They both entered their room one after another. He went into the bathroom. She knocked and asked, "Do you need any help?"

Nothing came from the inside. He came out after a while.

"What are you going to do today?" She asked him, wanting to ease the mood and to get him to talk to her.

His reply was to lie on the bed on his back.

"How long will you keep this up? I took the pen to see if it was really mine. Here," she sat on the bed beside him and gave the pen to him along with the paperclips. She compromised and let him have them before he dropped the issue of divorce.

"Take them."

He did not want to entertain her. The problem was not that she took the pen. It was the very fact that she knew he cherished it. He did not want her to know. Not unless she valued, treasured and loved him. At one point, he even believed that day was never going to come. Those little things were memories only to him, to be taken to his grave. Yet, he kept on pleasing her. Why? Just to be able to live civilly with her. Her love was too high a hanging fruit. But the truth hurts, really. She just could not bear his presence.

He tried to keep ignoring her. Just as he turned over, she caught his palm, stopping him. "Fine then. Sleep on this side." If they swapped places, he could continue sleeping with his face turned away from her without putting weight on his injury.

He got up and walked over as she moved into his place. He lied down, turned away, and closed his eyes. He did not know what her reason was for the change in her behaviour. He did not want to know either. Who knew what bitter truth he'd learn. In fact, he already learned. It was either for sex, or for money, or for his protection with his very own life, if ever they fall in trouble again. Selfish was what she was, after all. He nestled his head into a more comfortable position on the pillow.

He did not get much sleep the night before because of the constant and dull pain. Somehow he slumbered after midnight only to wake up with sharp pain in his shoulder and had to rush to the doctor.

He decided to get some sleep.

Geetha was much more stubborn than him. Stubbornness was a personal trait that had been suppressed in her childhood. Now that she was an adult and there was no one really stopping her from making her own choices, that trait was dominant.

She stroked the gauze and his shirt. "Is it painful?"

Ramit softly sighed. If only he realised she was so difficult before. Who would've thought he'd one day need a break from her?

"Please stop talking."

He felt a dip in the bed behind him. After a moment she put her arm around his torso. He wanted to get out of bed but he was very tired. "Take your hand off."

Not heeding to his order, she snuggled closer and put her forehead to his back.

"Geetha!"

"Fine," she said and moved away. "But tell me, why did you turn off my alarm? You did not even discuss with me that you were going to complain about me to maa and papa. Why?" she said.

"Did you ever care if I told them? You're acting strange."

She really had no ground to stand strong. "What about my alarm?"

"Didn't want you around."

"Fine."

Finally calm, he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said.

He did not open his eyes. He could feel her bend over to check if he was asleep. He stayed still.

"Are you asleep?"

Seeing him not responding, she decided to stop talking. Even if he was awake, he did not want to listen to her. She swallowed and her shoulders drooped. She never knew she could be so sensitive to another person. She could barely handle the cold shoulder he gave her. Her eyes were misty.

She looked at his back. He really held on for a long time. She acted way too harsh with him. She sighed.

After half an hour of staring at the ceiling, she got up and went downstairs. She picked up her sketchbook hoping to take her mind off of things for a while. After all, she was going nowhere thinking on and on. She sat in the lawn and drew one single stroke on the page with nothing in mind. She wished he would forgive her soon.

∼•∽

That night Ramit's father's face was serious. Earlier in the day he had received a call which made him furious. During dinner he said to Ramit, "Your great granddad called. He wants to go to Kailash."

"When does he want to go?" Ramit asked, eating slowly. Geetha was right beside him with her eyes on him instead of on her plate.

"As soon as possible. He already got his visa renewed," he said with a heavy voice. His grandfather told him that God had called him. He did not want to believe in the calling at all.

"Why so suddenly... Moreover it's winter," Ramit said to his father after giving Geetha the most disappointing face he could make. At first she had a frown then she looked down.

"Go ask him. He also wants to drive himself. He is so fit, after all."

Geetha remembered the old man. He was one of the most interesting people she had met in her life. At 95, he looked as young as a 75 year old. She took her attention away from Ramit and put it on the father-son conversation instead.

"Drive?"

"He said he will show his medical certificate to the driver."

"It's too cold now," Ramit's mother said.

"I said wait until summer! But no, when did he ever listen to me?" Ramit's father had grown up with the old man ever since he lost his parents at the young age of 9. Their bond was a great one, of course, with their heads butting against each other every so often.

His phone rang. "Book the ticket! I should go now!" his dad said. He sighed and became sullen at the old man's urgency.

