Something Terrifyingly Permanent

Set in the Avantika track.

 | Part One

“Var yeu?” Shashank asked, keeping the book that he was reading down as he took off his glasses before turning to look at Apurva. His brows furrowed after sparing a quick glance at his watch. “Aata?” His eyes returned to the pages before him while he asked, “Kashala?”

Apurva stomped her foot in frustration, her impatience flaring at his visible unwillingness. “Itke prashna vicharna garjecha aahe? Mi saangtey itka puresa nahi aahe?”

He couldn’t hold back his chuckle despite his bad mood. He shifted in his chair, pressing his elbow on the table as he sat amused. “Tu saangtey mhanun? Mi kay tula tuza ideal boyfriend waatlo tu mhanshil te karayla?” 

“Navra tar aahes na?” she said as a matter of fact. “Kay tula terrace varun jump karayla nahi saangtey. Fakt 10 minitanni terrace var yayla saangtey. Itka kay kathin aahe hyaat?” 

Why did he have to be so annoying? 

“Tuza kay bharavsa? Terrace varun dhakka dyayla bolvat asashil tar? Tasahi tu aaj kal far murder movies baghtey. Laksha aahe maza!” He shook his head before putting his glasses back on his eyes as he got back to his book. “Nako, Apurva. Itkyaat maraycha vichar nahiye maza! Find a different prey.”

Tula dhakkach dyacha asta tar tuzyasathi vatpournimecha upvaas kashala thevla asta! Murkha kuthla!

“KHADOOS!” Her frustrated scream echoed through the room but her husband only laughed, thoroughly entertained. She had not seen a sadist like him in her life. He just hated her, she was so convinced. 

“Apurva, mi baryach divsanantar udya raja ghetliye,” he said, flipping a page, “mala please traas deu nako. Aaj lavkar zopaycha nahiye mala. Vaachu de bara!”

She heard him speak while being visibly immersed in his book. When she was convinced that he wasn’t going to listen to her, she decided to use her last resort. “Tula dhakka dyacha tar maza kahi vichar navta pan jar tu 10 minitaat var nahi aalas tar mi matra terrace varun nakki jump karnaar!” 

He didn’t even blink. Without looking at her, he simply raised a hand, giving her a thumbs-up. “Good luck!”

Kasla insensitive navra bhetlaay. Mi jagle kay ni mele kay, hyala kahi farakach padat nahi. She sighed at the realization. 

“Correct aahe. Boyfriend nahi aahes na tu maza. Mala kahi zala tar tula thodich kahi farak padnaar aahe. Tuzyasathi tar ulat chaanglach aahe. Shishta baykopasun kayamchi sutka! Krish used to care so much about me. Clearly because he liked me. You don’t. Clearly because you hate me. Remember to call Krish to my funeral!”

His fist that had clenched midway through her rant complemented the sudden surge of intense emotions in his eyes. “Tu kuthun shikte hi asli faltugiri?” His tone hadn’t softened. He didn’t intend to soften it either but when several seconds passed and he didn’t get a reply, he closed his book, heaving a deep sigh. “Tula kay bara watat nahiye ki kay-” His words halted as he turned back only to realize that there was nobody. 

When did she leave? He didn’t even hear her footsteps. His fingers curled into a tight fist as he hit his forehead in frustration. 

He knew he needed to book a bed for himself in a mental asylum because his wife was going to drive him insane one day and that day didn’t seem far. 

I am not going. If I give in to her emotional blackmail today, I’ll have to give in every single time. No way! He sat adamantly in his chair, his fingers tapping restlessly against the wooden table.

Shashank held on to the staircase railing as his feet refused to take another step. What am I even doing? I know for a fact that Apurva isn’t going to do anything. Why am I still worried? Ugh. Apurva sobat rahun rahun maza hi doka firlay. He banged his head on his hand at the growing frustration. 

Yet, despite every logical thought, his feet moved on their own after minutes of lingering around. He stepped onto the terrace and what he saw held him rooted in his place. 

A large blue mat lay in the center, soft pillows scattered around. Some snacks. Two ice cream cups. A soft golden glow bathing the space, courtesy of the several candles illuminating the night. 

