Set in the night when Netra had slapped Apurva. 

Shishta! He dropped the towel on the bed, halting drying his wet hair when he caught Apurva’s missed call on his phone. Must have called when I was taking a shower. He bent to grab his phone and contemplated if he should call back or not. 

Before he could press his thumb on his phone screen to revert to her call, her message popped up. 

Phone chukun lagla hota. Te mi mazya eka mitrala… Sharan la lavat hote tar Shashank la dial zala. 

His gaze lingered on her message for several long seconds before he plopped down on his bed, keeping the phone beside him. 

He had spent longer than usual in the shower that night. Washing off the traces of the events that unfolded a while ago seemed almost impossible. While he desperately tried to make the water take the imprints of her tears off his mind, his heart clung to the flashes of her hurt self that had wept on his shoulder.

Had he not seen everything with his own eyes, he could have never considered that Netra was capable of crossing the line that she had crossed. 

Despite having stepped out of a cold shower just a while ago, his insides were burning. The more he tried to forget things, the more stubbornly they came rushing to him. 

I was right there. I was right there. How did I even let it happen? His eyes shut hard when the sounds of slaps echoed in his ears, shutting him to everything around him.

All that he could hear were those slaps. Those slaps that his colleague had forced on his fiancee.

How did I even let it happen? He had no feelings whatsoever for Shishta Apurva Vartak, he was still adamant about it but watching her being put through the unacceptable harassment by her own cousin had left him taken aback.

He still couldn’t fathom what Apurva had really done to deserve those slaps. 

Maza Apurva chya baabtit tichya wadhdivsachya divshi badal-lela matach barobar hota ka? 

Var var uthal watnari Apurva kharach manane itki halvi… itki niragas asaavi? 

Aaj var tichya aani Netra chya jitkya hi bheti mi baghitlya aahet tyaat Netra satat Apurva la nako nako te bol-liye aani tarihi Netra bari naslyacha kaltach Apurvane tichi swatachi party sodna nivadla. 

Swatachi party sodun Netra chi tabyet baghna nivadla. 

Tila tichya ghari nenyacha aagrah nivadla. 

Kharach kela tari kay hota Apurvane? 

Netra chi kalji? 

Konachi kalji karna jar apradh nahi tar Apurva la ka tyachi shiksha bhogayla lagli? Ka? 

Letting himself fall on the bed, he closed his eyes and the visuals that his mind decided to show him startled him. He had no clue how but his mind seemed to have zoomed in on Apurva’s face, making her tiny tears seem miserably large. 

No matter what he tried to focus on, all that he could see was… Apurva Vartak’s tears that had strangely unsettled him. 

Dammit! He slammed the pillow on his face, hating how her tears were playing with his sanity. 

Kay karu? He pushed the pillow off his face and stared at the wall clock striking 11 p.m. 

Murkha, murkha aahes tu, Apurva. Kay garaj hoti tya Khadoos la call karaychi? Apurva reprimanded herself for letting her fingers slip to her phone screen and making them look for her fiancé’s name to make a call to him. 

She had locked herself in her room ever since she had returned home to make sure that her Atti wouldn’t suspect things, telling her how she had danced for hours at the party and was too tired to stay awake. 

If her Atti saw her silently weeping with her head on her study table, Apurva knew that her Atti would eventually find out what had happened. To protect her Atti from guilt, she chose to suffer and deal with her overpowering emotions alone. 

When her sobs ceased, she realized where she was sitting. Finding herself at the study table – her least favorite spot in her room – startled her. 

What the heck am I even doing here? What was I even thinking before sitting here? she asked herself, seeking an answer to her weird choice. 

Idiot, did you forget already? Khadoos. You were thinking about Khadoos. Isn’t that why you came to sit here because the study table is what he is close to most of the time? Hadn’t you come here in hope of somehow feeling his presence even though he is not here? Her heart yelled. 

“Khadoos,” she murmured, crossing her hands on the table. As she rested her cheek on her hands, all that she could think about was Shashank Kanitkar. 

She couldn’t really understand why she was missing him all of a sudden but one thing was sure – her heart desperately desired him to be with her, almost making her wonder why she wasn’t already married to him. Because if she had been, then he would have been with her right now. 

Ugh. Stop it, Apurva Vartak. Just stop it. Tula kaltay ka tu aata kay vichar karteyes te? Jya Khhadoos barobar aayushyabhar rahaycha nahi mhanun eka varshacha contract banavlas tu tyach Khadoos chi tu already bayko ka nahi aahes… chakka ha vichar karteyes tu… Doka firlay tuza. Doka… firlay tuza! 

She could only sigh and ignore her changing emotions for Khadoos Kanitkar because thinking about them seemed to be a threat to her sanity. 

Khaali ye patkan. 

She scratched the back of her head, glancing at Shashank’s message. She looked at the clock once and was surprised that it was almost 12.25 a.m. 

Kashala? Macchar marayla? She quickly typed a reply, shaking her head. 

Murkha aahes ka g tu? Khaali ja mhatla ka? Khaali ye mhatla na? Sadha tyacha artha lavta yet nahi? 

