Bengal, Chatterjee Residence

"How did you like Savitri?" 

Tripti lifted her lashes to gaze at her best friend, who was leaning against the wall with a slight anticipated expression on his face. Her heart skipped a beat at his question. Was she supposed to answer that after-all? 

"I said that day right-"

"Yeah but....it's just that I wanted to hear it explicitly; that day everyone was there and we couldn't even speak, and also you left early you know," He brushed his fingers through his hairs to push them behind and looked away, breathing deeply. There was a slight hindrance in his tone, as if something was pulling him back from what he was. And the worst part was, he didn't knew what that was. 

Tripti looked down, pressing her lips into a pursed smile, "She's going to be married to you or me?" She gazed up, her smile turning to a smirk. 

"Haripriya...." He shook his head, chuckling softly. 

Tripti returned the same gentle simper, "You trust your instincts, don't you?"

Subhankar sighed for a moment, blinking and looking outside through the corridor balcony, his smile faltering slightly, "Life is changing so fast. It's just that, I feel a bit pulled out of my zone of comfort." He shrugged, "I mean I like her.....but-"

"You're feeling a bit, fearful?"

"Not exactly fearful, Tripti. It's a feeling which you can't name externally," He shook his head, biting the corner of his lips, "It just feels incomplete even being complete. Like you feel something that is unsettling you from within, but you don't know what it is," 

"You always choose things wisely Subho," Tripti ushered, crossing her arms against her bosom and looking at the same scenery outside where the latter was gazing, "Just trust yourself and your instincts, let things unfold the way it should. Everything.....everything will sort out in time," She gulped down a sigh at the last words, giving a long blink. It was true, they were perhaps in the last stages of their friendship, after which everything else might not be the same. Their paths would bifurcate within a few days; it would be these memories they will be holding on till their death. Those laughter and joy, those playful arguments and banters, those adventures and innocence. 

Those days would never come back, again.

Neither could they recreate them anymore. Tripti and Subhankar too will meet like other friends, once or twice during occasions, recount their memories and maybe laugh over them someday. 

Their bond was now on the brim of fragility; and it would break someday for sure. 

"When did you mature so much?" Subhankar muttered, holding up his smile. There was a lingering sense of softness in his tone, a bit of amusement yet toned with the depth of understanding. 

"Very unlikely of me is it?" She tried to lighten the tone by questioning in a silly pitch. Subhankar just stared at her with a light smile on his lips, and hand dipped inside his pocket. He was discovering something new in her everyday since the day he came from back from London. She was no longer the kid he had left behind, who was waving at him and Anirban at the doorstep with teary eyes, with two braids and a doll in her arms. Her eyes which held only innocence, mirth and mischief was replaced with an aura of maturity, collectiveness and depth. There was a restrain which she had built on herself gradually like every woman does when she matures from a child to her adulthood. 

Her jet black hair that trailed down to her hips was braided and pushed to a side, her eyes kohled lightly, and soft smooth lips pursed into a smile as she gazed back at him. Her irises, dark and jet black, had an emotion floating in them. 

Sometimes he felt that was it was his same Haripriya he had left behind? 

He remembered clearly the day he stepped back into the Chatterjee household, after six years. She was standing there with a wide smile on her face, her hairs flowing freely and in a yellow saree that was wrapped around her curves. She had grown into a lady; a fine lady.

A fine, beautiful lady. 

Her curious eyes was curiously looking for him and Anirban, and when their gazes met again after years, it was as if the time had halted that moment. He noticed her smile faltering gradually, and his too; as if both couldn't believe that the either of them had grown up so much. Perhaps Tripti's expression that day made him finally realize that he wasn't the same Subhankar anymore. 

Anirban had went straight and lifted up Tripti, twirling her around happily while she giggled and hugged him, kissing his cheek; while he was taking Somnath and Damini's blessings and wiping their happy tears.

