Abhay found Geetha reading a book in the sunroom facing the plantation.

"Hey, what's she doing?"

"Cried and slept. What is Ramit doing?"

"Drunk and sad!" Abhay hit back as he rolled his eyes at her.

Geetha pursed her lips. "You were drinking?"

Abhay pointed to the terrace. "Ask him to come down. Don't climb all the way up."

Geetha turned back to her book, while Abhay slipped into the room with silent footsteps and a very soft click of the door.

Deepali was asleep. Her eyes were slightly puffed up. Abhay berated himself. Whatever had happened, the result was that he made her cry.

Deepali was a girl he had spent way more time with than any other. They had known each other for almost half a year. They met every evening. They had been before each other's eyes for almost 3 hours each time. They had dinner together at least once a week. If they were going to throw all of this to waste, any girl in her place would react the same way. But he just never thought beyond what they had. Now she was forcing him to do that.

He groaned and fell back into the bed beside her.

The impact had her awake with eyes open wide. Her pupils constricted when she saw Abhay's head right beside her chest. The smell of wine also infiltrated the air around her.

"Bastard!" she screamed and sat up, looking around for something, anything that resembled a stick.

"Deepa! Sorry I woke you up!" he said, startled.

"Get out!" She got out of bed and quickly took her stance, ready to shove him out of the window in front of which Abhay was.

"How long do you think I'll be scared?" He looked her up and down before his mind focused on the more important issue. "I didn't try anything! I wanted to say sorry!"

Deepali was surprised although she did not show it on her face. She was curious if he really did not fear her, even if she had her baton with her. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "For what?"

"I am sorry I didn't know about your mother..."

"That's it?"

Abhay stayed silent.

"Get out, Abhay! We're done!"

"Give me some time, Deepa. You've jumped to your own conclusion. I never said anything about our future."

"How long do you need?" Deepali relaxed her posture but her eyes turned sad. His reaction from before still did not sit well with her. All this while she was probably having unrealistic dreams. He did not even give a single thought about them. "How long do you need? I thought you were also in love with me."

Abhay's lips were agape. This wasn't just an endearing 'I love you' they said to each other every now and then along with a greeting. She confessed to him. Or... had she always meant it?

"Really? Since when?"

She turned away and rubbed a tear off her cheek. "How long do you need?"

"Deepa, I love you too!" Seeing her like this, living together until death felt much doable.

Deepali did not know when he covered the 2 metre distance between them. She was suddenly engulfed in his warmth. Then Abhay slowly leaned in for a kiss but Deepali turned her face away, again. "Then what? Just tell me how long you need."

Abhay bent to put his face in front of hers. "Do you really think I'd leave after doing something to you? I'm really not like that. Didn't I tell you about everything I did in my previous relationships?"

"Are you really serious about me?" she asked softly, hugging him back.

"I am! When we go back I'll show you my diary. You'll laugh!"

Abhay released her. "Since when were you in love with me?"

Deepali did not want to answer. It was probably during that time when he had not asked her out yet. To be precise, it was before she hinted to him to ask her out.

"Don't answer then. Since you told your dad, I should also tell my parents. I was going to confess to you on Valentine's Day."

"You were going to confess?" She was surprised. February had just started that day.

Abhay nodded. But since that plan was now cancelled, he had to plan something else.

"You're not lying, are you?"

Abhay made a sad face. He was a guy who'd forget to lie even if his best friend asked him to. He was a baby who did not know lying, although he added more masala and exaggerated things a little every now and then.

"No!"

"I will break your bones if you make me cry again," she said and pulled him in for a kiss.

∼•∽

That day, they all really drank leaving Geetha out. Although Ramit did not join the couple's celebration in the evening, he had drunk in the afternoon and Geetha could smell the wine on him. She shrugged it off, it was no one's fault and she would be able to drink a few months later.

She walked around the place admiring the paintings hung on the walls while Ramit focused on his work. When it was evening, the 2 chefs, who had come over shortly after they had arrived, made them a 5 course meal.

