YOURS TRULY

Part 10

Ipshita squirmed a bit again when Akash took a sip of the Vodka's bottle but yet again his gaze refused to leave lingering on her. His tired figure leaned on the shoulder of the single couch holding the bottle in one hand on which he would rest his head occasionally and his other hand rested upon the arm of the chair.
Ipshita was looking down trying to observe the design of the border of her saree. But the very realisation and awareness of his gaze on her was making the pretence very tough putting her whole face of fire. She fought over the thought of getting up and going looking for her parent, but somehow his stare put her glued at where she was.
Heaving a sigh Ipshita decided to look up. Nilesh was already passed out. The sound of his snore was buzzing around the area. Pressing her lips to suppress a giggle she looked at her phone to check time which was yet to pass nine thirty. She found some messages from Abhijit saying he would call at night and quickly she replied to them and then looked away at the altar, where some rituals were still going on. Feeling his eyes still on her she took a look of him from the corner of her eyes. As soon as his unwavering gaze met hers, like a bowstring she looked away and fixed her eyes at the altar again. But the slightest change of his eyebrows into the frown did not go unnoticed by her.
Near the altar she found her mother sitting with Akash's mother and some other lady speaking animatedly. Rubbing the edge of the train of her saree that was lying on her shoulder Ipshita contemplated upon sitting with them and then gathering her clutch and her phone she decided in its for. But could not get up finally.
"I was wondering-" said Akash, as she was about to stand up from the couch, interrupting in her intention. "What's the reason behind this rush of yours in getting back to Kolkata!"
'Oh, he talks now!'
She thought. But instead of answering him she kept staring back with a rise in her eyebrows. The irritation and restlessness in him that was creating mayhem inside his head since the time he saw get this evening, leapt to the peak now. He tried to win over the maddening, blinding desperate urge in him by avoiding her comment and belittling her in the process. But no! This was not ready to go away, now was it?
And now she was staring back at him. Her black like the night eyes that was lined with thick borders of kohl was pointed right at him. Somehow as he stared back into the deep orbs of her, it appeared to him that a tranquilising feel spread all over him calming every raging sense of him.
'Damn you, woman!'
How could anyone accomplish creating two contradictory feeling upon anyone at the same time by doing just nothing at all - Akash heaved a sigh thinking as the restlessness simmered down inside him.
"What?" Getting no answer yet he asked.
"Oh! I was not sure you were actually talking to me, and more than that interested listening to me!" She smiled.
"Don't play with me Ipshita!"
"Oh, I am the one playing? Oh okay!"
For a moment, both returned to the staring contest again with stern faces, until he mused.
"What is it? A boyfriend thing or something?" Eyeing her cell phone he asked. Ipshita could not but reply that with an eye roll and exhaling.
"Yes cause what else my life will gather its meaning from?" Sarcasm replied for her.
"What?"
"No! It's not a boyfriend thing, it's a job thing okay." She replied, annoyance and exhaustion reflecting in her voice clearly. "I have got a job that starts from Monday!"
"Oh. Wow! Congratulations!'"
"Thank you. And also thanks for not thinking about it as a possibility."
"I am -"
"No no! Why will you not think this way? How can anything but my relationship status define my life? Either marriage, parents or boyfriend must be the reason behind every little decision of my life? How else must I be sure about my gender?" Her nose and eyes flared as she lashed out all the frustration she had been gathering throughout the evening hearing question about her age and marriage. 'Have you looked for a groom?', 'You must start looking for a groom for Ipshita soon, look how beautiful she has grown into!', 'Hey, I know this guy...' - were all she was hearing being said to her parents and the irritation finally fumed up with Akash's question.

