The warm sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, casting a golden glow over the sprawling city of Calcutta. The air was thick with the fragrance of blooming flowers and the sweet scent of morning dew, as the city slowly stirred to life.

In the quiet residential neighborhood, a three-storied house with a roof and an attic stood tall, its windows flung open to welcome the cool breeze. Batakrishna had rented the attic, which now was their humble abode... His and Mira's.

As the summer days promised to be long ones, Mira and Batakrishna would start their day in no hurry. They would sit leisurely, with him sipping his morning tea, as the gentle breeze would carry with it the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves. Mira won't speak much, but she too had started to crave these moments of seclusion with him before he would start for his college.

"Shunun... O bolchilo okey niye aste eshkul theke."
Mira had told him during one of those morning rendezvous.

"Kobe ante hobe?" Batakrishna had finished his tea already.

"Ajkei. Aj Shukkur baar. Ajkei toh chuti hobe... O chithi te likhechilo."

"Accha. Niye asbo." Batakrishna had gotten up.

The day had a strange anticipation to it. This would be the first time Mira would meet Bhargavi in the last six months. She had prepared meals, and had decorated their small room with utmost care. Batakrishna still sleeps on the floor, leaving the bed for her to occupy, and Mira thought for the next three days, she would ask him to sleep on the bed while she herself would lay on the floor with her sister.

Batakrishna had returned with Bhargavi that evening.
Her arrival had brought a burst of unadulterated merriment to the household, as the three young souls reveled in the joy of their reunion.

"Koto boro hoye gechis re." Mira was caressing her cheeks as Batakrishna casted his sling bag aside and chuckled.

"Sudhu mathay boro hoyeche, buddhi te noi."

"Uff... Abar?" Bhargavi had interjected at once, before Mira could understand the context.

"Abar noi to ki? Gravitation er suttro guliye fele j, sei abar boro kiser hey?"

"Kiser suto?" Mira widened her eyes in confusion.

"Suto na go Didi... Suttro... Mane... Mane..."

"Oi mane manei koro tumi... Kothay bhebechilam Einstein hobe, na holo Hitlar."

"Uff... Bhalo lage na... Jan to apni."
Bhargavi pouted her cheeks in pseudo anger and Batakrishna laughed out loud.

"Bojhao Mira... Tomar ei bon ti ke bojhao... Jeno Robi Robi na kore ektu porashonay mon dey."

"Didi... Dekho na... " Bhargavi flung her arms in protest.

Mira smiled too. But she couldn't relate to what they both were saying.

"Robi?" Her mouth fell, and Bhargavi pressed her lips in a smile.

"Robindranath Thakur."

The evening rolling to night, and after dinner, together, they climbed up to the rooftop, where the panoramic view of the city stretched out before them. They could see the city coming alive, as the sound of carts rattling on the roads and the chatter of people going about their day, filled the air.

The pleasing warmth of the moon grew softer, and the cold of the night slowly began to seep in, but the three were undeterred. They laughed, shared stories, and indulged in their favorite summer treats, relishing in the simple pleasures of life. Mira was quiet mostly, listening, as Batakrishna and Bhargavi fought with words.

"Toder niye aar pari na."
Mira had finally gotten up, ready to head to the room. Bhargavi followed her inside.

"Eki... Tomra eksathe sow na?" She asked, eyeing the sleeping arrangements.

"Na." Mira replied in a syllable.

Bhargavi thought for a while, and then she slowly approached her and placed a hand on Mira's shoulder.

"Didi, rongin saree te tomar khub sundor lagche." She paused. "Bhabchilam jiggesh korbo... Sindoor poro na keno?"

"Jani na keno."

"Mane?"

"Porte bhoy hoy re."

"Kiser bhoy?"

"Onar khotir bhoy... Porechilam ekbar... Kintu... " She closed her eyes and shuddered at the fearful memories of the past.

Bhargavi breathed out a soft sigh.
"Kintu Didi... Uni Swami jokhon tomar, eksathe toh suley paro."

"Bhoy hoy."

"Kake? Onake?"

"Na... Nijer pora kopal ke."

Bhargavi smiled and threw her arms around Mira's shoulder.
"Adoreo bhoy." She teased her, and Mira's face turned bright red at once.

"Khub dossi uni, janis." She pressed her lips and looked down.
"Khub... Mane... Khub jalaton koren majhe majhe... "

"Are tumi nichoi soriye dao onake."
Bhargavi rolled her eyes and Mira looked down again.

"Sob somay pari na... Tobe... Tobe uni jor koren na amai... Mane..."

Bhagavi sighed.
"Bou jokhon bolen tomake tokhon bouer motoi toh thakte paro, Didi... Sudhu sudhu nijekeo kosto dewa, aar onakeo... Nijer odhikar bujhe nite sekho."

"Bah! Khub boroder moto kotha shikhechis je." Mira smiled at her, but their was no happiness in that smile, as Bhargavi's words were making her think more.

"Choto Babu khub bhalobashen tomai... Khub Bhaggo tomar... Kintu tomar o onar eto ador jotno firiye dewa uchit, tai na?"
"Ki kore bol... "

"Ki kori tobe?"

"Boli ki... Oto bhebo na... Chere deo nijeke."

"Tobe noy toh ki? Chere di, aar uni..." Mira started blushing.
"Bolen ki janis... Awnir abar naki bhai hobe." She murmured the words innocently and hid her crimson face with both her palms.
But her words had made Bhargavi feel a strange sweep of shiver running down her spine. She cleared her throat at once.

