Raima was concerned about Natasha’s annoyance for not making time for her. She had been busy with the court case and subsequently with family and public engagements. 

This got to Natasha and she made overtures to Arjun. It unsettled Raima because she knew that despite being gay, Natasha made an exception for good-looking men. A handsome man with an athletic body, Arjun was also well-mannered, a thoroughbred professional and an ace footballer for Bombay Gymkhana.

Natasha had eyed Arjun since the time they had studied Architecture at the JJ College of Architecture. He was a prize catch but for him being married.

Should she not warn Harry about this, wondered Raima. Or talk to Swapna, as she was miffed at Harry. Unable to make up her mind, she ended up calling Shom instead. 

From the awkwardness in his tone, Raima knew that Shom was not alone. They were not capable of hiding anything from each other. Realising that she had only been seeking an excuse to talk to him, she terminated the call. 

Raima was in a foul mood now and she cursed herself for the faux pas. She felt jealous as she could sense Anita’s presence when on the line with Shom. It didn’t help matters that she had no one to turn to. Pitamaha and Anuradha were on the flight to Calcutta. Arjun and Natasha happened to be on the same flight. She was still bugged with Harry but left with no option, she barged into his room without as much as knocking on the door. 

“I am in a very bad mood,” she warned him. 

He looked at her with a smile. “So it seems,” he said in a welcoming tone, covering his bare chest with a towel.

“What do you think of yourself? You think money can buy you everything? I don’t want your sympathy and money can’t buy love. I don’t know what made me call Shom.”

Harry allowed her to vent out her anger completely. He then asked her to take a deep breath and relax.

“We will sort things out,” he said as he began to give her a head massage.

The massage calmed down Raima. She felt that Harry really loved and cared for her.

“Now,” said Harry interrupting her thoughts, “realise that all that you have gone through was destined to happen. A lot of excitement in a short span of time, from getting back with Natasha to putting Rathin Nandi behind bars, winning the court case, reuniting with your family and becoming famous.”

“But you went through all that with me, why hasn’t it affected you?” she interrupted.

“I don’t take anything to heart because I am not the doer, just an observer. Things will happen as they are destined to. Your life story is tailored for your good. Fight it or have faith and go with the flow, the choice is yours.”

“I don’t understand.”

“By fighting your fate you are only exhausting yourself with anxiety. Accept your fate and leverage it to your advantage instead.”

This time Raima heard out Harry patiently. Then she told him about Natasha and Arjun getting together. 

Harry looked concerned but said, “Arjun is sensible and mature, he knows what he is getting into. If he runs into a problem, he will certainly involve me. Nonetheless, I will inform Swapna about this development.”

Looking at the clock, Harry assumed that Arjun would have landed in Calcutta and called him.

“You did not tell me Natasha was with you. Nor did I see her with you.”

“She is quite upset. She checked in earlier to avoid being spotted by the Senguptas. I was about to tell you when you introduced me to Ravindra and Anuradha at the airport and left.”

“Don’t hurt her in any way,” advised Harry before Raima snatched the phone from him. 

“Arjun, be careful, let her not take advantage of you,” cautioned Raima. 

“I have known about Natasha for a long time. She had the hots for me then, and now again because you ditched her. I will keep her calm and happy till you are back from Jaipur. Tell dad not to worry. I am a married man and I know how to handle these things. We are at the baggage carousel, so I can’t talk much.”

“Thanks, that’s all I wanted to know,” said Raima relieved. 

“By the way, your dear aunt is right here and she wants to speak with you.”

Anuradha came on the line. “Sanjib is meeting us at the airport. Pitamaha prefers it here rather than at home. Thank you Raima for making this happen. I am so happy.”

Raima was thrilled to hear that. After the call ended, she settled down on a couch in the room. Harry was glad to see her in a good mood, but soon the elation began to wear off. He noticed some hesitation in her as they talked about love between soulmates.

“There’s something else you want to tell me, spill it out,” said Harry. 

Raima was hesitant about telling Harry what had transpired with Shom a while earlier. When she eventually did, Harry knew it was the purity of her thoughts overcoming the anger.

“When you have done something you don’t like, don’t be angry with yourself. It’s Him controlling your ego,” said Harry.  

Raima felt calm after the interaction. She hugged Harry in gratitude.

To be continued…