I walk down the stairs hearing chaos going on and find the entire house collected in the living room while laughing together.

" What's going on here? " I ask , Anuradha bhabhi who is smiling , standing behind the couch with Shivi while everyone sits on the couch here and there filling the place.

" oh , nothing. Just talking about men's horrible cooking. You don't know but few years ago all the men in this house did cooking for the dinner but in the end the kitchen was left in a terrible state and burnt food. "

" Oye! It was years ago. We are a pro now. We can cook better than the MasterChefs! " Ritwik proudly speaks and my eyes shift to the person that is sitting beside him.

Suddenly my mind shoves me to the night from few weeks ago and I am self-conscious about the blue and purple fingerprints that are hidden behind my neck scarf that are still visible.

I shouldn't have said the backyard thing.

Dhairya is acting very weird since then. And the weirdness is very weird - literally.

He isn't looking at me let alone pass a glare.

It's as if he is avoiding me which - any normal person should.

But not him.

Why?

Because he isn't normal , now is he?

That night , when I blurted that sentence out I saw his lips part but before he could say anything , Urvi had already walked down the stairs.

" You tell me , Meera , we're right , right? " I snap my eyes away from Dhairya and crane my neck to my mother-in-law and even though I haven't heard of what she has said , I smile and nod.

" Y-Yeah. Right. "

" what right? " Samraath Bhaiya speaks narrowing his eyes. " We can cook better and we will prove it to you! Right boys?!"

" Yeah! " My father-in-law exclaims like a youngster and high-fi-s his eldest son.

" No. We can't let you ruin our kitchen. Nope! " Priya bhabhi meddles in between , shaking her head and the males frown in disappointment.

" No. That's not fair." Ritwik Bhaiya states.

" Yeah. Completely not! " Father-in-law gets along.

" We can cook good! " Samraath Bhaiya bangs his fist on the handle of the couch in excitement.

And then the bhabhis are fighting with bhaiyas making a sudden loud chaos.

" OKAY , SILENCE!! "

" ............ "

"...................."

".........."

Everyone looks at my mother-in-law as she quietens the room that looks filled with chittering babies.

" Let's do a competition. "

" Huh , a competition? " I hear from somewhere but it's definitely not the person who is still looking at me without blinking.

His stare isn't hard yet those orbs are giving my stomach something that I don't appreciate to speak out in words.

" Yes. The men of the house will cook with their wives and whoever's dish is the best , wins. In this way men can show their skills without making any mess. "

" Hmm...." Ritwik Bhaiya nods thoughtfully.

" Good idea. " He adds.

" I am down. " Samraath Bhaiya speaks.

" Me too. " Anuradha bhabhi smiles at him and he winks at her making her eyes go wide as shyness creeps her cheeks.

Cute.

" Fine. Let's do it. " Priya bhabhi gives an air high-fi to her husband and laughs out.

" Okay then! It's decided. " Shivi exclaims. " I'll be the referee and check how everything is going around and will also do the arrangements. "

" But where will we do this , kitchen can't have these many people. " Priya bhabhi questions.

" The backyard. " And in this long conversation it's the first time Dhairya speaks something.

____________________

There is this weird denseness in the air here that I can't breathe properly.

It's as if someone is suffocating my lungs , squeezing them tight and sucking all my oxygen out ; just like that night.

My eyes are again and again circling towards the shrubs and creepers where that door is hidden.

It feels unsettling , it's feels wrong and it's feels as if something bad is about to happen tonight.

There is this heaviness and off vibe that's forcing me to think that something bad is going to happen.

" Alright , Alright! " I am snapped out of my thoughts when I hear Shivi orortundly announce.

She is wearing a straw hat with black and white stripped pjs holding a whistle to her lips.

Four tables are circled around the backyard with stoves and utensils needed , placed on each table.

The couples of this house are standing at each table while Shivi stands in the middle having a white board to her side.

Seriously?

Its late night and kids are already in deep slumber , how can we do this right now when everyone is going to go to their respective jobs tomorrow early morning.

I myself have a therapy session with Yuvraj and another client.

" Now , listen to me carefully. " Shivi looks at us with her excited eyes but all I can feel right now is the heat radiating beside me.

Dhairya isn't far away from me infact we are just half a meter away from each other and even though him and I are looking straight , we both are looking at eachother through the corner of our eyes.

" We are divided into four teams! The white House means mom and dad who are right now in white Pjs , The Red House , that's my eldest brother and sister-in-law , then it's the Purple House having Ritwik Bhai and Priya bhabhi and then we have the most adorned couple , our newly wed Dhairya Bhai and the sweetest of all , my Meera Bhabhi from the navy blue House !!!! "

Everyone claps and we move forward with Shivi's announcement where she explains and shows how the things are supposed to be done.

We have boxes filled with vegetables , spices , aromats etc , near Shivi and are given an hour to make a dish or a dessert and within this time only men are going to cook while their wives are only going to help them through instructions.

" Okay Then!! Let's begin with the challenge!! " She exclaims loudly. " On my whistle anyone from your teams will come and get the things they want , ok! "

We all nod and a low sigh leaves my lips when I inhale an intoxicating scent rounding me since the start of this ' thing '.

What kind of perfume does this man even use?

Shivi is about to blow the whistle but it simply rests on her lips when suddenly my phone kept on the table , starts ringing.

" Oh , it's Meera bhabhi's phone. " She speaks and I am already picking up the phone before she can.

Shivi is startled by my hurried behaviour nonetheless passes a smile that definitely looks confused.

" It's fine. " I quickly speak with a firm smile and attend the call without looking at the caller's ID.

" Hello. " The phone is against my ear as I glance at everyone who is now looking at me - waiting.

But as the other side of the phone speaks- I freeze.

Slowly everything around me starts to blur out , the soft mumbles start to sound echoing and as if spoken from too far.

The words and voice through the phone starts to sting my head as everything is at a pause around me.

My heart is now loud and clear in my ears - beating hard in a crazily slow rhythm.

I can't breathe.

" -era? " I can hear a soft feminine women speaking from somewhere.

I can't breathe I can't breathe

" Meera? " The soft voice is now closer to me but all I can hear is the silence that resides in the ended call.

Yes , the call is cut.

But the heaviness is weighing my chest.

I can't breathe. I can't see.

Everything is blurring around me.

Nothing is making sense no more.

" Meera? Dear daughter ~" I feel a hand over my shoulder.

I can't breathe I can't breathe I can't breathe!

" Hey , Meera , what happened dear? " It's as if I am slapped that I come back into my senses quickly and find my mother-in-law standing in front of me with a worried frown.

" Why are you crying daughter. What happened? You're scaring me. " She says and only then I realise that - I have been crying.

Not rivers yet few trails of countable salty drops.

" M-My uncle. " I can barely listen to myself when I feel a firm and muscular figure stand by my side , very close to me.

" What? " Everyone is around me now.

It's suffocating but not that much.

I have taken my medicines.

" My....My u-uncle. " My eyes match dark ones when I am turned towards a specific direction to face him , by him - my husband.

" what happened, Meera? " He questions me. His voice calm yet strained.

" My uncle" I mumble. Words barely making any sense to me anymore. " H-He had an accident. "