Her jaw dropped at the audacity of Khadoos Kanitkar as her eyes caught his message within seconds of sending her reply. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if to appreciate his typing speed or be mad at his rude comments. She chose the third option that wasn’t even on the list. 

TU MURKHA! Tuzi ti favorite assistant MURKHA. Tuza to chashma MURKHA. Kalala na? Mala murkha vagere mhanaycha nahi. Khadoos kuthla!  

She sent the message and slammed the phone on her bed, now trying to make sense of his words after giving him an earful for calling her stupid. 

Khaali ja mhatla ka? 

Khaali ye mhatla na? 

She grabbed the phone to read his message over and over again until her mind froze as it struck her. 

Mhanje… Khadoos ithe aahe? Her mouth fell wide open as she rushed to the window, shifting aside the curtains and caught him standing in front of her house. 

This idiot isn’t even looking here. She slapped her palm on the wall and hit her head on it. She glanced at him one more time, hoping he would look up. 

“Khadoos kuthla,” she muttered when he looked at everywhere else but her. “Yala ek mazyakade sodun saglikade baghaycha asta!” she added, hastily looking for something in her room.

She rushed to her dressing table and rummaged through the drawers till she found what she wanted and got back to the window. 

“Ow!” He yelped when something hit his back, pushing him out of the thoughts that he was lost in. The thoughts revolving around Apurva Vartak and her tears that he still hadn’t been able to get out of his mind. 

He turned around, rubbing his back and looked at the empty box of chocolates that lay on the ground. He bent to pick it up, murmuring, “Apurva Vartak soon-to-be Kanitkar!” 

Ha ajunahi var baghat nahi aahe. Tya box madhe kay yala Netra Tai cha chehra distoy ki kay? She wondered, involuntary clenching her fist at the familiar jealousy creeping in. The mere thought of Shashank staring at Netra for more than five seconds irked her up. 

She was about to turn and go find something else to hit him with when her fate showed mercy and he looked up, making her heave a sigh of relief. 

She placed her hands on her waist before leaning forward, and asking him in gestures. Her lips moved but without her voice as she asked him, “Tuuuuu itheeeee kaaaaaay kartoyyssss?” 

His furrowed eyebrows gave away the exasperation and annoyance that she put him through. He quietly watched her continuing her antics without making a single gesture in response. And once he was sure that her usual hyper self would refuse to make use of her brain, he pulled out his phone and dialed her number. 

Ha konala phone kartoy? She wondered as she caught him holding the phone near his ear. Before she could contemplate more, her phone rang, startling her. 

She rushed back to her bed where she had left her phone and caught Khadoos Calling… flashing on her screen. A part of her danced upon knowing that he was calling her and not… She chose not to take her name even in her mind and quickly answered the call. 

“Tuza doka kay tu fakt cap ghalayla aani hairstyle karayla wapartes ka g? Haan, Apurva? Tithun khana-khuna kay karteyes? Mala sign language shikayla lagnar he aadhi sangaycha tari na. Shikun ghetli asti mi, hmm? Ha sagla joker pana kelyapeksha call suddha karta aala asta evdha sadha dokyat yet nahi tuzya?”

His eyes that had been fixed on her while he was taunting her about her antics looked at his feet for a moment and before he could utter another word, something landed on the ground after hitting his back again. 

“Ah…” He groaned in frustration, looking at the pink pouch. Apurva Vartak. Ugh. He glared at her after lifting it from the ground. “Mi kay punching bag watato ka tula?” he asked, suppressing the urge to throw it back at her. 

Had it not been the manners taught by his mother, he was sure that he was capable of precisely aiming that pouch at her head. 

Jau de. Jau de, Shashank. Tuzi honari bayko baalish aahe. Sodun de. Sodun de. He tried to calm himself down in the time that she took to respond.  E-ek minute. Mi Apurva la aata… mazi honari bayko mhanalo ka? 

He could only shake his head at the speed with which Apurva Vartak was making herself a part of him without his conscious realization.  

“KHADOOOOS!” 

He shut his eyes hard, pulling the phone away from his ear when her screeching voice returned to torture his ears. “Mala vyavasthit aikayla yeta, mahiti aahe na tula? Halu nahi bolta yet?” 

“Ho? Mag mi kadhi pasun bolte aahe, laksha kuthey tuza? Swata ordayla bhaag padaycha aani mag tomne marayche… halu nahi bolta yet? mhane…” 

“Erm…” He struggled to collect words to respond, mentally smacking himself for getting zoned out. “Bara te sagla jau de. Tu khaali ye.”

“Tech tar vichartey kadhi pasun. Kashala khaali yeu? Aani tu aata… itkya ratri… ithe kay kartoys?”

“Tu khaali yeteyes ki mi var yeu? Mi ajun paryant doorbell wajavli nahiye karan-“

“Aani wajavu hi nako. Atti zopli aahe. Uthel ti vinakaran!” she warned. 

