Satyendra's POV:

I made 3 cups of coffee, a cup of tea for Shravani and boiled a glass of milk for Karishma while they all were sitting in the kitchen, Anita helped me as I didn't know where to find the ingredients in the kitchen.

But to my utter surprise Shravani denied to have the tea. I was shocked, so we're Anita and Rohit. Looks like everyone knows about her love for tea but she said she's good and to my surprise she asked for chocolate milk. This was their weekend home which had only basic items, so Mrs D'Silva helped us with my wife's demands!!! She not just made chocolate milk for Shravani, she also brought some cookies and marble cake for all of us. Shravani seems to be having a sugar rush and she kept moaning and eating like a hungry baby panda making everyone chuckle while Karishma suddenly felt a churning in her stomach and ran into washroom and puked everything. I helped her relax while all the time I noticed Shravani's eyes on us.

And before my wife's brains ran miles away with various flavours of thoughts I spoke up...

'Karishma is pregnant. It's her 2nd month of pregnancy and that's the reason she is here' and I saw Shravani's face turned red.

Ohhhh no no no....
I knew where her thoughts travelled and before she could tell anything further I said...

'Biwi... please calm down and listen first...you can then let your blood pressure increase!!!' while she scowled looking at me...

My posessive lioness she is!!!

Karishma smiled and settled down on the sofa and began...

'Satyendra's father and my father were childhood friends. I am a scientist. I work for world's best space reasearch organization today but then I was a girl who was asked to stop studying because why should women study, after all women don't become scientists...it's not easy...you get married and cook at home because girl's can look at moon only on a Karwa Chauth night or pray looking at a fallen star or oh ya to get a good match pray to stars to resolve their 'Mangal Dosh' but learning about constellations, metiorites, planets and galaxies people ask you to simply go and learn how to make the perfect thalappakatty biryani at home. They just think women can't do it!!!

My father was no different Shravani. When I told my father I wanted to do my PhD in Astronomy he asked me to simply choose a wedding lehenga for myself and get married!!!

I was not even asked and my proposal was fixed. The first time I met Satyendra was on the day before our wedding, for our engagement ceremony. Our fathers were very happy. My mother showed off infront of everyone that I was getting married to the potential Sarpanch of their ancestral hometown. Satyendra looked serious and least interested in getting married. I wanted him to turn down this wedding but he looked least interested in anything. I knew it was useless and we got married.

It was a grand affair. Post our marriage I decided to confront Satyendra about my dreams but looking at his serious face I was scared. He would hardly smile and my parents had warned me. They were orthodox. They clearly told me that my life and death is with Satyendra and I must only think about how to have a happy married life and children with them.

I stayed in Purvi Apartments with Satyendra but I was scared of approaching him. He never came near me initially, he gave me space. Infact we spoke only a few necessary words at home. Zero communication otherwise. But I was happy because no one was shoving me into this forced marriage, Slowly I got comfortable in that house but I didn't know what to do sitting at home the entire day. So I applied for scholarships for doing my PhD secretly but one of the response letters reached Satyendra's hands and I was scared.
The first time ever we had a matured conversation that night.

'You want to do PhD in Astronomy?' he asked and I nodded. He saw my marks and smiled mumbling 'Yet another topper!!!' and I really couldn't understand his words but then he muttered... 'The girl I loved...I still do...is a topper too...' and I was shocked to hear he loves someone else.

'Then why did you marry me?' I asked and he smiled saying...
'Exactly for the same reason why you did...my father forced me!' he said honestly...

'Why didn't you marry her then?' I asked and he smiled saying...
'She is already married...she loves someone else!!!' he said and I was shocked.

'And you still love her?' I asked curiously to which he smiled and replied...
'Karishma...you are married...does that mean you will stop loving astronomy?? Your dreams??? Your aspirations???'

'No...' I replied softly and he smiled back saying...'Exactly my point!!! Just because someone isn't in your life anymore...someone is happy with someone else...I can't stop loving her!!!' and I was speechless...He loved someone from whom he had no expectations... unconditionally...

'You must learn to give in your hundred percent to something or someone you love without expectations of its outcome Karishma...you love astronomy...you must study...you being successful or not...becoming a scientist or not is secondary...doesn't matter!!! You give your best and leave the rest to God!!!' and the first time ever I was spellbound by someone's words.

I was impressed. He was a gem!!!...He still is' she said looking at me and I smiled pulling her in a side hug while my wife looked at our entangled hands deeply and Karishma chuckled and I blushed.

'Ahhhemmmmm Shravani...you can stare at mine and Satyendra's hands later girl...your chocolate milk will loose it's warmth' she said and Shravani nervously diverted her gaze making a puffy face while I smiled and settled next to my angry wife and circling my hand around her shoulder... But she still looked pissed...Karishma smiled and continued...

