After that rainy evening, sujit noticed something strange about himself.
His days were still the same—waking up early, opening the shop, arranging items on the shelves, and helping customers. But inside, something had changed.
He often found himself thinking about khepi.
Her quiet voice.
Her sad smile.
And the loneliness in her eyes.
For three days, she didn't come to the shop.
Sujit tried not to think about it too much. After all, she was just a customer. There was no reason for him to wait for her.
But every time the shop door opened, he still looked up.
Maybe it was her.
But it never was.
On the fourth day, the sky was cloudy and the air felt heavy.
Sujit was standing near the counter when the door opened again.
He looked up automatically.
And there she was.
Khepi.
She stepped inside slowly, wearing a simple white saree with a blue border. Her face looked calm, but her eyes still carried the same quiet sadness.
Sujit felt a strange relief.
"You didn't come for a few days," he said softly.
Khepi looked a little surprised.
"Did you notice?" she asked.
Sujit smiled awkwardly.
"When someone comes regularly, it's easy to notice when they stop coming."
Khepi gave a small smile.
"I was busy," she said.
"What do you need today?" sujit asked.
"Just tea," she replied.
Sujit handed her the packet, but khepi didn't leave immediately.
Instead, she stood there quietly as if she wanted to say something.
Finally she spoke.
"sujut… can I ask you something?"
"Yes," Sujit said.
"Do you think two strangers can become good friends?"
Sujit thought for a moment.
"Yes," he said. "Sometimes strangers understand us better than people we already know."
Khepi looked at him carefully, as if his answer meant more than just a simple reply.
Then she sighed softly.
"sujit… there's something I should tell you."
Sujit felt curious.
"What is it?"
Khepi hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I'm married."
The words hung in the air.
Sujit blinked in surprise.
For a few seconds he didn't know how to react.
Married?
He had never thought about that.
Maybe because khepi never mentioned her husband.
Maybe because she always seemed so alone.
Sujit forced a small smile.
"Oh… I see."
Khepi looked down at the counter.
"You didn't know, right?"
Sujit shook his head.
"No."
There was a short silence between them.
Finally sujit asked gently,
"Your husband… does he live here?"
Khepi nodded.
"Yes."
Sujit didn't ask anything else.
But inside his mind, many questions appeared.
If she was married… why did she always look so sad?
Why did she spend time talking to him?
As if she could read his thoughts, khepi spoke again.
"My marriage isn't a happy one."
Sujit looked at her quietly.
Khepi's voice became softer.
"My husband cares more about work and money than anything else. We hardly talk."
Sujit didn't know what to say.
He had never experienced marriage or relationships before.
But he could understand loneliness.
Because he had felt it many times in his own life.
Khepi looked at sujit again.
"I hope knowing this doesn't make things strange between us."
Sujit shook his head.
"No… why would it?"
Khepi gave a small smile.
"Because sometimes people judge things they don't understand."
Sujit looked at her seriously.
"I'm not judging you."
For a moment, khepi's expression softened.
She looked almost relieved.
"Thank you," she said.
Then she picked up the tea packet and walked toward the door.
Before leaving, she stopped and turned around.
"sujit," she said softly.
"Yes?"
"I'm glad I met you."
Sujit felt his heart beat faster.
"I'm glad too," he replied.
Khepi smiled gently and walked away down the quiet street.
Sujit watched her disappear into the distance.
Now he knew the truth.
Khepi was married.
But somehow, knowing that truth didn't push her away from his thoughts.
Instead, it made everything more complicated.
Sujit didn't realize it yet…
But his heart was slowly walking toward a path filled with pain.
Because sometimes the most dangerous feelings are the ones we never planned to have.