Maybe

Suparna was coming for dinner. Tonight, after so long. It had been almost three years since he had last seen her. Shashank was busy preparing dinner. He had taken extra care to chop the spring onions just right, and was now sautéing it in oil seasoned with some mustard seeds. He smiled, thinking "the last time I asked her home, for dinner, I only knew how to make Maggi." That had been some dinner, and he had almost told her how he felt. Almost. He added the spices - some cumin seeds, dry coconut powder, a few red chillies and continued to stir. He had sat across the dinner table, mesmerized, by her every action. He added a dash of salt. She had worn an elegant black crepe dress. "Your cooking is out of this world Shashank!" He could still hear her laughter, ringing in his ears. He emptied the bowl of cooked rice into the pan and mixed the two up nicely. "Ah! This is done. Now for the chicken."

He had shopped for an hour that evening for the ingredients. After a tiring meeting with the clients, he was drained of all energy. But the prospect of getting to see her again had been enough to make him walk all the way to the market on a scorching summer evening. He mixed the cornstarch, chicken broth, honey and mustard and stirred a little. She had spoken, suddenly, "Shashank, I have got admission into Havard, for the MBA program. I am leaving tomorrow night." "Oh! That's great. Congrats! You have been working towards that for a long time. I am very happy for you." He had been happy, and he had been sad. He was now sautéing the chicken breasts in butter. She had kept in touch, writing occasional letters and emails. In the last letter she had written to him that she was getting engaged.

The chicken turned brownish. He added the cornstarch mixture, and continued cooking it. "If only I had... Now it is too late." The gravy soon thickened, and came to a boil. "Done." He turned the burner off. He went to the room, and began arranging things on the dining table. "I should have told her that night." Two candles, two crystal glasses, a bottle of white wine, and his solitary bone china dinner set. He placed everything precisely in its place, dressing up the table to perfection. "Maybe... She has never met this guy she is getting engaged to. Maybe it's because her parents... Maybe" He placed the food on the table. He had always had trouble speaking his mind. And he had never spoken his heart. Not ever. "Oh, but I must tonight. I must tell her."

The door bell rang.

Disclaimer: All portrayed events and characters are completely fictional and any similarity to real events and people, living or dead, is unintended and purely coincidental.