At night, both couples took a room each. While Geetha and Ramit stayed on the ground floor, Deepali and Abhay chose a room on the first floor.

Watching them climb up and being all sweet to each other, Geetha said, "They somehow made up."

Ramit smiled. "Hm. Yeah!" He was very happy with the development.

Geetha tugged his arm and said when he turned to her, "What about us?"

He slowly stopped smiling and took his hand from her. "What about us?" he asked back, feigning confusion. His actions conveyed more though.

"Has everything between us resolved yet?"

His sigh was very soft. He gulped and tore his eyes away.

"What is it now?" As she watched his face, she felt something prick her heart. Why did he make such an expression? What did she do again to make him so sad? This was not the first time his eyes looked like that.

"Nothing," he said with a breath that hitched twice in that short span. He turned around.

With the way he looked at her when he said that word, she did not have the heart to stop him. There was no anger in those tranquil eyes. No complaints whatsoever, no life in them. They still looked dead, and extremely sad.

∼•∽

The next day Ramit and Geetha were on a walk in the mango grove. Both of them felt it was awkward to be in front of their friends. That couple was acting too sweet.

The trees were all an average height. In the mosaic shadows and sunshine the leaves filtered for them, they walked for an hour. During that whole hour, each kept to their own thoughts. Every time the wind blew, the pattern of yellows on the ground flickered and settled back as they walked.

They had their own fears, similar yet different. While Geetha was anxious that he would ask her for a divorce when she gave birth, Ramit was depressed thinking when her motivation, or whatever it was that drove her to smile at him with soft eyes every time, would come to a halt and fade away. No one wanted to let go of the red string. But it was knotted tight enough that it could snap.

∼•∽

At dinner that day, Abhay asked Geetha what was up. The witch, although was someone who minded her own business, was never this much into her own business. She sat and stared at the ceiling instead of reading her book and now she counted every chilli flake.

She raised her head and gave him a downturned mouth but did not mention anything.

He then asked Ramit, who acted dumb and in turn asked him what was wrong.

After dinner Abhay made them play together. His uncle had all the board games one could ask for. He thought he would have to convince the witch to join. He asked Ramit to ask her to play. In the next instant, she dragged out the chair as its wood crackled on the floor and sat down, not wanting to put Ramit on the spot.

"Are you really doing okay?" Abhay asked.

Ramit sighed. "If you don't want to play, don't."

"If you don't want me to play, say it," Geetha replied.

Ramit looked away. "Start," he said to Abhay.

Abhay sighed, it seemed these 2 taciturn fools were fighting again.

He decided on chess, two people per side. Chess was his forte, in fact. He had to win and then win his girlfriend's praise too. He knew Ramit wasn't the smartest when it came to chess. Geetha was an unbeatable opponent. The choice was obvious.

"Geetha, let's team up."

She went over to the white side. "Shameless," she murmured.

"Can't you see that I'm helping you? You and Ramit are not even talking, how will you play as a team?"

"What are you two whispering?" Deepali asked them from the other side.

"Nothing! We already have a plan to defeat you! Deepa, you're not better than me at everything."

The game started. Abhay sat back smirking at Deepali as Geetha moved the pieces right after the other team, not taking more than a few seconds every time. Not once did she discuss the moves with her teammate. It went on normally until half of the pawns of both sides were off the board. But then, Abhay's lips parted.

Geetha had set up the stage for an easy win for the other team. But he realised it only then. He quickly stood up, walked over to the other side and it became clearer to him.

Ramit and Deepali did not seem to have any clue yet. Those innocent souls were making every move slowly after great discussion and deliberation. Although a weak team, they gave it their all, not backing down to their partners.

He sat back in his place and glared at Geetha for the betrayal. He had to make many moves now just to be on the path of recovery, but for that the other side had to be inept and facilitate all those moves.

"Why are you hoes before bros too?" How could each one of his friends do this to him!

"I'm not in the mood to talk so shut up." What else did he expect, she thought and added, "It's just a game."

Abhay leaned back and folded his hands. He gave up.

