Set in the pre-wedding phase. The wedding gets postponed for six months here and thus, everything that we saw Netra doing after Shashank and Apurva’s marriage in the show – she does it here before that. You’ll know the rest as you read.  

| Part Nineteen |

Netra’s message was a reminder of the harsh reality he knew he could not escape. He slid the phone back into his pocket, distancing himself a couple of steps, causing Apurva’s hand to fall aside with a jerk. 

Apurva smiled to herself as if had expected it, her hand touching her eyes as she deftly erased the evidence of her vulnerability. “Alright. I already know what all that you’ve said to everyone,” she said, looking at Nikhil from the corner of her eye, “but-”

“How?” His query was immediate, desperate to know the culprit behind the mess. 

Apurva’s thoughts drifted to the videos Nikhil had sent her while she was en route to the Wada. 

“Ah, guess what? I’m not in the mood to tell you,” she retorted with a forced smile, turning her gaze back to Shashank. 

Why was he even asking? Who could it be other than her loyal Kukki Gang? He glared at its members one by one before Apurva snapped her fingers in front of him, visibly offended by his audacity to threaten them. “Look at me when I’m talking. By the way, why do you look so upset about it? Did you not want me to know about the ruckus you created here? Aaj na udya… mahit tar mala padnarach hota tar kay farak padto koni saangitla, hmm? Tasa baghitla tar tuzach kaam sopa zalay, nahi?”

Pretending to agree, he decided not to drag it anymore. “That’s right so now that you know everything… say what you’ve to say before we call off our wedding.”

“Before?” She rolled her eyes. “I thought you already called it off!”

As the heated confrontation continued, Kanitkars remained silent spectators, unsure of how to intervene. The whole thing still seemed like a baffling nightmare they were struggling to make sense of. 

Standing unfazed, Shashank gave her a long stare. “What do you even want? Have I not clarified enough? Do you not understand that I don’t want to marry you? Which language do you need me to use for you to understand?”

“Maybe try the language of truth? That night work,” Apurva shot back, her sarcastic tone willing to show no mercy.

“Listen you-”

“E-ek minute,” Kukki rushed to the duo and pulled Apurva backward, creating a safe distance between them. “Appu, tu ek minute ikde ye. Mala bolaycha aahe.” He dragged Apurva aside, without giving her a chance to resist. Nikhil asked Sumi to stay by Babi Aatya’s side while he, Amey and Manasi followed Apurva and Kukki to the corner they had found for themselves. 

Netra went to Shashank and quietly stood beside him while Suva-Aai and Mai tried to calm their respective husbands down who were feeling too troubled to sit still. 

Kukki let go of her hand once they are away from everyone. “Kay chaal-lay saangnaar aahes?” he asked.

Apurva looked at him, letting go of her pretense within a moment in front of him. “Mala mahiti asta tar itka vel he asle arguments karat basli asti ka?”

“Mhanje?” Nikhil, Amey and Manasi who had reached asked in unison. 

“Shh…” Apurva whispered, asking them to keep their voice down. 

“Tula mahiti nahi Shashank he ka kartoy?” Kukki asked, vigorously rubbing his forehead. 

“Aamhala waatla tula mahiti aahe…” said Manasi. 

Apurva shook her head, disappointment etched on her face. “I have my theories but no substantial evidence to back them up at the moment.”

“Patkan bol. Aaplyakade vel nahi aahe,” said Nikhil. 

“Do you remember last week mi mazya friend chya engagement sathi Jaipur gele hote?” 

Flashback, a week ago

Shashank stretched his legs on the ground as he sat on a bench in the park that he and Apurva had been visiting quite often ever since they got together. His fingers traced their tiny initials that Apurva had carved on its arm. 

I miss you. Why didn’t you ask me to come along? He sulked. I am your fiancé. It wouldn’t have been odd for me to accompany you for your friend’s engagement but you didn’t even ask me. 

His rant was interrupted by the ringtone of his phone and a mere look at the caller ID made his gloomy face suddenly brighten up. 

He answered right away. “Tu nighali?”

Hearing his childlike excitement after almost a day of having no communication was enough to make her smile. She cleared her throat, suppressing her grin upon feeling the teasing gaze of her friend upon her. She quickly moved away to stand away from the crowd. “Kay phone uchal-lyavar hello vagere mhanaychi paddhat aahe ki nahi?” 

“Tu nighali ki nahi?” He repeated his question as if that was the only thing on his mind.

Her melodious laughter resonated in his ears, acting as a soothing balm to his restless heart. She wouldn’t lie, she had expected him to miss her but the depth of his yearning was profoundly touching. “Nahi ajun nahi!”