"What did I ask?" After staying mum noticing the sudden change in Ipshita's mood, Akash mused. And she darted a glare at him.  "You are twenty-three as I know so..."
"So my boyfriend must make the decisions for me?" Throwing the very edge of the dangerous line of turning him into a sexist person, she asked nastily.
"Hey, stop putting your words in my mouth!" Having all the intoxication of the alcohol swept off Akash sat up straight feeling attacked wrongly.
"Well, then explain."
"I took you for still as a student."
"Who has her boyfriend decide everything?'
'Damn it!' He thought, "no, who doesn't have a job yet. Are you a lawyer or something?"
"Nope. I am finishing my M.tec in electrical engineering."
"Should have been a lawyer."
"You know everyone says so. But I am not so much of a talking person with a stranger, so..."
"You don't say!" Successfully being able to regulate the conversation Akash sported his smug smile. "But why a job? You could have continued with the study. What's the rush in getting a job -"
"No! No more study for me please!" In a scared and tiring voice, she squealed triggering laughter in him."I have read enough now! I am done with exams! Uff! Thank God for the early placement." Vividly she shivered increasing his laughter.
"Really! That bad huh!" He mused.
"Look I am fine with the out of syllabus books but not the one in it." She explained with a bitter expression devoted to studying.
After staring at her disgusted face he heaved a sigh. "I hope I could be like you, " his tone claimed her to look at his face. "So eager to go and sit in a four by four cubical just to have money at the end of the month."
"You don't like your job?"
A chuckle piped up through the back of his throat. "You must have this discussion with my father you know." His humourless chuckle settled down as a long exhale dried his lung. Her eyes trained on him with questions in them. Taking a look of them he sighed again. "I - wanted to study further; get a PhD. But..." Another sigh concluded the reason behind the present.
"What made you think otherwise?" She claimed to know.
Before he could reply, his father's voice grabbed his attention with the calling of his name saying he was needed at the kitchen area with something.
"Duty calls!" Offering a smile to her Akash got up.
But before he passed out of the area Ipshita yelped saying "Well you better be back quickly, you yet to explain why must it have been 'a boyfriend thing'?"
Folding his palms and bowing a bit, as if asking for her forgiveness Akash stormed out of the room leaving her giggling and looking at the way he went.
Both of them did not get a chance to talk again that day. The pair of eyes met briefly at the dining area over the crowd and food but exchanged nothing more than pleasant smiles until he had to spin out of the place with the food of his sister and her newlywed husband.

...

It was not until when Ipshita climbed up the stairs the next day and strolled inside his room with a knock on the door, the two were face to face again.
After the sunset the next day, Paromita was bid goodbye the people heading back to their home in Kolkata, who didn't mean to stay at the reception, started making haste; especially Shuvro. His family along with Arun's started saying farewell to the others and seeing no sign of  Akash they started to look for him.
To overcome the fact he had cried like a baby, Anindya Chatterjee started screaming with the name of his son and having no response he looked around like a panther and upon finding Ipshita nearby asked her to go upstairs and fetch his son right away.
She was so taken by the meaningless screaming of Anindya and the suddenness of his asking her, without wasting another word she started climbing the stair, but not before darting a glare of irritation towards Butu, who had to take a bit of time to register the glare and the possible reason behind it. Although he did not give it much thought just dismissed it as a part of bad mannerism in her part which clearly showed the upbringing she had to him.

Strolling inside his room she found him sitting on the bed having his elbows on his knees while burying his face inside his palm. The soundless hiccups of cry running down shivers through his bend over body.
"Akashda!" She knocked on the door with the joined bone of her figure again and this time his face jolted up to look at him. Inching up wet eyelids with tears running down his face and nose he looked up with surprise and soon started wiping his face to look sober. He cleared his choked throat to say something but before he could she spoke up, "Uncle is looking for you, we are leaving. He said you will be driving us. So..." He listened to her with raised eyebrows as the information and the situation dawned upon him.
"Oh, you are leaving! Right! Right!" He said registering it and then stood up quickly clearing his throat, "I will be driving you. Right! Um! Ipshita I will be downstairs, just give me a moment."
"Sure," in a small voice she assured him and was about to leave shutting the door behind her but as her eyesight jotted down the way he stood half way till the door hanging his head low - something inside kept her still at the door and then pulled her into the room. And before she realised what she was doing her hands, very cautiously wrapped around his torso.
The embrace of her hands around him grew tighter when she realised his hands wrapping around her just in the same way, but tighter.
Shutting his eyes he dipped his head into the crook of her neck. Somehow the fruity smell fragrance that met his nostrils coming out of his hair driving away all his exhaustion and sadness. Rubbing her hand on his back she pulled back after a bit and gave him a smile.
"You will be fine." She assured him.
"Hmm." He mused trying to return her smile with a small one on his face. Seeing him smile a relief of accomplishment widen her smile and she leaned onwards his face curling her toes up to plant a kiss on his cheeks. But suddenly before he knew, his face somehow tilted at the right, and before the happening occurred to any of them, his lips slammed with hers.
Still, they stood in the position, before their lips started moving in unison, in sync, mingling with each other...

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