Bengal, Chatterjee Residence

The way he uttered the word 'failure'. 

Subhankar brushed back his hairs, breathing in deeply. Why? Why did fate betray him on such an important day of his life? Well, later on he sometimes felt like it was deliberate to make him grounded that not all can achieve everything; or maybe it was just to remind him that he wasn't solely the best one out there. There were always better. 

It was inevitable. Inevitable not to develop a bit of vanity for bagging the first position in his school majority of times. It did seep in him too, and perhaps he had turned overconfident; and so much overconfidence betrays. No one can know what can happen at the final moment. He learnt the hard way, and that thing still bothered him at times; when students who scored lesser than him had got a chance to be at the best University of India. 

He had seen Somnath's disappointment when one of his colleague's father came to their home to distribute him sweets since his son had secured a seat at the Hindu College, and the stunned expression on his face when he got to know Subhankar couldn't pass the exam. That look of him feeling nervous in front of him, made his heart sink further. That look of pride in his eyes went missing that day when Subhankar would always run up to him with a certificate in his hand and happily claim that he topped over his batchmates.

And he failed where he actually had to show his worth. 

Bloody fate. 

He gulped subtly, looking away and blinking, as he walked through the gardens towards the other side were the servant's quarters resided. 

"Kaka...." He forced a smile on his lips as he spotted an elderly man retiring towards his room.

"Master, how come you're here?" Srinath, who happened to be the elderly man, responded, "You could've called me up no..."

"No no, I just came here to distribute the sweets to the kids," Subhankar shook his head with a smile, holding a pot of rosogollas, "Are they playing?" 

Subhankar and Anirban had a habit of distributing sweets to the kids of the servants during  occasions, who stayed at their residence along with their parents. There was a handful of them, and they volunteered them to send them to school so that they could find a purpose in life. 

"Subho Dada!" A few of the kids grinned as they came up to him, hearing his voice. Subhankar's lips broke into a wide grin as he saw the excitement in their eyes; so innocent they were. Even the little things could excite them the most. He never knew when he had appreciated a sweet ever in his life, but for them, it was luxury. The gleam in their eyes when they would enjoy the sweets would be priceless enough to melt his heart. 

"The word 'sweet' just got you all here huh?" Subhankar chuckled shaking his head, handing over the pot to one of the kids, "Careful dear, don't you drop it, alright?"

"Thank you!" The little boy grinned widely, grabbing the pot happily with his small hands while the others surrounded him naturally.

"Alright now listen to me. No one is going to fight, share with each other equally like good kids, okay? Everyone is going to get one sweet, how about that?" Subhankar smiled, while the children obediently nodded and answered in chorus. His eyes raked around for a moment, his brows furrowing as found someone missing from the group.

"Arrey Rafiq?" He placed a hand on a little boy's shoulder who was no older than ten, "Where is your sister? Today morning she was with you right?"

 "Rehnuma Aapa is in her room, Bhaijaan," The boy blinked at him, "She told me she wasn't feeling well....."

"Oh, but what happened to her suddenly? Morning she was looking all fine and dandy...." Subhankar raised a brow. 

"I don't know, she said that her stomach was aching and she wanted to rest," He innocently shrugged. Subhankar smiled softly, "Okay okay, just inform me or Anirban Bhaijaan if her health worsens, we will call for a physician then, alright?"

"Okay!" He smiled at him and rushed with the other kids to join them. 

Subhankar watched them for a while, and then took a reroute as the Sun was about to settle behind the clouds. He began to walk away, inhaling a deep breath when the familiar sound of the tinkling of anklets alerted him, and he immediately recognized who it was.

Tripti came up to him with her lips pressed into a thin line, her brows thinned and she directly stood in front of him blocking his way. 

That action of hers was enough for him to know her intentions. 

