Piyali told Aditya that he had done a great thing. Rishi appreciated the task he undertook for the girl despite not liking her much. Raunak told him that even though she had made friends with everyone in the clique, no one even thought about going to such great lengths for her. Akanksha said that she had grown fonder of him because of this one act of generosity. Even Shruti didn't hold back, giving him a quick hug as her eyes dampened because of the sweet gesture. But then Aditya didn't feel the slightest bit special. He wasn't taking pride in bringing Shubham back to Nandini's life. In fact, he was a tad bit resentful, too, since an entire week had passed and Nandini didn't show her face at any of their outings or dinners. She was apparently too busy with her long-lost friend.

So, one day before Diwali, when Abhi had taken off from work to clean the apartment thoroughly, Aditya chose to work from home too. Going to the office was more depressing these days because Nandini didn't exactly leave his mind in the utter quietude there. At least at home, he could bump up the volume of the speakers to drown the loud thoughts swirling in his mind.

Reclining on the couch, his fingers darting over the keyboard, analyzing the latest numbers that his boss had sent him, he strived to concentrate on work, but he was repeatedly failing in doing so. The task that could be finished within a snap of a finger took him more than a few hours, and he was already annoyed despite it being only 10 o'clock in the morning. Huffing, he brought another bag of potato wafers from the kitchen before landing on the couch with a thud, tearing the wrapper with a resounding crinkle before stuffing his mouth with a handful of the junk snack.

Abhi was busy wrapping the cobwebs on the corners of the ceilings with the long broom he had devised by attaching a wooden stick to the handle of a shorter broom, but his patience snapped when Aditya went back to the kitchen for the sixth time since that morning. Descending from the barstool he was standing at, discarding the broom on the floor, flicking off one dead spider from his shoulders, and removing the towel from around his neck, he went ahead to snatch the bag of wafers from his friend's hands.

However, Aditya scowled heavily and swatted Abhi's fingers away from his food.

"That's the sixth bag," Abhi said, rolling his eyes. He was about to sit on the couch, but Aditya pushed him towards the floor. Once he landed on the carpet below, he said, "What's troubling you?"

Aditya shrugged, frowning. "Nothing."

"Buddy," Abhi snorted, "when you are under a lot of duress or are too worried about something, you stuff your mouth with oily wafers like a whale."

Aditya gulped, peeking inside the semi-finished bag in his hands. Feeling contrite at having ruined his diet for the entire week, he was about to stow it away. However, he halted in his steps towards the kitchen, deliberated for a moment, and chose to finish it anyway before tossing the empty bag in the trash can.

Abhi heaved a deep sigh. "Do you know something, Adi? Shruti and I have a weird spark between us. They call it passion, chemistry."

Aditya frowned. "Who are they?"

Abhi huffed. "I mean people. In general."

"So?"

"So..." Abhi clicked his tongue. "When it has been you and Piyali in a relationship for so long, then why do I sense the same passion and chemistry between you and Nandini instead?"

Aditya rolled his eyes. "You have got to be kidding me. And you need to stop watching stupid rom-coms."

Abhi grinned. "Tell me the reason, Adi. Why do I see a spark between you and Miss Car Murderer?"

Aditya let out a puff of air. "Perhaps that's because the power on your glasses has gone up. Why don't you visit an ophthalmologist?"

Abhi snorted. "You seem to be quite... disturbed. Did Nandini do something?"

Aditya sat up straighter, shifting uncomfortably at his spot. "How did you know?"

Abhi shrugged. "Your entire existence revolves around her these days."

"That's not true!" Aditya screamed, scowling.

Abhi snickered. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, buddy."

Aditya groaned. "Miss Car Murderer is so fucking irritating. She hasn't replied to my texts or returned my calls in over a week. Whenever she is with that Shubham guy, she forgets about us."

"But she did reply in the group chat, didn't she? The two of them are coming over to Rishi's for the Diwali dinner tomorrow."

"Yeah, but..." Aditya tugged at his hair in frustration. "I miss her when she is not around, okay?"