“Tech sangat hoto mi. Tuzya gharche zople astil mhanun bell nahi wajavli. Kadhi tari… kadhi tari samorchyala bolu deshil tu? Aso… mi daha mojaychya aat tu khaali ye nahitar mi var yeto!” 

“Khadoos, NAHI!” 

“Ek.”

“Mi yenar nahiye, Khadoos!”

“Don.”

“Tu kay asach ratri baher padtos? Andheri raaton mein, sunsaan raaho par, jo ek maseeha nikalta hai… use log shehensha kehte hai…” She giggled, recalling the song from the movie she had watched with her Atti last weekend. 

“Teen.”

Ugh! She rushed down when his countdown didn’t stop no matter what she said. She didn’t even know why she was obliging in the first place. 

Atti. It’s for Atti. So that this idiot doesn’t wake her up. She reasoned but deep down, she knew that she was obliging for him and not her Atti for she knew that he wouldn’t disturb her Atti’s sleep no matter what. 

Her fiance wasn’t her ex-boyfriend to be that self-centered. He could be mean to her though. Khadoos Kuthla. But not to her family. She smiled at her own thoughts. 

Carefully opening the door, she stepped out, locking the door behind her. “Kay aahe, Khadoos?” she asked, making no attempt to hide her irritation as she grabbed his collar as if it belonged to her. 

“Ae…” His fingers went to his glasses as he took a moment to remind himself not to yell at her. “Collar sod aadhi!”

“Tu mala ka bolavlas te saang aadhi!”

“Sangto! Tu aadhi collar sod!”

“Nahi sodnar sangitla na?”

“Nahi sodnar mhanje? Evdha hakka kasla gajavtes? Boss aahes ka mazi?”

“Bayko aahe mi tuzi!”

“Haan?” 

“I mean… honari bayko…” 

That night, Shashank Kanitkar learned that Shishta… could blush. He wouldn’t tell her how her downcast eyes after bluntly addressing herself as his wife made him forget everything around him. 

Who had thought that his wild cat that was always ready to scratch him – had an adorable kitten hidden within? 

“Uhm.” He cleared his throat after she took her hands off his collar. “Aso. Chal!” 

“Kuthe?” she asked after he announced and even turned around to leave. 

“Sangitla nahi tar yenar nahi? Itkahi vishwas nahi… mazya honarya baykocha mazyavar?” 

Her astonished orbs lost themselves in his eyes for yet another time as hearing him address her as his to-be-wife left her with a strange sensation in her stomach.  

“Kay zala?” he asked, raising a brow upon seeing her palm on her stomach. 

“Kahitari hotay…” she murmured in a dazed state. 

“Kay hotay? Pot dukhtay?” he enquired further. 

“Nahi pan… kahitari hotay. Mahit nahi kay pan… kahitari hotay.” Butterflies in the stomach. She added in her mind, not daring to voice it aloud as she quickly contemplated if the butterflies she had heard about from her friends were the culprits behind the strange sensations in her stomach that she couldn’t describe.  

She had always heard about them but never quite understood the whole concept. She had never experienced that. Nobody had been able to make her feel what her fiance just had. Nobody. 

Vichitra. V I C H I T R A. He spoke aloud in his mind, sighing at his fiancee acting… weird though he knew he shouldn’t have been surprised. 

Shashank Kanitkar’s dictionary knew Apurva Vartak more than anyone else and his dictionary confirmed – being Apurva meant being weird. Apurva and weird were synonyms in Shashank Kanitkar’s dictionary.  

“Aso! Nighaycha?” he asked, pushing the chocolate box and the pink pouch that she had thrown at him in the small bag that he had brought with himself. “And…. don’t ask where again? Mi kay tula narkaat neun ukaltya telaat talnaar nahi aahe. “

“WHAT? Nark? Ukalata tel? What are you even talking about?” She scratched her head making him want to bang his head on the first wall that he could find. 

Ugh. Just ugh! “Jau de. Je doka aahech nahi tyala ugach taan deu nako! Don’t worry, Apurva Vartak. You can trust yourself with me!” 

“I wish I could,” she murmured, finding herself a prisoner of his eyes again. The prisoner that had begun to love the prison so much that she legit desired to commit a final crime right then and there – the wedding – so that she could be imprisoned in her favorite prison forever. 

“I am sorry?” He raised a brow at her inaudible murmur, wondering what was going on in her mind. Something about the way she was staring at him seemed weird. He couldn’t precisely pinpoint what it was though but something definitely was. 

“Tu aata ithe yayla nako hota…” she said, getting a grip on herself, returning to reality.

“Oh…” He hummed, pretending to take her words seriously. “Krish hava asel, nahi? Sorry. Kharach sorry. Ek kaam karto. Mi jaato aani tyala pathavto. Chalel?” 

“Khadoos…” She let out a sigh at the mention of her ex-boyfriend who wasn’t even on the land of her thoughts. 

A part of her enjoyed the way her fiance’s eyes held non-maskable irritation and jealousy as he talked about Krish but the rest of her self was too exhausted to participate in any kind of bickering at that moment. 

