Ekatweep had boating facilities. Often, you could hire a boat for hours since it was not tourist-oriented. He walked to the pier and approached a boatman.
"Sen, could I hire a boat?"
"Where to?"
"Mann."
"Whole night?"
Vira nodded. "I need to be back before sunrise."
The boatman nodded. Working with the government came with its perks. Vira did not have to pay; it was covered under his privileges.
It was a bit after eight when he reached the temple. His pants were soaking wet, and he had rented a bike since his was in his shed.
Uncle Karn looked surprised. "Vira, I thought you weren't coming today!"
Vira apologized. He told him why he had disappeared so suddenly.
"Oh, Saka wanted to bake you a cake, but since you weren't coming, he canceled it. I guess you got lucky."
"I feel regretful. I would have loved to taste it."
"Trust me, he burns water. This is the best gift god could give you."
Vira laughed. Talking with Uncle Karn cheered him up.
"The boys will be late. Vira has a class at Vayu till eight. Will you be able to stay that long?"
Vira nodded. "I need to start by four in the morning. Work starts at seven."
"Great! Then let me make dinner for you!" He refused Vira's help, as it was Vira's special day.
Vira felt his eyes moisten as he saw the simple feast in front of him.
"I don't know how to thank you." He said, his voice breaking.
Uncle Karn smiled warmly and said, "You are now family, you silly boy! If I didn't do it for my son, whom would I do it for?"
His son. Those words spread warmth. "I wish I had known you much earlier; I wouldn't have become such a horrible person." Vira mumbled, tears falling down.
Uncle Karn smacked him hard, catching him unawares by the sudden action. "You are absolutely fine the way you are. If you weren't, why would we love you?"
There again. Uncle Karn made him feel cherished.
They chatted for some time, and then he led Vira to Saka's room.
"Sleep for some time. When Saka comes, he'll wake you up."
Vira nodded and smiled his goodnight.
As he sat on the bed, he took in his surroundings. This was the first time Vira had properly looked at Saka's room.
Akat's words stuck in his head. "If you really loved him, you should know his likes and dislikes."
His room was small but cozy. He had sports magazines and a couple of history books. He spotted his presents, neatly gift-wrapped on the table, with a handwritten note stuck on them. He smiled at it. He did not touch it. He'll wait for Saka to give it. The room didn't give much information about Saka.
Saka, unlike Karn, had a cot and a study table. He seemed to love stars; he had a small telescope, his most prized possession, since it was sealed in a velvet box.
He noticed a couple of photos on the shelf and went closer to examine them.
There was a picture of his family when his mom was alive.A woman with hair black as a raven, and eyes that twinkled with mischief, was standing next to Uncle Karn, who looked so happy. Laika stood in front of her, and Saka, a baby, sat on his father's hips. It was a picture of love and warmth, a very happy family.
There were a couple of other photos, one with Tobi, and one with his entire class.
He sat back on the bed and sighed. He would have to ask Saka about himself; his room gave nothing away.
He turned off the light and lay down, staring at the dark ceiling.
How should he make it up to Saka?
****
Saka came back home, almost close to midnight.
The whole day he had poured his heart and soul into studying, impressing his mentor, Nav. "I didn't know you were so focused! You would do well here. Ask me anything; I'll try my best to help!"
Saka smiled his thanks.
Laika had bought him dinner on the way back and chatted about useless things to make Saka feel better. He had asked about Saka's day, and Saka responded animatedly. He knew his brother was trying his best to cheer him up, and he really appreciated his kindness.
He opened his door and threw his bag to one side.
He felt tired. He removed his shirt as he took his nightwear from his closet.
He was contemplating having a bath.
"I'm liking my present so far." He heard a voice.
Saka froze. He turned on the light.
He saw Vira lying on his bed, his head propped up. He had a naughty smile on his face.
Saka blushed, his ears turning a deep beetroot red as he quickly covered his chest with his nightdress.
"Sen! What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you."
Saka didn't know how to react. Vira sat up. "Do you want to get a bath? I can wait."
Saka nodded, still unable to believe his eyes. He quickly washed himself.
"I thought I wouldn't be able to see you till Wednesday."
Vira nodded. "I can't stay for long. But I have a couple of hours."
He pointed to the spot next to him. "Come sit. Tell me how your day went? How was the course?"
Saka sat next to him and happily chatted about his week, telling things he thought Vira might have missed out on. He spoke about his class and his amazing new tutor.
Vira pretended to sulk. "Looks like your new tutor seems more fun than me."
Saka vehemently shook his head. "No one is cooler than Sen!"
Vira laughed. He asked, "Would you like to hear about my week so far?"
Saka was surprised. This was the first time Vira was volunteering to talk about his work.
He nodded. Of course! He was extremely interested.
Vira told him about his background, projects that weren't confidential, and while he didn't talk about what he was currently working on, he gave him a gist of how projects were in general.
Saka looked at him with stars in his eyes. "Sen, you are super cool."
Vira felt himself swell with pride. He wanted to look cool in front of Saka.
He took Saka's hands into his and said, "Saka, I want to apologize."
Saka looked surprised.Vira continued, "You should have been the first person to know, but I'm still not used to the fact that I have people who like me, other than my grandma. It's not an excuse, and I can understand if you choose to hate me for it, but I'm really sorry."
Saka looked intently at Vira, who was clearly upset with himself.
Saka smiled. "I was a bit sad, but I'm not anymore. I'll forgive you, Sen. Next time, though, let me know if you plan on disappearing."
Vira looked confused. That was it? No shouting, no tantrum, nothing?
"You aren't going to scold me?"
Saka looked at him, tilting his head a bit, as if deciding what to say. Then he gently held Vira's hands and replied, "You must have had a tiring week. It's so late, yet you came all the way here, just to see me. You apologized. I still got to spend your birthday with you. Even a blind person can see the effort you put in to make it up to me. So why wouldn't I forgive you?"
Vira stared at him, dumbfounded. How did Saka make him fall for him all over again?