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

Part 40

"Ascchi!" Shruvro cleared his voice standing near Tuli, who was sitting at a corner of the living room. "I should go now."

Tuli's eyes stayed on his face. He could not read those eyes. Some unreadable longing in them he found, that made an emptiness yearning inside him.

"Have you eaten?" She asked in a tired voice.

He nodded.

She nodded back but her eyes stayed on him until he made his way out of her parents' apartment with some uncle and aunts of her - saying he would drop them on his way to home.

*

Tuli was lying with her mother that night. The exhaustion of the entire day was draining her a bit by bit. Yet, slumber deprived her. Starring at the immobile fan her mind was busy weaving strings of loose thoughts, while her pillow kept drenching with the limpid that were loosing their positions from her eyes.

Sitting on the bed she once took a look of her sleeping mother cautiously. Then gingerly walked towards the charging port where her cell phone was.

For a long stream of moments she gazed upon the contact details of Shuvro. Her thumb stayed paused a inch over the dialling icon. Then locking the phone she walked out at the balcony.

The nearing new year air of midnight grabbed her instantly. Wrapping her blanket around her more tightly she stopped at the edge of the balcony, leaning on the fence.

Gripping the phone with her right hand on her chest she looked at the twinkling sky. The draining two eyes of her were making her eye sight a bit hazy.

She blinked as he sniffed, "Hey." He whisper broke the thin air. "I know you are there. Staring down at me." She gulped the hurting lump inside her throat. It refused to heal. "It's been a while since I talked to you and I know may be you are resting now, its just... I really really miss you Sumo." The name came out broken in a inaudible whisper. "I am so in pain right now! My dad... I miss him... a lot, every moment. Every damn moment. I could not even say that I love him! And how I feel about his decision... Shuvro. Baba was so damn worried. I made him worry. He was sick. He was a heart patient!!!" Furiously she wiped the tear that was streaming down her face. "And when there is not anything to worry..." a shy half-hurt- chuckle came out of her mouth. Jolting she looked up at the sky again and somewhat with a ashamed eyes she looked for answer at the twinkling stars.

The skyline of the city was dark, just illuminated by the queuing streetlights. From very far a passing rail's whistle came timidly cutting through the air. A stray dog yelped, maybe listing to the whistle somewhat. This area of Tuli's parents' home in Jadavpur was different than her and Shuvro's one in Salt lake. The sleeping buildings of the residential complex were standing in dark. Within gaps some cars and bikes were zooming away leaving the sound of their engines in the. Next day was Monday, so everyone was busy in try of getting a sleep before the week start.

Though some of her neighbours were still up. She could hear a music humming in the air from someone's house.

Amidst all of this Tuli was standing under the starry ever-forgiving, ubiquitous space.

"I am not being selfish Sumedh. I am not..." she challenged.

***

A week was nearly over when Shuvro's phone rang up with Tuli's name on screen.

"Are you busy after lunch?" All she needed to ask. And he was already there, the place she asked him to come.

*

"How's kakima?" He asked Tuli about her mother as they were walking towards Babughat from Strand road.

"She is... how she is supposed to be." She replied exhaling sharply.