As if sensing what she couldn’t bring herself to utter, he stepped closer. “Nako aahe na Krish? Mich hava aahe na?” his softened voice asked as he stared at her downcast eyes that lifted to him, surprised by his gentle self. “Mag kashala he sagla bolun vel waya ghalavteyes, Shishta? Mala watla tula mazi garaj aahe mhanun aalo mi. Aani… mala mahiti aahe tula mazi garaj aahe. Aani… samja jari nasel tari mala ithe yaycha hota mhanun mi aalo. Aani mi… parat jayla nahi aaloy, Shishta. Kamit kami jo paryant tuza mood thik hot nahi to paryant tar nahich nahi…”

“Maza mood kharab asel tar tula kharach farak padto?” she couldn’t resist asking. 

The thought of him caring just enough about her to come all the way to her home at that hour just because he thought that she was upset made her feel something. Something that was so beautiful that she didn’t want to name it. 

She just wanted to… feel it. 

“Padayla nako? Honari bayko aahes tu mazi!”

And that was it! And… that was it. That was the moment when Apurva Vartak, for the very first time, actually and genuinely felt that… he was the one. The one she wasn’t looking for in this world but the one who was made to make her world more beautiful than it already was. 

The companion who would walk with her on not just rose petals but also thorns and might actually lift her in his arms and finish the journey without letting the thorns prick her feet. 

He snapped his fingers in front of her, seeing her lost for yet another time. What was up with this woman? He wondered. Was she thinking about the… slaps? His fist clenched at the thought of that sick incident tormenting her. 

“Bara aata chalteyes ka?” He waited for not more than ten seconds and held her hand. “Actually tula vicharaylach nako.” 

She couldn’t say a word as he made his way outside the Vartak mansion with her. She let him do what he wanted to until they reached a bike. 

“Konachi bike aahe? Don’t tell mi tuzi aahe! Aadhi kadhi tar baghitli nahi. Tula chalavta yete?”

He rolled his eyes as she bombarded the list of questions rather her judgments about him. Just as lame as Apurva Vartak. What kind of impression does she have of me? Chashmish Boring Khadoos Scientist. Is that all that I am in her eyes?  “Tu mala ajun olakhtech kuthe! Mala baryach goshti yetaat-”

“Mazyashi bhandnya vyatirikta?” She cut him off, chuckling. 

“Ho. Tuzyashi bhandnya vyatirikta!” He mimicked her, sighing at the fact that she was never going to change. For a moment, he had thought that she must be too upset to fight but nah, this woman could fight with him no matter what. 

Was fighting with him her magical potion that restored her energy? He wondered when he caught her smiling to herself but when that smile got replaced by a frown, he asked, “Apurva? Kay?”

“Tu tuzya gharapasun mazya gharaparyant… night dress var aalas?” She stared at him from head to toe once she noticed his outfit that she clearly seemed to have missed paying attention to earlier. 

He followed her gaze and looked at himself, realizing that he had clearly forgotten to change clothes after his heart commanded his feet to take it to her. He was still wearing decent clothes though, he silently argued in his mind, not like he was roaming naked on the streets of Nashik. 

Oh, the horror! He shut his eyes even at that nightmarish thought. 

“Mi kay ithe aaplya lagnala yet hoto sajun-dhajun yayla?” He continued the war of words after she made it sound like it was one of the most ridiculous things in existence. “Aani kay… samja jar mi aaplya lagnala night dress ghalun aalo tari kay? Lagna nahi karshil? Barach aahe ki mag. Sutlo mi!”‘

“Arey tu shorts ghalun ye re! Mala kahi farak nahi padat!” She burst out laughing, literally imagining him completing the wedding rounds with her in shorts while her Kukki Gang was rolling on the floor at the sight of the cool dude Kanitkar. “Kay disashil yaar tu. Khadoos. Tu na… kharach… shorts ch ghalun ye aaplya lagnala. My imagination has already seen it. Kay bhari lagna asel aapla! Newspaper madhe photos yetil aaple. Social media var viral hou aapan. Lagnat shorts ghalun aalela tu pahila navardev asashil na!”

Kay mulgi aahe hi! He slapped his forehead since he couldn’t find his fate to beat up. “Tu kharach mala shorts madhe imagine kela? Tula kahi laaj-bij watat nahi ka ga?”

“Mala kashala watayla havi te laaj-bij ka kay mhantaat te. Mi tula kashatahi imagine karu shakte. Agadi bikini madhe suddha. Hakka aahe maza. Honara navra aahes tu maza!”

“Bas. BAS!” He cleared his throat before asking her to stop. His jaw dropped at the wild fantasies that his fiancee seemed to be having regarding him. “Pure hi wayfal charcha!” 

He quickly got on the bike after making her hold the bag in his hand and gestured to her to sit. 

Standing with her and listening to the bikini discussion was turning out to be a threat to his sanity. 

Kahihi bolte hi! He thought, staring at her reflection in the mirror as he recalled her saying arey tu shorts ghalun ye re. Mala kahi farak nahi padat. 

