Tripti collapses onto the sofa, huddled close to Dihan. Just then, Dihan binds her hands with a grip. Locking eyes with Tripti, he gazes at her intently; Tripti, too, looks back in the same way. After a few moments, Tripti snaps out of the trance, startled, and exclaims,
“—Hey, let go! Let me go!”
“—No, I won’t. It feels good like this.”
“—Will you let go, or should I slap you hard?”
“—Why? What’s the problem if we stay like this?”
“—Let go, you rascal!”
As soon as Dihan releases her, Tripti tries to get up but gets stuck again. No, Dihan hasn’t held her back; rather, Tripti’s hair has gotten tangled in Dihan’s shirt button. As Tripti says “Ouch,” Dihan remarks,
“—If you start quaking like an earthquake, of course, you’ll get hurt. Besides, notice something – even your hair and my button don’t want us to separate. Seems like they enjoy seeing us like this.”
Tripti furrows her brow and glares at Dihan. Seeing this, Dihan chuckles mischievously and says,
“—Wait, let me untangle it.”
Although Rafia feels slightly embarrassed seeing Dihan and Tripti in that situation, she smiles softly at their playful interaction. Then, to ease everyone’s awkwardness, she retreats to her room. Once Rafia leaves, everyone exhales in relief.
Dihan carefully untangles Tripti’s hair from his shirt button. As soon as she is free, Tripti stands up and says to Dihan,
“—You rascal! You embarrassed me in front of my aunt today.”
“—Oh, like I deliberately pulled you onto me!”
“—So what?”
“—You fell onto me on your own!”
Tripti says nothing more. She turns to Snigdha and says,
“—I’ll be leaving in a while, Snigdha.”
“—What? So soon?”
“—Yes, I got a call from home.”
“—Alright. I’ll arrange some food for you. Eat before you leave.”
“—What about us?”
Hearing Dihan’s question, Snigdha narrows her eyes and says,
“—Are you all leaving too?”
“—Yes, if Tripti is leaving, what’s the point of staying?”
“—Do you all have some kind of bond with Tripti?”
Hearing Ranbir’s comment, Ruhan chimes in from the side,
“—No, bro. I don’t have any bond. Seems like Dihan does. That’s why he’s talking about leaving.”
Dihan raises his eyebrows at Ruhan and says,
“—Then you stay; we’re leaving.”
“—We? Who’s ‘we’?”
Tripti asks, and Dihan replies,
“—We, meaning you and me.”
“—When did I say I’d go with you?”
“—You didn’t. I said it.”
“—I’m not going with you. Besides, where’s your Bipasha, Hotasha, Natasha?”
“—Why do you always bring up Bipasha in everything?”
“—Shouldn’t I mention your sweetheart? Who else should I bring up?”
“—You.”
“—Shut up.”
“—Finish your fight and come. Breakfast is ready. Eat first.”
At Snigdha’s call, Tripti makes a face at Dihan and heads toward the dining table. Dihan and Ruhan follow her. As they sit down to eat, Ruhan says,
“—If you all leave, what will I do here alone?”
Snigdha smiles and says,
“—Alright, do what you all think is best. But first, eat your breakfast.”
After breakfast, they bid farewell to Snigdha, Ranbir, Maria, and Rafia Begum, and head off toward their respective destinations—Ruhan, Dihan, and Tripti.
On the other hand, after their departure, a quiet calm settles over Ranbir’s house. Ranbir goes upstairs, leaving Snigdha standing with a heavy heart. Rafia Begum places her hand on Snigdha’s shoulder and says,
“—Don’t feel sad, dear. I understand you’re feeling down because they left. But don’t worry. You’ll see them every day at university.”
Hearing this, Snigdha looks at her in disbelief. Seeing her expression, Rafia smiles gently and says,
“—There’s nothing to be surprised about. Just because you’re married doesn’t mean you won’t go to university anymore. Your and Ranbir’s studies will continue as usual. This was something I discussed with Ranbir beforehand. Do you understand?”
Snigdha’s eyes fill with tears of joy. Overwhelmed with emotion, she hugs Rafia Begum. She thinks to herself,
“—A person can be this kind and good—she would never have believed it if she hadn’t seen it in her mother-in-law.”
