After eight long years, Ayan's wait is finally over today. His childhood friend, who had moved abroad to the UK eight years ago, is arriving in Dhaka with his family. Ayan is overjoyed at this. The eight-year wait was anything but easy for him. Being separated from his dearest friend for so long was painful and lonely. Though Ayan wasn't truly alone, his best friends were always there for him. Since his friend left, those friends had supported him and kept him going. Yet, deep inside, Ayan often felt a sense of emptiness. Over time, as Ayan grew older, he began to realize that his feelings for his friend had transformed from mere friendship into something deeper—love. So today, hearing the news that the person he holds dearest is coming back, Ayan's face is glowing with happiness, as if his long-awaited dreams are finally about to come true.
Aditya is returning from London to Dhaka today after eight years. Having adapted to life in the UK over all this time, he no longer feels drawn to his homeland. His mother and sister have practically forced him to come along. The reason for this insistence is that his aunt (mashi) desperately wants to see him, to see how much her beloved little Adi has grown. But Aditya isn't happy at all about this trip. He had planned on having wild parties with his friends at his place, hitting bars, and having a great time while his mom and sister were away. But all of those plans fell apart. Now, he had to leave his luxurious and enjoyable life behind and travel to a small, hot country for four months. Just the thought of it frustrated him immensely. With headphones on and leaning back in the car seat, he stared out the window at the grey sky and the light rain falling outside. Aditya's uncle picked them up from the airport.
—"Ratri, it's been so many years since you came back to the country. You have to stay at least 8-10 months with us."
Ratri Sannyal smiled and replied to Arnab—
—"What are you saying, Arnab? Can anyone take such a long vacation? We've planned to stay for four months and then return to London."
A hint of disappointment crossed Arnab's face at this reply.
—"After eight years, you're finally back, and you're staying for such a short time?"
With a small smile, Ratri looked at Arnab and said—
—"I have to go back. My entire household is in London now. How can I leave it unattended for so long?"
—"But still…"
—"In any case, uncle, it's uncertain whether we'll even stay for the full four months."
—"Why? What do you mean?"
—"Well, the one we've brought with us has quite the temper, you know. Who knows when he'll blast off in anger?"
Saying this, Arisha burst into laughter, and her mother and uncle joined in. Aditya, overhearing the conversation since his headphone volume was low, felt uncomfortable and irritated. Angrily, he snapped—
—"Did I want to come? Or were you and mom the ones who forced me? Don't joke around with me, I'm warning you."
After saying that, he increased the volume of his music and leaned back quietly in the seat. Arisha, feeling scolded, fell silent, realizing that her teasing was out of place since Aditya's mood was already sour. She, too, looked out the window, her face now somber. Ratri, upset by Aditya's behavior, said—
—"What's wrong with you, Adi? Why are you snapping at your sister? ... Adi? ... Can you hear me?"
—"Ratri, let it go. Arisha, don't be upset either, okay? But Ratri, if Aditya didn't want to come, why did you force him?"
—"Why wouldn't I bring him? He always spends time with his friends. Sometimes, he needs to give time to his family too. And besides, his aunt doted on him so much when he was little. She wanted to see him. Is it too much to expect that he might want to meet his aunt? That's why we made him come. If he stayed back alone, he'd become even more spoiled."
—"But still, Ratri, it's not a good idea to force the younger generation into anything. When emotions and stubbornness get involved, who knows what they might do..."
—"How long until we reach, Arnab?"
—"We'll be there in about half an hour to an hour."
Arnab sensed that Ratri didn't want to continue the conversation, so he dropped the subject.
—"How are Bhavna and Itu? I bet Itu's grown quite a bit."
—"Both mother and daughter are thrilled that you're coming. And Itu has not only grown but has become very beautiful too."
Ratri and Arnab shared a smile. Ratri said—
—"I'm so excited to see my sister and niece again after so long. I can't imagine how much my little sister has grown."
—"You know, Ratri, do you remember Aditya's childhood friends? They're all eagerly waiting to see him, especially Ayan. He's so excited that his childhood friend is coming back."
—"Oh… Ayan, that boy, right? He and Aditya had a close friendship?"
—"Yes, that's the one. He's really happy about Aditya coming back. Shobha, Neel, and Ayan are all at our house now."
—"Shobha...? Neel...? Oh, right, Itu and Ayan's other two friends."
—"Yes, exactly. No matter how bad his mood is, once Adi reunites with his childhood friends, he'll be fine. After that, I bet he won't even want to return to London."
Ratri, with a smile, responded—
—"We'll see if that's the case."
After a brief silence, Arnab asked—
—"Why did you leave without telling anyone, cutting all ties like that?"
Ratri gazed at her brother-in-law with wide eyes but didn't answer. After a moment passed with no response, Arnab prodded her again—
—"Aren't you going to say anything?"
—"Arnab, please... I'm tired of talking. Please don't ask me any more questions... Just drive carefully."
Seeing that Ratri wanted to avoid the topic, Arnab didn't ask anything further. He might have had an inkling of why Ratri had cut ties and moved far away, but he said nothing, choosing to respect her feelings. He quietly focused on driving.