Was she serious though? The Apurva Vartak he knew cared far too deeply about the outer and materialistic things. He couldn’t imagine her being okay with even the mere imagination of her groom in shorts at their wedding. 

Did she mean it?

Did she? 

“Bastey mi pan bagh… paadu nakos mala!” She warned, placing her hand on his shoulder. 

“Don’t worry! Jar padlis tar tuzya babancha hospital aahe ki! Tithe gheun jaail mi tula!” 

“KHADOOOOS!” 

He laughed at her angry fists that started to punch his back before taking her to the place that he hoped would make her feel better. 

“I discovered this park a few years ago and once I did… I wouldn’t say this became my go-to place but definitely the place that I started visiting whenever my mind was in conflict or my heart wasn’t at peace. It… feels good here. Ithe sahaja koni nasta. Shantata aste pan ti mala bhayaan watat nahi. Kadachit tula watu shakel…”

“Tu sobat astana kashi watel?” 

He shot her a surprised look and found her smiling at him. Her gaze did look down for a moment but it was back on him the next moment. Her gaze held no hesitation, no awkwardness and no regret over what she had just said. 

Clearly, she meant what she said and she wasn’t going to back out claiming that it was a slip of tongue. 

Her unexpected words gifted his lips a small smile. Not letting himself lose in the moment, he reminded himself that he had more important things to do than just going gaga over the sweetness his fiancee’s words were feeding him. 

He got his hands on the bag that he had kept beside himself on the small wooden bench they were seated upon. 

Her curious eyes silently watched him taking out a tiffin box but her lips didn’t utter a word to seek an answer to her curiosity.  

As he opened the tiffin box and the thaaleepiths and the pickle were revealed to her eyes, it took her a moment to let it sink in that he… had brought food… for her. 

“He-he kay… Khadoos?” Her incoherent words struggled to form a proper question. 

“Khaaun ghe!” That was all that he said.

“Mhanje? Mi jevliye, Khadoos!” she said, watching him intently as that weird smile on his face silently mocked her. 

“Tu jevli astis tar mi ithe kashala aalo asto?” 

“Tula koni sangitla mi jevli nahiye mhanun?” 

“Koni sangayla kashala hava? Mala mahiti aahe tu ghari gelyavar kahich khallela nahiye… nahiye na? Aapan Netra chya gharun nighalo tevha mhanat hotis bhook lagli. Tevha te tapri varcha chaha-biscuit khalla bas tech. Ghari jaaun kahi khallas ka, hmm?” 

Shaking her head, she looked down. “Atti la mhatla asta mala bhook lagliye tar tine khup prashna vicharle aste aani eventually tila sagla kalala asta mhanun… aani tasahi… mazi kahihi khaychi iccha suddha navti!”

Ajab rasayan! Ajab rasayan! His internal commentary began as he pondered over her words, imagining the whole scenario where Apurva chose to tolerate what was next to impossible for her – hunger – just so that her Atti wouldn’t feel guilty. 

He forwarded the tiffin box toward her, gesturing to feed her hungry stomach.  

“Suva-Aai ni kele aahe?” she asked at the familiar sight as she lifted the tiffin box. Even before he could nod, she already knew her answer. Her wide smile gave away that she did. 

Her hungry stomach couldn’t wait but her hands struggled to get inside the tiffin box, knowing that she would make a mess that might make him laugh. For a change, Apurva Vartak was actually worried about embarrassing herself in front of him.

She didn’t have enough time to ponder over why though as he took the tiffin box from her hand, broke a piece of thaaleepith, made it kiss the pickle and held it near her lips.

“Mala mahiti aahe tula hatane khaychi savay nahi aahe. Bas mhanun… baki kahi nahi.” He justified himself even without her saying or asking anything which made her astonished self grin. Who knew Khadoos could be THAT sweet?

“Dakhwat naslas tari barach observe kartos tu mala. Nahi?” she commented before letting him feed her, hoping to catch him off-guard and teasing him a bit on that. 

Her hope died when she caught him sitting unfazed. His small nod just added more to her surprise. “Agdich! Dusri kahi kama thodich astaat mala! Tula observe karne hach tar maza ekmev job aahe jyasathi mala paise suddha nahi milat pan tarihi mi to 24 ghante karayla fakt tayaar ch nahi tar sajja asto!”

Her mind frowned at his sarcasm but her heart couldn’t even hear it. Her heart took his words literally and it couldn’t stop daydreaming. 

Having Khadoos’s whole attention all for herself every second of every day gifted wings to her heart that soared into the sky of Khadoos’s affection. 

“Tu parat parat kuthe harvates? Kay challay tuza? Netra cha bolna itka manala lavun ghetla aahes ka?”

His words broke her trance and Netra’s mention immediately killed her mood. What an irony! His presence had almost made her forget about the whole thing and he himself just ended up reminding her about that very thing. 

She ate another bite from his hand, refusing to speak a word regarding the matter until a question entered her mind. “Ek minute! Khadoos…”

“Hmm?”

“Tu jevlas?”

“Mi jevel ghari jaun!”

“Ka nahi jevlas?”

“Bas asach!”

“Sang na.”