Stunned, it took him a while to process the scene before him. What was it? A terrace date? His eyes trailed from the setup to Apurva’s lone figure, leaning on the railing. Just as he took another step forward, a familiar melody filled the air.

His face couldn’t hold back the instant smile that appeared on it. 

Sakhi mand zaalya taarka…
Sakhi mand zaalya taarka…
Aata tari yeshil ka, yeshil ka…

One of his favorite songs! Had he ever mentioned it to her? Not that he could recall. His curiosity didn’t let him stand still. He walked up to her

As he stood beside her after gently tapping on her shoulder, he crossed his hands across his chest as his back leaned against the railing while his eyes stayed fixated on the setup. 

“Mind explaining what this is?” he asked, trying and failing to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

She paused the song as she looked at him. “Can’t figure it out? A scientist can’t be that dumb, can he?”

Slightly taken aback, he shook his head, not having anticipated that response. “Well, if you leave it up to me to figure out, I’ll call this a date that–” 

She slapped her palm over his mouth before he could continue. “No need to figure out anything. Just enjoy your lucky day!” She grabbed his arm and tugged him forward, her tone leaving no room for argument. 

He stumbled slightly but allowed himself to be dragged along.  

“Right here,” she said, plopping down across from him in one smooth motion. Her energy was infectious and her smile bright as if she had an elaborate plan for the night she couldn’t wait to unfold.

As he settled opposite her, his gaze flitted between her miscellaneous expression and the setup around. “Tu mala saangnaar aahes ki he sagla kay aahe?” he finally managed to let his curiosity find his voice. “I mean mala distay he kay aahe pan he ka aahe?”

She handed him an ice cream cup, picking up the other one for herself. “Eat before it melts!” she said while resuming the song in her music player in a low volume.

Madhuratra manthar dekhni,
Aali tashi geli suni… 

“How do you know this is one of my favorite songs?” he asked before his eyes went to the ice cream cup in his hand, “and this, my favorite flavor?”

What a goldfish memory! She scoffed. “Didn’t you sing this on our Sangeet?” 

“I didn’t expect you to remember,” he replied. 

You are the one to forget, not me. Internally sighing, she got busy relishing her ice cream. 

Ha prahar antim rahila…
Ha prahar anti  rahila…
Tya artha tu deshil ka, deshil ka.
Sakhi mand zaalya taarka!

“Tula hya ganyache bol samjtaat?” he asked. Given her proficiency in Marathi, he was actually curious if she even understood what the lyrics meant.

She shook her head. “But it sounds good to my ears. I like it.” 

As expected! Such a pity, though, to not understand something as beautiful as that, he thought. 

“Khadoos…”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry!”

Her sudden apology that came out of nowhere made him set aside the cup that he had almost finished. “Kashasathi?”

“Your work sincerity was questioned today… because of me,” she said, keeping her eyes glued to her cup, not daring to meet his gaze.

His facial expression stiffened within seconds. She knew about the ruckus that unfolded at the institute today? He had deliberately kept it away from his family. “Tula kasa mahit? Aani tuzyamule mhanje? Maza institute. Maza kaam. Maze colleagues. Mazi takraar. Hyaat tu kuthun madhe aalis?”

“You were coming home early because I was sick,” she murmured. 

He stared at her deeply agonized self for a moment before flicking her forehead. “What are you taking the blame for? You’ve nothing to do with it.”

She didn’t expect him to put in such sincere efforts to keep her out of the picture when she was pretty much involved. “I’ve nothing to do with it? Then why didn’t you tell me about it? You’ve been acting normal ever since you returned home when actually you’re far from that.”

“I–uh-” he fumbled, knowing he was trapped. “Tula koni saangitla?”

“Prashna aadhi mi vicharla aahe!” Her tone made it clear that she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. 

Who could have told her? He wondered. The only people aware of the matter were the ones from the institute and his family kept in touch with none of them. Could it be Netra? Anger surged within him when he realized that it was very much possible. 

“Tula Netra ni saangitla?” he couldn’t help but ask, not hiding his frustration. 

