MILKSHAKES

FOR SALE

Olive Chaudhuri
 PREFACE

Sitara Sagar orders a milkshake in the middle of the night and Shaurya Roy
delivers it to her.
Continue travelling along with them in their journey towards love. I hope
you’ll have fun while reading it, or that this story will make you smile
atleast once. I wanted to write a comfort book, without drama and the
negativity of life. Of course, life is not life without the obstacles, little
confusions and daily battles but I wanted to write something as a form of
escapism, into the world of harmless love. I hope I did justice to my motive.

Then, I also wanted to talk about a matter that concerned me a lot which is
the taboo surrounding periods and period shame. I didn't want to go too
deep into it but also wanted to make an impact on the readers, no matter the
size — big or small. I hope I did that.

I wanted to address the amazing people who have supported me from the
first chapter till the last. i think i don't have to mention y'all because you
know who you are. you will always be someone close to my heart. so
precious to me.
 CHAPTER 1 : CARAMEL

—--------------- Sitara —-----------------

I RIPPED THE heating patch from its sheet and stuck it on my lower
stomach. The warmth that flooded through me made me sag against the
pillows with a sigh. I pulled the covers back onto me and closed my eyes.
The current position I was in turned me temporarily ignorant to the pain but
when I shifted just a bit, the pain flickered back in my stomach like a wave
of shock. I groaned and decided that this was not going to do it.
I craved a milkshake. Preferably a large-sized serve of Caramel Carnival
with an extra drizzle of chocolate syrup from Shake it Off. I just needed
something to comfort me.

I tapped the mousepad of my laptop and 11:34 pm flashed above a picture

of Hrithik Roshan and his starry blue eyes. My situation seemed beyond
pathetic —a twenty-four year old woman, craving a milkshake at midnight
because her period cramps wouldn't let her sleep. I wanted to cry.

If only I had a boyfriend who bought me chocolates and ice cream;

smothered me with warm cuddles on the couch and kissed my forehead to
make me forget the pain, and didn't mind watching soppy Malayalam
movies with me.

If only I had a boyfriend at all.

Scratch that. If only I hadn't watched way too many K-dramas and TV
shows to build these useless hopes. Shame on me.

I decided that sitting in bed wouldn't do it so I opened the door so slowly, a

micro-inch at a time when it was 30-degrees ajar, because that was when
the hinges usually let out a god-awful creak. Successfully done with
opening the door just enough to let me out, I tip-toed out and followed the
same slow-mo routine to shut the door back. I cringed at the short squeal it
made and prayed Ma didn't hear the noise and march out outside to
investigate.

It was not like I wasn't allowed to step out of the room after the lights were
off or I was bound under other non-existent child curfews. It was because if
they heard me, I knew exactly what would happen. My parents will hold me
in interrogation as to why I was outside, what I needed, why I needed it and
most of the time, the discussion would be saved to be continued in the
morning over coffee and news readings. My parents loved asking questions
but I hated answering them. So, I made sure I never gave them an
opportunity. Simple.

I trailed towards the fridge to check for milk in the hopes of making my
own milkshake. And only when I saw the complete lack of it, I remembered
Ma using all of it to make milk kovas for the new neighbours who had
moved in today. She really had no other job nowadays.

Having already pictured the milkshake in my hands, my tongue begged for

the taste of that caramel-chocolate duo.

I called Aisha.
"Arre yaar, I sent all the marketing data again. I spent three hours on it and
if you tell me something is missing, I am going to bawl my eyes out," she
said as soon as she picked up the call. There wasn't an ounce of tiredness in
her voice. No wonder we call ourselves the nocturnals.

"Shut up, I'm not calling about that," I said, though the picture she created
in my mind was tempting. Watching Aisha cry would be a once in a lifetime
opportunity. "Do you know any milkshake shops open 24/7?"

"Yeah. Sunset Pier. Why do you ask?"

"Cravings," I answered and she gave me an ah of understanding. I thanked
her and then spammed kisses on her Whatsapp when I checked that the
shop was indeed open. And home delivery available— how sweet of them.
Though it wasn't Shake it Off — my favorite milkshake place in the whole
of Kawanpur (not that I had tasted all of them) —Sunset Pier was actually
good. I was once abducted there by Vinaya where she broke the news of her
first pregnancy. Now, Vinaya has three children.

I placed an order of two-large serves of Classic Caramel with additional

chocolate syrup.

The next thing I had to be careful about was when I collected the order.
Both my parents were light-sleepers and I had to make sure they didn't rise
from their den and freak out when they found out I was ordering milkshakes
at midnight.
So, as soon as my order read picked up, I called the delivery person to make
suitable alterations.

—---------------- Shaurya —-----------------

"Claim the order that just came in, Shaurya!" Aarav shouted, as he got onto
his motorbike.

"Why is Kawanpur so awake today? All these days only the workaholics
ordered stuff and now the whole city is joining in?" I complained. "I signed
up for this only because you told me there would be a maximum of five
deliveries. You cheated me, Aarav! I've already done eight today."

"Chill, machi. It's only today. Go home after this order — it's midnight,
anyway. And the order is from Purple Fields; just near your house," He said
as he put on his helmet. "You have to pick it up from Sunset Pier. Take this
as an opportunity to chat with Nisha. She won't stop asking me about you."
He smirked and I wanted to fling a cricket bat at his face.

"God, I hate you, Aarav. Hate you!" I shouted as he zoomed off, laughing.

I hit claim next to the order and drove to Sunset Pier. I prayed Nisha
wouldn't be on her shift today and to my luck, she really wasn't. I quickly
picked up the two takeaway cups and was on my way to Purple Fields when
my phone rang. I killed my motorbike's engine at the corner of the deserted
bridge and pulled out my phone only to see an unknown number calling me.

"Hello?"
"Oh, okay you are a guy. So, um, I was wondering if you are the one
picking up my milkshakes from Sunset Pier?" a female voice asked, which
made me want to smile; it was soft, with an edge of mild shrillness when
she dragged out her e's and u's.
"Yes, that would be me. Is there a change in the order?"
"No, no, I want that milkshake please!" The urgency in her voice grew a
frown on my face. "The change is in the location. Um, would you mind
ignoring that door number written on the order and delivering it to the
terrace instead?"
"Sorry, what?"
"The terrace. The roof. Motta maadi . Um, I don't know what they call it in
Hindi. You know, like the place —"
"I know what a terrace is. Why would you want me to deliver it there?"

"Personal reasons? Is that good enough for you to be a gentleman and help
this woman out?"
"Fine, fine. I'll be there in five minutes, woman."
I heard a brief laugh before the call went dead. Customers like these
irritated the hell out of me but I was glad that she at least had the decency to
inform me before I went and knocked at a door which wasn't going to open.
Some customers took their own bloody time to collect their order and some
also had the nerve to scream at us after giving us the wrong address. Fools.

The watchman of Purple Fields saluted me lightly when I entered and I

returned the same as I made my way into the apartment lobby.
I got onto the elevator and pressed the key to the 29th floor, which
apparently was the last one, and waited patiently.
I had this game. Everytime I claimed an order, I liked to guess how the
customer looked. It was a shit game — I mostly ended up getting them
wrong — but it was fun when some things matched. Like once one person
ordered rasmalai in the middle of the night and I knew it had to be an old
man, probably sneaking behind his wife's back to get something sugary.
And boy was I right. The old man himself had said, "I have Sugar but of
course once in a while, a treat wouldn't hurt, right? Shaila just won't
understand!"
Today, I had her voice as an extra clue to my guessing game as well but
still I couldn't place solid descriptions. She sounded like a twenty-year old,
or twenty-one, doing her college probably. Maybe she suddenly had a
craving in the middle of the night and didn't want to disturb her parents who
were sleeping in her flat? I couldn't be sure of it and besides, her appearance
was a big blank space. Black hair? Brown eyes?