“Sangitla na bas asach mhanun…”

“Kharach bas asach? Ki kadachit mi jevli nasavi ya shakyatemule tula jevan gela nahi?”

“Ugach aaplya swapnanche kille bandhaychi kahi garaj nahi aahe! Tu kahi mazi Juliet nahi aani mi kahi tuza Romeo nahi tu jevli nastana mi upashi rahayla! Aani chupchap kha aata. Ajun prashna nako aahet mala!”

“Romeo nahi aahes maza pan mi upset aahe mhanun itkya ratri mala bhetayla aalas. Mala ya… park madhe gheun aalas. Romeo nahi aahes maza pan mi jevli nasel he suddha tula kalala. Mazya sathi mazi aawadti thaaleepitha gheun aalas. Romeo naho aahes maza pan tari swatachya hatane bharavtoys mala,” she said, holding his hand that was about to feed her another morsel, looking straight into his eyes, “Romeo nahi aahes maza tari itki kalji mazi… ka? Juliet nahi aahe na ni tuzi. Romeo nahi aahes na tu maza? Mag ka?”

“Tula prashna-uttara itki aawadtat tari tu exam madhe fail kashi zali, haan, Apurva? Ha khel tithe itka mann lavun khelali asti tar jinkli astis na. Nusti paas nahi tar first aali astis University madhe! Aso. Pratyek khelacha ek vel aani ek jaga aste aani ha vel aani hi jaga aata fakt jevaychya khelachi aahe! Shaant pane jevtes ka? Please?” 

“Khadoos please mhantoy mhatlyavar aikaylach lagel pan bagh mi pan Shishta aahe na? Itkya sahjasahji kasa aikel mi tuza? Ek at aahe!”

“Bola!”

“Tu aata ithe mazyasobat khaycha! Ghari gelyavar na jevta tasach zoplas tar? Aani bagh tu enough thaaleepithe aanli aahet. Aaramat purtil aaplylala. Rather mala tar asa watatay tuza hach plan hota… dinner date cha,” she grinned, nudging him as his annoyed self was pretending to be busy adjusting his spectacles, “hota ka?”

“Ajibaat nahi! These dinner dates and stuff… he balish lokanche chochle astaat. Porkatpana nusta!”

She slapped her forehead. Khadoos will be Khadoos. “FINE. I got it. Tula mazyasobat date var janyat kuthlahi interest nahi!” She stated, taking the piece of thaaleepith from his hand and pushing it in his mouth. 

“Mi asa kuthe mhalalo?” 

His casual response after finishing the bite made her jaw drop. 

“Kuthe mhanalo mhanje? AATA. ITHE. Like just 30 seconds ago? Porkatpana watato na tula ha?”

“Ho!”

“Mag?”

“I guess kadhitari… tuzyasobat… mhanje mazya baykosobat porkatpana karayla tayaar karel mi swatala jar tula hava asel tar! 

Duplicate! This guy was Khadoos’s duplicate. She jumped to her feet and dragged herself away from the bench, startling him. 

“Aata kay zala?” he asked not taking it too seriously, pretty used to her weird antics by then. 

“He sagla Shashank Kanitkar… nahi bolu shakat. Tu Khadoos nahi aahe, Khadoos. Tu tyacha duplicate aahe!” 

“Zala? Chal chup chap yeun bas aani thaaleepeth sampav! Aani mi… maskari karat hoto. Far swapna rangvaychi garaj nahi aahe, kalala, Shishta?”

“Kalala, Khadoos! She mimicked him before laughing at the glare he had darted at her. 

“Chocolates chhan hoti ka mi aanleli?” He pulled out the chocolate box from the bag and held it in front of her, confronting her about it. “Nahi purna box khaali aahe mhanun vicharla… baki kahi nahi!” he quickly added when he met the glares she was throwing at him.

“Excuse me? Tu itka sure kasa aahes ki ha tu mala dilelach box aahe? Ha… Krish… Haan, Krish ni dilela box aahe. Mhanun tar khaali box pan japun thevlaay! Tu dilela box ka japun thevil mi…” She flicked her hair, hiding her nervousness behind her blabbering as she averted her awkward gaze. 

“Ek tar mansane khota bolna shikun ghyava aani nasel jamat tar at least khara bolava!” He commented. 

“Tula nemka mhanaycha kay aahe?” she asked. 

“Nahi mhanaycha kahich nahi aahe pan dakhwaycha aahe!” He held the box upside down, revealing a small sticker that said Get well soon, Shishta! “Krish tula Shishta kadhi pasun mhanayla lagla?”

She coughed hard, reading his note. Dammit. How did she not see it earlier? Her frustrated fist involuntarily landed on her thigh. Because you were too busy sitting in awe of this chocolate box brought by Khadoos to bother about anything else. IDIOT. 

“Tu… ha khaali chocolate box japun thevla aahes, he murmured, leaning toward her ear, whispering, “fakt mi dila aahe mhanun? Kharach?”

His dangerously close proximity dragged her back to reality, making her shift a bit. “Uhm, Khadoos… mala bhook lagliye…. Bharavtoys na thaalipeeth?”

