Avanthika sat still on the bed wrapped in a blanket, when the door bell rang.
She slowly got down the bed, her head felt lighter after a ten hours long sleep.
She turned the knob to open the door.
Amarendra stood with a smile. And beside him, Devasena.
With a streak of vermilion along the partition of her hair. With a mangalsutra securely tied around her neck. With bunches of tingling kangans across her wrists.
Avanthika watched both of them very carefully, and then broadened her lips to shape a smile.
Supposedly something that surprised the guests.
Guest? Amarendra obviously.
" Good morning! Come in. "
Avanthika stepped back to welcome the newly weds. Amarendra walked in swiftly while Devasena hesitated, while it must have been the other way round.
Avanthika grabbed her hand and pulled her in.
" Congratulations sister! Wish you a happy married life. Adway had told me you were marrying. And I feel you make a perfect duo! "
Devasena was utterly startled, but then, Avanthika had always been highly unpredictable.

" Adway? How did he know? " , a more surprised Amarendra settled on the couch, leaving Devasena wonder about the same.

Avanthika ignored the statement.
" You won't mind coffee, right Amarendra?
Devasena loves coffee! "

Amarendra smiled and nodded a yes, while Devasena still stood highly uncomfortable. Amarendra gestured her to sit.
Avanthika went over to the kitchenette and talked loudly from there,
" So Deva is leaving for London? "

Devasena and Amarendra exchanged estranged glances..
Amarendra reciprocated, " Yeah but not permanently. She'll be back to finish her graduations. "

" And you? "
Avanthika talked back, still out of sight.
Devasena silently kept rubbing her palm against her skirt.

Amarendra took sometime answering this.
" I haven't decided as of yet. I may shift permanently to India. "

Avanthika came out from the kitchenette with three coffee mugs with fuming coffee.
" Such love! "
She said, with a very genuine looking smile as she placed the mugs on the table.

Devasena again looked at Amarendra, who rather looked at Avanthika and returned a wider smile.

" Devasena, you are behaving as if we have never met! "
Suddenly Avanthika confronted an unnecessarily uncomfortable Devasena.
" ...as if I'm Amarendra's friend, and you are along with him to visit me after his marriage. "

Avanthika herself giggled at her joke, making Devasena more uncomfortable.
Amarendra picked up a coffee mug and handed it to Devasena, who took it hesitatingly.
He then stretched another one out to Avanthika.
Finally taking one for him, he said, " Actually Avanthika, she believes you are raising some devastating misconceptions about her. Maybe that's making her uncomfortable. We believe that we should talk over things to clear them up. "

Avanthika took in a big sip.
Devasena stared at her.
" What's wrong with you guys? Like really?
I'm clearly not interested! I'm really sorry Deva for all those threats yesterday but even you know they're hollow! Yes I remember my past, I committed crimes I don't regret, but I don't want those to take up my current life as well. Listen, I'm making it very clear that whatever stories you have come up with, I won't believe any. But the bigger fact is that, I don't care!!! 
I'm extremely happy my sister got married, I'm extremely happy because you both will be happy with this decision. I am not a threat to you that you'll have to explain things to me. You may call me a murderer in this life even, but I promise, I won't! "

*****

Adway tucked in a spoonful of pasta into his mouth.
" it's alright, if she doesn't care, doesn't need explanations and doesn't mean anything!! It's fine right? You can just move on! "

Adway, Amarendra and Devasena were now seated at The Loo, one of the best multicuisine restaurants of Bhopal. The clock read 10:30 in the morning.

Amarendra stirred his juice, while Devasena stared outside the window.
" Obviously I can move on. But Devasena will forever have to live with a scar. " , Amarendra said.

Adway looked at Devasena, who shoved.
" Devasena, you can send an email to her, explaining yourself. And you should forward that to me too. Because I too am highly interested to know the truth. "
Adway smiled.

" Explaining myself isn't the bigger thing Adway. That she won't believe me and will forever believe a lie is the greater concern. "

Amarendra nodded in agreement.

"Oh come on! Why are you concerned? If you know you're clean, if your husband believes that as well, why are you concerned with some Avanthika? Even if she doesn't remain your friend in future, will anything stop? "
Adway licked the cheese off his fingers.

" Even me thinks the same. "
Amarendra looked at Devasena, who smiled for the first time.

" By the way Adway, how did you know we were getting married? "
Devasena threw it to Adway.

" Because Amarendra and Devasena couldn't do something else. "

Amarendra laughed to this while Devasena blushed.

" once again, if you feel like, do share the actual reason of Mahendra's death with me.  I'm highly interested. "

Amarendra looked at Devasena once, and then at Adway.
" Somethings remain buried forever. Let this go with the dust as well, just like it always remained. "

Adway took sometime, then began nodding.
" When's your train to Lucknow? "

" 1:15 "

" Happy journey! And wish you the best married life ever, not overshadowed by the past.....  "
Adway Mathur wiped his hands in a napkin.

****

Gorakhpur Express left Bhopal just minutes past its correct time.
While Devasena time and again tried to reach her father's land-line in vain, Avanthika's indifference disturbed her every now and then.
What just happened overnight that a fuming revengeful Avanthika didn't even want to talk about anything that way? Or did Devasena herself misjudge her? Maybe she truly never wished to revive the past and is still maintaining the same.

Amarendra chained the little one day luggage beneath the seat.
" Didn't connect? "
He sat down and asked Devasena.
Devasena nodded in negation.

" It's alright. We'll reach by 9 in the night.
We'll go and surprise him. "

Devasena smiled. Just like he had been surprising her since day one!!

******
Devasena and Amarendra stood like vagabonds before the door that dawned an enormous lock.

" I was afraid of only this. He's a big time traveller. Last time we talked almost five months back, he was going to Haridwar. Worst, he doesn't carry a mobile. And even if he does, I don't know of. "
Devasena stood completely pissed off.

Lucknow was cold in the night. And a bad wind made their bones shiver.

Amarendra looked at the three floored house.
" Who stays upstairs? "

" Landlord. An old man. I came to Lucknow only thrice. My dad has been staying on rent here ever since, but I've never seen the landlord. "

Amarendra went on to ring another bell that led upstairs mostly.

After sometime, someone came down the staircase that ran just beside the locked door.
The lights to the stairs were very dim, the house itself being too old.

" Whose there? "
A voice was heard from the landing.

Amarendra and Devasena came in front of the stairs, from where they could see the person at the first landing.
" We actually.....  "
Amarendra stopped.

Through the dim lights of the staircase, Amarendra and Devasena shook abruptly, when the person on the landing uttered in disbelief..

" Baaahu........???!!  "