The ding of the elevator sounded and when I stepped out, I saw a flight of
stairs tread upwards. I took two steps at once and walked out into the large
space. A few flower pots were arranged on one side, a climber weaving
through them raggedly. It was dark with only the moonlight as a light
source and under the shimmer of it, she sat on the bench next to the sturdy
compound, staring out into the night sky with her arms propping her head
on the surface of the open wall. I couldn't tell the length of her hair because
it was tied in a messy bun but I assumed it was a few inches below her
shoulders.
I cleared my throat. "Sitara Sagar?"
"You came!" She got up from her seat quickly and rushed towards me. I
held in a laugh at her antics because she sounded like she was meeting her
lover after a long time. Then, I focused on her appearance. Black hair,
check. Brown eyes, check check. Feeling proud of myself, I handed her the
cups and waited for her to tell the delivery code.

I wasn't going to lie and comment that she wasn't beautiful. Because she
was. Indeed, very, very beautiful.
"Thank you so much! You know, for coming here to the terrace when that's
probably not your job. It really means a lot because I couldn't come all the
way down with this period cramps and get the order. I really craved a
milkshake. You literally saved me. Thank you," she said and I nodded.

"I've got requests worse than this. And no problem," I said, turning to walk
away. I was almost to the stairs when I heard her call me again.
"Um, do you have somewhere to be?" she asked, chewing her lip.

I raised my eyebrows. "Why?"

"Yes or no?"
"No, why?"
"Could you, maybe, um..." her words trailed and I waited. "Could you have
a milkshake with me? I swear I won't ask you to say longer than that. You
are free to say no, of course. It's just that I have an extra milkshake in hand
and I thought I'll save it for later but then instead I could just give it to you."
I blinked. "You want to have a milkshake with me? In the middle of the
night? On the terrace?"
"Isn't it the most romantic thing to do?" She sang.

"What?"
"Nothing. You in?"
"Aren't you afraid of me?" I questioned, still unable to believe her.

"Should I be?"
"Of course not," I blubbered. I figured she was talkative when she first
rambled a hundred words to convey a single point but I realised she was
also crazy. How could she trust a total stranger, that too in the middle of the
night?
"Then?" she prompted.
"Fine," I took the cup from her and walked to the bench she had been sitting
on. She followed me with a smile that, unfortunately, made me want to
smile too. It was contagious.
"Do you always ask delivery men to sit with you and have a drink?" I
asked, sipping the milkshake. I wasn't a big fan of caramel but the chocolate
drizzle helped better the taste.

"No, just you."

I looked at her and saw her pink lips curve around the straw and swallow a
long dose of the milkshake. "Why?"

"It's very stupid, really."

I raised my eyebrows at her.
"Okay, fine. When I mentioned period cramps, you didn't flinch or cringe or
give me an uneasy look. You nodded as if it was the most normal thing in
the world. It's not everyday I see men do that," she said.

"Why is that a big deal for you?"

"I work in Sierra — the company selling organic sanitary products for
women. Do you even know how many men look at me differently because I
work there? So of course, it's a big deal for me."

I processed the information. "So, you come here often?"

"Yeah, I like to watch the skies. It has a calming power to it, you know,"
She said, a hand pressing her stomach while the other held her cup.

"You are different," I said before I could stop myself.

"Then I'm sure you've not met my friends," she answered. "But, I get this
comment a lot. I am talkative, when girls shouldn't be. I usually rely on my
gut instincts and do things spontaneously, which I shouldn't do again. I am
not yet married, which is a crime according to my parents and all that."

"Marriage? How old are you?"

"Why should I reveal my age to a stranger?" She asked, but a smile played
on her lips.
"Fine, you don't have to answer that. Sorry."
"God, you are too decent to exist in today's world," she laughed adorably,
her eyes shrinking as she eyed me. "I am twenty-four, by the way."

"But you still have time, na?"

"Apparently not, because my cousins are all married and happy while I am
single and working my ass off."
"Aiyoo, social pressure ah?"
She sighed and nodded, getting back to her milkshake. The wind brushed
her hair out of her eyes and then let it fall back down. With her thin fingers,
she pushed it away and tucked it behind her ear.
"Do you want to get married?" I asked.
"I don't have anything against it. If someone loves me for who I am, then
why not?"
I nodded and turned towards the sky, lifting the cup to take a sip. There
were too many stars in the sky today and it felt nice to just relax and spend
time admiring something because I hadn't done that for a while. I never
made the time for it. Shaking the contents of my cup, I took another sip
only to realise my milkshake was over.
I looked at her gazing at the sky with her palms clutched around the edges
of the bench next to her thighs, her milkshake cup sitting beside her. "I have
to go," I said.
She turned towards me. "Oh, alright. Thank you for sitting with me and
hearing my sad story."
I chuckled. "It's not sad."
She waved her hands off as if to tell me to stop lying. "Thank you for
offering me. I never imagined I would enjoy drinking a caramel milkshake
with a stranger at midnight," I said.
"Same here," she said with a smile. "I wonder if I'll meet you again."

For a second that comment took me by surprise. She really said things she
wanted to without a filter, I thought to myself with a smile.
I simply nodded and told her goodbye. When I turned around to walk away,
she called me again. "What's your name?"
"Shaurya," I said.
She whispered my name back as if to get a feel of it on her lips and then
waved at me.

I left hoping that somehow, someday I would meet her again.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------
 CHAPTER 2 : DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE

—----------------- Sitara —-----------------

"HOW DO YOU even drink that ?" I asked with my nose scrunched at
Aisha's transparent glass filled with green liquid. "And you said this was a
party. Who serves kale smoothies at parties?"

"Turns out we do because it was the only thing in the fridge. Cheers!" She
clinked the cup with Trisha's and took a long gulp as if she was drinking
water. I glanced at Deepika and she shared my look of disgust.

"I think we are the only sane ones here," I told her. She agreed and reached
her arms out to me with a pout. We started our own pity party over the lack
of a drink while Aisha started the movie. Trisha lowered her cup and began
texting on her phone. I peeked in to take a look — being the snoopy person
I am, that was the right thing to do — and smirked when I found out she
was texting her Bava . And what she was texting I couldn't see, because I
was blinded by red emojis.
Deepika noticed this too and plucked the phone out of her hands. "For Lord
Krishna's sake, Akhil knows he is the best husband in the world and you
love him so much. I thought we agreed on no men today?"

Deepika was a huge devotee of Lord Krishna to the point of obsession. It's
almost like she was smitten with the Lord himself. But I can't blame her.
His idols and paintings are portrayed that way — handsome, mischievous
and incredibly charming. It is hard to not fall in love.

"Deeps, we are still in the honeymoon phase. I want to be all lovey-dovey

with him while this lasts. Let me at least tell him good night," Trisha
pouted.

"I am pretty sure he will have a good night, especially after seeing all the
red hearts you sent him. And if you can't see it, Akhil is madly in love with
you and no one would believe it if you said you had an arranged marriage.
No need to worry over something that's not gonna happen. Now shut up and
drink your kale!" Deepika said and I slipped sideways from the couch,
shaking with laughter.
Trisha grumbled and kicked my ankle before aggressively sipping on her
juice.

