"What is the need of your dropping me at the airport, I am failing to grasp Tuli." Shuvro ran his fingers through his hair frustratingly. "I will call a uber."

"You can book a uber, but you also have a perfectly fine car!" Tuli answered while putting her long mahogany hair in a bun and shoving a hair stick through it. The scene infront of him made Shuvro in the loss of words and forget what was going on for a moment. Until she turned at him and smiled. "Lets go."

"What? N-no..." the idea of Tuli driving the home back alone was creating worrisome creasing lines on his forehead. This particular argument was lasting since last night she had offered dropping him and him perpetually declining that offer till now.

"Oh! Stop being a sexist prick Suvu!" Calling it a end of discussion Tuli picked up the car keys and a bag of his luggage to head out.

The whole way till the airport sitting in an attention posture eyeing her driving and the road - flinching at every turn and overtakes or speed bumps. All his actions graciously earned glaring daggers from her eyes as she drove swiftly on the busy streets of Kolkata.

Parking at the airport's parking lot she raised her brows. "Did I passed the licence taste? Oh wait a second I got the licence when I was 19!!!" She growled making him smile nervously.

*

Though he was in tension for her to drive alone back home still on another thought, the idea of her driving him till airport was making his brain going crazy all over the place. As they sat at the waiting lounge his eyes lingered on her thinking if it would be totally insane of him to just grab her in his arms for few moments.

For just a few moments!!!

Why did she come?

The question kept coming back to him again and again. Last time she didn't even bid a goodbye. Was something changed? Was it possible remotely even? His eyes hovered over her face with thousands of answer he was eager as well as scared to ask.

Tuli left when Ratul popping up at the last moment started making haste and looked at her with shocking eyes.

"Wasn't expecting you?"

"That's must have what your parents thought!" She quipped with the most fake smile of her.

*

"Are you home?"

"Sir please turn off the phone -"

Consecutively these two sentences fall in her hearing aa she receive the phone parking in the garage.

"God Shuvro I am home! Seriously! What the fuck!!!" Being annoyed she answered.

A deep sigh of relief followed his words, "I was just worried about you. It's not for doubt on your driving its just..."

"Well, I am fine. Safe and sound at home!" Her voice soften. "Now switch off your phone."

"Okay."

"You will let me know when you land."

"Yah. I-I will call you!?"

"Hmm. Now switch off the phone. Bye."

"Bye."

Hanging up the phone he looked up just to meet with Ratul's pair of surprised eyes that seemed to be jumping out of the socket. Shuvro realised all his the bloodstream rushing towards his face as he mouthed a 'what?' back at him.

*

There was three days between Tuli to head to Delhi from when Shuvro left. She couldn't get a leave of absence from the university to fly out with him.

Taking a mouthful of water she put down the bottle on the table. Putting the lid back on slowly she looked around the house that stared back at her quietly. She couldn't understand how could the place was so quite? It was not like a gaggle of people used to live in the place. It was just the two of them!!!

Taking out a glass of wine she fetched out Kalbela a favourite book of her that she had read and re-read a hundred of times. But couldn't concentrate instead found herself staring at the wall with thousands of thoughts in mind. One though brought up another one and with in no time she found herself weeping. The thoughts darkened evoking the long dormant entity suddenly woke up and spatting all the blames.

With a jolt she got up and ran towards her room.

She would go to her mom's right away, instead of tomorrow like the plan. She would not let the part overwhelm and drown all her wishes again.

No!!!

***

The big small hand of the clock was tucking on the place of one and the big hand on five. Taking a look of it Pulu bit her lower lip.

"We should leave for the airport or not? I think we should Tulidi'd flight will land in ten minutes." Blabbering Pulu padded into the balcony to her husband and sooner than that her nasal glands were overwhelmed by an intense smell.

"Ya- ya. We should." Butu spoke up quickly eyeing his wife cautiously with guilt in his eyes. But karma had already started playing - as like a sniffing dog Pulu started sniffing the place. She turned to her husband who had his scared eyes trained on her. She inched closer to him like a trained Alsatian dog of bomb squad sniffing she made her way up till his face.

Butu stood there with his lips closed tightly. She gave him a last scowl as her hands reached up to open his mouth forcefully. Taking one sniff she rebounded two step like a bowstring.

"We had a deal of you not smoking inside the house while I am pregnant!" She shirked.

"Sssssssh!!!" Butu yield looking inside the house with frightened eyes to check if his mom, who had flew there for some day - was at a earshot "I took just one puff..."

"Wait! I will just tell Mamoni right away!"

"Oh! For heaven shake, we are not kids Pulu!!!" He hissed taking a tight grip around her arm and pulled her in his arms. "You come here."

"Leave me! Ew! You stink!"

"And you are... a planet!!!"

He huffed as her four months baby bump bumped on his stomach!

"Shut up! I had this much belly when I was a teen. Even more than this."

He looked up at her face with widen eyes. "Yes! Both are same!"

"Husss! We are getting late."

"You look like Pluto!"

"The dog of the neighbours...!!!"

"The fucking planet!"

"You want to know how much Pluto weights? Cause I will sit on you if you keep saying such stuff..."