He stifled a chuckle at her lame attempt to run away from his question. “Ho bharavto na!” He put the box back in the bag and got back to feeding his fiancee who was apparently already holding a small piece of thalipeeth near his mouth. 

As they continued with their unplanned dinner date, Khadoos’s heart could only wonder if Shishta could make another contract that would include feeding her for the rest of their lives. 

Khadoos’s heart would sign that contract a hundred times. 

A hundred times. 

“Bara watatay? Pot bharlay mhanun. Ithe asa shaant basun. Asa taryankade baghun. Bara watatay?” 

She tore her gaze from the stars after he broke the silence that they were sitting in, quietly staring at the sky after finishing dinner. “Bara watatay! Tu sobat aahes mhanun!” She confessed, not letting anything hold her back that night. 

Netra’s assault hadn’t hurt just her cheeks but also her heart that hadn’t been able to find peace until her fiance took the matter into his heart. He came and he brought everything with himself that Netra had made her lose. Peace. Calm. Love. 

“Mi thoda vel… tuzya khandyavar doka thevla tar chaalel?” 

How could he say no to his fiancee’s sweet request? 

She let her head fall onto his shoulder after watching him nod. “Judge karnar nasashil tar ek goshta sangu?”

He hummed.

“Kay mahiti ka… pan aaj ghari gelyavar mala satat tuzi aathvan yet hoti…”

“Mala… mahiti aahe, Apurva! Mala mahiti aahe tula mazyashi bolaycha hota. Mhanunach phone kela hotas na?”  

His words made her instantly take her head off his shoulder. “Phone? Mi… nahi!” She looked away, tucking her hair strands behind her ears. “Tula message kela hota na mi ki mi Sharan la lavat hote, chukun tula lagla!” 

She stood up, about to create enough distance between them as if staying close to him was threatening her in some way. As if staying close to him could make something escape her lips that she wanted to keep in.

He didn’t seem to be willing to allow her to do that. Holding her wrist, he held her in her place. 

“Phone Sharan la lavtana chukun Shashank la lagayla aaplya phone madhe aadhi Shashank save asayla lagta, Apurva,” turning her toward himself, he softly said, “aani tuzya phone madhe maza number… Khadoos mhanun save aahe. Visarlis watata pan mazya lakshat aahe!”

Dammit! What the heck was wrong with her mind when she said that? Could have been more careful while making that excuse. She sighed, shutting her eyes. 

“Khota ka bollis?” 

“Nahitar kay karnar hoti?” she said, opening her eyes at his question. 

“Tu mala call karu shaktes, Apurva,” he assured her with a blink that she didn’t seem to trust with that shrug of her shoulders. 

“You don’t mean it, Khadoos. Bas mi upset aahe mhanun boltoys. Udya kharach phone kela tar tu parat Khadoos banshil!”

“A. I do mean it. B. Tula asa mhanaycha aahe ka ki mi aata tula Khadoos watat nahiye?” He teased her, smiling at her complaint in that childish tone of hers. 

“Tu he asa itka sagla karshil mazyasathi… tar mi Khadoos kasa mhanu tula? Khadoos mhanaysathi tula Khadoos sarkha wagava pan tar lagel na…” 

“I see!” He folded his hands across his chest. “Sang mag, tuza abhyas kasa chal-laay?” 

She quickly held her palm in front of him. “That’s enough for me to call you Khadoos. Ajun abhyas related discussion nako!” 

He laughed at how quick she was at putting a full stop to the topic of her studies. 

“Nighuya? Far ushir zaalay!” He suggested after he checked his wristwatch for time. 

She fell silent for a long moment before lifting her saddened eyes to him. “Thoda vel… ajun basuya?” She could only cross her fingers, hoping that he would protect the hope in her eyes.

“Basuya!” He gently pulled her back to sit on the bench after he himself settled down. “Kashacha traas hotoy? Netra ne je kela tyacha?”

“Tula mahiti aahe Khadoos… mi he kadhich konalach sangitla nahiye pan aaj tula sangtey… Netra Tai cha bolna mazya manala lagta… mala tichya wagnyacha traas hoto karan… kuthetari mala watata ki mi tichya aani Atti chya madhe aali. Atti chya jya premavar ticha hakka hota te tila na milta mala milala… mala… guilty watata, Khadoos. Tila mi ghari aan-nyacha prayatna mhanunach karat aste… Aaj hi mi tech karat hote pan…”

“Pan he Netra chya samajnya palikadacha aahe!” He added what she couldn’t bring herself to say. 

“She hates me,” she voiced out her despair louder than she intended to.

“Doesn’t justify what she has done though!” He didn’t hesitate to say it aloud which ended up surprising her. 

Having always sensed his soft corner toward Netra, she hadn’t expected him to be so firm against his favorite assistant. Definitely not because of and for her. For a change, she felt good to have him on and by her side in those moments when the deep-rooted insecurities had returned. 

She hadn’t taken Netra’s slaps to her heart as much as her heart cried because of the words Netra had thrown at her. 