"Nothing like a good high school drama," Aisha said, clapping and leaning
back on the couch after playing Student of The Year . I leaned my head on
Trisha's shoulders and watched the movie. My eyes grew dreamy when
Varun Dhawan made his grand entrance in the movie. Deepika rolled her
eyes at me. As if she doesn't drool over Sidharth Malhotra .

My hands reached for the packet of chips and grabbed a handful. Deepika
slapped my hand, making me drop a few inside the packet before allowing
me to have it. And the next time I put my hands in there, it was empty.

"Okay, I need a milkshake. I don't care if it's midnight because this is

torture. We only took a no-soda oath this year. Not a milkshake ban!" I
complained, pausing the movie. "Deeps, can we order something?"

"Why didn't I think of that before you?" she asked, pulling out her phone
and opening the app.

"You are acting exactly like the actresses in those TV serials, you know that
right?" Aisha asked.
"Yes, of course. You do a good job reminding me that every single day,
thank you very much," I said, sticking out my tongue and picking out my
order on Deeps' phone.

"Can we resume the movie now?" Trisha asked, giving us a bored look. I
pressed play and we all nestled together again. A few minutes later, my
head was on Trisha's lap and my legs were stretched out on the floor
diagonally. Deeps balanced her head on my thigh and was laying
horizontally, her legs over Aisha's. Pillows were conjured out of nowhere
and were stuck in between Aisha's head and the couch seat she was leaning
on.

"Oh my god, did you see his face when she said that?" Trisha cracked up,
"Poor guy!"
"And hold on, I saw those exact shoes in the mall that day!" Aisha said,
pausing the movie and pointing at it. "I'm going to buy it the next time I go
there. I doubt if the salespersons themselves know about this."

I rolled my eyes. Of course. The last time, Aisha had claimed she had
spotted the exact saree that Deepika Padukone had worn in Chennai
Express in a store. The truth was that it wasn't even close to the original
one, except the colour. And there are a million sarees that are orange and
blue shaded.
But her obsession with recreating celebrity looks never died despite her
blind mishaps. I had to give it to her for that.
The doorbell rang and I scrambled to answer it.

"Argh," Deepika cursed when her head slipped onto the floor with a thud.
My eyes widened and I gave her a sheepish grin before I ran to the door and
opened it.
"Deepika Agarwal?" The man asked, his head bent low as he typed
something on his phone. I was pretty sure my eyes turned the size of two
golf balls.
When I didn't answer, he looked up at me with those same curious dark
eyes I had loved staring into two weeks back. I watched them round when
he saw me, his lips parting in surprise and his hands stopping midway.
"Sitara?"
"You remember my name."
"Of course I do," He smiled, and I bit my lip to stop making any comments
that I would probably regret later. "You live here too?"

I shook my head. "You know where I live," I said and he waited for my next
words, "It's just my friend's. We were having a small party-like thing." I
waved my hands awkwardly.
He nodded in understanding and then nudged my fingers with the
milkshake cups. I took them but then I couldn't help but wish I could spend
a few more minutes talking to him.
"Tara, did the delivery man kill you or something?" I heard Deeps holler
from the living room and I cursed under my breath.

"Um, can you wait here for a bit?" I asked with hesitance. But he didn't
show the least bit of it when he nodded immediately. I speed-walked to the
room, almost tripping over the carpet in excitement.

I gave the cup labeled as double-chocolate to Deepika and she raised her
eyebrows. "Why are you blushing like an idiot?"

"You guys continue without me. I-I have... something to do," I said,
searching for my discarded cardigan.
"Where are you going in the middle of the night?" Aisha asked.

I grinned and waved for them to come closer. I whispered with a gleam in
my eyes, "Remember the guy I told you about? The delivery man?"
"Who looked more handsome than Hrithik Roshan?" Trisha asked dryly and
I nodded. "That was the insult of the century, by the way. I am never
forgiving you for that."
"Um, maybe not so much but he is cute, and really really handsome, okay?"
I told them, "I even tried ordering milkshakes two other days, hoping he
would come but he never did. I thought I'll never see him again and now he
is standing behind that door. This is fate, don't you think?"

Aisha's eyes widened and exchanged glances with the others. Then all of
them stood up and rushed to the door, pushing me back onto the couch.

Not these dumbos ruining the one man I actually have a chance with.

—----------------- Shaurya —-------—---------

When the door opened, I expected Sitara to come out but instead three
women stared at me. "Um..." I shifted in my place, uncomfortable with the
attention.

"You are the one Tara was gushing about for a week?" The brown-haired
woman asked. She had a piercing on her nose.
"Her taste isn't half bad," Another one remarked and I suddenly wanted to
get the hell out of that place. If it wasn't for Sitara's head squeezing under
her friend's arms, I would have fled.

"Don't scare him away," She told them and pushed them back into the flat,
shutting the door on their faces. "I am really sorry. They are annoying!"
"I can see that," I said, taking in her appearance all over again. She had a
beige cardigan over the black top she had shown up with previously. She
was wearing loose pajama shorts that showed off her sleek legs and I made
sure my eyes never lingered on her skin longer than two seconds. I didn't
want her to catch me staring and think of me as a pervert.

"Do you have to be — "

"Somewhere? No," I answered before she could complete her sentence and
I bit my tongue, wondering if my answer was too straightforward. Idiot.
Idiot.
She rolled her lips in and gestured to me to follow her. Without even asking,
I knew she was taking me to the terrace. It was pretty much the same
compared to Purple Fields except for the clothing lines. She leaned over the
wall, and waited for me to join her.
"I am so happy to see you again," she said.
"Why? You have a new sad story to spill?" I teased.

"Shaurya, you make me seem pathetic," She pouted, and boy did I love the
sound of my name from her lips. "And no, today, I am going to interrogate
you. It's my turn to know more about you."
I chuckled. "What do you want to know about me, Sitar?"
Her eyes lit up at that nickname that had slipped out of my lips. "My
grandfather was the only person who called me that. It's nice hearing that
name again," she said. "Anyway, first question. How old are you?"

"Why should I reveal my age to a stranger?" I used her own words on her.

She pushed her pursed lips to the side. "I am pretty sure we are no strangers
since you know my name, my age, where I live, my milkshake order —
which is a very personal information I don't share with anyone, mind you
—and now, even where my friend lives. Not to forget, the woeful story of
my non-existent marriage," she answered and I raised my hands in
surrender with a chuckle.
"I am twenty-six."
"Where do you work?"
"I am a web developer. And I help out my friend when he is lacking a hand
in delivering things, which is most of the time recently. I take up the shift
before midnight because there are comparatively less orders than the other
shifts."
"You don't mind?"
"No, I like going to new places. And, I am being paid anyway. Saving
money is always a good practice because you never know when it might
come handy," I said.
"You say that as if you have a lot of experience," She stated, sliding down
the wall and sitting with her legs criss-crossed on the floor. She patted the
space next to her and I obliged and joined her.
"I do. Ma was a heart patient and she had to have a heart transplant. You
know how much it costs, na?"
She nodded. "Is she okay now?"
"She passed away three months ago," I said quietly.

The playful shaking of her legs stopped. "Shaurya, I-I am so sorry," she
said, inching closer to me so that our shoulders were almost brushing. "I
didn't know."
"You just met me two weeks back. How could you have known? Don't be
stupid," I said softly, giving her a quick glance and turning my attention to
the night sky. There were a lot of grey clouds ghosting the black canvas
today, obscuring most of the stars. I had a feeling it might rain soon.

But I felt her gaze linger on me. "Sitar, you have nothing to be sorry for," I
stressed again.
"I'm sorry I brought it up," She mumbled. Her fingers reached out to my
hand but pulled back after a second thought. She didn't know I noticed it.