'Satyendra got me enrolled to the best University in Ooty. My family and some 'self proclaimed educationists' in the village preached him saying he is giving undue importance to my education, girls are good enough in kitchen but Satyendra fought the world for my sake...everyday he would drop and pick me up personally from Ooty to Coonoor because my family made a ruckus when I proposed of staying in a hostel. My heart had begun opening up for Satyendra. He became my bestie. I would share everything with him, from my study related concerns, my ambitions to my dreams...he was the only one who understood me and always supported me.

But my respect for him increased manifolds when he fought against his competitor Pattuthillai uncle who always eyed the Sarpanch's position and found reasons to put down Satyendra. He blamed me of being a bad influence of the married women in the village who wanted to study after marriage. Infact one day there was a crowd of these frustrated husbands who came with sticks trying to stop me from going to college but Satyendra warned and threatened to beat each one to death if any of them ever tried to lay a hand on his wife!!!

First time ever I felt a gushing emotion from within for him. He got Muttha assigned to me as my personal bodyguard, fought for me, protected me against every evil making me fall head over heels for this man...

Yes Shravani..I fell for him...I was madly in love with Satyendra!!!' she said and I saw Shravani's eyes turning moist.

I held her hands in mine tightly earning a teary glare from her. While Karishma continued...

'I decided to give equal importance to both my education and my marriage since that day, I knew he was in love with someone else but I was hopeful to make a place for myself in his heart. I had begun to return his care with immense affection now. Satyendra used to make breakfast and lunch for us both, I started making dinner. I began spending more time with him. The more I knew him the more I fell for him. At one point of time he became my utmost priority such that I was ready to achieve my dreams but along with him.

On the valentine's I ended up proposing him. But he politely declined breaking my heart into a billion pieces. But I didn't give up. I did everything to make him mine. From being his friend by talking to him to trying to look beautiful wearing pretty clothes but it's like he never had eyes for me. Even if I wore a seducing short dress he would caress my head saying 'you look cute' and leave to work.

Facing his rejections frustrated me and I won't lie Shravani...I had begun to hate the girl he fell for...So I decided one night to go all on him...I confronted him...proposed him again, shouted screamed yelled and made a scene...but he simply hugged me and said...
'Im sorry Kar...I don't have it in me baby...you are my best friend...truly my bestie but I can't feel that way for you...I'm sorry' saying he broke all my hopes leaving me in tears.

But the shocker came up next day as he proposed of a divorce. I didn't want to seperate from him but he explained me how we cannot stay in a meaningless relationship, how it would hinder my growth and my career too. I tried to avoid the divorce but Satyendra was hell bent.

For applying a divorce he got one of his friends who owned a famous law firm in Chennai who helped us through the divorce process but at the end of it ended up proposing me for marriage!!!

His name is Satyam Dubey!!! Satya..' and she showed her wedding ring to Shravani, chuckled adding 'My sweet little dumbo husband!!! With whom I am angry right now!!! And the reason I am here is because although Satyam loves me crazily we both are in a long distance relationship. I am a scientist in one of best space reasearch organization in Capetown right now. We spend time with each other on and off I conceived this time because of his stupidity. But that means I must quit my job because there was no one to take care of me and Satyam felt guilty about it. I convinced him I got a job here in India but he denied me saying it would kill him to see me quit such a flourishing job at the peak of my career and settle in India. I tried explaining him but when he finally spoke something stupid asking me to abort the baby is when I was pissed off and here I am after fighting with my husband who has been torturing Satyendra for the last 48 hours sending stupid love messages since I'm here. He is a idiot' saying she rolled her eyes while Shravani asked in one go...

'That means you don't love Sattu?' and Karishma smiled and said...

'I do...I will always... Satyendra is my first love...he's my support system but my love for him has now turned into devotion...' she said while I smiled at Kar and she smiled back...

'I didn't get you' Shravani said and Karishma added...
'You must understand it the most Shravani... isn't Satyendra's love same for you .. infact it's beyond devotion...when you love someone and you keep loving them even without expecting the same emotion back, letting go everything... that's purest form of love Shravani...it's a long process where many quit...I fell for my husband...my Satya in the course of 6 months...and years of marriage we are going strong...but Satyendra...he only loved one woman all his life... without expectations... without waiting to know what's on the other side of the door, he just loved you Shravani... unconditionally...non stop... forever... nothing could stop it...the society...the world...a wedding band nothing!!!' and Shravani's eyes pooled up while I felt her gaze on me.

'Kar...you are a true friend ..you are my bestie for life...you took it all on you...the village speaks shit... people don't have a tongue and give nonsensical thoughts and terms to our relationship..but not once you said anything...you know I'm lucky to have a friend like you buddy' saying I walked closer to her and hugged her.

While I heard Shravani say...
'Ex...Excuse me' and she ran from there.