“Ajun nahi Mhanje? Engagement party ajun sampli nahi?” he asked, glancing at his watch. It was already past eleven, quite late indeed. But then again, it was Apurva’s friend. He shouldn’t be surprised even if the celebration extended into the early hours of the morning.

He let out a resigned sigh, coming to terms with the fact that he wasn’t going to see her that night.

“Khadoos,” she murmured, holding her phone to the other ear, “mi tula aadhich saangitla hota mi udya raatri kiva parva sakaal paryant yeil. Tu visarla ki kay?”

“Hmm…” He leaned back in his place, draping his arm over the backrest, his mind reminiscing the old moments when she would be sitting beside him, her head nestled against his shoulder and his hand encircling her. “Mala tuzi aathvan yetey!”

Taken aback, she fell silent for a beat. She hadn’t expected that blunt confession from him. Khadoos had changed for the better. She smiled before clearing her throat. “Institute madhe kahi kaama nahi aahet ka? Mala miss karaycha vel kasa aahe tuzyajaval?”

“Kon mhanala mi tula miss kartoy mhanun?”

“Tu.”

“Kadhi?”

“30 seconda-agodar?”

“Ajibaat nahi! Mi mhanalo mala tuzi aathvan yetey.”

“Accha? Kay farak aahe?”

“KHUP farak aahe!”

Mala bhook laaglyavar maza doka chaalat nahi aani hyala mi disli nahi ki hyacha doka chaalat nahi. She slapped her forehead, knowing it was pointless to argue with him. “Aso… jevan zala tuza?”

He hummed and snapped a selfie. Sending it to her right away, he asked her to take a look 

“Kay pathavla aahe? Nantar baghte na-” She stopped mid-sentence upon opening his message. Lonely hand. A smile crept across her face as she read the caption before viewing the photo he had sent. Shaking her head, she pulled her phone in front of her to check the time. “Tu aata ithe ka basla aahe?”

“I think I’ve already answered that question.”

Resting her head against a pillar, she searched her memory for his words to find her answer and got stuck on one. 

Mala tuzi aathvan yetey. 

She would have never guessed how clingy he could be once he was comfortable with someone. But was it just her or… “Khadoos… can I ask you something?”

He hummed. Anything was good as long as he got to talk to her. 

“Have you had any female friends before?”

“You have quite some patience, don’t you? You waited almost three months to ask me this.”

“Ugh!”

He pulled the phone away from his ear, hearing her frustrated exclamation. “Why beat around the bush? Saral saral vichar mi kiti mulinna phone karun mala tuzi aathvan yetey mhnalo aahe!”

Utterly embarrassed, she covered her face with her palm. How could he be so blunt? “No… NO. That’s not what I meant to ask.”

“But I think that is precisely what you meant to ask!” Imagining her flustered self was more entertaining than the episode of Tom and Jerry that he had watched with her last weekend. It amused him how she thought of herself as just another person to him. He could easily discern the myriad of underlying questions hidden within that one question she had asked. 

Have you had any female friends before?

Are you usually like this with everyone? Reserved till you get to know the person… till you like the person? 

Have you longed for someone’s sight as much as you long for mine?

Has ‘not being able to see someone for a day or two’ bothered you before?

Have you missed someone to the point of visiting a place just to be there with their memories till you could see them again?

Is it just me or have there been many before?

Am I being delusional or am I actually special? 

Have you had any female friends before?

He smiled to himself. Only she could have such questions. Did she really not realize that they were getting married in a week? She made him wonder at times if she was a twenty-one-year-old or just a year old. 

“Eh-I… I don’t want to ask anything.”

He heard her stammering from the other end. “But I want to tell you. There has been nobody before you. There will be nobody after you.”

She fanned herself, fighting tears. 

“But look at you,” he remarked when he didn’t hear her voice for a minute. 

She shifted aside after one of her friends tapped her shoulder, attempting to pull her onto the dance floor. She placed her palm on the phone and shushed her friend, signaling her to go ahead before returning to the call. 

“What about me?” she asked once her friend reluctantly gave up and went to the dance floor. 

“You don’t want to introduce me to your friends. You didn’t even ask me to come with you for your friend’s engagement. What does that mean? I’m not good enough to be standing by your side.”

“You wanted to come?” Surprised, she sought confirmation. “As far as I know, you hate fancy parties. Moreover, aren’t you busy with work these days?” 

“Excuses! You just didn’t want me to come with you.”

