Junak's parents left the next day.
Everyone gathered on the front lawn to bid them goodbye, including Dikhou's family. Dikhou did not know what exactly had changed but something had. His mother was still cold and distant but conversed with Junak's parents and, at one point last night, she was smiling at something Junak was saying. Coming from the woman who had despised that family for years, it was monumental.
"Dikhou." Junak's father was a strange man. In a good way. In the way that Dikhou could understand why he had been best friends with his father. "If you ever need my help with anything, call me."
Dikhou nodded. Last night, that man had sat with Dikhou for over an hour, recounting days from years ago. He told him about his father's childhood days, college days and the days before Dikhou was born. Dikhou lapped it all up, feeling strangely closer to his father. "Thank you, taoi."
"Same goes to the both of you," Junak's father added to Dikhou's sisters who curtly nodded and thanked him. The man then bid goodbye to Dikhou's mother - who formally returned her regards - Junak's friends, Jatin, Priti and then finally turned to his parents.
He touched his mother's feet but not his father's. "Goodbye, Ma. Deuta."
The sorrow on Grandpa's face was stark clear as he weakly nodded. "It was good to see you."
His son looked away. "Take care of your health."
Junak's mother interceded in the tense moment by walking past her husband and touching her in-law's feet. She smiled and thanked them for their hospitality.
"You're not coming with us, Puhor?" his father asked.
"Nah. I've got nothing to do in Guwahati. Plus, they need me for their film." Puhor threw an arm around Junak who made a face and shoved him away.
Dikhou smiled at the sight.
Junak was happy, there, surrounded by his family. Dikhou had been nervous when he called Junak's parents but he was glad he did. His guess had been right - Junak, that adorable little fucker, had trouble communicating. And, he was a drama queen.
Even now, he was pretending to be annoyed but it was a poor attempt. He hugged his mother goodbye and gave an awkward wave to his father.
Junak's father chuckled and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Good luck with your film."
"Thanks, Papa."
"And," he glanced at Dikhou, "be good to Dikhou."
Junak went a bright shade of red just as Dikhou pretty much died from embarrassment. He could not believe the man just said that, so casually, out loud in front of everyone. His mother and Junak's grandparents included!
And, as if that wasn't enough, Kopili said, "I wish I get such a cool father-in-law."
"I have a girlfriend already, sorry," Puhor replied and dear god, when had they become so cool so as to have these kinds of conversations in front of their parents?
Speaking of parents, Junak's mother made a sad face and said, "Sorry, we are out of sons."
"Geez!" Junak cried, stepping back from his father and glaring at his mother. He was pouting in a vain attempt to hide his blush. "I will," he said. "Go now. Bye."
Junak's mother waved at everyone one last time and then they were off.
The people on the lawn watched the car vanish up the highway.
Dikhou watched Junak. A voice in his head reminded him that it would be Junak's car vanishing from his sight in a few days. He gulped it down and let his eyes savour what was in front of him for now.
***
If it were up to Dikhou, he would have spent every minute with Junak. But turned out, it was not up to him because Junak refused to be seen with or near him in public. Even on their front yards.
And considering they shot their film outside, Dikhou had to stay away for most of the time.
When Junak was not shooting, however, he pulled Dikhou into his room and they kissed. A lot.
And there were times when they wanted to do more but, with a dozen other people in the house, they kept getting interrupted. All the time.
"Junak, for fuck's sake, man." Puhor was shouting from the other side of the door, his hand banging against the wood. "I need Dikhou's help in wearing this stupid dhuti."
Junak seemed perfectly content in pretending he wasn't hearing anything but Dikhou could not just ignore the giant man outside. He broke off the kiss. "We need to stop."
"Fuck him," Junak said from where he sat on Dikhou's lap and kissed him again. With his body on fire and the taste of that man on his lips, Dikhou was in no position to refuse.
"And Banhi is looking for you too, Junak," Puhor cried. "She needs help carrying the equipment."
"Jun-"
"Shush," Junak whispered against Dikhou's lips. "He'll go away."
Dikhou pulled away from Junak's embrace and leaned back on his hands. "You have work."
Junak pouted as if wounded, making a pretty good case with his flushed cheeks and swollen lips.
"If you don't open the door right now," Puhor said, "I will go fetch aita and then have fun telling her what you and Dikhou were doing in there."
As far as threats went, that was scary enough to make Junak groan and climb off of Dikhou. "I hate you," he told Puhor the moment he opened the door.
"Same." Puhor walked in, dragging the dhuti along his feet. He was wearing one of Dikhou's muga shirts, that was small enough on his frame to strain against his well-toned muscles. "I think I got the knot wrong, man."