"Aha!" Abhi smirked. "Finally, you admitted it. I have been trying to wriggle these exact words out of your mouth for the last three days."

Aditya pursed his lips. "Congratulations, Abhimanyu Shukla! Ding, ding, ding! You win the lottery worth... zero dollars," he said, rolling his eyes.

Abhi chortled. "Didn't you hate her?"

"I still do. She practically murdered my baby."

"Doesn't seem like." Abhi scoffed. "It's true that you miss her, you love to make her smile, you cherish the time you spend with her. And it's very sweet, very endearing. However, there is a teeny tiny problem."

Aditya let out a puff of air. "And what is that?"

"You have a girlfriend, though there is no passion. Probably."

Aditya grimaced. "Keyword being probably. How do you even know if we have chemistry or not? Secondly, why do you always compare Piyali to Nandini? Those are two different people, and I love my girlfriend. She is the prettiest woman ever, and I can't think about another girl when she is around, alright?"

Abhi flashed a tight-lipped smile. "And here I was under the assumption that Nandini is indeed a girl."

***

The morning of Diwali arrived, and Nandini was too excited for her favorite festival. Ever since she had woken up, all she did was jump and squeal and run around Shubham's apartment as he watched on in amusement, laughing at her childish antics. She had spent the entire week with him, staying over at his house, working from home. Although he had to go to his office for a few scheduled meetings, he ensured to spend as much time with her as possible. He had even taken her on a tour of his office, and she loved the simple setting on the topmost floor of a high-rise from where the ocean and the bridge were perceptible.

Conversations flew lucidly between them, and sharing sweet kisses from time to time was just the norm. He was supposed to leave for LA the following day, and she was already despondent about it. Hence, they made sure to utilize every minute of every day they got together. Going to the movies, shopping till they felt exhausted, eating at the famed restaurants around the city, and even staying up till the wee hours of the morning to banter over silly and senseless topics—they were enjoying the companionship, the togetherness.

She wanted to spend the entire day with him on Diwali too, and her friends had a get-together planned at Rishi and Raunak's place. So, she was not only prepping for the festival, but she was also busy cooking a few dishes for the potluck dinner. There was not much cleaning that his spick and span apartment needed, and she was strongly reminded of the clutter and mess Aditya lived in. That elicited a giggle from her, and she missed him a bit more. The way in which he had made a special place in her heart was indeed commendable, for he was no longer the evil devil. He had become the sweet, arrogant, broody devil, and she couldn't wait to meet him once again.

As the evening drew nearer, she first went to her apartment with Shubham, lighting up the holy lamp in front of the idols inside the mini-temple. She also placed a few candles around the house before she took out a traditional Indian attire, green in color, donning a few gold bangles and a pair of gold earrings to finish her minimalistic, chic look. Satisfied with her appearance, she moved out of the bedroom, smiled at Shubham sitting on the couch, and was making her way towards the main door when his words halted her.

"You look heavenly, Nandini."

She bit her lips to suppress a snicker. Swerving around, she noticed his widened eyes and his parted lips as he looked on, dumbfounded and dumbstruck. "You look hot too, Mr. Rebel." She nodded her head at the white shirt and blue jeans he was wearing. "Simple but sexy."

His brows shot up, and he ambled towards her. "Sexy, huh?"

She bobbed her head, puckering her lips. "So very hot."

He leaned forward and left a light kiss close to her lips. "We can skip the dinner and spend our time doing something... hot."

She giggled, pushing him away from her. "Stupid you are!"

***

Nandini was very nervous before introducing Shubham to her newfound friends. Her group from back in college had already approved of him, given all of them had been friends for a long time. However, she sought approval from these new people she had begun to consider family. So, when they mingled well with her quasi-boyfriend, she was over the moon. Shubham was steadily getting more and more comfortable with one and all, and watching Aditya share a laugh with him was also satisfying, for both the men had become an imperative part of her life.