She has snatched everything from me. Now what? 

Are you going to take my life too after taking me to your home? 

She is guilty. 

She is a culprit and yet her every sin is forgiven? 

“He bagh, Apurva… tumchya doghinbaddal mala far kahi mahiti nahi. Netra cha tuzya babtit gairsamaj zaalay ki nahi mi he hi nahi sangu shakat pan kuthlyahi sthitit tine tuzyavar haat uchlayla nako hota.”

She looked at his clenched fist from the corner of her eye. His anger wasn’t foreign to her. She had witnessed it in almost every encounter with him but it was probably the first time that she wasn’t the prey.

“I wish I could have stopped her before she…” His furious eyes looked away, still not over that incident that somewhere deep down he held himself guilty for. 

“Tula kasa mahit asnaar ti asla kahitari karnar mhanun? Honari goshta aapan tevha thambavu shakto jevha aaplyala mahiti aste ti ghadnar aahe mhanun! Ji goshta mahitich nahi tila aapan kasa thambavu shakto?” She shifted a little closer to him, placing her hand on his before opening his tightly clenched fist. 

“Still…” He was still adamant.

“No but no still, Khadoos. Tu aata mazya sobat aahes… tu aaj mazyasathi aalas hech mazyasathi khup aahe!” She smiled seeing him giving in and letting her open his fist. “Pan mala ek saang… ka kelas he sagla? Ka kartoys he sagla?”

“Ka nahi karnar? Honari bayko aahes tu mazi!” Interlocking his fingers with hers, his other hand gently caressed her cheeks that had fallen victim to an assault hours ago. 

“Navra-Bayko baddal tar mahiti nahi but you know…” she said, her gaze going to her hand that he was still holding, “you can be a great friend. ”

“What makes you say that?” he asked. 

“You might find this hard to believe but you are the first one who has come to check up on me, sensing that I am upset. None of my friends have ever bothered to. I think somehow… people always left me to be okay on my own!” She didn’t care about the bitter chuckle that escaped her lips while she was recalling all of the times she had been alone when she desperately needed someone. “But you…” she looked at him with a small smile, “you actually came to see me to make sure that I’m okay! That makes me say that!”

“Hmm.” He nodded, not letting his face show the breakdance that his heart was doing after she confessed that what he had done… mattered. 

He let her hand go and crossed his hands to his chest again. “Tasa sangaycha zala tar maze far mitra-maitrini nahi aahe pan mala chalel ek Shishta maitrin… jar tila chalnar asel ek Khadoos mitra!”

Her lips broke into a smile before a burst of joyous laughter escaped them. The fact that he was actually offering her his friendship left her both, amused and strangely ecstatic. 

“Kay? Chalnar aahe ka?” he asked, leaning toward her upon seeing his woman lost for yet another time. 

Her shy nod was all that he needed to grin, smile and laugh – all at the same time. “Tula watat jari asla ki mi ek changla mitra hou shakto tari tyachi shashwati mi nahi deu shakat pan ho… ek promise karu shakto…”

Promise? Her curious stare at him continued, wondering what promise he was talking about. 

“Khadoos mitra jara busy asto. Scientist aahe to. Kama astaat tyala. Tuza pratyek phone kadachit uchalu shaknar nahi pan free zalyavar call back nakki karel. Tuzyashi taas-an-taas bolu shaknar nahi pan jevha tula kharach bolaycha asel tar to aikayla asel!” He paused upon seeing a thin layer of tears shining in her eyes, almost panicking. “Ka-kay zala? Tu radteyes ka?”

“Kachra gela…” she said, making him doubt the sincerity of her answer. 

He leaned forward, pressing his palm on her cheek as he blew air into her eyes. “Better?” He confirmed before leaning back in his place after catching her affected by his proximity. 

“So, Miss Shishta Maitrin, this Khadoos Mitra promises,” he continued the promise that he had halted, “jevha jevha ya Shishta maitrinila tichya Khadoos mitrachi garaj asel… tevha tevha to tichya sobat asel!”

And the Khadoos Mitra left his Shishta Maitrin utterly speechless when he asked her for a dance that she knew he wasn’t comfortable doing but he still chose it just because he knew that dancing was something that she loved. She remembered randomly mentioning that to him in one of the conversations. As she placed her hand on his shoulder and his hand circled around her back, she knew that it was going to be her favorite dancing sequence for the rest of her life and he… her favorite dancing partner.

Dedicated to

Palak/Sonu – because this girl seems to feel everything as deeply while reading as I do while writing. Her comments as a reader always make me feel so satisfied as a writer. Thank you. <3

   Ashwini – because she really likes this one. She has told me that she has read my draft versions a couple of times and that’s huge for me. Every time someone tells me that they reread my pieces, it really means a lot to me. Thank you. <3

I appreciate how patiently you waited for this. I hope this was worth the wait. Do share your reading experience in the comment section. <3

I changed the title from Ka Kartoys He Sagla? to Khadoos Mitrachi Shishta Maitrin because the latter sounded nicer.

Much love. <3