She laughed. “Jini complaint keli ti kashi saangel, Khadoos? Kadhi kadhi mala tuzya scientist asnyaavar jara doubt ch yeto. Basic goshtit doka chaalat nahi tuza!” 

Complaint Netra ne keli hoti? He had no clue who made that complaint against him. There were quite some people in his team who seemed unhappy with him lately for him to figure out who could be the one. 

All that he knew was that he had been wronged. Despite the already escalating family conflict in his life, he had tried to defend himself but it fell weak in front of the new dean who refused to believe him. 

Ever since he had witnessed Dada-Kaka’s outburst after Avantika was mentioned, he had been quite unsettled. Everyone at home was already disturbed. He had made up his mind to not utter a single word about the whole institute fiasco to them.

But someone had dared to step up to mess it up. “Mi parat vichartoy. Tula koni sangitla?” 

“Mi parat vichartey. Tu ka nahi sangitlas?” 

How did he even forget that his wife was just as stubborn as him? Probably more than him!  He sighed. “Never mind. Let’s not talk about it.” 

“Sure,” she said with a quick nod as she rose to her feet, “mi eka minitaat aale!”

“Kuthun?” He shook his head when she ran to the other corner of the terrace after yelling close your eyes without answering his question. 

Date kay plan kartey. Mi mhantoy te kay aiktey. Dole kay band kar mhantey. Hichya dokyat kahitari bhaltach chal-lela distay. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he grew. He knew for a fact that his crazy wife couldn’t be trusted. His tensed eyes went to the entrance of the terrace. Koni var aala… he sagla baghitla tar kay mhanel? It was a rare possibility but he would never not consider it. Especially with the ever-so-active Kukki Gang!

“Khadoos, kele dole band?” 

He heard her yelling and quickly shut his eyes. Jau de aata. Ajun karnaar tari kay. I signed up for this the day I married her. He closed his eyes with a deep sigh.

She must have been too light on her footsteps because he was almost startled when she whispered you can open them now to him.

Tadaaa! She beamed while spreading her hands wide to show him what she had brought. 

To Shashank, that night seemed to be getting just more interesting. Apurva’s surprises were going to leave him speechless, he could already tell as his gaze swept over the neatly arranged books before him, set in a perfect circular pattern. 

So unlike Apurva. 

The longer he stared, the more his disbelief deepened. Apurva was many things—impulsive, unpredictable, even chaotic at times—but meticulous? Organized? That was a first. And yet, here it was, right in front of him, challenging everything he thought he knew about her.

He could spot even her own books among the ones she had taken out from the rack of his books. “What? Tuzya kay pariksha vagere javal yet aahe ki kay? You need me to teach you or something?” he asked, clearly confused by what those books were doing there. 

Momentarily stunned, she facepalmed herself upon realizing how hopeless her husband was. “Ka mhanje ka aanlit hi books? Tula aawadtaat na books?”

And that was when it hit him. “Mhanje tu he– tu mazyasathi–” He couldn’t complete himself but his face couldn’t hide how overwhelmed he felt. She went to this extent to just cheer me up aani mi ugaach nako nako te bol-lo tila! 

It had been a while since he had realized his feelings for her but his every attempt to confess had been in vain. Especially after the return of her so-called childhood best friend, Abhay. 

Just a mere glance at that guy could evoke murderous tendencies within him. Even though he once heard his wife say that Abhay was just a friend, he couldn’t help the intense desire to punch that guy who seemed to have no control over his hands around his wife.

Needless to say, he had been quite irritated lately and had almost given up on his desire to profess his love to her. If anything, he was back to arguing and bickering with her back and forth.

But now that he looked at everything she was doing, his heart couldn’t resist it. Within seconds, he had left his place and knelt beside her. 

The carefree dance of her hair strands on her cheeks always felt like a show he could forever watch. As he let his finger brush against her cheeks, making her flinch right away, he asked, “Why care so much? Don’t you always say I am your enemy?”

Here, Abhay’s return and Netra’s complaint against Shashank to the dean happen earlier than it happened in the show. 

Happy Valentine’s Day! <3 Come back tonight to read more. <3 Do leave your comments behind.

Part Two

Last Part