“Nonsense!” Frustrated, she yelled only to realize where she was. Her eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, hoping she hadn’t attracted unwanted attention. Thanks to the loud music that had suddenly made its appearance but it also made it difficult for her to hear him. Stepping away from the noise, she asked him to hold on. “Yeah, so what were you saying? I am making excuses, huh? Do you want me to take Shrikant and Tanmayee on the conference call to confirm that you’ve been busy at the institute lately? Mai told me you’ve been returning way past your usual time.”

His throat tightened at her words. 

When his silence lasted unusually long, she probed, “kay institute madhech busy aahes na?”

His hand fell to his side as he rose from the bench. 

“Khadoos?” 

Hearing her call for him, he opened his mouth to respond but his phone vibrated. Upon checking, he saw an unknown caller ID. He rejected the call and was about to continue his conversation with Apurva when the same number called him again. 

“Apurva, ek minute, mala ek call yetoy,” saying so, he put her call on hold and picked up the other one, “hello?”

A minute into the conversation and his face darkened. He snatched his blazer from the bench and rushed out while resuming Apurva’s call. “I’ve to go. Netra’s place. I’ll tell you everything later.”

“Khadoos, ek minute, aik-” Apurva urged him to not hang up, “don’t go alone. Take someone with you. Hello? Khadoos? You there? Khadoos?” She looked at her phone only to realize that the call had been long disconnected. 

Too startled to think, she found herself lost for a moment but once she got a grip on herself, memories of the overlooked details swiftly came to her mind. Connecting the dots took her less than even a minute. 

His silence after she mentioned him getting back home late for the past few days and Netra’s call to him that night couldn’t be unrelated. 

Khadoos! You are not thinking straight… again. She hurriedly dialed his number but his phone was switched off, making her even more anxious. She made a series of calls to her Kukki Gang but nobody picked up. Konich kasa phone uchlat nahiye? Restlessly pacing back and forth, she continued calling them only to get disappointed. 

I really hope you aren’t landing yourself in trouble, Khadoos. 

“Tya raatri Khadoos aani mi phone var bolat hoto jevha tyala bahutek Netra Tai cha phone aala hota. Netra Tai chya ghari jaatoy, baaki nantar saangto mhanun phone disconnect kela. Tyanantar mi tyala barech calls kelet pan tyacha phone switched off yet hota. Mi tumha-saglyanna pan calls kele hote but nobody picked up.”

“Arey ho, aapan bol-lo hi hoti hyabaddal, nahi, Manasi?” Amey said. “Tya raatri nahi ka Dada-Kakanni aaplya saglyanche phones silent karun japta karun ghetle hote aapan lavkar zopun sakali lavkar uthayla hava mhanun?” 

“I remember!” said Nikhil. “Aamhi tula dusrya divshi vicharla hi hota itke calls ke kelet mhanun aani tu mhanali hoti aamhala miss karat hoti mhanun…”

“I lied,” Apurva admitted. “Sorry.”

“Hya saglyasathi vel nahiye,” Manasi reminded. 

Apurva hurriedly nodded, agreeing. “When I asked Khadoos about it the next day, he claimed that it was just work-related. He said he had to go because Netra Tai had misplaced data from a crucial experiment. I was skeptical but he sounded convincing. Khadoos khup normal hota. Eka minitala hi mala waatla nahi kahi gadbad aahe. I thought I was overthinking. Turns out Khadoos can lie better than us.”

Amey – Mhanje tula mhanaycha aahe…

Manasi – Tya raatri BhaauJi jevha Netra chya ghari gele…

Nikhil – It wasn’t for work…

Kukki – It was Netra’s plan and-

Amey, Nikhil, Kukki, Manasi and Apurva in unison – Shashank/Bhaau Ji/Khadus fell for it.

“Aani he jara… farach serious watatay,” added Nikhil. “Bagh na, sagle ajunahi shock madhe aahe aani saahajikach aahe. Shashank je boltoy wagtoy te samajnyapalikadcha aahe.”

“Pan aata aapan karaycha kay aahe?” Manasi looked at Apurva. “Aamhala waatla tula mahiti asel pan-”

Apurva touched Manasi’s arm. “We just need some time.”

Amey and Kukki exchanged glances, Apurva’s tone quite familiar to them. They could tell that she was up to something. 

“Appu…” whispered Nikhil.

“We weren’t as unprepared as Netra Tai thought of us to be!” Apurva said, the faint smile on her face assuring them that they hadn’t lost the battle yet. “We just need some time.”

Do leave your comments. They keep me writing. <3
Feel free to share your theories about what happened that night when Shashank went to see Netra.