7 | Half of the Closet
The front seat. The neck pillow. The shopping bags. None of it meant anything. And somehow, all of it did.
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Later during breakfast, everyone was already seated at the dining table when I came downstairs.
As I stood beside my chair, my eyes immediately drifted toward Avyukt.
He kept rolling his neck slightly and adjusting his back repeatedly.
Of course.
Sleeping on a chair the entire night would hurt.
Renuka maa noticed too.
"What happened, Avyukt? Your body hurting? You don't look well-rested."
My breathing almost stopped.
What if he told them he spent the entire night in the study room?
What would everyone think then?
That he couldn't even stay in the same room as me?
But thankfully-nothing like that happened.
Straightening his posture slightly, he smiled calmly.
"It's nothing, maa. Work pressure's just been a little too much lately."
Renuka maa sighed sympathetically.
"That's true."
Only then did I finally breathe properly again.
A few moments later, I noticed Avyukt pulling something from his pocket.
Then he quietly extended it toward Siya.
"This is your shoe-stealing ceremony gift."
Siya immediately looked at me first.
I silently gestured for her to take it.
"Thank you," she said quickly while taking the box.
Abhijit dad laughed immediately.
"Only thank you? Won't you call him jijaji?"
Siya looked at Avyukt.
Then at me.
Then finally muttered dramatically-
"Thank you... jijaji."
A small smile appeared on Avyukt's face instantly.
"It's okay."
Ruhi immediately pouted from beside him.
"And what about me?"
Before I could answer, Renuka maa laughed.
"Your bhabhi will give you something."
I froze slightly.
What exactly was I supposed to give?
I wasn't even in contact with papa anymore.
And in anger, I had left my card back home with mom.
Ruhi leaned dramatically over the table.
"So what are you giving me, bhabhi?"
"What do you want?"
She opened her mouth to answer-but stopped midway.
For some reason, her expression shifted slightly before she forced a pout.
"Forget it, bhabhi."
It almost felt like someone had already stopped her from asking for something.
Before I could think further-Avyukt quietly extended a card toward me.
"You can go shopping," he said calmly. "Buy whatever you want. And get her something too."
I stared at the card silently instead of taking it.
Renuka maa immediately smiled.
"Take it, beta. Your husband earns for you only. He actually gave it to me yesterday and asked me to give it to you, but I told him to do it himself."
Slowly-I took the card.
And the moment I did-a tiny look of satisfaction appeared on Avyukt's face.
So small that maybe nobody else noticed it.
But I did.
Renuka maa clapped happily.
"Perfect. Then both of you should go shopping together."
Before I could even respond, Avyukt answered immediately.
"I have work."
The strange thing was-that answer relieved me.
And disappointed me a little too.
____
We were at the mall.
Before shopping for clothes, we had already spent nearly an hour inside a jewelry store because apparently Ruhi had "very specific standards" for whatever gift she wanted.
And now-I was regretting agreeing to come here at all.
Because every single thing my eyes rested on for more than two seconds somehow ended up inside Ruhi's hands.
"This one too."
"And this color will look so pretty on you."
"Ooh, this dress is perfect."
By the time I realized what was happening, nearly ten to twelve outfits were already piled beside us.
Completely exhausted, I sat down on the couch near the changing rooms.
Ruhi immediately shoved all the dresses toward me dramatically.
"Quickly. Wear them one by one and show us."
I stared at the pile in shock.
Most of them were western dresses.
Some were elegant Indian outfits too-but still far more stylish than what a newly married daughter-in-law was "supposed" to wear.
"...Why me?" I asked slowly.
Ruhi blinked innocently.
"Because they're yours."
Siya immediately nodded proudly.
"You used to wear these before marriage too, Di."
My fingers tightened slightly around one of the dresses.
That wasn't the issue.
The issue was-things had changed now.
Even though my old pictures still existed on Instagram... even though this used to be normal for me... somehow it didn't feel that simple anymore.