He bit his lips and licked, looking away momentarily and pushing a hand inside his pocket. He looked at her for a short while, a little guilt flowing through him. She honestly did not deserve that, atleast not now. She was the one who was always behind the two of them to get together, but it never happened. And he knew how much it bothered her seeing the two of them always at loggerheads. 

Yet he couldn't help himself. Nor could Indranil. They didn't like each other and perhaps never would.

But Tripti didn't deserve it.

A small nervous smile instigated on his lips as he tried to move away, but she walked over and blocked his path again without saying a word, her brows furrowing more. Those eyes of her appeared like watery like a crystal as it reflected the orange rays of the Sun, her lips pursed and face contorted into an adorable frown. 

"Haripriya..." He tried to chuckle a bit, shaking his head while Tripti looked at him, sighing a bit deeply.

And he could see one emotion clearly in her eyes.

She was hurt. 

.

.

.

"Why do you always do this?" Tripti whispered, leaning against a pillar with arms crossed against her bosom and looking away, "You know right when you two pick up a fight, it is you who always ends up getting hurt most of the time?" 

Subhankar tried to hide a little smile that was threatening to etch. She was hurt for him. 

"Don't smile, okay? I do not like it at all," She huffed, shaking her head, twitching her lips, "You just intentionally do this and then these little fights end up like this..." 

"He, he was bragging unnecessarily," He kicked a little pebble with his foot and it went rolling at a distance, and tried to look a bit innocently at her. 

"Why did you have to start it? And why didn't you say anything when he was taunting you?" Tripti gazed at him with the same frown. 

"Haww Tripti, just now you warned me not to pick up a fight, now you're saying why didn't I retaliate?" Subhankar faked his accent, cupping his mouth playfully.

Tripti just rolled her eyes. 

"You know that he doesn't like you at all?" She peered at him, cupping her elbow with a palm. She looked extremely adorable while complaining. Her brows narrowed down, her lips forming a little pout and harmless anger swirling in those dark eyes, "Then why do you do this everytime?" 

"Because he is an idiot?" He shrugged nonchalantly, and chuckled afterwards watching Tripti deadpanning, "Uff...." 

"Okay okay, sorry sorry!" Subhankar inhaled deeply, raising his palms, "I won't be starting any argument from now, happy?" 

"You say that everytime!"

"I mean it this time, promise Tripti!" Subhankar asserted a bit firmly, with a smile on his face.

"You say that everytime too...." She shrugged at him with wide eyes, causing Subhankar to look away. Point. 

"Drop your anger now, okay? I won't enter into argument.....trust me!" 

Tripti  sharply gazed at him for a while, "Fine." 

Subhankar chuckled seeing her face, earning a playful smack on his arm, "You feel like....you feel like laughing?" She lightly hit him more , while he laughed and shielded himself, "You feeling like laughing huh? You don't seem to care about me at all!"

"From childhood I have been tolerating you both! Like really huh! Troubling me since....since childhood!" 

"Who is saying whom-" He bit his tongue playfully, earning another little smack.

"Arrey, what is my fault if your father chose an idiot as your groom?" And he got smacked again by her. 

"Don't you understand that I don't like when he insults you okay? You can't seem to understand this much?" 

"Is it? Then why don't you say that to him? Ask him to mend his ways and I stop automatically!" Subhankar raised a teasing brow, and Tripti snapped at time with a deadpan, "Subho...!"

"What Subho? You know I am saying the truth right?" He snickered, putting his hands on his waist, while Tripti gave him a pleading look now with a little pout, "Please no!" 

"Okay fine fine!" He raised his palms, "Your wish is my command your Highness!" He dramatically bowed in front of her with a poised look, causing Tripti to break into a small smile, "You're a mad man...."

"For a mad woman like you!" He ruffled her hairs instantly, flicking her head in the process, and ran away before she could understand what happened.

"Oyee!" Tripti huffed after the realization , gathering the edge of her saree and marching behind him.

★★★★★★★★★

A/N

😍😍😍Koot babies 

Signing off for today!

Nushkie