Set after Apurva and Shashank leave the dean’s party and head back home.

“Khadoos, e-ek minute, thamb na.” Apurva tapped on Shashank’s shoulder, leaning forward to make herself audible to him while they were heading back home after attending the party at the dean’s place.

“Kashala?” He yelled, looking at her through the mirror. “Nako. Khup ratra zaliye, Apurva. Aaplyala ghari pohochayla hava!” He continued to ride the bike, dismissing her request to stop. 

Aata kay aalay itchya dokyat kay mahiti! Icha kahi bharavsa nahi. Thambun punha rastyat mala gaana mhanayla lavaycha plan aahe ki kay icha? Asuch shakto. Agdich… asuch shakto. The mere thought of doing another singing session in the middle of the night on the road filled him with real anxiety as he watched the number of vehicles on the road. 

Clearly, he couldn’t always get lucky to have the road all deserted to save him from the embarrassment of doing a live orchestra on the road. 

Nahi nako. Shashank Kanitkar, aata jar tu ithe thamblas tar mag kahi khara nahi. He sighed when she began to hit on his back. “Apurva, he sagla karun jar tula watat asel mi gadi thambvel tar gairsamaj aahe to tuza. Aata aapan fakt ghari pohochlyavarach thambu. Kaltay ka? Apurva?”

He slowed down when he caught her unusually quiet. The fact that she actually let him talk without interrupting when he was going against her was uncommon. 

Shifting his gaze from the road to the mirror, he tried to see what was up with his wife and the sight widened his eyes. “Nahi, ajibaat nahi, Apurva,” he yelled upon seeing his wife’s hands inches away from his neck, ready to strangle him. “Haat mage ghe. I didn’t know Apurva, the Khooni is for real. I thought you were joking.” He chuckled at how childish his wife could get but a part of him was rather scared. 

If Apurva actually went ahead to do what was going on in her mind, he could lose the balance and they would fall. 

Falling would mean that his wife getting hurt. 

“Khadoos, bike thambav or else-“

“Or else what? My sweet wife will strangle me, hmm?”

“Or else your sweet wife will jump down.”

“Ae, Apurva!” His hand instantly and instinctively went back and landed on her thigh. “Murkhasarkha kahihi badbadu nakos!”

“Ha asa haat thevlyane mi udi maaru shaknar nahi asa watatey ka tula, Khadoos? Thamb tuza gairsamaj 10 seconds madhe dur-“

He sharply braked to a halt even before she could complete her statement. His wife was certainly capable of doing what she was saying. He could risk his life for once but not hers. 

“Tuza doka firlay ka?” He screamed right after he took off his helmet and turned to her. “Chaltya gadivarun udi marnyache parinaam mahiti aahe? 

“Doka firayla mi kay amusement park chya ride madhe basle hote,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Aiklay mi aani khup wait joke hota.” 

“Excuse me? Maza joke waitt nahi aahe. Tuzi jokes madhe taste waiit aahe! 

“Accha aani mulinmadhe? Mulinmadhe mazi taste kashi aahe, Apurva?” A devilish smirk played on his lips while mischief danced in his orbs as the conversation suddenly sparked his interest. 

“Bhayankar! Netra Tai kade -“

“Net-,” he cut her off first and then his own self, “utar. Tu khali utar aadhi.” He kept his helmet on his bike as his annoyed self gestured for her to get down. 

“Okay!” His unbothered wife precisely wanted what she was getting. Her calm demeanor just added fuel to the fire that she had ignited by taking Netra’s name. 

He turned her toward him by holding her arm. “Parat nahi haan, Apurva. Parat nahi. Mala Netra ch naav parat aaplya madhe nakoy. Kaltay?” 

“Ti akhhi chya akkhi aaplya madhe yete te chalta tula pan mi ticha sadha naav madhe aanlela chalat nahi tula? Biased Shashank Kanitkar!” She jerked his hand away as recalling Netra suddenly filled her with intense rage.  

His distraught figure leaned against his bike as her words brought back the memory he had been trying to eliminate the existence of. The memory of the lipstick.  

Dammit. She smacked herself upon realizing how foolishly she had derailed. Inhaling a deep breath, she exhaled all the thoughts that revolved around Netra and turned toward him.

He raised a brow at the sweet smile on her face that just did not complement her anger that exploded seconds ago. 

“Te sagla jau de na, Khadoos.” She took a step closer, reaching out for his hand. 

“Mi pakadlach kadhi hota jau dyayla? Tu suru kartes punha punha,” be said.

Did he really say that? She shut her eyes for a moment to swallow her rage. Not now, Appu. Not now. You can blast him later. Not now. Shaant. Shaant. She calmed herself down, keeping her smile intact.

“Ka-kay challay tuza?” he asked when wounded her arm around his as she stood beside him. “Mi aadhich sangtoy, Apurva – mi aata ithe ajibaat gana ganar nahiye.” 

“Tula kon sangtay gana gayla?” She narrowed her eyes at his clarification which she did not ask for. “Oh accha, tula watla mi tula ithe… mhanun tu bike thambvat navtas?” She had a hard time suppressing her giggles at how truly she intimidated him. 

“Mhanje tasa kahi nahiye?” He heaved a sigh of relief. 

“Aaj nahi. Pan baghun maja aali ki tula finally kalalay tuza lagna eka vedya mulishi zalay.” She laughed.  