Games and gossip apart, the girls busied themselves with designing a breathtaking rangoli with artistic patterns, and the boys were tasked with heating up the food, arranging the alcohol, and putting candles all around the apartment. A few diyas were lit and placed on the open balcony while the multi-colored fairy lights ran along the length of the balustrade, hanging over the railing too, fluttering due to the cool winds. A few flower festoons decorated the idols in the sequestered cabinet of Rishi's room, and neon lights flashed from the expensive bulbs he had installed in the dining area. Once the evening veneration was done and dusted, they settled down for a few rounds of Poker, which Raunak profited from, and Shubham's lips drooped since he lost a considerable amount of money, triggering a laughter riot in the living room.

The strong odor of alcohol mingled with the aroma of food from the kitchen, and they took turns emptying the expensive bottles of wine Rishi had brought over. As the night grew deeper outside, their excitement levels jumped up too, for the conversation was moving towards topics such as adventure sports, body piercings, and tattoos. Rishi expressed his desire to get inked while Piyali shared how she had a tattoo before moving to SF, but she got it removed. Akanksha showed the latest piercing she had gotten in her navel while Nandini quivered at the mere idea. Aditya told them how much he hated needles while Shubham flaunted the tattoo he had on his back, pulling up his shirt. Abhi and Raunak merely yawned, unmoved and uninterested as they found the topic quite silly.

However, amidst all the conversations, Nandini noticed how Aditya was glimpsing at her a bit too frequently with a frown on his face. So, she raised her brows at him from across the living area, but he smiled weakly and motioned her to check her phone, first pointing at her, then waving his own device, and finally mimicking typing on his screen.

She peered at her phone as the screen lit up with a message from him.

'You look good tonight, Baby Elephant.'

She looked back at him, grinning. 'Thanks! Green suits me?"

'Every color suits you, but there is one problem.'

'What?'

'Your bindi is not centered properly. Ask Shubham to fix it for you.'

***

Dinner was an equally fun affair. As all of them gathered around, serving themselves food from the range of dishes placed on the kitchen island, Nandini received a lot of praise for the chocolate mousse she had prepared along with the mutton biryani she cooked from scratch. The potluck turned out to be a massive success as everyone had brought something or the other, complementing each other's dishes. The meal was appetizing, scrumptious, and soul-satisfying.

When they were consuming the desserts, Aditya said, "Dude! Nandini, this chocolate mousse is so good that I am forced to take a second helping." He dropped oodles of the mousse in his bowl. "Can't help it. I love everything you cook."

As the rest of them chuckled and murmured in agreement, Piyali's face fell, and she fiddled with her cheesecake. Zoning out of the conversation, abandoning the dessert, she picked up a glass of wine and ambled towards the balcony.

Aditya followed suit too. "What are you doing here? All by yourself?" he said, watching her lean against the balustrade, gazing at the shimmering nightlights of the vibrant city.

She swirled the contents of her glass before gulping them down in one go. "You love whatever Nandini cooks, huh?"

He frowned. "What?"

She put the glass down on the nearby table. Staring at the skyline perceptible as far as her eyes could see, she said, "I can't cook. I hope you know that, and I hope your parents will be accepting of the fact that I have never cooked anything more complicated than instant noodles."

He bit his lips, still befuddled. But as understanding dawned on him, his frown lines cleared. "Jealous, are you?" He smirked. "Of Nandini."

She scoffed. "I am not jealous of anybody. I am getting jittery because your parents will be arriving tomorrow, and I am worried that they might approve of Nandini but not me. She fits every checklist, doesn't she? Yeah, she is chubby but then she is pretty, talented, professional, can keep the house organized, can cook so well that my boyfriend is a fan of every dish she comes up with. Plus," she rolled her eyes, "like Ayesha Mukherjee, she is a Bengali. Quite unlike me. My last name is becoming a bone of contention between you and me, and I don't like it one bit."

He wrapped his arms around her, and she gave in immediately. "You are the most gorgeous person ever. Stop being insecure because I like you. I know there will be a certain level of drama involved, but I will set everything right with my family."

