Chapter 88: The House That Waited
Location: Shergill Estate, Gorakhpur
Date: 2 February 1972 — Evening
By the time the car rolled past the final gate, the outside world didn't disappear—it simply stopped mattering.
The estate carried on as it always did. Lights were already on, staff moved in quiet coordination, and somewhere in the distance the kitchen had clearly been working for hours.
Karan leaned back slightly, his gaze settling on the house ahead—not studying it, just letting the familiarity settle in.
Aditya, on the other hand, leaned forward like he'd just seen freedom.
"I'm serious this time," he said, already sounding dramatic. "Tomorrow, I'm not going anywhere. No meetings, no discussions, nothing. If someone wants to talk business, they can talk to the furniture."
Karan didn't respond immediately. He let the car roll a few seconds more before speaking.
"You said that in Rajasthan," he said, tone even but quieter than usual.
"That was heatstroke," Aditya replied instantly. "This is clarity. Completely different condition."
Karan exhaled lightly through his nose. It wasn't a full laugh, but it lingered long enough to be noticed.
Aditya turned his head at once. "There. That. You almost sounded human."
"I always sound human."
"No, you sound efficient," Aditya said. Then, after a second, he leaned back and looked at him more carefully. "You've been quiet though. Not work quiet. Different."
Karan didn't answer right away.
The car slowed near the steps.
"You're not thinking about work," Aditya continued, more certain now.
"…No," Karan said.
Aditya blinked once. "Then what?"
Karan's eyes stayed ahead, but his voice dropped slightly.
"Home."
That was enough.
Aditya leaned back with a grin. "Right. So this is not my problem anymore. This is domestic."
Karan didn't deny it.
---
The car stopped.
Before he could even close the door, Leela Devi was already there.
She didn't greet him. She stepped forward, held his face, and turned it slightly toward the light.
"You've lost weight."
Karan let out a small breath. "This is the welcome?"
"Yes," she said without hesitation. "Because this is what you look like. Don't tell me you're eating properly, I can see you're not."
Her thumb brushed his cheek, familiar, assessing.
"And you're not sleeping either."
For a moment, Karan didn't respond. He just looked at her, something in his expression easing slightly.
"I've been busy," he said.
"That's not an answer."
Aditya stepped in from the side. "I was with him the entire time—"
"You look fine," she said, cutting him off without even turning.
Aditya paused. "…I'm being unfairly judged."
Karan let out a quiet breath that almost turned into a laugh.
---
Arjun approached next, calm as ever.
He didn't speak immediately, just looked at Karan for a moment.
"Everything stable?" he asked.
"Yes."
A short pause followed before Arjun stepped a little closer.
"Then leave it outside."
Karan held his gaze, understanding the meaning without needing more.
"I will."
Arjun nodded, then added quietly before turning away, "You don't have to carry everything in here."
That stayed with him.
---
And then—
Sakshi.
She hadn't moved with the others. She just stood where she was, watching him, arms loosely crossed—not defensive, just… waiting.
Karan walked toward her, slower now without realizing it.
"You took your time," she said.
"I did," he replied.
"You could've called."
"I know."
She tilted her head slightly, studying him. "That's it? No explanation, no long justification?"
"I had a few," he said. "None of them sounded convincing enough to say out loud."
That caught her off guard for half a second.
"…At least you're aware."
A strand of her hair shifted across her face in the evening breeze. Without thinking, Karan reached up and tucked it back in place. It was the kind of movement that came from habit, not intention.
She didn't react to the touch, but her expression changed slightly.
"That doesn't fix anything," she said.
"I know. I wasn't trying to fix it in one move."
From behind them, Aditya's voice cut in, "Should I leave you two alone or is this part of the public program?"
"Go inside," Sakshi said without looking at him.
"I'm going, I'm going," he muttered, already retreating.
The moment shifted, but it didn't disappear.
---
They walked inside together.
Not formally. Not deliberately close either—but their steps matched without effort, and their shoulders brushed once, then again. Neither of them adjusted.
"You've lost weight," she said after a few steps.
"My mother already said that."
"She was being polite," Sakshi replied. "I'm not. You look like you've been running on tea and stubbornness."
"I've been eating."
"That's not the same thing."
Karan glanced at her. "You've been keeping track?"
"I don't need to keep track. You come back like this every time you overdo it."