"Okay, dada. We'll go in two days." He could not let the old man go alone. He decided to accompany his granddad.

He packed his luggage that night and set out for his granddad's village the next morning.

When he was at the door, he kept Geetha at a distance as he said goodbyes to the rest. He hugged Ramit and whispered something to him. It was so clear they were talking about her. Two grown men were gossiping about her right in front of her. Another rich experience was added to her life. She looked on at them with an amicable smile. When his hushed voice stopped, she tried to wish him a safe journey, but he glared and scowled at her before he left.

∼•∽

Over the next fifteen days, Ramit recovered well. Of course he still could not use his right hand but he did not need anymore dressing. As for his gunshot wound, he had to forget asanas and any form of exercise for the next few months. There were also a lot of food restrictions for his abdomen to heal.

Geetha kept on speaking to him although he barely responded to her. Ramit did not give her much thought. To him, it was a waste now, in her words, of time and energy. He tried to show his dislike towards her to deter her from bothering him too much, but nothing really worked. When he realised he was putting in too much time and effort into discouraging her from talking to him, he gave it up. He started ignoring her completely.

On the other hand, Geetha did not manage to change the situation much. The little progress she made was to convince him to let her hold him to sleep at night. She found ways to help him, ways to interact with him, but he was quick to find his own alternatives right after. When he took out a T-shirt to wear, she sprinted to him to help out. He looked at her, put it back, and took out a button down instead. On another occasion, they were having dinner and he wanted a curry that was on her side. She caught him looking at it as she filled her plate but he asked the maid to pass over another dish.

Now that he was good enough to move around, she had fewer chances to bother him. Her leave was also over. She had to either go back to Paris, or resign and hunt for another job. She had decided to resign right when they said transfer was not possible. She had to hand over her work. She scheduled a virtual meeting and finished it.

As for the new job, she'd search for it slowly. She did one thing at a time and this time it was to solve her problems at home. She was going to worry about her career once she solved everything regarding Ramit.

Back when she was in her final year of university, she felt a little cynical when fate gave her a head start to her career. She landed a much higher paying internship in a well reputed company and became the object of jealousy for her peers. That time she questioned why God gave her such an opportunity when there were 3 other classmates who worked much harder than her yet had to settle with something lower. She felt bad for them, but she was more apprehensive of her own luck. Now was the time to humble down. Indeed, everybody is equal in the eyes of god and fate, she thought.

That day she had an important meeting to attend: the shareholders meeting of Hidden. All the shareholders were coming, except 2. Throughout the time she spent with Ramit, she had seen and heard his discussion with them. They wished him a quick recovery, then he'd say there were things to be discussed and he would address those once he recovered. He asked them to be present at the company in person.

Although he didn't tell her anything about it, since he didn't put any effort into keeping her in the dark about the meeting, she invited herself.

∼•∽

They were having breakfast. "Be careful, both of you." Her father-in-law said. It was one of those rare times he included her in his words. He had come back from the trip north yesterday. He told them everything went well and didn't speak anything further.

They both nodded.

When they finished, her mother-in-law called, "Geetha, come here."

Her mother-in-law took her to the pooja room and put kumkum above her bindi. "Maa, I prayed," she said and received a befitting glare.

She put her hands in a namaste and stood there for a while with her closed eyes, willing herself not to check on her mother-in-law. She believed in God and she prayed every now and then, rather intermittently. Just, she did not follow many rules regarding her prayer.

"Ramit!" Her mother-in-law called for her son.

"Put it on for him too," she said. Ramit's face was displeased. When he reached for the kumkum himself, she stopped him. "A wife's prayer for the husband's wellbeing is much stronger than your own."

Geetha put the kumkum for him while his eyes strayed away from hers.

"If you studied MBA and joined the company, all this wouldn't have happened." His mom was worried. He was going to the company that was the very reason he had been so close to death.

"Maa, it won't happen again."

"If... I'll see that he's safe," Geetha interrupted their talk. Her tone was solemn. There was a small frown on her eyebrows. She also held her breath. She feared it all but she did want bad things to repeat in his case.

Her mother-in-law smiled and said, "Just don't forget you are pregnant."

Ramit looked at Geetha and gave her a small smile. It was probably the most precious moment for her, she was lost for a moment. Her breath quickened and she lost the ability to hold his gaze. Throughout this whole time, he glared at her or simply ignored her.

"I won't drag you in another time," he said. He did not give her a chance to reply and went to the door. Her vision blurred. She blinked away the mist in her eyes.

Her mother-in-law patted her back and said, "Go."

∼•∽