Bengal, Chatterjee House

"So, you're ready for a second chance?" Subhankar breathed in, gazing at her with raised brows. His heart which was beating fast due to nervousness had calmed down a lot, and he was feeling a bit confident as Savitri was opening up to him.

"Hmm, I am."  She nodded with a soft smile, "This is the third time you're asking me by the way, you know?" 

"Well....I wanted to make sure everything is okay, you know. I don't want to rush if you aren't ready for it." He exhaled, gazing at her. He knew what it meant for someone to be cheated upon; the guilt, the self-doubt, every nauseatic aspect perks up at times. How could he not when he had seen a victim of it in front of his eyes? It may not be intentional, but at times he had seen the sadness in Saudamini's eyes initially. The girl now deeply in love with Anirban had a past which had shaken the very core of her; and he didn't want to enter into a relationship where the hearts weren't ready to bind.

"I am okay, Subhankar. Just be truthful to me, that's all that I want," She tilted her head at him, and Subhankar lip's curved into a smile.

They walked for sometime, the soothing winds rustling through the lush green trees.

It felt good. 

"So?" He softly questioned.

"So?" 

"What did you decide?" His breath caught for a while, before asking. 

She shrugged, as if asking him to continue further.

"Do...do you-erm, want this-" He bit on his lips, "I mean the marriage to happen?"

"And?" She held her wrist with the other palm and cocked her jaw.

"Do you, like me?" He finally asked, anticipating at her. He didn't knew, why he was feeling a little afraid; maybe proposing might not be his style, maybe he couldn't always gather correct words according to the situation like Anirban, maybe he wasn't that extravagant. But he was simple and truthful. His eyes always shone with a sense of genuineness that melted hearts right away. 

Savitri lowered her lashes for a while, making the latter confused.

Was he too fast to ask the question? 

"I-" Before he could complete, he felt something soft quickly touch his right jaw, making him stop himself from continuing further. Savitri tiptoed herself to his height and attached her lips there, making him hold his breath. His eyes widened, as he looked at her, unable to believe what had just happened. 

She bit on her lips to hold back her smile and blush; and immediately turned away to walk out from there.

Subhankar blinked and looked on, the smile trying to form on his lips but it faded out within a second; making him confused for a moment. 

He just felt a little jolt, a little surprise. 

But he thought that he should've felt something else as well; he didn't knew what was that 'something' but, it felt as if it had to be something which would've internally satisfied him, something that would've kind of make him feel the thing he missed. And the worst part was, he couldn't figure it out. 

He brushed aside his thoughts, and stretched his lips into a smile; walking behind her.

Unknown, that someone else had spotted that 'little intimacy' as well.

.

.

.

Tripti hid behind the pillar, as Subhankar walked past, without noticing her. 

She had been there at the wrong time. Just when Savitri tiptoed and kissed Subhankar's cheek. Peering from the pillar, she saw them. She saw her, striding away with long steps as if she tried to hide her blush, and Subhankar was standing there; a bit jammed for a moment, and then he smiled too and followed her inside. 

She watched them leaving towards the house. 

She kissed his cheek.

Savitri kissed Subhankar's cheek; she was blushing and Subhankar was smiling. 

Subhankar was smiling. Because of the kiss, of course. 

She didn't knew why her heart was twanging against her chest. Wildly. Inhaling a deep breath, she tried to calm herself, but blood was pumping in and out of that organ intensely. For what, she didn't knew.

Tripti had never seen any woman near Subhankar before; or rather, any woman involved in a lovey-dovey activity with him.  She sure had heard how he and Anirban were like the 'ladies men' in London, but didn't see with her own eyes. Talking and hearing about things were different.

Witnessing something with one's own eyes was altogether different. 

Today, she saw Subhankar with a woman. And the woman was not her. 

Not her. 

.

.

.

"She even kissed you?!" Anirban gasped and stared at Subhankar, with wide eyes as he held the cup of tea.

"On the cheek, Ani." Subhankar rolled his eyes at his dramatic antics. 

"Whatever, she kissed you right?!" 

"Uff, why are you hyping a cheek kiss unnecessarily?" Subhankar shrugged making a face. 

