OTHER GROOM... the tale of the rejected guy...

Part 38

Winter Sun set quickly. Shade of the late afternoon sun had started to turn towards deep saffron to fire.

With sedated gaze Tuli was looking at the Sun that was peeping through the iron triangles of Howrah bridge. A portion of her face was glowing with the sun beam, making her olive skin look like the warm, ripe wheat beads. Her inner soul didn't reflect on her face.

Shuvro stopped at his way to her with two tea cups - as his eyes fall on her face. The mournful situation that was pilled with the biting pressure from office, the worries of the ceremony, and Tuli, - all that clouded mind suddenly diverted.

The sadness in her face was so visual, yet her face seemed so beautiful to him, making him wander even if that was possible. Making a him wonder whether his obsession was overwhelming his love and empathy for her.

Heaving a sigh he sat down beside her leaving a gap between them and passed a clay tea pot to her.

A little of the time passed, a little the Sun darken its shade. The sunbeams were playing over the water of the Ganges. At some distance some oarsman's excited yelling chimed on the air. The chirping of the couples, gossiping, giggles of some college gangs and laugh of a few ladies were mixing with the sound of the plump of the water of Ganga on the soar - amidst all these sound, Shuvro and Tuli were sitting there silently. The sound of the whistle of a train from the near by Princep Ghat station came of his ear. He was looking at the sparkles that the now deep saffron shade of old sun was creating on the river.

The smell of the river on the soar was dear to Tuli. But today another smell getting mixed with the smell of river - was intoxicating her senses.

A good perfumes smell was always charming to her, but as the natural naked cologne of Shuvro commingled with the moist and poached smell of the river bank, it dominated every other senses in her. She felt being drugged. The gut wrenching pain of loss and the emptiness inside her some how got overwhelmed by her olfactory nerve, her smelling sense.

Unknowingly to any of both she had closed the gap between herself and him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and snaked her left hand around his right one as her gaze still stayed at the sinking sun.

He arched his face at her a little to take a look of her. The gloomy face of her seemed at the verge of crying. Tuli's eyelids fluttered once before looking up at his.

Shuvro beheld her gaze for moments before his gaze ran down at their tangled arms. He shooed the urge of entangling her fingers with his after a little moment of conflicts inside his mind.

He kept staring at their arms.

And suddenly he saw the soft fingers of her wife creeping on his palm gingerly. He unfurled his palm slowly before. But her hand paused softly before touching his finger.

Taking a look of Tuli from the corner of his eyes Shuvro took his hand a little behind and filled the gaps of Tuli's fingers with his and caged them lightly.

As the sun sank over the opposite bank of the river, she tightly grabbed his hand with her and he inched closer her.

*

After some hours of Sun down Shuvro whispered in her ear "we should go."

The locks of their fingers didn't break until they got inside the car.

***

After dinner Tuli stood at the door of her room. "Kaki is sleeping with maa and Mami." She said as Shuvro looked up at her.

Till that day, she was sleeping with her mother and Mami. And Shuvro was sleeping alone in her room. The other guests took leave after the next day Tuli's father deceased.

The situation made him flabbergasted for a moment. This apartment had three rooms. One of which was Tuli's mother who was accompanied by Mami and Kaki now and the other one had already occupied by the other halves of the previous ladies. And one in the last they were now talking .

"I-I... um" being unable to decide what he should say or do Shuvro stopped stammering by biting his lip. Should he take the couch in the living? But that would be gaudy to the relatives who won't understand.

He saw Tuli quietly strolling around the bed to make it.

Should he go home! But what would be the excuse?

Looking at his wife very confusingly he kept brainstorming what should he do.

On the other hand very neatly Tuli made the bed quietly and was settling herself in a side.

"Umm... okay..." murmuring he was about to storm off the room when she piped up with his name.

"Where are you going?" She raised her eyebrows.

"I - I..." he bubbled up but could not say the answer as he himself didn't know. He looked at her as if asking her to understand his unanswerable.

Her lips set in a straight line as she realised what was going on. "Suvo!" She mumbled, "I would really not like to be alone."

With perplex surprise he looked at her.

"Stay?" She requested patting the bed side beside her...

So this was the part. Hope you have liked it. Now VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! and comment please...