Dikhou's blood was still roaring in his ears. He slid to the edge of the bed and eyed the mess at Puhor's waist. "What have you done to it? Take it off."
"DO NOT TAKE OFF ANYTHING IN FRONT OF MY MAN," Junak cried.
It might have been stupid but Dikhou felt giddily happy about being referred to as Junak's.
Puhor smirked at his brother and made a dramatic show of unwrapping the dhuti until he was standing in his boxers.
"I HATE YOU SO MUCH-"
"JUNAK!" Banhi shouted from across the hall. "Get your ass down here, right now. You were supposed to be at the riverside with Niri ten minutes ago."
"Geez, Banhi, I'm coming!"
"Moi morile he ahibi neki, kela," she yelled back, which loosely translated to will you come only after I die... followed by a curse that was absolutely not appropriate to shout across a house.
"Oh my god, Banhi, don't yell that word in my grandparents' house!" Junak shouted back.
Puhor laughed. "I taught her that."
Dikhou was not even surprised at this point. He beckoned Puhor closer and tied the dhuti for him. Junak stayed there the whole time, glaring at his brother, and moved only when Dikhou was done.
"Thanks." Puhor reminded Junak how epically late he was, then walked out of the room.
Dikhou caught Junak by the wrist and pulled him closer, between his knees. "You're being weird."
"I just want to be with you without interruptions," he whined.
Dikhou could not agree more. "You've got work."
Junak looked distressed as he nodded.
Dikhou kissed his cheek. "I'll be here when you get back."
"Will you," Junak bit his lip, "stay the night?"
Dikhou wanted to, but he did not know how to get his mother's permission without... making it weird. "We'll see."
Junak sighed and turned to leave. Dikhou watched as he slung his camera around his neck, picked up a tripod and walked out of the room. He was usually really excited before and after his shoots but, for some reason, he looked dejected that day.
Dikhou fell back on the bed that still smelled of Junak and closed his eyes. It was mid-evening, with the sun approaching the horizon. The room was starting to darken but the sky outside was a brilliant different hue of red and blue.
When he opened his eyes, the room was dark but faint light poured in from the window so it must have been half an hour or so since he fell asleep. Since Junak left.
Half an hour was not nearly enough time to finish a shoot so he knew something was wrong when he spotted Junak near the door.
"W-What are you doing here?" Junak's voice was hoarse, like he had been crying. "I - I thought you left."
Dikhou was on his feet in an instant. "Jun, what... what hap-"
Junak ran into his arms, clutched onto him in a death grip and broke down into tears.
Dread filled Dikhou's chest. He tucked Junak under his chin and tapped a soothing rhythm at the back of his head. "What happened?"
Instead of answering, Junak tightened his hold on Dikhou.
Several potential scenarios ran through his mind as Junak sobbed into his chest, wrecking his heart, turning his veins to ice. There was one question, in particular, he wanted to ask - did those guys hurt you again - but he did not have the strength to say it out loud.
So he just held Junak, hoping it would be enough.
The last streaks of sunlight faded from the world, bathing them in darkness. From somewhere outside, artificial light flittered into the room, highlighting their silhouettes.
Junak took a deep, shaky breath and slowly untangled himself from Dikhou. "Thank you."
Why are you thanking me, I didn't even do anything, he wanted to say but it sounded insignificant even in his own head. So he instead pulled Junak to the bed and sat him down at the edge. Dikhou then knelt in front of him and took his hands in his. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"
Junak did not answer. His breathing was fast and uneven and he kept his head downcast.
"Talk to me, Jun. Please."
Junak's fingers wound tighter around Dikhou's. "We were... we were s-shooting by the river. I - I freaked out. O-On seeing it."
"The river?"
"I - I know it's s-stupid-"
"No, hey." Dikhou inched closer, his hips pressing into Junak's knees. "I didn't say that."
"No but I - I know it's - oh god." Junak raised Dikhou's hands and pressed his knuckles to his eyes. His eyelashes were wet against Dikhou's skin. "I - I keep thinking about t-that... that day. They - they asked me to j-jump. And I... I thought..."
Dikhou caught Junak in his embrace, knowing it was useless but what else could he do? He had been thinking about it too - how he hadn't been there for Junak and what could have happened if Niribili and Puhor hadn't reached him on time. The fear suffocated him, made him want to scream and cry and hold Junak against his body in a vain effort to keep him safe. "You're okay now, Jun. You're here. You're safe."
Junak's forehead rested on Dikhou's chest, over his damp shirt. "I - I used to... l-like the river." He reached up to bury his fingers in Dikhou's hair. "We... we had good memories there."
Dikhou barely managed to not break down himself. His voice cracked when he said, "We did." He then pulled back, very slightly, to hold Junak's face in his hands. "If it were up to me," he whispered, "I would walk with you to the riverside - to our spot - and kiss you till my lips hurt."