"If you don't stop apologizing, I'm going to leave," I threatened playfully.

"Fine, sorry," She repeated.

I glared at her.
" Aiyoo , I am not sorry. I take back everything, alright?" she said and I
smiled. She slurped on her milkshake and then resumed her questions.

"Do you think she died because of the transplant?" She asked, studying my
face curiously.
"I don't know. Actually, I don't want to know."
"Did you regret it?"
"Spending so much money?" I asked and when she nodded, I shook my
head. "Not once. I miss Ma's smile, the ones that made me wonder if she
knew every secret of mine; the teasing knocks on my head when I did a
dumb mistake, and her hugs when something went wrong in my life. I
would pay anything to have her beside me for how much ever longer I
could. Money doesn't stand a chance against all that."

Sitara didn't say anything. She set her milkshake cup on her lap and rested
her head on my shoulders, her cold fingers pressing into my palm. I
enclosed my fingers around hers and took the comfort she offered. "Did I
make it depressing?" I asked.
Her head moved on my shoulders as if to say no but she didn't utter
anything other than that. I felt the need to change the topic into a lighter one
so I asked, "Any reason for the party-like thing you were having today or
was it a tradition?"
"Look at you, knowing all about girl traditions." She giggled lightly. "But
no, we were having this to celebrate our company opening a new branch in
London — our first branch abroad."
"Wow, the personal hygiene company? That's so... huge," I said, surprised.

"I know. For being an all-women organization, we really accomplished

quite the thing. We were even featured in a magazine, didn't you see?"

"No," I answered honestly.

"Well, men here don't easily believe it if women accomplish something, you
know? They try to make excuses, pin the credit on some third-party when
we are the ones working our asses off. Magazines were only eager to
feature us and we thought we could use the promotion and address a few
sexist issues as well. And by some luck, we caught the eyes of London
women and things just happened."
"It's such a big thing and you were having this tiny party in your friend's flat
to celebrate?"
"Nah, we had a big one last night. Got a terrible hangover and crashed at
Deepika's. Spent the day doing absolutely nothing until we decided to have
a small girl's party with just the usual cliche stuff, you know?"
"You drink?"
She looked as if someone had caught her red-handed. She glanced at me as
if she was afraid and confused at the same time. "Um, is that a concerning
subject for you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, will you judge if I say yes?"
"No, I've seen girls do far worse than get drunk. And at Kawanpur, there is
simply no party without alcohol."
"But, I swear this is the second time I am drinking this year. And, it's the
end of November now", She confessed.
He chuckled. "It was a general question. Don't panic. I am assuming your
parents don't know?"
"Correct assumption. I am not a big fan of alcohol but sometimes I get
carried away. It's a very rare situation, though."
I nodded, understandingly. She offered me her milkshake, insisting I have it
even when I refused. She gave me no choice and I ended up sharing her
drink. I couldn't chase away the thought of how, just a few seconds ago, her
lips had been on the same straw I slurped on. I watched her press her knees
to her chest and sit silently beside me, looking up at the sky.

"Are you cold?" I asked.

"Kind of. I had the common sense to get a sweater to wear but totally forgot
to cover my legs. The chill is getting to me," She said. I didn't hesitate to
remove my jacket and drape it over her huddled knees.

"Better?" I asked and she gaped at me.

"What? Did I do something wrong?"
"Shaurya, can I hug you?"

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 CHAPTER 3 : STRAWBERRY

—----------------- Shaurya —-------—---------

MY BRAIN REFUSED to function properly. I accidentally went into the

wrong street to deliver a shawarma order and then had to turn all the way
around, get stuck in traffic and test my customer's patience. I walked up to
the door and rang the bell. A middle-aged woman opened the door, a little
boy clinging onto her leg. I wondered why the boy hadn't slept yet because
it was almost midnight.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I got stuck in traffic and —"

"Yeah, yeah, the same excuse every delivery man gives. Be a little slower
na, next time? So that you can bring me cold food instead," she snapped and
I hung my head down.
"I am really sorry, Ma'am. This won't happen again," I apologized. She gave
me a glare, lifted the boy to place him on her hip and then took the takeout
from me.
"Don't give your word so easily when nothing is in your control," she
sneered before shutting the door on my face. If it weren't for the rudeness of
some customers like her, I would've even taken extra shifts to help out
Aarav. Ending my whole day with a bad note was something I hated.
Everyday I made sure I went to bed content, if not happy. Never angry or
hurt. It was something Ma imprinted in me to follow.

I climbed onto my motorbike and then thinking I was done for the day,
changed routes to my house. Before I could do so, a familiar ping sounded
from my phone and I groaned. Not another order .
I checked my phone and nearly lost my balance when a milkshake order
from Sunset Pier blinked on my screen. I clicked onto the address and the
two words I saw made my heart race.

Sitara Sagar.

The last time I had seen her, she had asked me for a hug. And without even
fully comprehending what I was doing, I had taken her tiny form into my
arms and hugged her. Somehow the only thought that ran in my head at that
moment was to see her smile. Again and again and again. I simply couldn't
say no — not that I wanted to — but she had me completely enchanted.

I could still remember what she smelled like — strawberries and toasted
sugar; the scent had engulfed me and I found my shirt smelling the same
when I went home. Even though her sweater had been cold on the outside,
the heat from her body warmed me with comfort, a type of a feeling close
to home; that was what bothered me so much. I hadn't wanted to pull away
at all. I just wanted to hold her and stay with her.

With a smile on my face, I claimed the order quickly before anyone else
did, and drove to Sunset Pier. I picked up both the orders after I smartly cut
short the conversation with Nisha and headed towards Purple Fields. I
almost expected a call from her asking me to deliver the milkshakes to the
terrace but I didn't receive one. Nevertheless, I made my way to her flat 7D
and raised my hands to knock on the door. But then for some reason, I
pulled back. I combed my hair to tidy them and I dusted my faded yellow t-
shirt, hoping I looked decent.

Then I rang the doorbell.

—----------------- Sitara —-----------------

I was in the midst of responding to the queries on Instagram when the
doorbell rang. I paused and bit my lip, hoping it would be Shaurya. There
wasn't any reason in particular as to why I wanted to see him or why my
thoughts kept running back to him and his dark eyes. I just really liked
spending time with him and hearing his voice.

I had been beating myself over for the last few days for asking for a hug so
blatantly. When he draped his jacket over my legs, I felt his warm breath
fan my skin which apparently short-circuited my brain. I wasn't sure if he
had hugged me back because he wanted to or because he didn't want to hurt
my feelings by declining it. But personally, I felt his hug to be genuine
because the way he had tightened his arms around my body, and the warmth
of him making me forget everything happening around me — they simply
weren't things that could be ignored. I felt protected, loved and respected,
all at the same time. Isn't that what every woman wanted?

I just hoped the hug didn't make it awkward between us because the second
we pulled away last time, we had refused to look each other in the eye. We
both felt something, I knew that. And I wanted to bridge the gap between
us, not distance us further with my stupidity.
I heard the doorbell ring again and hurried to open the door before Mrs.
Malgudi — the fifty-year-old neighbour in 7C — woke up and started
snooping on what I was doing. My parents had asked her to check in on me
once a while, while they attended my distant cousin's wedding in Ilfir.

I peeked in to see if it was Shaurya and when my eyes met his, I stepped out
from behind the door eagerly. My heart raced. He stood with a knowing
smile on his face, his hands holding two take-away cups and his hair rustled
a little. "Were you expecting me, Sitar?"
"No," I said, swallowing.
"You aren't very good at lying, are you?" He asked, a smirk playing on his
lips.
"Shut up," I mumbled, taking the cups from him. "Do you wanna come in?"