When only half pieces remained, Ramit stared at Geetha, curious yet knowing. "Play seriously!" he said.

In the end, black won.

Ramit's reaction was to scoff at the board. Deepali rejoiced but due to the tense environment, she did not celebrate. Alone with Abhay, she talked down to him, who had already knelt before her a long while ago.

∼•∽

The next morning, once again unable to stomach the sweetness of the new couple who ran around in the mango garden, Ramit and Geetha stayed back at the patio. They were on the porch swing, sitting side by side, facing outside. Ramit swayed the swing at a low speed. Geetha wanted to swing a little faster but her legs could not touch the ground, after all.

Geetha stared at Ramit for over a few minutes. There were things she had to acknowledge. Things she ignored and kept going all this while. As someone who usually had her life planned out into the years, it was exhausting to live in uncertainty. She felt life itself was burdensome because of that one shaky pillar.

"Ramit." Maybe these few months were enough. She knew something was on his mind and that it was very negative. He had pitied her enough to not let her know. Although she knew she had to appreciate his consideration, she did not like it. She would rather he say it to her.

"Are you really thinking of divorce?"

Ramit's gaze was forward and it did not shift the slightest. To his silence, she asked, "What should I do?"

Ramti sighed. "I don't know."

"Then how will I know?"

"Let's not talk about it." He still did not look at her and she turned away.

"This is simply wasting time. I understand I hurt you. I know how it feels now."

Ramit turned to her, who was looking far off into the greens, and cut off her words. "I am not like you, Geetha! I am not vengeful! It hurts! Do you think I want a shallow relationship like this? I'd rather not! I... I'm scared."

She turned and looked into his eyes. "What are you scared of? Me?"

"Yes!" he confessed.

"What will I do? Eat you?"

"Be serious!"

"I am serious!"

They stopped for a moment to collect their thoughts.

"Look, tell me one thing. Why do you want to be with me? What gives? You didn't want to back then."

"I apologised for everything I said back then, didn't I? Why are you still hung up on that?"

"That's how it looks to you?" Ramit got off the swing. "Move to the centre," he said, stabilising the swing's jerk and holding it down to balance the weight.

Instead, Geetha put both of her hands to the chain on her side and leaned on it. "Tell me what the problem is."

He took a deep breath. "Tell me one thing honestly. No lies, okay?"

She nodded and gave him a thumbs up while still clutching the chain. Then she released the chain and patted the space beside her.

He ignored the invitation. "Why did you accept my confession? Why did you say yes to this marriage?" These were the questions which were going to give him the answer he needed, hopefully. "Why did you change your mind about us later?"

Geetha pursed her lips. He was not leaving her unless she elucidated on the fact that she was selfish with him.

She didn't want to tell him. How could she tell him, or anyone for that matter, that she didn't like being interrogated by her mother while her father always supported her mother? At that time she had just completed her post graduation away from home and the peace that came in those years rivalled her entire life's experience. She was independent, free and could seek many things she wanted. She did not have to tell her parents every single thing and there were no bounds to all the new experiences she collected. Later, her parents asked her to come back home and as fate would have it, her job also needed her to go back to her motherland.

Just a year later, an opportunity presented itself to her to let her be that free once again. Ramit had given her one single red rose once again, just like he had during highschool, and gave a nod to everything she asked. Back then, it was in an empty sports room and this time, it was in a cosy restaurant. She jumped at the offer, although she felt guilty. There were times she felt annoyed with Ramit's closeness too, but in the face of the myriad of benefits the marriage came with, she smiled through.

She smiled at him, hoping he would not frown. "It was convenient."

He slitted his eyes at her but soon realised, it was all his fault to begin with. He fell for the wrong person. He nodded and slowly left the swing, saying, "Be careful."

Geetha got off of it and shouted behind him, asking him to stop. But he did not turn back.

Geetha was perplexed. Didn't he tell her to tell the truth? She cut out anything that would hurt him and everything that was unnecessary and said the truth. Did she hurt his ego again? He was a puzzle she did not have the pieces to solve. She really didn't understand him.

∼•∽