Next morning Bhairavi woke up at ten and went down to get breakfast. Namma had already left for the cafe but she had cooked breakfast for her and left a note. Opening the lid, she peeked inside and jumped out of joy.

Namma had made luchi and aloo sabzi for her. Stuffing her mouth with the puffy, round, luchis fried in ghee, she moaned internally before scooping some of the tangy aloo sabzi. She had not had luchi in months!

After finishing off four of them, she licked her fingers with relish  before her eyes fell on the note. It read:
'I hope you liked the breakfast I made you and did not waste even a bit. Take a long shower and get ready, do all the beauty things you kids do nowadays, like moisturizer and all. I will come back early, around five, to do your hair and help you wear the lehenga. Be ready by then. Love you, baccha.'

Smiling widely, Bhairavi kept the note on the table and went to take a long shower. After all the hard work, shaving and moisturizing were completed, along with conditioning her hair, she got out and fed Summer.

Poor Summer, she was staring at Bhairavi with wide eyes, wondering what on earth was she doing, bending in ridiculous poses to get rid of body hair. Summer liked her hair just the way it was, thick and golden.

Bhairavi made herself a sandwich for lunch before going back to do her makeup. She had opted for a natural, dewy look, to go with the peach lehenga.

Time passed quickly and by the time the clock tolled five, Bhairavi's makeup was done. Within five minutes she heard the door open and Namma's voice. She is never late, Bhairavi thought fondly.

Namma came to her room and said, "Makeup done? Wow, you look radiant! Very pretty. Come on, quick, let's get your hair done. It won't take long."

Since her hair was already very short, it didn't take long to make it wavy. After that, Namma helped her get into the lehenga and pulled the zip.

Bhairavi turned around to face her and Namma gazed at her with pride and admiration, "You look so beautiful, my God. I can't believe you have become all grown up. You were such a cute child just the other day."

Seeing tears sparkle in her eyes, Bhairavi signed, 'Still am your baby," and hugged her.

"Careful, don't ruin your makeup. Thankfully your hair is nicely done. I can go and relax on the sofa now. My back is killing me."

Looking closely at Namma, Bhairavi saw what normally was not visible, exhaustion and age lines. Namma was always so energetic, it was hard to remember that the lady was sixty two. Regret and guilt bubbled in her stomach as she signed, 'Sorry, making you work so hard. Am a bad girl.'

Namma shook her head and held her hands, "You are the reason I wake up everyday and work and live. I left your grandfather when your Maa was two. I lost her and your Baba even, who was like my own son. You are my granddaughter, and I can't afford to lose you." Bhairavi's eyes filled with tears in spite of herself and she tried to blink them away.

"My baccha, it was so hard, so gut wrenching to see you broken over your parents death. But now, I see you smile, I see you make friends again. It doesn't matter if you don't want to speak again, it doesn't make you any less of my beloved Bhairavi." Tears rolled down Bhairavi's cheeks as she looked into Namma's loving eyes.

How she wished to tell Namma that she did speak now, but mentally. She was thinking of speaking when the bell rang.

Namma seemed to snap out of her emotional reverie, "Oh it must be your friend. I am always so emotional, damn it. And I made you cry and ruin your makeup, too. Quickly, repair your face while I ask him to step in." Bhairavi laughed at that. Trust Namma to make one laugh while crying, repair her face indeed!

After touching up and ensuring her look was pristine again, she decided to take a jacket with her since she did not know if they were going by an Uber or other public transport. As she entered the living room, she saw Namma laughing with Samanya while he played with Summer. She stopped and stared.

Samanya was wearing a black kurta, which complemented his green skin with black swirling tattoos, though she knew she was the only one who saw him like that and liked him for it. But what caught her eye and made her smile was the homely scene before her, full of joy and love and laughter, something she had been missing in her life after her parents died.

Samanya seemed to sense her gaze as he looked up at her and did a double take. She looked like a goddess to him, and when she smiled nervously at him, he found it hard to breathe for a second.

Calming himself, he smiled back, hoping it looked like a friendly one. Namma saw the little exchange and smiled inwardly, "Go on, Bhairavi, you both should leave for the party. And remember, Samanya, you have to bring her back by..."

"Ten thirty, I remember, ma’am," Samanya completed.

“Nonsense, call me Namma.” Smiling, she bade them goodbye and sat on the sofa with Summer, "Let's watch some TV and order a pizza? I'll get you some fish, how does that sound?"

Summer purred in agreement.

Samanya had brought his car so Bhairavi kept her jacket and the wrapped gift on the backseat.

"It belonged to Mr. Agarwal, the grocery shop owner who passed away? His son sold it to me along with the house and shop."

Bhairavi nodded. She was nervous and restless for some reason she could not comprehend.

Samanya sensed it and tried to put her at ease, "I bought a bouquet and a bottle of wine for them, since I don't know what to gift human couples. Is that okay? I did not want to go empty handed."

Bhairavi looked at him, surprised, as he drove, 'You did not have to, I bought a gift for them.'

"Oh, but I wanted to. I might be going as your plus one, but gifting a person is a sacred act, especially for something as significant as marriage, they will be getting married, right?"

Confused, Bhairavi stared at him, 'If they wouldn't get married, why would they have an engagement party?'

"Oh, you know. I see humans getting together and breaking up all the time, even after marriage. Commitment is not a strong point of this generation."

Bhairavi could not help but feel annoyed, 'You say that like it's always a bad thing. Most people break up when a relationship doesn't work out. As for commitment, many people still believe in love and relationships, unfortunately some don't and ruin it for others.'