"Is that okay? Your parents —"

"Won't be here for another week. I am all alone in this flat which I am glad
for. I need a temporary break from the constant yapping of my impending
marriage," I said, waving him forward. He walked in and shrugged his feet
out of his shoes. I took them and placed them on the rack before I set to
clear the couch.
"I could have done that myself," He said. I waved him off and pushed my
files to one side to make space. He looked around the house like a normal
first-timer would do and took interest in the photo frames hung on the wall.

"You are an only child?" He asked.

"Yes."
"I assume that's why you still stay with your parents without moving out?"
He asked and I paused my work to stare at him.
"How did you guess?"
"You complain about your parents annoying you. From the past two
meetings, I can tell you are an independent person who likes to have control
of your life. By now, you should have moved out but you are still here. I
just connected all of them," He shrugged and I smiled.
"At some point of time, I have to move out, right? When will I get married?
So, I just wanted to spend time with them as much as I could. I don't want
them wishing they could have had a second child because they are lonely
now. Besides the marriage thing, they are cool. I love them but sometimes
they just don't understand things." I gestured to him to come sit beside me
and he did.
"You could always visit them," He suggested.
"I will do that when I get married. Until then, I am sure I can put up with
them," I said. "Wait, do you have a sibling?"
"Yes, an older sister. She is the most talkative person I have ever known,
even more than you. You two would get along well," He said and I laughed
at his expression.
"Where is she now?"
"Settled in Texas. But, she just won't leave me alone even if she is oceans
apart from me. Everyday, she calls me up and complains that her husband is
not having time to talk to her or even if he does talk, he stops with the
instructions and occasional acknowledgements. He only spends ample time
with their children, it seems. Amara just can't stop talking and it's almost
funny that she married a person who rarely converses," He said, and there
was an adorable smile on his face as he recalled whatever memory he was
thinking about. "When I tell her to stop torturing me, she says that since Ma
is not here anymore, it was my duty to hear all her rants. I deserve an award
for putting up with her, really."

I chuckled. "I'm sure she isn't that bad. If you can't put up with her, how are
you going to put up with me?" I asked and then my eyes widened. "As a
friend!" I hurriedly added.
"I know," he said after a few seconds but the question went unanswered. I
handed over the milkshake cup to him and then started sipping on mine.

"When are your parents coming again?" He asked.

I raised my eyebrows. "Next Wednesday. Why do you ask?"

"No reason."
I frowned but I let it slide. "Anyway, when they come I am going to be
bunking at one of my friend's for at least a week because they will list every
girl's name they met at the wedding who is younger than me and is already
married; how they are settled happily with kids and with a good family blah
blah blah. Might as well run into a hellhole instead of hearing all of it," I
sighed.
"Have they tried seeking alliances for you?"
"Don't even start on that," I said, stretching my legs onto the tea table and
leaning against the armrest. "Do you know how many guys I had to reject?"

He didn't answer. "Six," I stated, "All of them couldn't handle a wife who
sells organic pads, tampons, and all sorts of intimate products because
apparently it is not a profession someone can boast about. Bullshit ."

I continued. "They've got to know that without these products no

menstruater could keep themselves hygienic or reproduce healthily. There's
no shame in that. It's just a basic need for survival. And they have the nerve
to ask me to quit the job before marrying them, as if I am doing some illegal
profession. They say they are open-minded and 'modern' but in some way
they still contribute to the social stigma. They are hesitant that my
profession will lower the class or the image of their family. I don't need a
husband who cannot accept me as the way I am, or doesn't share my views
and opinions."
"And, I am not generalizing this behaviour to all men. I know a lot of men
who are willing to fight against this social stigma and contribute to
normalizing periods instead. My friend's husband supports us and similarly,
many stand with us. India is making progress but people need to be more
understanding that menstruation is normal. They need to look beyond
taboos and social pressure. I am sure I can find a man out of this lot who
agrees with me."
I paused my rant to look at him and he had amusement in his eyes. "What?"

"You are an incredible woman, Sitar. I admire you," He said and there was
sincerity in his words. It made my heart swell with a feeling unknown to
me. I wanted to tackle him in a hug. So, instead of asking for it again and
coming off as a creep, I asked the next best thing.

"Do you want to watch a movie?"

I didn't expect him to agree to it because it was pretty late already but he
did. I got my laptop and a pair of earphones before I switched off the lights
and huddled closer to him on the couch. With a milkshake in my hands, I
played an English movie that I had been meaning to watch on Netflix.

The giddiness I felt when I realized that I was watching a movie with him
was very high. I couldn't stop smiling.
Not even halfway through the movie, my milkshake got over. When I
turned to place the cup away, I saw that Shaurya had his eyes closed, his
earphones hanging off his ear and his hand loosely wrapped against the
milkshake cup in his lap.
I wanted to kiss him. Really.
But, of course I didn't. I am not mad enough to do it.

I slowly removed the cup from his hands and then guided his head to my
shoulders. I watched the rest of the movie like that. His soft hair brushed
my cheek when they were levitated by the wind of the fan. At one point of
time, his arm snaked around mine and I realized he wasn't doing it
consciously. Cute.
I tapped his cheek lightly when the credits rolled in. "Shaurya," I
whispered, "Do you want to stay here for the night?"

His eyes opened slightly and then closed again. "Is that okay?" His voice
was hoarse, a kind of husky that invited goosebumps on my skin.
"Of course," I said, helping him make himself comfortable in my bed. I
pulled the covers over him and sat in the small space beside him.
"Good night, Shaurya," I whispered, but he was already asleep.
I pushed his hair out of his eyes. "I think I'm getting addicted to you."

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 CHAPTER 4 : BUTTERSCOTCH

—----------------- Shaurya —-------—---------

"HEY, MY NEW favourite person!" A familiar voice greeted rather

enthusiastically from the other side of the phone.

"Sitar?"

"And here I was hoping you would've saved my number by now. You
wound my heart, Shaurya!"
I still couldn't believe I was hearing her voice in the middle of the day. It
was a welcomed change and it felt surprisingly good. I played along. "I
wanted to but I forgot. I'm sorry that I wound your heart. Maybe you could
tell me how to mend it back?"

"Do you know something? I might be the talkative one out of us but you
definitely are the one, good with words. Like seriously, how do you say the
right thing every damn time?"
"I don't really make an effort," I admitted honestly.

"Now, now, don't make me jealous with your self-praise," she said, and I
imagined her gaze low and her lips pressed.

"So, what's up, my favourite person?" I asked, playing along.

"Ah, you know, just avoiding going home because my parents came back
yesterday. All the gossip they heard will be fresh in their mind and I don't
want to fall prey to that bugging. Anyway, I have nothing to do right now.
Are you busy?"
I really wanted to tell her I was not. Her offer was tempting me and I
wanted to do nothing but spend time with her. But, the number of emails
this morning alone warned me that I had heaps of work to do. The deadlines
stretched from today until tomorrow so I had to start working.

"Sitar," I started slowly. God, I hated that I had to turn her down. "I have a
lot of work that needs to be completed. I am so sorry."

A few seconds of silence followed. "That's totally okay," She said but the
pep in her voice was gone. And to think I was the reason for it, broke my
heart.

"Wait. Maybe you can come to my place and just hang out?" I suggested it
hurriedly.

"And distract you? No thanks. I really appreciate the idea, though," She
said.

"No, you won't distract me. Come over, Sitar. I like spending time with
you," I whispered the last part under my breath.

