The rainy evening stayed in sujit's mind for many days.
He couldn't forget the way khepi had looked that day—standing quietly in the rain, her eyes full of something that looked like pain and loneliness.
After that evening, khepi didn't come to the shop for three days.
At first sujit told himself it didn't matter. Customers came and went every day. There was no reason to think too much about one person.
But somehow… he did.
Every time the shop door opened, sujit looked up with a small hope in his heart.
Maybe it was her.
But every time, it was someone else.
An old man buying rice.
A mother buying milk for her child.
A worker buying cigarettes.
But not khepi.
By the fourth day, sujit felt a strange emptiness he didn't understand.
Mr. Shubhashis noticed him standing near the door again.
"sujit," he said loudly, "customers won't appear just because you stare at the road."
Sujit quickly returned to stacking packets on the shelves.
"Yes, sir."
But his mind was somewhere else.
Late that afternoon, when the sky was slowly turning orange, the shop door opened again.
Sujit looked up automatically.
And this time… it was her.
Khepi.
She stepped inside quietly, wearing a light green saree. Her hair was tied loosely, and her face looked a little pale.
For a moment sujit simply stared at her.
Then he quickly smiled.
"You didn't come for many days," he said before he could stop himself.
Khepi looked slightly surprised.
"Did you notice?" she asked softly.
Sujit felt embarrassed.
"I mean… customers come regularly. When someone stops coming, it becomes noticeable."
Khepi gave a faint smile but didn't say anything.
"What do you need today?" sujit asked.
"Just some tea," she replied.
Sujut handed her the packet.
But this time khepi didn't leave immediately.
She stood near the counter quietly.
Finally she said, "sujit… can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Do you believe that life can trap people in situations they never wanted?"
Sujit thought for a moment.
"I think life can be unfair sometimes," he said slowly. "But I believe people still try to make the best of it."
Khepi looked down at the counter.
"Sometimes trying isn't enough."
Her voice sounded heavy.
Sujit felt concerned.
"Did something happen?" he asked gently.
For a moment
Khepi looked like she was deciding whether to say something or not.
Then she spoke.
"sujit… there's something you should know about me."
Sujit felt his heart beat faster.
"What is it?"
Khepi looked at him directly for the first time that day.
"I'm married."
The words fell into the silence of the shop like a stone dropped into water.
Sujit froze.
For a few seconds, he didn't know what to say.
Married?
Somehow he had never thought about that possibility.
Maybe because khepi never talked about her family.
Maybe because she always seemed so lonely.
Sujit forced a small smile.
"Oh… I see."
Khepi watched his reaction carefully.
"You didn't know?"
Sujit shook his head.
"No."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Finally sujit asked quietly, "Your husband… does he live here too?"
Khepi's expression changed slightly.
"Yes," she replied. "He does."
Sujit nodded slowly.
Something inside his chest felt strange.
A small disappointment he couldn't explain.
But he quickly pushed that feeling away.
It wasn't his place to feel anything.
Khepi was just a customer.
Just a friend.
Still… something about the situation didn't feel normal.
If she was married, why did she always look so lonely?
Why did she come to the shop just to talk?
As if reading his thoughts, khepi spoke again.
"My marriage… is not a happy one."
Sujit looked at her carefully.
Khepi's eyes looked distant again.
"My husband is a busy man," she continued. "He cares more about money and reputation than people."
Sujit didn't know what to say.
He had never been in a situation like this before.
Khepi gave a small sad smile.
"Don't worry. I'm not telling you this to make you uncomfortable."
Sujit shook his head quickly.
"No… it's okay."
But inside, his thoughts were becoming complicated.
Now everything felt different.
Before, their conversations had felt simple.
Now there was a wall between them.
A wall built by reality.
Khepi picked up the tea packet and prepared to leave.
Before walking out, she stopped near the door.
"sujit," she said softly.
"Yes?"
"I hope our friendship doesn't become strange now that you know the truth."
Sujit looked at her for a moment.
Then he smiled gently.
"A friendship shouldn't change because of the truth."
For the first time that day, khepi's smile looked a little more real.
"Thank you," she said.
Then she stepped outside into the evening light and walked away.
Sujit watched her disappear down the street again.
But this time his mind was filled with new thoughts.
Khepi was married.
And yet she looked so unhappy.
Sujit didn't realize it yet…
But learning that truth would make his feelings far more dangerous.
Because sometimes the heart doesn't care about rules.
Sometimes it doesn't care about reality.
And sujit was slowly walking toward a love that could only bring pain.