you two. And then your father..."

"What about Baba?" Kuheli snapped her eyes at the mention of her father and sees how Mohua just shakes her head tiredly.

What he has done now?

"Lalima Bordibhai called me, you know asking about health and one thing lead to another and she hinted something about the alliance, she just said she thinks its time for you to settle down. And you won't believe what he did"

"What did he say?"

"He snapped. Like seriously snapped at her, told her that you're settled quite well and doing great with your life. And he doesn't think you are marrying any idiot anytime soon." At this Kuheli doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Her father, Ashish Ghosh is quite a character but this is beyond everything. He straight away denied a mother for a supposed alliance and called her son an idiot too.

He surely deserves a sweet treat and Kuheli takes a mental note to give him some.

"Baba is.. just being Baba. I will talk to him about it and call Lalima Kakimaa too."

"She would be happy if you just visit her someday."

Oh and she would be more than happy to visit them someday, but alas she has lost her way back to their place.

So much for loving someone.

She just smiled in response as they walk towards the parking.

"Kuhu,"

"Yes?"

"I want you to think about it okay? It's been years since we had seen happiness blooming in our house, the place doesn't feel like home anymore. It seems hollow, the emptiness is just suffocating all of us. 
            And when I see Sumona and Rima in markets sometimes, it made me feel all this will end the moment you come there. I am not forcing you but I want you to think about it and come to a conclusion quickly." Mohua said stopping and with a last squeeze, she let go of her hand.

Kuheli found her lips in a firm line, her eyes fixed behind Mohua. at the man standing there clad in blue suit pants and a shirt in a lighter shade of that sleeves rolled up.

He walks towards them with furrowed brows and in quick steps.

"Chotomaa," He said as soon as he stands behind Mohua, she turns around with the sweetest smile.

"You are here right on time. I was just talking you two..."

"Again? I told you not to"

"What do you mean not too? I am talking to my daughter and we have to talk about it sometime, the sooner the better." Mohua completes and Kuheli finds herself looking at the man in front of her, closing his eyes then shaking them slightly.

Already so tired Dr Bakshi.

She wanted to comment but chose silence, her mind is already running around the circle.

"I guess it's time to leave. Should I drop you Kuhu?" He said looking at Mohua then asking Kuhu, looking at her for the first time in the evening.

And damn her heart losing a beat again. His look is intense and Kuhu finds herself denying the offer.

"I have my car."

"Okay then, Bye" He turns around taking Mohua's hand in his who gave her another warm smile before parting ways.

They get in their car and she finds herself standing there, like always.

Only this time, she saw it and finds herself gulping, he was looking at her through the rear mirror.

_____

Kuheli walks into the house and the tones of Rabindra sangeet greets her. The winds playing around the hallway told her about her father must be sitting there on the verandah.

She walks inside and keeps the Flurys packet on the dining table before she changes into a pair of white pyjamas and some loose T-shit.

By the time she comes back to the hallway, she finds her father already treating himself with the chocolate pastries.

"It's one for a day not more than that." She said leaning at the doorway.

"You didn't say that before so no."

"Baba?"

"What? One cheat day won't do any harm" She just shakes her head as she makes her way towards the kitchen. She needs a good cup of tea.

"I heard what you said to Lalima Kakimaa," Kuhu said sitting next to her father on the couch, with her legs folded together.

"I didn't say anything wrong" Her father said almost in a heartbeat.

"I never said you did"

"So?"

"So you know it's not normal?" She said with a raised brow.

"What is?"

"Your reaction to the whole situation Baba. Their reaction was normal, yes not something I would appreciate but it's normal. Yours on the other was anything but"

"Oh, I am not like those orthodox fathers. I don't believe in this patriarchial mentality and would never want my daughter to live a life like that."

"As much as I appreciate that Baba, you shouldn't be talking in that tone with Lalima Kakimaa. I am not saying you were wrong but the way of saying was certainly was."

"I know them better Kuhu. They won't understand any other tone trust me on that."

"Baba" She calls him out with a stern voice.

"Kuhu you are my only daughter. I and your mother were college sweethearts. We got married at twenty-four, and we had you at twenty-five. By the time I was thirty-six, I had lost her and all the belief in marriages. And it was since then I had lived all my life with you and learnt and marriage is not something necessary in one's life."

The mention of her mother brings a sad smile to her face.

Her mother, Amrita Ghosh was her best friend.

They were a happy family but too bad she left them too early. She fought but lastly lost her battle to cancer.

Her father never got married, reason, as he would say, 'love is a strange thing Kuhu, I love her and that's something I can't have with anyone else.'

"Baba" She calls him out of his thoughts when she saw him looking at her mothers' photograph. His eyes gleamed with love.

"You need a companion in your life, but marriage, not that. And love is strange you know that, I don't want my daughter in a loveless relationship, never in that. I want you to get married but,"

At this, she raised a brow and he continues, "But only when you both are in love. I don't care you who decides to marry, but in the end, there should be love between you two."

And Kuhu finds herself losing her smile.

Love is a strange thing.

______

Glossary

Kakimaa- Aunt

Boridibhai- Sister

Masi- Aunt

So Abeer and Sheuli met finally.

I love the bond Kuheli shares with her Father.

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