She sniffled. "I love you, Adi, and I surely can't imagine my life without you. Promise me we will be together forever."

He remained silent, pondering over her question. Abhi's words from before flitted across his mind. Yes, there was a lack of spark between him and Piyali, which was never of importance to him until he discovered the thrill and rush of the intense feeling with someone else. But then the long and loving relationship he had shared with the woman in front of him was more valuable, wasn't it?

Piyali shoved at his chest. "Promise me."

He took a deep breath as his reverie broke. "Promise."

***

At the end of a fun-filled evening, Shubham dropped Nandini home, promising to be back within a week. He was standing by the door of the semi-illuminated apartment, unable to leave, unwilling to go in either. She urged him to walk in, whining and tugging at his arms, but he just chuckled, shaking his head.

He perceived her form in the near darkness. A few candles from earlier in the evening were still burning, the molten wax dripping down the sides of the holder, solidifying at the base. She had refused to turn on the lights since natural luminance was much better. "I need to go. It's almost midnight."

"Stay," she murmured, caressing his arms. "Your bag is all packed for the trip. We can pick it up on the way to the airport tomorrow morning."

Sighing, he drew her closer, hiding his face in the crook of her neck. As she wrapped her arms around him too, he mumbled against her hair, "If I stay, I might not stop at a few kisses here and there."

Her breathing quickened when she felt his lips pressing against her shoulders, and she gasped when he gently nipped the bare skin.

"What do you say, Basu?"

She gulped, her breathing becoming ragged due to the manner in which his palms explored her back in a highly seductive motion. "Shubham?"

"Yes?"

"I like you. I really, really do."

He pulled back. "I like you so fucking much."

He captured her lips in a fierce and feral kiss, and she couldn't breathe anymore. She could vaguely tell he had pushed her inside, banged the door shut, and without bothering to turn on the lights, they proceeded towards her room. He wasted no time and slid the dupatta off her shoulders as she let her palms roam under his shirt, popping the buttons one at a time. When his white shirt fell on the wooden floor below, she backed away, flipping the switches of the nightlamps next to her dresser.

In the bare minimum iridescence, he discerned the bright blush on her cheeks, the anticipation in her eyes, the hesitation too as she tried to bring her fingers to his naked chest but repeatedly recanted.

Chuckling, he took charge of the situation, holding her wrists and tugging her towards him. "Nandini?"

"Hmmm?"

"May I?"

She giggled. "I am so very nervous."

"Do not worry," he whispered, kissing her cheeks. "I am right here."

She let him take off her green kurti which joined his shirt on the floor, but her eyes widened when his palms went down and down, squeezing and leaving a trail of fiery touches everywhere. As warm breaths intermingled, sweat ran down their spines, they landed on the bed, squirming, crinkling, and dampening the sheets beneath.

His stubble brushing against the inside of her thighs was enough for her to lose the remnant senses, and she could swear she screamed his name, which he seemed to like as he increased the pace with which his tongue was darting patterns on her skin. She responded with a rough trail of her nails up his arms, stopping on his shoulders, digging into his skin.

She tried not to be loud since she always found it cliché and overly dramatic in all those books she had read, but keeping it down was getting steadily more and more difficult. Her palms gripped the sheets as tightly as possible, and she could tell she was seconds away from going over the edge, but he seemed to be in the mood to tease as he flopped on the bed next to her.

She cried out loud, begging him to stop troubling her, for she wanted to explore this new high with him as soon as possible. He chuckled, agreeing immediately to her demands as he hovered over her form with his mouth dipping to capture her lips all over again. 

An addictive high, which she experienced that night: slow and gentle, loving and caring. Her head sinking into the pillow, her chest heaving with every rapid action, her toes curling, her legs cinching around his waist, she took a moment to come down from the massive ecstasy that had washed over her. And the last thing she could recall from the beautiful evening was him wrapping a blanket over her naked form while she cherished the fact that they had shared something tremendous, powerful, profound. 

However, a voice tinkled in the back of her mind, complimenting her, irritating her, laughing at her, and telling her to fix her bindi.