"What did you say? I couldn't hear you — Ishaan, get the hell away from
me. Deepika, tell your brother to stop torturing me!"

"I know you are talking to your boyfriend!"

"No, I am not. Go away."

"I'll see for myself!"

I heard two hard slaps on the back.

"Aeii!"

"Eruma maadu, phone a kudu!" (Buffalo, give me the phone)

I chuckled at Sitara's desperate attempt at getting back her phone from him.
I could hear Ishaan's loud laughter through the phone.

After a few seconds of shuffling sounds, Sitara came back on the call.
"Sorry. This boy is one shameless nut case. He loves to annoy the hell out
of me."

"Anyway, um, what were you saying?" She asked.

"Nothing," I quickly said. "Just come over. I'll send you the address."

"Fine, I'll come. On one condition, though."

Of course . "Yes, Madam. What is it?"

"You have to promise me a hug," She said, "Because I need one."

Taking advantage of the fact that she couldn't see me, I grinned like an
idiot.

"As many as you want," I promised her, a little too bravely. It's just that the
past week, I had visited Sitara a lot, bringing her milkshakes and then just
chatting until either I decided to return home or just fell asleep. She let me
sleep in her room and a room fully representing her and her alone — the
smell, the feel, the vibe, the colours- only brought me closer to her. I felt
like I knew her better.
"Someone is extra-cheesy during the day." She commented.

"Only for you."

"Stop. You are making my heart race so fast that I feel I might die any
second if you don't quit it," She whined.
"See you soon, Sitar," I chuckled. In between all those late-night
conversations, somehow this trend of shameless flirting had inserted itself. I
loved watching a rosy hue creep up on her cheeks and how she would find
anything to hide her face behind.
"Don't blame me if I distract you. I am warning you," she said in a very
serious tone.
"I won't blame you even if you do."
"Shaurya!"
I howled in laughter, wishing I could see her red face.

—----------------- Sitara —-----------------

I rocked on my heels just outside Shaurya's door, waiting for him to open it.
I was half-excited and half-nervous to see him. Somehow, he had weaved
his way into my life and now he was an integral part of it. I talked to him
every week and thought of him every day. Those sneaky flirtings, the light
brushes of fingers and then looking away after someone caught the other
staring — these were the things that made me go crazy.
The door opened and I immediately grinned when I saw Shaurya. But in
addition to that, my jaw went slack when I noticed him wearing glasses.
"You — " I pointed to it and he laughed.
"Yes, I wear glasses when I work online. Why are you so surprised?"
"Don't mind me. I was taken aback by how handsome you are, again. No
big deal," I said hurriedly and slipped past him into his house. His rumbling
laughter followed me after he shut the door.
"I am touched that you like me in glasses. I'll try to wear them more," He
said.
"No!" I said, before I could stop it. He raised his eyebrows in question and I
swallowed. "Um, it's just... they are kind of distracting."

His face broke out into a smile and I quickly added, "Don't you dare laugh
at me."
"I'm not," He said, sitting in the chair in front of his laptop. "I'll get to work.
Make yourself at home."
"Even if you didn't say it, I was going to anyway. I'll go explore your house
and try not disturbing you. Don't miss me too much," I grinned, pinching
his cheeks. He swatted me away and I left him to do his work.

Shaurya's house reminded me of Trisha's. She had her living room wall
painted in pale violet, contrasting the light pink paint of her house. Similar
to that, Shaurya had one wall painted a shade lighter than teal and the rest
others a dull white. It was simple and aesthetic. He had a nice wall-mounted
TV and a collection of DVDs stacked in a shelf under it. The tea table was
wooden with a glass pane that looked a little expensive, especially
considering the sleek wood.
I moved to the kitchen. I guessed Shaurya was a neat and orderly person
and his kitchen confirmed my suspicion. It was an open kitchen facing the
dining table and that's what I liked most about it. In addition to this, I've
always wanted one with a counter and high-chairs connected to the kitchen;
like the one that came in American movies where the kids were seated
beside the counter and their parents just flipped a pancake onto their plates.
I thought it was super cool.
I noticed that most of the crockery he had in there were teal as well and I
realised Shaurya was trying to make everything match the theme. I smiled
at that.
There were three rooms apart from the puja room. One room was
completely empty except for a few random pictures of the beach hung onto
the wall and a well-made bed.

The next had a king-size bed and photo frames all over the side wall. I saw
a picture of a grey-haired woman hugging Shaurya with the most beautiful
smile on her face. I realised she was his mother. She looked so graceful
even when old.
There were other pictures of the two, and her with another girl with brown
hair. I assumed she was Shaurya's sister Amara. Then I spotted a picture of
his mother's younger version and a handsome man hugging in front of the
Taj Mahal. Shaurya's father.
I suddenly felt as if I had intruded into a very private space so I quickly
slipped out of the room and walked into the other one, already knowing it
was Shaurya's. Surely he wouldn't mind if I went into his room without his
permission, right? Afterall, he had slept in mine; not once, but thrice.

It was a stark contrast to mine. His room was organized, when mine was
definitely nowhere near it. He had a lot of books and magazines stacked in
one corner. I sat on the bed and looked around. My eyes widened when I
saw a painted tyre, modified into a seat with stuffed cushions in it. He had a
designer's mind while mine was just all data and statistics. If I ever went
furniture shopping, I was going to drag him along.

I was about to leave the room but a stack of papers in a mug on the bedside
table caught my eye. I took one and realised it was a collection of my
milkshake bills. My palms covered my lips and I laughed, going through
each of it in awe. Just how cute can he get?
After placing everything back in its place, I decided to make coffee for the
both of us. Conjuring my best coffee-making skills, I got on with it. When I
was done, I poured them into two mugs and turned around.
"I like seeing you in my kitchen."
I jumped at the voice, spilling hot coffee over my hands and almost
dropping the cups. "Shit, I am so sorry," Shaurya rushed to my side and
took the mugs from my hands. I pursed my lips to stop the hisses of pain
from slipping out. My eyes burned with the tears I was trying to hold back.
My vision blurred.
Cool water gently poured over my hands and I tried to keep still. I breathed
through my mouth. "I am so sorry. It's my fault," Shaurya apologized but I
shook my head repeatedly. I couldn't speak.
The water kept running over the red and swollen patch of skin. "Is it still
hurting?" He asked.
"It's a little better," I admitted, switching off the tap and pulling my hand
away. Shaurya took my hands gently and inspected it for a while.
"It looks superficial. I think I might have some antibiotic ointment
somewhere. That should help," He said and blew over the burnt skin. "Or I
can take you to the hospital."
I smiled through the pain." Shaurya, I'll be fine. Don't worry," I assured
him, squeezing his wrist with my better hand. "That ointment would do."

"I am so sorry," He said, blowing on my skin. The fact that he had worry
etched all over his face warmed my heart.
"It's not your fault," I patted his shoulders. "I'll just get this cleaned up and
maybe you can help me put that ointment on?"
"Let it be. I'll clean it later," He said.
"No, coffee stains are hard to remove. I am going to feel so bad if I ruin this
beautiful kitchen."
"Fine. Just wait in the living room. I'll clean it up", He said.
"But, I can - "
" Sitara ," He stressed, a little mad.
I nodded, taking the hint and shifting myself to the living room. I sat on the
couch and inspected the burn. It was ugly red and a little swollen. When I
blew over it, I remembered Shaurya's cool breath soothing my skin just a
few seconds ago and I fought my smile. This man really cared for me like
no one, I thought, giddily.
A few minutes later, Shaurya came in with a transparent plastic box filled
with medicine. "Show me your hand," he said. I obeyed silently and
watched him take a seat beside me and gently apply the ointment on the
burn. It stinged a bit but when I winced, I saw him tuck in a smile.