Samanya smiled at that, "But why do the relationships not work out? I can understand if some one does not click with a person, there needs to be something special after all. But what about those who break up for petty reasons or cheat on one another?"

Bhairavi hotly retorted, 'I do not speak for every human, if all were good and honest this wouldn't be the Kali Yuga. But I know this couple, and they have been together for a long time. I believe they will last. '

Samanya smiled good naturedly, "For your sake, I hope so."

Bhairavi felt he was patronizing her and her temper flared, "For your sake, I hope your parents reconcile too. Oh, I forgot your mother is in France while your father is a mafia leader of sorts. What happened to them? Did they not work out, too? But they are mighty Rakshasas, how can they stoop to human pettiness!'

Samanya's hold tightened on the steering wheel and his smile fell, before becoming an expressionless mask. Only his eyes showed how hurt he was.

Bhairavi felt terrible the moment she had spoken those words. She cursed herself, how could she have been so cruel to him when he was always so kind and good natured. 'Samanya, I am sorry...I...'

"We have reached," Samanya announced, cutting off her apology.

She tried again, 'Please listen, I did not mean to...'

"Bhairavi, we have reached. Let's not be late to the party?"

Realizing he did not want to listen to her apology, Bhairavi decided to give him some space and try again later. But she felt miserable.

Yet, she had no choice but to force a smile on her face and greet Mayuri and Rakesh and congratulate them. They were overjoyed to see her and they hugged her and shook hands with Samanya. He played the perfect date, if she could call him so, smiling and laughing at the right moments, but his eyes were impassive.

After taking two glasses of wine from the bar counter and refusing to dance with any of the men who asked her, she looked for Samanya and found him talking avidly with Rakesh's sister Anjali.

Anjali laughed at something he said and asked her to dance, Samanya hesitated and looked around, most probably looking for her.

But Anjali insisted, and some of her friends joined in, so he conceded and accompanied them to the dance floor.

Turning away, Bhairavi decided to go to a secluded place and enjoy herself like she normally did, alone.

Taking a plate of chicken kebabs and mint chutney, she kept the two empty wine glasses on a table after downing them super fast, and picked two more before climbing the stairs carefully. Balancing the food and wine with a light colored lehenga was really tough.

After checking around to see if anyone was noticing, she mentally willed the hem of the lehenga to float a few inches above the  ground so that she could walk easily.

It took her more effort than usual, maybe due to the wine she drank. As she reached the first floor, she found a balcony which was empty, other than a solitary man.

Having no desire of being hounded by a single uncle or man of her age, she turned and was about to leave, when she heard a deep, warm voice, "There is enough place for the two of us to not get in each other's way."

Turning, she thought for a second before going to the thick, high cemented ledge, a good distance away from the man.

Placing the glasses and plate on it, she stared at the dark sky, where a sliver of moon winked at her. She paid no attention to the electric lights below, they felt too harsh and artificial in comparison to the cool, muted light of the moon.

Just as she bit into a juicy kebab, she heard a bark. Turning, she saw that the man was not alone and had a dog with him.

Smiling, for she loved dogs, she hesitated before wondering how to ask for permission when the man spoke, "You can pet him, if he let's you."

A little taken aback, she bent and looked at the dog. The dog was of medium size, black and of mixed breed. She waited for him to sniff her, while the dog stared at her suspiciously. After a while, he took a step and sniffed her, softly growling, before looking at her. Hesitantly, Bhairavi lifted her hand to touch him when he barked and bared his fangs.

Focusing extra hard, she spoke in the dog's mind, 'I am not going to hurt you. Please, may I touch you?' She did not speak in words, but projected the essence of it.

The dog paused, looked at her questioningly before letting her touch him. At her touch, he seemed to relax and when she scratched his ears, the dog licked her hands. She held a kebab while the dog ate it eagerly.

The man watched the entire exchange in silence. "He likes you," he stated, "he rarely lets strangers touch him. You must have a very kind touch for him to even lick your hands." Bhairavi blushed at that before her previous miserable mood returned.

Standing up, she wondered how to communicate her thanks. "No need to thank me,” the man said in a serious tone, but his eyes were warm, “I am psychic as well, so you can project your thoughts and talk to me."

Shocked, Bhairavi stared at him hard, trying to penetrate the Maya around him, if there was any. With great effort she managed to catch a glimpse of blue-black skin before the Maya rippled and covered him again. Panting due to the effort, she looked at his face and saw amusement in his eyes.

'What are you?' she asked him mentally.

"Wrong question, for right now it doesn't matter. What matters is what are you going to do? Accept your mistake or let anger pave your path?"

Bhairavi looked down, her face warming with guilt and sadness, 'I...I tried to apologize. But...I got angry and I hit a soft spot, I think. I regret it.'

"Did you try hard enough? Everyone makes mistakes, even the Gods. But what matters is how you repair it. Don't let anger and pride sway you from your path. Do the right thing."

Bhairavi nodded, 'You are right. I will.'

The dog barked approvingly at that. Leaving the food and the drinks she started walking to go downstairs and look for Samanya.

Then the oddity of the situation struck her and she stopped and frowned, 'Wait. Who are you, and how do you know all the right things to say? You are not human, I know.'

The man threw his head back and laughed. Bhairavi's entire essence seemed to quiver with joy and fear at that. "I am a....friend you can say, and a well-wisher. She was right, there is hope still."

The world suddenly swam around her and a moment later, Bhairavi stood alone at the top of the staircase, feeling more confused than ever.

A/N

So...any guesses as to who might the man be?? Do comment your guesses and views, and don't forget to vote for the chapter! Next update is on monday!

Love,
Kaushiki