Before I could overthink further, Ruhi suddenly crossed her arms dramatically.
"Bhabhi, nobody in this house will say anything as long as bhaiya is there."
I looked at her in surprise.
And immediately a dangerous thought crossed my mind.
What if he's the one who says something?
But instead of voicing it, I took the dresses and entered the changing room.
The first dress I tried was a sleeveless pink bodycon.
Not exactly uncomfortable; I had worn dresses like this before.
But now-standing in front of the mirror wearing sindoor while dressed like this felt strangely unfamiliar.
I was still staring at my reflection when suddenly-
"OH MY GOD."
I looked up instantly.
Ruhi was standing behind the couch outside, holding her phone dramatically.
"Bhabhi, you look SO pretty. Turn around properly!"
Before I could stop her, she started clicking photos rapidly.
Siya immediately tried grabbing her phone.
"What are you doing?!"
Ruhi dodged her effortlessly.
"I'm taking pictures. Look at her!"
Siya folded her arms proudly.
"Well obviously. She's my sister."
One by one, I kept trying the dresses.
And one by one-Ruhi secretly kept clicking photos.
____
By the time the billing was done and we finally walked outside the mall, I was exhausted.
But the moment we stepped out-my steps slowed slightly.
Avyukt was standing beside the car, waiting for us.
Both hands were crossed over his chest.
The evening breeze moved lightly through his hair while he looked toward the mall entrance impatiently.
The second he noticed us, he walked forward immediately.
"Give me the bags."
Without waiting for an answer, he took my bags first, then Siya's, then Ruhi's too.
After placing everything inside the trunk, he opened the front passenger seat door automatically.
Then he paused for a second, like he remembered something.
Before he could say anything, Ruhi immediately pushed me forward dramatically.
"Bhabhi, sit there. That seat is yours."
Then she dragged Siya toward the back seat before either of us could protest.
I quietly sat in the front seat and fastened the seatbelt.
Right when I leaned my head back against the seat-I noticed a soft neck pillow attached there.
My eyes paused on it for a second, then silently shifted toward Avyukt.
The car slowly started moving.
From the backseat, Siya leaned forward dramatically.
"So what happened to your super important work from this morning?"
Since we entered the car, Avyukt finally looked slightly awkward.
He adjusted his posture before briefly glancing toward me, then immediately looked back at the road.
"It got finished earlier," he answered calmly. "So I thought I'd pick you all up myself."
"Ooooh," Siya dragged the word suspiciously before leaning back again.
Then she turned toward Ruhi.
"Show me the pictures. I want to send some to Badi Mom."
For a split second-Ruhi froze.
Then she casually looked out the window through the mirror.
"They didn't turn out nice. I deleted them."
Siya slowly raised one eyebrow.
"All of them?"
"...Yes."
And after a long silence-I became very interested in the view outside the window.
When we reached home, everyone picked up their own shopping bags.
Except mine.
Avyukt picked those up before I could.
Without saying anything, he followed me upstairs, carrying them all the way to the room.
But instead of entering-he stopped near the door.
I walked inside first before turning back.
He was still standing there, holding the bags quietly.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then finally-
"Come in," I said softly.
He walked inside slowly and placed the bags on the bed.
"There's space in the closet," he said after a moment. "Half of it is empty. You can keep your clothes there."
Then after a brief pause-
"And if you're uncomfortable sharing it, I can remove my clothes. You can use the whole thing."
Something about that sentence made my chest tighten unexpectedly.
Because he said it so normally-like making space for me in his life was the easiest thing in the world.
He waited a few seconds for my answer.
But when I stayed silent, he simply nodded once.
"If you need help with anything... tell me."
And he walked away again.
I sat on the bed for a while after he left.
Then I slowly opened my suitcase and started arranging my clothes inside the closet.
And that's when I noticed something strange.
Almost every color I owned-matched a shirt hanging on his side of the wardrobe.
Even pink.