"Something funny that I should know about?" I asked dryly.

He shook his head and rolled his lips. "It's just that your face is funny when
you wince. Your eyes look like they want to be closed and open at the same
time and you suck your lips in."
I shoved his shoulders. "You, mister. You are the one who caused this."

"I thought you said it wasn't my fault," He smirked.

"Uh, that was when you were begging for my forgiveness. Now you are
acting like a jerk," I mumbled, watching him wrap my hand with a dry
gauze bandage.
"There is just one last thing to make you feel better," He said, packing
everything back into the box and closing it.
"What is that?"
"Come here," He said, opening his arms. God, this man. Where was he all
this time?
I fell into his arms, and immediately they coiled around me in a tight wrap.
I was smaller than him so it was easy to rest my head against his chest
while he balanced his chin on mine. I took in his scent — a mix of his
laundry detergent and his strong perfume. I wasn't very accurate with scents
so I couldn't really tell what his perfume smelled like. Sometimes I got the
mint notes of it and sometimes a mix of pineapple and musk. Today he
smelled like the latter.
"I ended up distracting you," I mumbled.
"I don't mind."
"Don't lie, Shaurya. I feel bad," I said. "I mean, I was planning on
distracting you at one point of time eventually but not so soon. I wanted you
to at least push in some work before I got chatty."
His fingers twirled a strand of my hair. "It's not like I didn't do anything. I
finished a few. There are three minor bugs I need to fix and the rest I can do
tomorrow." He said and quickly changed the topic, "Why do you like these
hugs anyway?"
"The same reason you do," I grinned.
"Who said I liked them?"
I snorted. "Even a blind person could see it, Shaurya. Shut up!"
We fell into a comfortable silence before I popped the question that was on
my mind for quite a long time.
"Shaurya?" I started.
"Hmm?"
"What are we?"
His fingers stopped playing with my hair and he looked down to meet my
eyes. " Something, " He answered.
I was glad he didn't say we were friends because we clearly were not. That
was the answer I needed. The assurance that we were something more
which can lead to something even more.
"What do you think?" He asked.
"I think that it's not necessary that we fall under labels. I like what we are,"
I said, honestly. I glanced up at him to meet his eyes and he smiled,
tightening his hold just a little.
"I like what we are too," He repeated and I rested my head against his chest
with a smile.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 CHAPTER 5 : OREO

—----------------- Sitara —-----------------

"HERE YOU GO," I said, handing him his cup and the straw. Shaurya took
it absent-mindedly, his other hand scrolling through his mail. The cup sat on
his lap, ignored.

I sighed and tore open the straw wrapper. I inserted it into his takeaway cup
and lifted it next to his lips. He looked up and grinned, taking a sip from it
as he typed on his phone.
"Is that Oreo milkshake?" He asked and I nodded.

"You mentioned yesterday that you didn't like caramel. I wish you could've
told me sooner. I would've gotten your favourite milkshake," I said.

"It wasn't that bad so I didn't mind. How did you know I liked Oreo
milkshakes?"

"When I visited your kitchen, you had a stash of oreos in the glass jar. It
was easy to figure it out," I said. "Now be done with your mail soon. Or I'll
dump this thing on your head."

"You don't have to feed me, you know. I can always drink it after I finish
this," He said.

"So that I'll have to suffer watching you drink it when mine is empty? No
thanks," I said.
"You are a kid," He chuckled.
"It's not news," I sighed, propping my head on his shoulders and watching
the night sky. There was this grey swirl of smoke-like clouds floating over
the dark sky. The moon was a perfect crescent today, pinned on the far west
side from us. It seemed to muster up every bit of moonlight it could shed
over the world, illuminating the sky. There were not many stars visible
today but the ones that were, were scattered far away from each other
instead of being clustered.

"I'm sorry. That manager guy was on my back for this website malfunction
and I had to respond. I didn't even acknowledge you properly," Shaurya
said, bringing me back to Earth.

"That's fine. I had loads of work today as well so I couldn't pick your call.
That's why I wanted to see you," I admitted.

"You are really obsessed with me. I'm flattered." He chuckled and I nudged
him with my elbow.

"As if you aren't, Sir. I was wondering where my milkshake bills were
vanishing off to and you should see my surprise when I found it on your
bedside table. I wonder how it went there," I said, trying to keep my face
neutral.

"Sitar — "

"I know, I know. You don't have to say it. You are obsessed with me as
well," I said, flicking my hair back and sipping on my milkshake. Shaurya
made a disgruntled noise but shut his mouth.

"And, I wanted to talk to you about something as well," he said, turning to

face me. I nodded for him to go on. "It's been almost three weeks since we
met and we had milkshakes together a lot of times."

"Yeah," I said, wondering where he was going with this sudden realisation.
"And it was you who paid for it all the time."

"So?"

"Sitar, I am the guy. Let me pay you back for it. I feel so bad", He said.

"I am the girl, so what? I don't mind paying for it," I said firmly. "It's a No,
Shaurya. You aren't allowed to argue about this."

He sighed. "Sitar, try to understand. At least here onwards, we'll take turns."

"Look, Shaurya. I'll pay whenever I feel like it and I won't fight over it
when you pay. I am sure we aren't going to be drinking milkshakes all the
time. You promised me we'll go to the movies this Friday. You can pay for
that. I am not stopping you. There's no rule that says men are the only ones
who have to pay. And we don't have to necessarily pay each other back or
take equal turns and stuff. This is not business," I said, a little annoyed.

His silence made me feel bad for snapping at him.

"I am sorry. I just hate it when the money talk comes," I said softly, taking
his hands.
"But Sitar —"
"You can pay me back with hugs," I blurted out and he had a are-you-
serious look.
"What? You said you wanted to pay me back. I am suggesting a way. Don't
look at me as if I am insane," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. He
shook his head in quiet laughter and pulled me into his arms.
"I can pay you back whenever I want?" He mumbled.
"Whenever you want."
Just then, I heard footsteps. I froze. "D-do you hear that too?" I asked.

"Yes, someone is coming." He said.

"We should hide," I pulled away from him and grabbed his hands.

"We can't hide in here. It's basically an open ground," Shaurya said. "Do
you know a secret place?"
"I don't know. I haven't played hide-and-seek on my terrace yet. I'll add it to
my list of things to do next time if you want," I said, and Shaurya chuckled.
How he had the guts to laugh at such a situation was beyond me because in
my mind, future predictions of how I was going to die played like a movie.
If anyone in this apartment spotted me hugging a man in the middle of the
night, they wouldn't hesitate to host a meeting and tear down my family's
reputation as well as mine. Otherwise if they think that is a lot of work, they
would simply let gossip spread like wildfire and that would be the cause of
my doom.
I scanned the place. We surely can't hide behind the flower pots. The only
other concrete object in the terrace was the water tank and there was no
place to hide behind. Or... was there?
I dragged him to check. Next to the water tank was a small cubicle of space
between it and the wall. I felt like someone had saved me from drowning in
an abyss.
I pushed Shaurya inside and then tucked myself close to him, making sure
we were hidden. "I can't believe I am hiding near a water tank at midnight
to avoid being caught. I feel like I've committed a crime," Shaurya
whispered.
"It's not a crime. It's just... the people here talk, and they talk shit. Sneaking
around and chatting with a man late at night is uncultured , according to
them. They assume the worst of everything and just... I am so sorry," I
apologized, balancing my head in my hands.
"What about your parents?"
"My parents will understand if I explain. They are the ones asking me to
find a man for myself. But, they will probably hit me with a chappal for
being so dumb and getting caught by these people. Ma doesn't like anyone
except Roshni Aunty and Mrs. Malgudi in this apartment. She would hate it
if the others found a reason to whisper about our family," I said. "And, this
never happened before. I am so sorry, Shaurya."
"It's okay. Don't worry about it." He tucked back a strand of hair the wind
blew out of my ponytail.
Footsteps became clearer and louder and then they paused. I slowly crawled
a little to get a peek of the person and my eyes nearly fell out of my sockets
when I found out it was Mr Patel from 6A. And he was smoking. Goddamn
.
"Who is it?" Shaurya whispered, pulling me back by my shoulders.