"You're seriously so ungrateful, man." Anirban muttered, breathing in, "Someday strive for a simple cheek kiss, you will understand the value of it," He discreetly looked at Saudamini with a 'you know what I am talking about look', who passed him a mock glare and looked away; not before he winked at her with a winsome smile. 

"I think you both are in the wrong room," Subhankar shook his head with raised eyebrows and a hopeless smile; his friend and his wife could literally start flirting anytime and anywhere. And the poor him felt like a bone amidst the chicken as usual. 

"Subho Dada," Saudamini innocently gazed at him, making him shrug, "Never mind, let's come back to Miss Savitri." She teasingly perked her brow up, collecting a cracker from the tray and biting into it. 

"I am telling you, she's besotted, I swear....." Anirban shook his head continuously, pointing his index finger at him subtly while holding the cup, "She seems smart and fun! What else do you need? And above that, she kissed you!"

Subhankar knew that Anirban would never stop mentioning the 'kiss' again and again. 

"I know right, she's romantic as heck!" Saudamini gushed excitedly, "I like her already! Isn't it Tripti?" 

Tripti raised her brows, slurping from the cup slowly, hauling herself from the thoughts, "Yeah, I mean. She's beautiful and, and mature too." She pressed her lips into a smile; after being a silent spectator the conversation of the three. She felt like, she shouldn't be there for the moment, but it had never been before that she was never involved in an opinion which included Subhankar. And Subhankar hardly took any drastic decision by keeping the brother-sister pair in oblivion.

She had to be there, it was the question of a life for her friend. 

"Savitri, Subhankar.....wow, I am also getting lovely names for your kids as well," Anirban dreamily said, "Bhavitri...if it's a girl-"

Tripti almost choked on her tea.

Saudamini couldn't help but snicker, while Subhankar stared at him with an unbelievable look on his face, "I am not letting you decide my children's names. That's final." 

"Why? Bhavitri is such a good name!" Anirban tried to control his laughter, "Then Subhitri?"

"You'll be thrashed-" Subhankar rolled his eyes, and Saudamini chuckled under her breath, "Subhitri, Bhavitri.....looks like you're going to have twins Subho Dada," She discreetly looked at Anirban and whispered something in his ear, snickering and patting his arm; causing him to chuckle back covering his mouth as his chest vibrated. Clearly proving that they still weren't out of their lovey-dovey phase; and perhaps never will be. 

"Not you too." 

If 'rolling eyes' were a competition, Subhankar would've came first, second and third all together. 

"Okay, okay, fine! Enough of teasing! Let's come to the main point!" Saudamini interjected, placing her empty cup on the table, "So tell us, Subho Dada, what have you thought?"

What did he think? 

Savitri was mature and beautiful.

 Exactly how he had wanted his girl to be. She seemed truthful and honest as well. 

And, the most important thing was, she liked him. 

There was no reason for him to worry, she was ready for marriage on her own; she wanted a future with him. But did he wanted the same?

He didn't know; he didn't know that moment. He did, he did like Savitri too; she had all qualities one would want in a wife. Maybe someday, they would fall in love too, there were hardly much contradictions; well, he wasn't sure about that, but the gut feeling in him kind off told him they wouldn't be complete opposites. 

He will fall for her eventually. Right?

"Well....I mean. She's good." Subhankar crisped, looking at the three of them. 

"You like her too, don't you?" Anirban raised a brow.

"Ye-yeah...." Subhankar breathed in, fixing his mind on her face. There wasn't anything not to like in her, thin eyebrows, expressive eyes, a tiny nose and full lips. Her face started formulating in his mind, as he thought of them; he thought his heart would beat faster, as he would do; it did a bit, but it wasn't satisfactorily beating. Beating the way he wanted it too. 

Beating the way, it should. 

"So it's a damn YES!" 

Everything would sort, once he would be in love with her. 

His heart too would start beating fast as he would desire for it, once in love, right? 

★★★★★★★★★

A/N

Agya Ani taang khichai ke liye 🤣

Yarr bichari Tripti 🙈

Signing off for today!

Nushkie