And when it was their turn to greet each other, he gazed slightly at Damini, who sighed deeply at him and discreetly shook her head. He inhaled a deep breath, and smilingly went up towards her. It was like his tongue had stopped working in front of her, making him question that how he had spent thirteen years with her altogether. All that he could mutter was a simple, 'Hey.....how're you doing?' and gently pat her head twice. He sensed her feeling amused, awestruck, confused and constrained at the same time when she replied with a small smile, 'Doing good...what about you?'

How did it change from calling each other with weird names to this? 

"Well..." He mumbled, staring back at her softly. Tripti felt something churning in her stomach, feeling a bit timid under his gaze; unconsciously cupping her elbow with her palm as she stared back at him. His eyes held a strange hint of awe, so wholesome yet it felt distant. The distance was weird, it made had no right to exist when they were just adjacent to each other, still it was stubborn enough to persist. Ruthless enough to interfere. Determined enough not to leave. 

She felt hot and cold at the same time under him, as if he was both the warmth of the Summer and bleakness of the Winter. 

The gentle breeze was playing with her locks and mattered it over her face, and for once; for once Subhankar's heart longed, longed to tenderly push aside those stubborn curls which was hindering him from her sight. Inadvertantly, he stretched out his hand lightly, drawing a bit close to her with a lopsided smile on his lips; but suddenly sense grappled his mind as Tripti's gaze had mindlessly followed to his hand, causing her to snap out of the trance as well-

"Yo-your hair-" Subhankar almost fumbled, blinking a bit rapidly.

"Oh yes-yeah-" Tripti panicked a bit, pushing behind her hairs, "I am coming......it's close to lunch time perhaps." Subhankar saw her instantly looking away, holding the edge of her saree and strode from them, or rather scamper, her arm accidentally brushing against him in the process.

What did just even happen? 

.

.

.

Subhankar noticed how Tripti's entire demeanour changed in front of Indranil.

She casted her eyes down with a light smile on her lips, her hands politely kept on over the other as she stood in front of her fiance, stiffened. He could notice the slight nervousness in her stance, with the way she subtly bit her lips, all shy and coy in front of him. Her fair cheeks slightly appearing red.

Shy and coy. In front of Indranil.

And in front of Subhankar? Unhinged as heck everytime!

Even as children, whenever Indranil would come up to play with them, she would make him her husband playfully and play doll-house with him instead of Subhankar. Ruining their game and taking over as always; and Tripti would too just take Indranil's side more and Subhankar would just roll his eyes away and shrug. He never liked how he used to always interfere between the two of them everytime they would be hanging out together. 

One of the reasons they couldn't get together much since childhood.

God knew how Subhankar was going to tolerate him for three days straight at their residence. 

It was not half an hour since Indranil had arrived, and Subhankar was already sighing gazing at his face. Pretense for three days straight, perhaps? 

The tall man with hairs slicked and parted to the other side was wearing a deep shade of maroon kurta and greeting everyone with a light smile on his face on the gate; Subhankar didn't even realize he was staring at him with a constricted gaze with arms folded against his chest. He just looked up for a moment hopelessly and shook his head, hearing him brag in a subtle manner.

God knew why Tripti liked him at all even.

Indranil was accompanied by his father, who went along with Manikant and others, while the other one strode up towards Subhankar with a smirk on his lips and lightly furrowed brows, "Hope you're doing well," He nodded with a pursed smile, both coming up towards each other and engulfing in a brief hug, "Never better." Subhankar replied in the same tone as his.

"So, going to pull my leg as usual?" Indranil's smirk deepened, and it almost turned into a snicker.

"You're going to be our jamai (son-in-law). How's that even possible for you to leave without getting your leg pulled?" Subhankar half-smiled, shaking his head.

"Stealing your dearest friend, have to give you this right atleast. Isn't it?" He pushed his hands in his pocket, and tilted his head. 

"That is the only thing stopping me from being unhinged," Subhankar winked, and Indranil couldn't help but let out a little chuckle, "So you hardly changed."

Subhankar just shrugged with a pressed lip and raised brow, "Well...that depends on how people view me," He winked at the end, trailing along with Anirban who joined them as well.

*************

A/N

Abhi maza ayega na bhidu 😌🎇

Signing off for today!

Nushkie