24th November

Living with Abhimanyu was constraining. She always had to be alert about her actions; whether she was gaining his trust or their relationship was deteriorating. Not that she could tell where she stood from his indifference. After that night's eccentric interaction, she had been continuously hoping to persuade him somehow to take behavioural therapy sessions. But only hoping was all she could do at this point. He kept her at a distance like everyone else. They'd talk, but any subjective matter wouldn't be one of the topics.

But right at this moment, she was standing with a piece of paper in her hand, her heart thumping against her chest rapidly. She didn't know what she should do at this moment -- confront him or keep it a secret as it was. While cleaning her sleeping place today morning, she accidentally hit on his corner book-self and tripped a book from there. As soon as the book fell down, this tiny piece of paper came out of it. It an abstract line art of a woman's back, naked. On her head's place, there were flowers and leaves. Her hands were on a wall, as if in a surrendering posture. Below the drawing there was a signature.

Her hands trembled.

Schizoids might create rich and vivid fantasies of complex inner lives.

Did he want to...

Her chain of thoughts got interrupted when Abhimanyu emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered, in his white sleeveless tee and grey joggers; a towel wrapped around his neck. She hurried and hid her hands behind.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning." She nodded.

"It's starting to get chilly."

She nodded again. "Yeah. December is around the corner."

"That's right," he said then went towards his room.

She brought her hands in front and looked at the paper again. Her heart was running wild.

25th November

"Dadabhai, I want this." Ritu whined while picking up a diamond and sapphire necklace and putting it around her neck.

The family had gathered around in the hall for choosing ornaments for the coming reception party. Abhiraj and Gyan weren't their but Abhimanyu was. Although he mostly stayed mum, occasionally saying 'okay' whenever someone was choosing any jewellery.

"Okay. If you like it."

Shreya wasn't taking anything. These jewelleries were too expensive and she was often having a min heart-attacks looking at the price tags. Priyasha was persuading her to choose the ruby and amethyst necklace. The colour combination was very unique, but the price was equally exceptional. She kept declining respectfully until Abhimanyu picked up a dark emerald ring with tiny diamonds at the four corners. He gazed at it for a while then closed the lid and told the seller he should count its price as well. Her eyes were trained on him while Tiyasha asked, astonished, "Manyu, that was new." She was talking about his interest in jewelleries.

He didn't say anything immediately but checked the time on his watch. "How long are you going to do this selection?"

"Almost done," Ritu chirped in.

He got up. "That's good. I'm leaving then. I have a meeting with Vijay Uncle and Rishi." He shifted his gaze on Shreya and extended the box of ring towards her. "For you."

She blinked. Her breath caught in her throat. That was for her? Her eyes moved back and forth from the box to his face until finally settling on his eyes. They held each-others' gazes and her inside quivered at the situation.

Priyasha smiled at her son while Ritu put the boxes from her lap on the table with a loud thud. The sound startled her. She broke the eye contact with Abhimanyu and looked down on the box.

He turned towards Ritu and chided in his flat tone. "Ritu, behave."

Ritu huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Abhimanyu shifted his focus back on her. "Take it."

Her inside trembled but she took the box anyway. He gave her a slight nod before leaving.

Priyasha squealed with joy and clapped her hands. "He actively bought something for someone for the first time."

"That's not true. He buys Dev chocolates, also gifts to us."

"Only Dev! He always asks Sunny to do all that shopping in behalf of him. This is the first time! I'm so happy! I should let his father know right now." She got up while dialling on her phone excitedly and walked away.

In the meantime, Ritu glared at her. She reproached in annoyance, "Are you seeing Didiya? This is the same person who looked so innocent when we first met her."

Tiyasha leaned back and asked the seller to leave with the unsold items. Shreya, once thought to leave, but Dev was sitting beside her taking lessons. She couldn't just leave him in the middle. So, she stayed silent and tolerated their accuse.

Once the seller left, Tiyasha said, "I thought Gyan would tell Chinimma everything."

"She might've manipulated Gyan too." Ritu addressed Shreya directly. "How could you? I thought you liked him too! He's gone so quiet after your betrayal that he won't even allow me to talk to him! How pathetic of you!"

She had had enough by now. "Listen Ritu. I was framed. It wasn't my fault. Gyan knows it."

"Hardly." Ritu snorted and averted her gaze.

"We have seen the clip, Shreya. You can't deny that." Tiyasha chipped in.

"I'm not denying it. It's different than how it looks."

"Then explain to us!"

She clenched her jaws. "I can't."

"Just like we thought."

Their argument died down as Priyasha came back to take her ornaments back with her.

28th November

The day of reception party.

Govind whistled lowly eyeing the decorations around. "I never thought I'd attend such grandiose party in my whole life! This is beyond my imagination. Even my office parties are unlike this!" He continued talking about his current job at the MNC based at Silicon Valley. He had especially come to congratulate Shreya for her marriage.

Deepali snorted, "It was di's plan all along. No, di?"

Medha glanced at Shreya from the corner of her eyes before refuting Deepali's speculation. "I don't think so, Deepali. Di didn't plan for it. She'd have told us otherwise. Wouldn't you, di?"

Shreya was too tired by now to answer the same old question over and over. She looked ahead and faked a smile when another guest came and handed her a gift. She was standing on the dais for so long that her legs were now aching. They were gradually losing their sensory functions and getting numb. All of her cousins were beside her gossiping about this and that; except Satya.

She was wearing a gorgeous silver-green lehenga picked by Priyasha herself. The heavy jewelleries were also gifted by Abhiraj. She wore the ring Abhimanyu gave him and it fit perfectly on her left ring finger. Shreya knew, Priyasha picked exactly this lehenga keeping her son's gift in her mind.

Deepti was sipping on her drink before opening her mouth finally. "But where is jamaibabu (brother-in-law)?"

Shreya's eyes roamed around the crowd. She could see literally every family member; even Gyan was sitting on a sofa with a glass of drink in his hand. But she couldn't see Abhimanyu. Her eyes stayed longer on Gyan than others. She observed how he still wouldn't look at her. It hurt her to place him in such a situation, but she felt so helpless herself. What else could she had done?

A while later Ashwin came with a bouquet in his hand. "Congratulations Shreya! You look stunning!" He exclaimed with a huge grin plastered on his face. He leaned forward until his mouth was just beside her ear before whispering, "I have something to tell you. But I can't say it here."

Her brows creased in alarm as he returned back to his previous position while handing the bouquet over to her. She took it and gave it to the person standing beside her as a helping hand.

She looked back at Ashwin and saw him smiling, but there was a tinge of urgency. "Should we talk somewhere else?" She asked in a low voice.

"No. It'll look weird. I'll call you tomorrow."

She nodded. He went down and blended into the guests. Her eyes followed him and strayed towards her mother talking with her two aunts. She looked stern somehow. Her grudge hadn't dissipated yet. Dibyendu was sitting on a sofa, alone. He had a plate of sweets on his hand, but he looked too absorbed in thoughts to eat that.

"But seriously, where is jamaibabu?" Deepti repeated.

Shreya knew he wouldn't come. Even at his own reception, he wouldn't be present. That's how he was. He simply didn't care what people would say. Even when she wanted to tell him, how much his presence would mean to her, to everyone else, she couldn't. She wanted him to hold her like that night. She wanted him to see the raw insides of her -- physically, mentally, so that he'd actually know, she wasn't lying when she said she wouldn't judge him. She wanted to show her invisible tears that purged out of her all the time just to gain recognition from him. But she couldn't.

All she could do was to continue enduring the aching of her heart in silence.

Because, she fucked herself up by getting attached to an impossibility.