After the monsoon wedding of Randhir and Vidushi's cousin Arohi the Rajbari in Kolkata had come alive once more for the dual occasions of their second cousin Vishakha's wedding and the Poite or sacred thread ceremony of Aman.

Sanyukta had accompanied Aman and his grandmother on their flight to Kolkata. Renuka, Harsh and Vidushi had arrived from New Delhi on the same day. Nobin da was at his enthusiastic best, catching up with his family as Basu da, his loyal assistant overseeing the rooming and catering arrangements at the mansion. The event planner's team had already set up the marquee and had decorated the house, the lawns and gardens with fairy lights and flowers. The caterers who were hired for the three day occasion whipped up traditional delights all day to make sure that refreshments were in ample supply.

All the spare rooms of the Rajbari had been opened, cleaned and prepared for the bride and other relatives who would arrive during the day. Sanyukta and Vidushi hung out together with Aman who was very excited about his sacred thread rituals. His grandmother had explained to him the sequence of events and he had agreed to have his head tonsured during the Mundan ceremony without a moment's hesitation. "Don't worry, your hair will grow right back within days before school reopens." Sanyukta assured him.

Since Parth was busy with an important project he was unable to attend but he compensated by chatting with Vidushi every few hours. Sanyukta found it impossible to count down to the moment of Randhir's arrival as the Nandimukh rituals performed in the memory of the family's ancestors, in order to invoke their blessings for the occasion, would be over. A large framed photograph of Madhabi hung on the wall in the room where the rituals were being performed. A garland of her favourite night jasmine flowers was strung over it, The air in theroom was perfumed with the scent of the flowers as well as with burning incense.

Sanyukta sat next to Aman and Vidushi observing the senior couple followed the priest's bidding. Every now and then she glanced at her watch eagerly anticipating the return of her beloved. As soon as the priest wound up the ritual Sharad announced the arrival of Randhir, Sanyukta had to put great effort to try and seem unaffected by the news, although Vidushi squealed with delight and dragged her best friend along to greet Randhir.

"Vidu, careful! What if someone notices anything?" Sanyukta whispered.

"All the better, we can stop play acting and you will be free to indulge in PDA with my wickedly good-looking brother!" Vidushi grinned.

Sanyukta's heart skipped a beat as Randhir steeped into the house. Their eyes met for a few seconds and they shared a conspiratorial look before Vidushi rushed to give her brother a warm bear hug. Soon Aman followed her and Randhir kissed him on his forehead, his eyes making contact with Sanyukta's for just a moment. Randhir steeped forth to meet his parents and also touched the feet of elders present for the occasion.

"You are staying in the room adjacent to mine! Sanyukta and Aman are sharing my room" Vidushi told her brother and winked at him without anyone noticing her. Randhir returned a wide smile, he knew the two rooms had an interconnecting door. This meant that Sanyukta could slip into his room and stay with him all night without anyone noticing it. He whispered something to Vidushi who gave him a thumbs up.

"Good to see you son!" Harsh patted Randhir on the back and Renuka enquired if he had a comfortable flight. It was a typical scene of a family reunion with the cousins expressing their bonhomie through a lot of backslapping and  affectionate hugs.

"Mom, I need to shower and change before lunch!" Randhir declared in the midst of the conversation as the house help wheeled his bags into the room assigned to him. 

Sanyukta fought the temptation to look at Randhir as he walked upstairs to his room. He stared absent-mindedly at the glass of juice that she was nursing wondering when the day would end and when she could finally be in Randhir's arms. She was still lost in thought when Vidushi accidentally collided into her causing her to be bathed in juice.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Sanyu, I think you need a change of clothes." Vidushi turned toward her with an apologetic look on her face. She almost pushed Sanyukta away, giving her a wink and nudge. 

"Someone's waiting to see you without your clothes on!" She whispered into her best friend's ear, making her gasp. 

"Go quickly, don't keep my brother waiting!" She told her.

Sanyukta excused herself and made her way to the room upstairs, thrilled with the idea of being alone with Randhir while the entire family was too busy downstairs to notice her absence. She entered her room, bolted the door and drew the curtains of the window close.

Her heart beat faster as she walked toward the door between the two adjacent rooms.Unsurprisingly it was unlocked. She pushed it open, let herself in and closed it behind her. She could hear the shower running. She stepped out of her clothes quickly, throwing them into a heap on the floor next to Randhir's. The bathroom door was open. As she let herself in he turned around toward her.

"What took you so long, I am almost done!" As he opened his arms she walked carefully into his embrace. Almost immediately he latched his hungry lips with hers and they shared a deeply passionate kiss. The warm water cascaded over them inflaming their conjoined bodies and making them crave for each other like never before.

Randhir turned off the shower and wrapped a large towel around them, leading her into his room. He continued to kiss her as they dried themselves.

"I missed you so much!" She said, as she pushed him onto the antique bed in his room. They nibbled on each other skins before he entered her, filling her with ecstatic pleasure. 

"You said you had protection!" He almost grunted into her ears.

"Sure I do, don't worry about it. I am just worried that they may notice our absence if we stay here too long!"

In a few minutes he got off her after giving her another deep kiss. They felt content for the moment but they had all night to spend together. Sanyukta put on fresh clothes and almost ran downstairs, slowing down as she slid into the seat next to Vidushi as unremarkably as she could.

"So, does my brother taste the same after all these months?" Vidushi asked her in a hushed tone.

"Shut up Vidu! Someone may hear you!" Sanyukta reminded her.

"Tell him not to eat your neck with such great delight, he left a hickey for everyone to see!" Vidushi almost burst out laughing to see her friend's shocked expression.

"Sorry sweets, I was just kidding!" Vidushi grinned as Sanyukta tried to appear calm. 

Just then Randhir entered the room, looking refreshed after the shower and after his clandestine rendezvous with his wife. Sanyukta avoided looking at him as he mingled with his extended family, catching up with everyone. 

The house help announced lunch and the family filed into the dining hall to enjoy a traditional feast in honour of the bride-to-be Vishakha and Aman, who was to undergo his sacred thread ceremony. 

Aman insisted on having Sanyukta next to him at the feast, besides his grandmother and Nobin da. Randhir and Vidushi sat across them. Sanyukta tried to focus on the banquet being served course-wise, feeding morsels to Aman every now and then.

"So Randhir, have you managed to get yourself an American girlfriend yet?" Sharad turned to Randhir, speaking loud enough for all the cousins to hear. Randhir looked at Sharad and winked at him suggestively, without uttering a word.

Sanyukta found herself unable to breathe. Her eyes met Vidushi's who looked at her reassuringly. You know he's just kidding, she seemed to tell her!