“Breakup.”
Saying that, Rupa hangs up the phone. Even after the call ends, Riyad holds the phone to his ear for a while. Since taking the oath as an advisor to the interim government, Riyad has been spending his days in extreme busyness. Finally, at 12:30 AM, as his hectic day comes to an end, he picks up his personal phone and opens a message from the one he considers his “personal person”—and it hits him like a punch to the gut. He was not at all prepared for the message he received from her. The message read:
“Today, as you took your oath, you walked over the end of our relationship. Keep your ideals. I’m done.”
Riyad immediately calls her number. When she answers, she says:
“I was waiting for your call all this time.”
“Jaan…”
Riyad softly utters.
Rupa flares up:
“Do I sound like a silly girl to you? You think I’m silly because you’re saying ‘jaan’ in that sweet tone?”
“No, you sound like a baby,” Riyad says in a teasing tone.
But Rupa responds sharply:
“I’m not joking. And you shouldn’t treat what I said as a joke. Since you’ve made a mistake, pay for it. As payment, from this moment, I’m ending our relationship.”
“What do you mean?”
Riyad is shocked. He still can’t believe what Rupa is saying.
In a firm voice, Rupa says:
“Exactly what you heard. I don’t want a minister in my life. I’m a simple person. The one I chose to be with was a simple man. I wanted to spend my life with that ordinary Riyad. But that’s no longer possible. Because now Riyad isn’t ordinary anymore. He’s an advisor now. He’s a hero to the nation. But I don’t need a national hero. I just need the hero of my own life. Since that’s no longer possible, I’m ending everything between us. I hope you’ll accept it gracefully. Don’t try to contact me again.”
Riyad is left stunned. He listens in disbelief.
Rupa pauses for a moment, then firmly says again:
“Breakup.”
Hearing that final word from her, Riyad is even more shocked. Her tone made it clear—she was serious.
He slowly sits down in disbelief, staring at the phone screen. His eyes fixate on the contact saved as “Personal Person.” After some time, he calls her number again only to discover—she has blocked him. On WhatsApp and every other platform, she’s blocked him.
Midnight.
A knock on the door startles Rupa. She’s alone in the house, so fear is natural. As the knocking continues, her fear doubles. She composes herself and tries to ask in a normal voice:
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Riyad’s voice removes her fear instantly.
When Rupa remains silent, Riyad says:
“Open the door.”
She wasn’t expecting him at this hour, so she gets a bit disoriented. Upon hearing his voice, she calms herself and says:
“Impossible. You…”
Riyad interrupts:
“I know you’re alone. Arju and Rayna aren’t home. So don’t use their names as excuses. Just open the door.”
“I don’t need to use anyone’s name. Why would I open the door for a stranger?”
Rupa’s voice is firm. Riyad is quiet for a moment, then calmly says:
“Stranger?”
“Yes.”
Her voice is now calm, but that word makes Riyad angry. He controls himself and says:
“Are you opening the door or not?”
“No.”
A one-word reply. Riyad replies in a stern voice:
“Alright. Then I’ll sit here. I’ll spend the night right here.”
And he really does sit down against the door. Rupa says from inside:
“You won’t fix anything this way. I don’t want a relationship with an advisor. So stop being stubborn and go home.”
“Is stubbornness your personal property that no one else can show it? I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay here all night.”
“Do whatever you want.”
Saying this, Rupa goes and sits on the bed. Silence takes over both of them. One is inside, the other outside. Both hearts are storming. An hour passes like this.
Rupa wonders:
“Is he still sitting there? Why is there no sound?”
She gets up and quietly walks to the door. Her heart is restless. Trying to calm herself, she opens the door. Hearing the sound, Riyad stands up. He looks into her eyes.
Rupa, calm and collected, says:
“What’s your problem?”
“What’s your problem?”
Riyad asks and steps inside.
Rupa moves aside to let him in. Riyad walks in, takes off his mask, cap, and sunglasses, and places them on the bed. Then says:
“You’re ending the relationship, blocking me everywhere, calling me ‘you’ instead of ‘you’ (informal vs formal Bengali)… What’s going on with you?”
“I’ve said what I had to. I don’t think anything more needs to be said.”
She tries to keep her tone normal. Riyad says:
“Then why were you crying?”
“What?”
Rupa is confused. Riyad laughs softly and says:
“Your tears may have dried, but the stains are still there. I’m sure you started crying right after blocking me. That’s why I rushed over.”
“Why did you rush over?”
Rupa asks, dumbfounded. Riyad smiles:
“Because I love this silly version of you the most.”
“I’m not silly.”
She pretends to be angry. Riyad quickly replies:
“I know. You’re not just silly—you’re everything. That’s why I love the whole of you even more. Mature, immature, everything combined.”
“So you came here in the middle of the night just to say all this nonsense?”
Rupa says in irritation. Riyad doesn’t respond. Instead, he goes to the door and closes it.
Rupa stares in surprise. Riyad smiles sweetly and says:
“I came to stay.”
“You’ve lost your mind…”
Before she can finish, Riyad puts a finger on her lips and silences her. Her eyes stare at him in shock.
Riyad gently says:
“Even I can get angry. So stop this formal tone with me.”
“To hell with your anger.”
She pushes his hand away. Riyad calmly replies:
“I know that too.”
“Now leave.”
Rupa says in a harsh voice. Riyad teases:
“What if I don’t?”
“Are you leaving or not?”
She raises her voice a bit. Riyad begins to reply, but she cuts him off, angry:
“Don’t you understand plain Bengali? Get lost. I said it’s over between us. There’s nothing left. So what’s with this drama in the middle of the night…”
Before she finishes, Riyad grabs her arm tightly and pulls her toward him. Shocked, Rupa stares at him. Though Riyad’s eyes show anger, his voice is gentle:
“Is it that easy to end everything? Just say it and it’s over?”
As she starts to speak, he cuts her off:
“No. Not this time. I’ll speak, and you’ll listen.”
Rupa stays silent.
Riyad continues:
“This is love. You can’t just say it’s over and be done. It’s not that simple.”
“Love that loses to power—what kind of love is that?”
That line pierces Riyad. He lets go of her arm and says helplessly:
“What did you just say?”
“I said the truth. I told you again and again, I don’t like politics. But did you listen? No. Now power matters more to you. What good is love anymore?”
Riyad steps back. Rupa continues:
“Seriously. What use is a simple girl’s love to you now? You’re a superstar. Girls will go crazy for you. When you have power, love comes knocking at your door.”
“You’re misunderstanding me.”
Riyad softly says. Rupa doesn’t reply. She turns away and wipes a tear from her eye.
Riyad gently adds:
“I’m not hungry for power. I just wanted to stand up for reform, for justice…”
“Stop. You don’t need to explain anything to me. I might be wrong, but power changes people. It rarely makes anyone better, but often makes the good turn bad.”
Riyad tries to reply, but Rupa doesn’t let him:
“I don’t want to hear anything about right or wrong. I don’t like politics. So it’s either me in your life—or politics.”
“You’re complicating a simple issue, Rupa.”
“Let me live with my complicated thoughts. Let me be me.”
“You want to burn my heart and live your life peacefully?”
Rupa looks into his eyes and calmly says:
“I don’t need an extraordinary man in my life. Not someone who has to wear a mask, cap, and sunglasses to come see me. If that burns your heart, so be it. I don’t care. I want to end it here.”
Riyad instantly responds:
“That’s not possible. You can’t just end it because you want to.”
“If I don’t want to continue the relationship, what power do you have to force me?”
Without saying a word, Riyad takes out his phone, pulls something out, and holds it in front of her.
“I hope now you have your answer.”