*

The Chatterjees were fifteen minutes late as they reached the airport and got out of the car putting blames on each other till they met Shuvro at the arrival.

Both the males exchanged blank glances scrutinizing and measuring the distance between the two friends. Scanning the situation Pulu put on her encouraging smile as she chipped. "Where is Tulidi Shuvroda?"

"Umm... her flight had landed five minutes ago. She must be coming." Shuvro said looking away from Butu and landing his eyes on Poulee.

"Oh!"

"Anyway congratulations Pulu! How could I just forget!!!" Shuvro chuckled being exhilarated as he leaned to reach for the baby bump. He looked at her to ask for permission to touch the bump with sparkling eagerness in his eyes. Giggling out she nodded.

"You can not feel him though. Yet!" She giggled as Shuvro very gently tried to feel the presence of a baby.

"How are we so sure he is not a she?" He murmured not noticing Butu's ears perking up at the very idea of the baby being a 'she'.

The idea of more generic asshole like him was very scary. But a 'she'! Like his wife! Ya, he liked that!

As if the words of Shuvro's lifted up a huge burden off him.

Feeling a gaze over him Shuvro looked up to look at his best friend.

"Is Tuli's flight late?" Butu asked in a grave voice. Shuvro nodded in reply refusing to share a word. He contemplated the idea of congratulating his best friend but stayed mum. This mumness of him was killing Butu. Man he wanted to fight. He wanted to scream at him. He was so so mad at Shuvro he could just kill him and bring back to life just to kill him again.

But no! His friend was choosing to stay quite!

Butu's scowl deepened as he heard Pulu saying "I still can't believe Shuvro da you are staying at the hotel." He saw Shuvro passing a smile halfhearted-ly after taking a quick glance of Butu.

Oh how this was easier when they were children. He could punch his face right up and know the next day everything would be fine.

*

Walking out with her luggage Tuli's lips curved into a big smile as she recognised three of her friends together. She yelled their names strolling quickly towards them.

"Oh my god Poulee you look so pretty!"

Once the welcoming smiles and questions were shared Tuli grabbed Pulu's hands to take a look of her.

Before anyone else could reply the husband of the lady just got praised spoke up in a grumpy voice.

"She always looks pretty!"

Though blush spread across her face, Pulu glared mockingly at her husband "What the...!"

Shuvro couldn't but chuckled out lightly at his 'former best friend's words, as he took the trolley of Tuli's luggage from her side to strol towards the parking area.

"Yes she does undoubtedly." Tuli made a poker face, "but she is glowing now look at her!!!" She smiled widely making Poulee blush more.

Her husband took a glance of her and headed towards the parking area.

"Are you saying you are gonna stay at the hotel even when your wife is staying with us? This is crazy!!!" Poulee screamed at Shuvro who was sitting at the front passenger seat. With a clenching jaw Butu drove towards his home.

Shuvro took a glance of him before he spoke up. Two women at the back seats kept looking in surprise and expectations at him. "Well. I think its for the best..." he mumbled.

"Says who?" Pulu glared at her husband who kept mum with the same scowling face. "Listen I am with children. If you two don't want 'Pregnant women slashing part 2', I say you do as I say." The threat made the reat of the two passenger chuckle and the driver rolling his eyes.

"Is that even a legit threat Pulu?" Shuvro asked looking at her through the rear-view mirror.

"It will be."

"I am scared." The RoyChoudhurys chuckled out.

*

Butu's mother couldn't control her happiness when Pulu entered through the main door holding Tuli's hand in her and chirp "Mamoni look who has came!" with a big smile in her face.

Mrs. Chatterjee's eyes almost gave in at the sight of Tuli's smiling face as Shuvro entered following her. She couldn't believe when both of them bend down to take her blessings together still having smiles on their faces.

'The girl is happy!'

She couldn't remember the last time she had seen a smile for this long on Tuli's face. And when she was married to Shuvro, how scared everyone was.

'Was everything okay now!'

Thousands of questions came into her mind crowding but she declined to utter even one.

'Why jinx it?'

Instead she beamed excitedly yelping "kotodin porreey! How many days it has been since I have seen all of you guys together like this!"

"Well not all of us are here."

As soon as the words rolled out of Butu's tongue he could feel the jerk with which all the souls in the room stiffened. He took a look of all the faces that were looking at him, specially his wife who was scowling at him as usually. He doesn't understand whether its her pregnancy or something else, but it seemed to him that these days she was always approaching him with a foul mood. "Well Arun," he cleared his voice looking at her and then turned at Shuvro who had a pained expression all over his face. He saw Tuli's head hanging lowly. "I am talking about Arun. He is not here."

He tried for a smile but the atmosphere refused to be lifted. Mamoni observing everyone's face then with a intention of cheering up then spoke up "well I have made some fresh luchi and cholar daal. Quickly go and freshen up I am arranging the table. Quick! Make haste! Go go!" She headed towards the kitchen.

And the four of the soul feeling growls inside their stomach and realising how hungry they were moved as they were told.

The mother from the kitchen area smiled looking at her magic to work as usually - as it has always been since she knew them as kids and toddler...

So here was the part. Was it a little boring though? But it was a long one. Hope you like it. Now VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! and comment. Also follow me to get updates about my stories and next updates...