"Who is it maa?" Ankita asked.
Getting no response from her mother, she stood up and looked at the door.
"Is it Ra.." she stopped mid-sentence.
It was not Rai or Rishav, but Koushik. Ankita was taken aback. She did not expect him to visit her. He was standing there wearing a pink T-shirt and white jeans. The mask on his face was pulled down, and his gentle smile was as radiant as ever. But under the intense stare of the mother and daughter duo, he felt a little flustered.
Fixing his slightly damp hair from the morning shower he took, to make himself presentable before Ankita's family, he squeezed out a greeting after some difficulty "Ah.. ahem. Hello.. go... good morning, Mrs Dey."
Trina, who was shocked to see this angel-like boy at her doorstep early in the morning, regained her senses upon his greeting.
Realising that she had been staring at him a bit too intensely, she coughed to hide her embarrassment and returned his greeting "Good Morning. Uh...who are you?"
"I'm Koushik, Mrs Dey. Koushik Roy. Ankita's classmate, deskmate to be precise. The last time I saw her, she had been very ill. So I wanted to check on her, since I just live next-door." he said.
"Oh. Come on in. And no need for such a formal address, just call me Trina Kakima." Mrs Dey smiled at him and said.
After Koushik got inside, he looked at Ankita and asked with a concerned look, "Hey, are you okay now?"
Ankita nodded without looking at him and hurriedly moved to the dining table. Koushik was going to say something more but seeing her leave in a hurry, he stopped. Usually, she always found a topic to engage him in an endless conversation during their hangouts or cracked jokes or played with him. But that day, it seemed like she was trying to avoid him.
'Maybe because she was so unwell that she's being grumpy. I must be overthinking. Why would Ankita avoid me for no reason? And she was also crying so bad. She also probably feels embarrassed about me seeing her in that state and is uncomfortable to face me.' He pushed that idea to the back of his head.
"Who's that?" Mr Chakraborty came out of the kitchen with the dishes, and asked his wife.
His line of sight was at his feet to avoid tripping over and spilling the food, so he did not notice Koushik standing there.
"Good morning, Mr Chakraborty."
Hearing an unfamiliar voice, Subhashish looked up.
Seeing the sweet young man in front of him, he smiled brightly and said "Good Morning, dear. What's your name? And please, quit being so formal. You look like you're my daughter's age. Just call me Subhashish Kaku."
Koushik realised whom Ankita got her bubbly personality from. He politely introduced himself.
"Oh, so you're Koushik? You and Bikram and Rishi are the members of that band Antariksha, right?" He said.
Koushik nodded with a smile.
"Haha. I remember. Ankita spoke a lot about you guys. She said you're super famous in school." Mr Chakraborty said.
Koushik blushed slightly and said, "You're exaggerating, Kaku. We are not that famous. Yes, some students like our band and we are very grateful for that. We've also gained a bit of popularity in the past few years, but we have just started our career and have a long way to go."
"Those are some humble words, my boy. But remember, though it's good to be humble, you should also know your worth and respect yourself and your talent. Being down to earth while not getting trampled down due to your humbleness is important. I've heard your albums, they're worth being proud of." He said warmly.
Koushik listened carefully and nodded. Like Ankita, her father also gave him a comfortable feeling. It did not feel like he was being lectured, rather he felt what Mr Chakraborty said to be true and quite similar to his ideology.
"You guys can talk later. Let's have breakfast first. Koushik, you join us too." Trina said to everyone and sat at the head of the table.
Ankita sat on her right while her husband was on her left. Koushik was hesitant but agreed to have breakfast with them, when Trina insisted that he had a taste of the food her husband made and promised that he was a good cook. Mr Chakraborty beamed at his wife's praise.
Koushik was also amazed at how delicious the meal was and praised his culinary skills wholeheartedly. Mr Chakraborty made a bowing gesture with his hands and thanked him. He initially just wanted to have a taste to respect the elder's wish, as he had already had breakfast. But he could not resist having a second breakfast after tasting the food. The Roti was nice, warm and soft and the Chana Masala was equally flavourful. The spiciness was just about right and the smell of coriander leaves was blissful.
Ankita was mostly silent throughout breakfast. Trina once asked if she was feeling alright, seeing her that quiet. Ankita just smiled a little and focused back on her food. Subhashish also asked if she would like another Roti but she refused. He did not insist, knowing she still might be a little uncomfortable after vomiting so much last day. But her silence worried both of them.
During the meal, Koushik tried to catch her gaze quite a few times, but she either kept her eyes lowered or averted them whenever they went anywhere near his face. He felt a little sad. Still, he decided not to be mindful of it, thinking it was because of her being unwell. But deep in his heart, he had this odd feeling that something was wrong.
After breakfast, Mrs Dey said, "Anu, bring your friend upstairs. You guys can chat there freely. I have some work at the office, so I'll be leaving shortly and your father will need to do some cleaning. You wouldn't want dust in your face, would you? Go."
Ankita stared at her in silence.
Then nodding at her mother, she said to Koushik without looking at him, "Come."
He was fidgeting with his fingers when Mr Chakraborty said from the kitchen "Go, go. No need to be shy. It will also help refresh her."
Subhashis and Trina both noticed their odd behaviour and figured that something was wrong. The Ankita, who always spoke of her deskmate with such delight, was suddenly avoiding that very person when he came to visit her. They also noticed the sad and confused look on his face, and decided to present them an opportunity to sort things out. They did not feel any bad vibe from Koushik, so they silently decided to let them speak alone. But of course, Mr Chakraborty would keep an eye out just in case. He could never be completely relaxed leaving his princess alone with a young man.