There was familiarity in the way she said it—like they'd had this conversation before.
"You're also standing closer than usual," she added after a second.
"You haven't asked me to move."
She looked at him properly then, holding his gaze just a second longer than necessary.
"…Don't get used to it."
"Too late."
That time she smiled, briefly, before looking ahead again.
---
The dining area was already loud.
Aditya had somehow managed to involve himself in an argument about rooms.
"I'm just saying, from a strategic standpoint, the balcony room makes the most sense—"
"You took it," Sakshi cut in.
"I secured it," he corrected.
"It's not your house."
"It could be. I'm adaptable."
"You're temporary," Karan said calmly.
"I heard that," Aditya shot back.
Sakshi shook her head, then glanced at Karan again.
"You always bring chaos with you."
"I don't bring him," Karan said. "He arrives."
"That's not reassuring."
A small pause settled between them, quieter than the rest of the room.
"You disappear for weeks," she said, her voice lower now, "and then come back like everything here just… resumes."
Karan shifted slightly closer—not enough to be obvious, just enough that the conversation stayed between them.
"I don't think it stops," he said. "I think it keeps going. I just… miss parts of it."
She looked at him.
"And you're okay with that?"
"No."
That answer came faster.
More honest.
It softened something in her expression, even if she didn't fully show it.
---
Later, the hallway was quieter.
Most of the noise stayed behind them.
Sakshi walked a step ahead, but not far.
Karan reached out, his fingers brushing her hand lightly before settling there more deliberately.
She slowed.
"You're doing that on purpose," she said.
"Yes."
"At least you're honest."
"I've learned that helps."
She glanced back at him, then let her hand stay where it was for a few seconds longer than necessary before easing it free as they reached the door.
---
Inside the room, the quiet settled naturally.
Not heavy.
Just… private.
Sakshi moved a few steps in before turning back toward him.
"You know what the problem is?" she said.
"I have a general idea," Karan replied.
"Then say it."
He took a moment before answering.
"I treat this like it will always be here," he said. "So I let other things take priority when they shouldn't."
She held his gaze.
"That's a polite way of saying you expect me to adjust."
"I expect you to understand," he said. "But that's not the same thing."
"And you think that makes it better?"
"No," he admitted. "I think it just makes it easier for me to ignore how it looks from your side."
That honesty slowed the tension instead of escalating it.
She exhaled quietly. "You're very calm about this today."
"I'm not calm," he said. "I just don't want to turn this into the same argument again."
A small silence followed.
Then he reached into his coat and took out the necklace.
She noticed immediately.
"You still had time for this."
"I made time for this."
She looked at it, then back at him. "You're trying to recover."
"I'm trying to not make it worse."
That earned a faint, reluctant smile.
"Turn around," he said.
She did, without arguing.
When he placed the necklace around her neck, his fingers brushed her skin, and this time he didn't rush it. He adjusted it slowly, his hand lingering just enough to be noticed.
"Cold," she said softly.
"It won't stay that way."
When she turned back, they were closer than before.
"You're still not completely out of trouble," she said.
"I know."
"But you're doing better."
"I'll take that."
She studied him for a moment, then stepped closer herself, closing the remaining distance instead of waiting for him to do it.
"You're not leaving like that again," she said quietly.
"I won't."
"You say that every time."
"And you still wait every time."
That made her pause.
She looked at him properly, whatever resistance was left softening into something warmer.
"Don't get too confident," she said.
"I'm not."
"Good."
He reached for her then, more naturally this time, his hand settling at her waist as he pulled her closer.
She didn't resist.
Didn't hesitate either.
The kiss wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't hesitant.
It felt like something familiar that had simply been missing.
When they pulled back, she stayed close, her hand still resting against him.
"That helps," she said quietly.
"A little?"
"A little."
From outside, Aditya's voice echoed loudly, "If you two don't come out in the next minute, I'm finishing everything!"
Sakshi closed her eyes briefly, smiling.
"He's serious."
"He always is about food," Karan replied.
She stepped back—but not far.
"Come on," she said.
Then paused at the door, glancing back at him with a softer expression than before.
"You recovered well."
Karan tilted his head slightly. "I adapted."
She smiled.
"Idiot."
But there was no edge left in it.
---
As they stepped back into the noise of the house, nothing felt unfinished.
For once, Karan wasn't dividing his attention between a dozen things.
He was exactly where he needed to be.