For a fleeting second, Dikhou thought he had succeeded in lifting his mood, but Junak clutched onto him and said, "We can't!"
Because Dikhou was desperate to make him feel better, he said, "We can."
"No!" Panic laced Junak's words. "No, Dikhou, no. I - they..." He was gasping again. "I don't want them to - to hurt you. I - I am s-scared they'll hurt you."
"No, no, Jun, deha, I was kidding."
Junak did not seem convinced. "N-No, but I am serious. I - I don't know if w-what I've done is enough. If they - if they suspect anything. I - god, Dikhou!" Tears streamed down his cheeks and Dikhou was drowning in them. "I'm r-really scared."
Oh how Dikhou wanted to grab those guys by the neck and kick them till they were begging for forgiveness. "They don't suspect anything, deha. We've been careful. Trust me."
Junak caught Dikhou by the collar of his shirt and said, "Come with me."
"What?"
"C-Come with me. To the US."
Dikhou almost choked. The yes was right there, ingrained in every inch of his body, crawling through his skin. Yes, he wanted to say. Yes, Junak, yes, yes, yes. "I can't."
"Yes, you can," Junak insisted. Though Dikhou could not see his face in the dark, he reeked of desperation. "Y-You can stay with me. And - and you're smart and y-your English is great, you'll surely get a job."
Dikhou had spent many, many nights imagining this. What it would've been like if they had met somewhere else, somewhere they did not need to hide, somewhere they had a future. "I can't go, Jun."
"Why not?" Junak sounded weak, defeated, small.
"I have my family here. I can't leave them."
Junak was silent for a beat, then he said, "Jiri-ba doesn't live here."
This conversation was all knives and daggers. "She lives four hours away, not on the other side of the world."
"But-"
"I have to be here for Kopili-ba's marriage. And I have to look after Ma. And there's Lohor too."
Junak was tense in his arms. When he spoke again, it was almost a hiss, "It sounds like reverse sexism to me. Why can your sisters leave but you can't?"
Dikhou had all his breath knocked out of him. This... this was a dangerous line of thinking, one that would only bring pain and anger but no solution. "It is what it is, Jun."
"But it's not fair!"
It wasn't, but Dikhou could not admit it. "Let's not talk about this, deha." He leaned forward and touched their foreheads together. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."
Junak spread his knees and pulled Dikhou closer to himself. "Okay," he said, though he did sound convinced.
Dikhou wished he could do more, wished he could say yes, wished they had more time... but that was all they were: wishes. He could do nothing to change it and, with each passing moment, he knew they were closer to the inevitable goodbye.
He was not ready. Nowhere close to ready.
He kissed Junak who readily opened his mouth to him, his hands tugging at his hair.
Dikhou caught him by the waist and hoisted him down on the bed and climbed up on top of him. Junak whimpered against his lips as Dikhou slid his hands under his shirt, his fingers cold against Junak's burning skin.
There was so much of Junak yet unexplored underneath him and so little time, Dikhou did not know what to do with it. With his hands. With his lips. With his body. With all the want tearing at his seams.
He wanted more time, to kiss Junak's fingertips and then every inch of his skin. He wanted more time, to trace his fingers through the hills and valleys of Junak's body. He wanted more time, to lie next to Junak and listen to him talk and laugh. He wanted more time, to... to love him.
But time was the one thing they did not have. He could not muster the courage to ask Junak, so he had asked Niribili how long their shooting was going to last. Around two more days, she had said.
Two more days.
Mere moments that would pass with the blink of an eye.
Dikhou trailed his hand down Junak's stomach and rested it against his waistband. "Can I?"
Junak trembled under him, his body arching up to meet him. "Y-Yes, please."
Dikhou was delirious with want and pleasure. He caught Junak's mouth in a deep kiss as he slipped his hand inside his pants.
Junak let out a strangled sound, followed by a guttural moan of Dikhou's name that seared itself into Dikhou's mind, pushing away what was left of his restraint. He smiled into Junak's jaw and -
Bright light flooded into the room, harsh and offensive.
Dikhou rolled off of Junak, grabbed a pillow and bashed his face on it because what else could he do?
"I'm so sorry." Niribili stood at the door, one hand raised towards the light switch, the other holding Junak's camera. "The door was unlocked and the lights were off so I thought no one was here."
Was it sad that this seemed to happen so often Dikhou no longer felt an ounce of shame?
Junak had his eyes covered by the crook of his elbow. "I'm going to cry now," he whined.
Dikhou shared the sentiment.
~~~
A/n
Deha is a term of endearment, sort of like 'my heart' or 'my love' (all the words new to you are explained in the glossary btw so check it out whenever).