Outside, a gentle drizzle continued. Ayan stood in front of the main gate, waiting for a long time. He had been eagerly watching the road for their arrival. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to find Itu standing behind him.
—"What are you doing? Do you think standing here will make your 'life and soul' arrive any faster? Come inside... What's wrong? Come on."
Itu gently pulled Ayan inside and seated him on the sofa in the drawing room, taking a seat beside him.
—"Uncle's been gone for quite a while."
—"Come on, just be patient. You've waited all these years, can't you wait another hour or so?"
—"I *am* being patient."
—"Oh, really? So, who's been whining all these years saying 'When will he come? When is he coming?'"
Shobha, appearing from behind, sat beside Ayan and teased him. Embarrassed by his friends' remarks, Ayan found himself blushing, but his friends continued to tease him on purpose.
—"You two, please stop."
—"Why? Are you embarrassed?" [Shobha]
—"Why should I be embarrassed? Ridiculous."
—"Then why are your cheeks so red? Did you put on blush or something?"
—"Ugh... can you guys please stop? I'm getting really annoyed with all your teasing. Don't you have anything else to do besides making fun of me?"
Ayan was growing increasingly irritated by his friends' jokes. But Shobha and Itu were relentless, continuing to laugh and poke fun at him. Just as Ayan was about to get up and leave in frustration, Neel blocked his way.
—"Don't go. Sit here; I need to talk to you."
He pushed Ayan back between Itu and Shobha and took a seat on another sofa.
—"Look, man, don't get me wrong. I'm saying this for your own good. Don't get too carried away with all this excitement about Aditya. He's been abroad for so long, and I'm sure he's changed. Do you really think he'll be the same as before with us? I don't."
—"Why are you being so negative right now?"
—"Look, I know I'm often negative, but there's always a reason behind what I say."
—"Oh, really? So, what's your reason here?" [Ayan]
—"Remember how Itu reconnected with Arisha suddenly online, through Twitter or something? When they got in touch, Itu asked Arisha for Aditya's Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram IDs, as well as his WhatsApp number, so you could reconnect with him. But Arisha didn't give her any of that information. No social media IDs, no phone number. Sure! Here is the full English translation of the text you provided:
---
"Do you all understand the meaning of this? Aditya doesn't want to contact any of us on his own. Arisha might have wanted to give us his information, but that guy himself told her not to. And what was her excuse? She said that one of his friends hacked all his social media accounts. What a load of lies."
— "Look, Neel, we can't be sure about anything right now. You might be right, or you might be wrong. It could be that someone really did hack his accounts. Or…" (Shobha)
— "Hey, can you all just shut up for a moment? Let him come first. And Neel, stop with the unnecessary talk."
— "Unnecessary? Listen, people like you, who are too nice, have one problem: you think everyone else is just like you. If you don't listen to me, one day, you'll regret it because of that guy."
— "Alright, alright, fine. Let's stop arguing with each other. By the way, Ayaan, is Priya coming?" (Itu)
— "Oh… yeah, I completely forgot about her. Let me check…"
Saying this, Ayaan got up from the sofa and walked towards the door. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and called Priya.
Priya wasn't in a good mood today. The painful memories of the past kept flashing before her eyes, filling her heart with immense sorrow. Since childhood, Priya had always been treated with neglect. The reason was that, according to society's standards, she wasn't considered beautiful. Her dark complexion and plump figure made her the target of many hurtful comments. Even her parents didn't spare her. Over the years, all this criticism and neglect were the cause of her early physical changes and depression. However, during those tough times, she found comfort in her best friend, Ayaan. Though the friendship between Ayaan, Itu, Aditya, Neel, and Shobha began in nursery, Priya's close bond with Ayaan only developed in 8th grade. From that time, Priya and Ayaan shared a deep connection. Ayaan was very sociable, calm, polite, and genuinely a good person, which made Priya feel at ease with him. Ayaan would always talk to her about the person he loved, sharing stories about his beloved, what she liked or disliked, and the beautiful moments they spent together. Today, Ayaan was planning to introduce Priya to Aditya. That's why she was supposed to come to Itu's house. But with the heavy rain and her gloomy mood, something was holding her back from going. Priya was lying on her pillow, tears rolling down her cheeks, when her phone rang. Seeing Ayaan's name on the screen, she picked up.
— "Priya, aren't you coming today? Aditya will be here soon, you know."
— "Ayaan… I'm sorry. I can't come today. Introduce me to Aditya some other day."
— "Your voice sounds different, Priya. Are you okay? Are you feeling alright?"
— "No, I'm not okay. The bad memories of the past are haunting me again."
— "Have you stopped taking your meds again?"
— "No, I'm taking them regularly…"
— "Priya… Don't lie to me. I can tell you haven't been taking them properly."
— "Sorry…"
— "You didn't take your meds this morning, did you? If you haven't, please take them. Let today be, I'll introduce you to Aditya some other day."
At that moment, Ayaan glanced outside the gate and saw a car arriving.
— "And Priya, listen, I'll stop by and see you before I leave. Don't cause any trouble with Uncle and Aunty, okay? The car's here, I've got to go now. Bye."