“Te mala aadhipasunach mahit hota but tumhala mahitiye ka ki tya vedya mulicha vedepana aawdayla laglay mala, hmm, Apurva Shashank Kanitkar?” He placed his hand on hers that was still around his arm while he raised his brows at her, enjoying the usual small blush that crept on her cheeks. 

“Uhm,” she cleared her throat, stepping just a little away from him. Standing in close proximity to him was a threat to her sanity. As if his intoxicating eyes weren’t enough that now even a gentle touch on her skin by him would hypnotize her senses just enough for her to be wishing to lose herself in his arms like never before. 

“Kay ga? Tu ashi dur ka gelis?” He pretended to be oblivious but his teasing orbs couldn’t hide the mischief. 

“Dur? Dur kuthe? Mi ithech tar aahe.” She avoided his gaze, taking a moment to lock her blush in a corner of her heart for the time being. “Te sod. Mala… mala tula ek prashna vicharaycha hota, Khadoos. Mhanun thambayla sangitla. Vicharu?”

He nodded. 

“Tu tithe stage var mhanalas na ki maitri aani premamadhe thank you… sorry asa kahi nasta…“

“Haan… tyacha kay?” he asked. Staring at her downcast eyes left him wondering what was going on in his wife’s mind now.

“Aaplyamadhe kay aahe? Maitri?” She lifted her gaze at him. “Ki prem?”

“Haan?” His jaw dropped as he straightened himself on his feet, letting go of the bike’s support. 

“Aaplymadhe kay aahe, Khadoos? Maitri ki prem ki donhi nahi?” 

She had caught him completely off-guard. Out of all the questions that his mind had come up with when she said she wanted to ask him something – this one did not even cross his mind.

“Aaplyat…” His voice trailed off as he contemplated for a fleeting moment if he should tell her the tales that his heart had been writing ever since he met her. 

The tales of Appu’s Shashank! 

“Aaplyat?” She repeated his word, involuntarily stepping closer again. 

“Je kahi aahe te aaplyat aahe na, Apurva. Mag mich ka sangaycha? Tu saang. Kay aahe aaplyat? Maitri ki prem?” 

“KHADOOS!” Irritated by the way he mimicked her question, her fists landed straight on his arms. “Aadhi prashna mi vicharla aahe mhanun aadhi uttar pan malach milayla hava!”

“Tuza uttar mi deun pan deil, Apurva pan tu aikayla tayaar aahes?” 

Her gaze fell to his hand that was moving toward her waist before she stared into his eyes.  

“Aahes tayaar aikayla, Apurva?” he asked again, circling his hand around her waist as he pulled her closer. 

It was her turn to be caught off-guard as their lips stayed inches apart. 

“Aahes tayaar aikayla?” He curled a strand of her hair around his finger before pressing it on her cheek. “Hmm, Shishta?” 

“Ho. Aahe tayaar aikayla…” She opened her eyes that she had closed right at the moment he pulled her onto himself.  

“Aaplyat,” he leaned closer to her ear, “premal maitri aahe, Shishta…”

Her eyes stared at him for a long moment as if still registering what he just said. A deep frown crossed her face the moment she understood what he had just said. She pushed him away while she herself moved several steps away as well. 

“Arey! Navryashi wagaychi hi kay paddhat aahe?”

“Tuzi fakt jokes madhe taste waiit nahi aahe, Khadoos. Tuzi timing hi titkich waiit aahe.” Stomping her foot, she turned around, utterly disappointed.  

She had almost believed that he would say the truth today. 

“Aaj je kadhi mi tuzyakadun expect hi kela navta te sagla bollas tu tithe saglyansamor party madhe. Pan je mala kadhipasun aikaycha aahe bas te tula bolaycha nahi aahe,” she murmured, thinking it wasn’t audible to him but fortunately or unfortunately, his ears heard it all. 

“Pan tu maza bolna purna aiklach nahiye, Apurva,” he said, walking up to her. “Tuch mhanali hotis na mi tula tuza boyfriend zalela hava aahe. Kayam. Boy Friend… mulga mitra… mag aaplyat premal maitri zali ki nahi?”

Her eyes shot him a deadly glare. “Zala? Faltu jokes marun zale?” 

“Arey arey…” He laughed. “Bara. Sorry. Khush?” 

“Mala ghari jaychay,” she announced, walking in the direction where he had parked the bike. 

“Pan maza bolna purna aikun tar ghe aadhi…” He yelled from his place but she did not stop. 

“Aaplyat premal maitri aahe, Apurva jya maitrichya premat padloy mi. Aani arthaat… mazya maitrinichya mhanje mazya girlfriend chya premat padloy mi aani mhanjech mazya baykochya premat padloy mi.” He smiled when his confession held her rooted in her place. Crossing the distance between them in three long strides, he stood right behind her. Taking the rose that she still had in her hair, he swiftly turned her toward him. As he held the beautiful red rose for his rose, he went down on his right knee in front of her. “Mhanjech tuzya premaat padloy mi, Shishta Apurva Vartak Kanitkar.“  

Since it doesn’t seem like we’re getting the confession anytime soon in the show, I ended up writing one. I am just kidding. I don’t desire a confession in the show at the moment either.

I just got this random idea after Shashank’s no sorry, no thank you dialogue and I ended up writing this. It has anyway been a while since I have been wanting to do a light piece. As you might have come to understand by now that my pieces tend to revolve around angst which is honestly quite draining for me to write as well but that’s something that really comes from my heart so no regrets whatsoever.

Take this as a Diwali gift from me. I hope you liked your gift. Do let me know your views in the comment section. Much love. <3