"Se bhalo... Ekta keno... Onek gulo bhai bon... Sob hok... Amio Mashi hobo."

"Mashi ma... Bol Choto Maa."

"Haan oi holo..." Bhargavi sighed. "Tulsipur e jete icche kore sudhu amar chotto shonatar jonno. Awni toh amai Maa bole dake go."

Mira fell silent for a moment.
"Kotha bole?"

"Nah... Oi Maa bole, ar Bo Bo bole amader Rudhu rani ke."

Mira sighed once more. She didn't speak a word that night.

..........................

"Ahare... Biye korar ki shokh!" Bhargavi's laughter echoed from the open stairs the following morning.

"Biye toh kortei hobe.... Aar tomakei korte hobe amar puti rani." Batakrishna too was laughing.

"issh... Puti rani naki... R jeno name khuje pelen na."

"Keno... Dekhte toh puti maacher moto... Kharap naam kiser."

"Kothay puti maacher moto dekhte?"

"Aayna dhorbo? Gol gol chok... Thabrano naak... Boro boro kaan."

"Se toh apnar o... Jan toh ami biye korbo na."

"Se bolle toh hobe na... Ekhon bor jatri eshe poreche... Dhukher batir dike omon jib ber kore takiye ache sob... Ekhon toh palabe bolle hobe na hey."

"Khub baje apni... Biyer pore khete debo na kichu."

"Se diye no... Ami kere kheye jani."

"Ahare ki shokh."

"Shok kore ki keu kara kari kore?"

"Aar ki korben biyer por shuni? Ektu toiri hoye thaki."

"Ki abar... Saradin paray paray ghurbo, aar raate bari fire tor sathe jhorgra korbo."

"Tor? Apni tui kore bolchen? Chi Chi... Nijer bou k keu tui kore bole?"

"Accha bhul hoye geche... "

The duo laughed out loud once again, together, in sync.

Mira had just emerged from the bathroom, fresh and radiant, a towel elegantly draped around her head. A cacophony of laughter and chatter reached her ears, emanating from the stairwell. Normally serene and composed, Mira's heart lurched with an unfamiliar pang of jealousy. She had intentionally distanced herself from Batakrishna, rebuffing his advances and avoiding his sensuous company, but witnessing him engaged in mirthful banter with another filled her with a visceral unease.

Unable to resist the magnetic pull of the laughter, Mira made her way towards the source of the commotion. Mira's heart was pounding with a mixture of fear and anticipation as she made her way towards the source of the laughter and chatter. Her usual calm and composed demeanor was uncharacteristically unsettled, and her mind was a swirling mass of emotions. She knew that Batakrishna and Bhargavi were together, but she wasn't sure what they were doing or saying.

As she approached the stairs, her footsteps slowed, and her breathing quickened. She was afraid of what she might see and hear, afraid of being left out or judged, but at the same time, she was curious and eager to join in the fun. She wondered if Batakrishna would ever  find someone else to be with, someone who could make him laugh and smile like this.

The uncertainty and ambiguity of the situation only heightened her anxiety, and her imagination was running wild with all sorts of possibilities, both good and bad. She couldn't help but wonder if someone like Bhargavi would ever take her place in Batakrishna's heart.

Despite her inner turmoil, Mira forced herself to take a deep breath and step forward. She steeled herself for whatever might happen, ready to face her fears and confront her feelings head-on. As she got closer to the source of the laughter, she could feel her heart beating faster and her palms getting clammy.

Batakrishna and Bhargavi continued in their merrymaking.

"Tobe, ador chaleo debo na kintu!" Batakrishna was laughing.

"Issh... Ki shokh... Ador chaibo na... Chinta nei."

"Se chaibe keno... Tumi sudhu maach niye maramari korbe."

"Aar doodh niyeo.... Ei ei... " Bhargavi screamed out.

Mira had approached at that moment, slowly standing behind Batakrishna and Bhargavi, as she saw each cradling a feline and personifying them with playful voices. The duo was earnestly discussing the upcoming marriage of their furry companions, enraptured in their own private world.

"Bhaggu... " She called, startling the girl, as the fat grey cat jumped down from her lap and leaped at the bowl of milk kept nearby.

"Jaa... Amar bou palalo! Ki bhaggo amar." Batakrishna too screamed at the cat in unison, and he burst out in a frenzy fit of laughter. His groom cat had invariably followed his would be bride.

Bhargavi however, wasn't laughing any longer. Her eyes had lowered as she stood up slowly to face Mira. She hadn't done anything wrong, but still somewhere a sense of guilt pierced her heart.

Mira stood quiet too. She felt as though she was an outsider, peering into a bubble of laughter and gaiety from which she had been excluded. The jealousy and insecurity that had been gnawing at her psyche resurfaced, urging her to leave the scene before her presence was noticed. Yet, she couldn't help but be captivated by the contagious energy of her lover and her sister, and longed to join in the merriment.

As the mirthful chatter continued, Mira's thoughts drifted inward. She was conflicted between her desire to revel in the joy of the moment and her inner turmoil. Mira was conscious that her possessiveness was unwarranted and ill-fitting, but she couldn't help the way she felt.

"Ki korchis eta?"
She asked.

"Khelchilam... "

"Khechilam?" Batakrishna too had stood up, facing Mira, as he mimicked Bhargavi's words.
"Khelchilam na... Bol sokal sokal matha khacchilam."

"Isshh... Jah!" Bhargavi ran away at once.

PS: This probably wouldn't be a part of the main story line of UP, or probably ot would be... Not yet decided. But this is how their story would unveiled in future.

Let me know your thoughts.