"This man from the floor below me. He is the most orderly and old-
fashioned person in this apartment. I hate him. I usually wear churidaar,
kurti or jeans to my office but when I hang out with my friends, I wear
shorts or skirts sometimes. Whenever he sees me in either of it, he asks me
to stop dressing like a little girl and grow up. He always has something to
say about everyone. Even, Punitha Aunty — his wife — complains about
him all the time. He once told Shravan off for smoking and now this man is
doing the same but secretly at night. I can't believe this," I ranted.

"Oh, then this is... blackmail material," Shaurya said and I laughed,
nodding. "You could video it and warn him a little."

"Yes, that would be very satisfying but I've got better things to do," I said,
staring into his eyes.
"Yes, you do," he whispered, pulling me onto his lap.
 —----------------- Shaurya —-------—---------
"Shaurya!" She hissed my name as I pulled her closer.

"What?" I asked, innocently.

"Nothing." She bit her lip and wrapped her hands around my neck. "And
stop looking at me like that."
"I am not aware of the meaning of your statement, Sitar," I said and she
fisted her hands and hit my chest lightly.
"Stop acting weird," She said. I nodded and wrapped my arms around her
body, pressing herself to me. The satin fabric of her top was silky under my
touch and it slipped through my fingers easily. She was a little cold but she
didn't shiver like she did last time.
I felt her fingers playing with the ends of my hair, her breath tracing against
the nape of my neck. "How long are we going to stay like this?" I
whispered.
"I don't know. Until whenever he decides to go?"

I breathed loudly.
"Are you bored?" she asked.
I shook my head and balanced my forehead on her shoulders. "Can I ask
you a question?" she asked, shaking her shoulders to get me to look at her.

"Yes."
"Did you have a girlfriend before?"
"No."
She blinked. "Oh, okay. T-that's a different answer than what I assumed."

"You assumed I had a girlfriend before?"

"Yes, you always act like you know what to do. Like saying the perfect
words, comfort me in the best way and hug me when I need it. It's like you
have experience."
I laughed under my breath. "Trust me, I am just like you. I have no
experience and have no idea how relationships work. But, what I know is
you . I can read you as if I was born to do it."
She flushed. "Do I read you?" she asked.
I shrugged. "Sometimes. Especially when I least expect it."
"That's comforting to know. I am not a total loser, yay." She dug her head
into the crook of my shoulders.
"Can I ask you a question?" I whispered.
"Of course."
"Are you still searching for your man?"
She pulled away and stared at me. She licked her lips and swallowed before
she parted her lips to answer. "I-I have already found him," she breathed,
hiding her face with her hair and looking away.

It was nice to know that we were something, on the road to becoming

something else. Neither of us really discussed it. It was a conversation that
never saw the light of day; it was buried under all the playful teasing and
flirting, the knowing glances and the warm hugs. Hearing her confirm it for
me was everything.
"Who?" I asked, deciding to play a little.
"You know who," she mumbled, looking at me through her lashes. I stared
into her brown eyes, and then gently took her face in my hands. My gaze
fell onto her pink, curved lips and I wanted to feel them on mine. Her
fingers tightened against my hair, just a little that it could have been easily
missed.
"Shaurya," she whispered, "Can —"
I pressed my lips onto hers. I could feel her freeze in my arms for just a
moment and then she kissed me back. All of a sudden, the caramel
milkshake tasted as good as Oreos. The warmth, the salt of her lips and the
feel of the kiss — it all drove me mad. It was intoxicating.

She pulled away breathing hard, her face matching the colour of her lips. "I-
I um, was about to ask if you could remove your keys from your pocket
because it was hurting me," she mumbled, looking down.

My eyes widened. To say I felt embarrassed would've been an

understatement. I was —
"But, I definitely wanted to do that too," she said, and pulled me by my
shirt to bridge the gap between us.
Oh, sweet heavens.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
 CHAPTER 6 : VANILLA

—----------------- Shaurya —-------—---------

“THERE ARE SEVEN days in a week. Why did it have to rain today? This
is so unfair.” I watched Sitara pace in my living room, her hands fisted in
frustration. She looked like she wanted to pull her hair out. “And the wind.
Why does it have to be so strong today? I spent hours deciding what to wear
and dressed up nice and for what? For all my plans to get cancelled? I feel
so robbed!”

I tried not to laugh. “Sitar, calm down. We’ll go some other time. I
promise,” I said, pulling her by the hand. Like she said, the wind was too
strong outside to go to the theatres. I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple trees
in the neighbourhood got knocked out because of it as well.

“I am going to cry,” she said.

“Okay.”

“Shaurya, you are supposed to comfort me!” She whined. I sighed and
wondered what would calm her down. She looked at me expectantly like a
child as if I could cast a magic spell and change the weather. I wished I
could do it though. For her, I would do anything.

Though, out of us, she would be the magician. She had me bewitched
already.
And, I wanted to tell her that.

“Come here,” I said, and pulled her close to me on the couch. “I-I have a
secret I want to share. I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time but I
was a little scared of how you might react.”

That got her attention. “Now, you are scaring me,” she said after which she
crossed her legs properly on the couch and tucked her knee-length dress
carefully so that she wasn’t exposing too much skin.

“Well, we’ll see how this goes,” I said, ignoring the anchor in my heart
weighing me down. “The secret is that…”

“Are you going to whisper it in my ears?” she asked, trying to reason my

hesitance and the long pause that followed. I considered it.

“That would be better actually,” I said and she moved closer, tucking her
dark hair behind her ears and stretching her neck to make it easy for me. We
were alone in my house and there was no need for all this secrecy but
sometimes you don’t really need a reason for something you do. Right ?

It was a secret I was holding on to for long and I wanted to get it off my
chest. I swallowed and then, sparing a glance at her curious face, I bent low
to whisper into her ears.

“I am falling in love with you, Sitara.”

I pulled back to see her reaction. I watched one of the most beautiful smiles
break out on her blushing face and her eyes slightly glaze with tears.

“Is that all?” she whispered back, not looking at me. She was biting her lips
so hard but I didn’t know if it was to trap a smile or a sob.

“No,” I said, taking her palm in my fingers. “Someday I hope to marry you
as well.”
A brave tear rolled on her cheeks and she laughed at the same time. I kissed
her palm. “Well,” she said, wiping her tears and balancing herself on her
knees to pad across the gap between her and me. She put her arm around
my neck and climbed onto my lap, her legs sliding off to both my sides. “I
have a secret as well. Actually, three.”

“Three?” I smirked. I placed my hands around her waist. Sitara was not
curvy, too attractive or eye-catching. She was plain, petite and cute. And
she had the most beautiful smile in the world which, I recently discovered,
was the switch to my soul.

She wasn’t every man's dream. But she was mine. Only mine.

"Tell me," I said, ignoring the warmth from her bare legs seeping through
the fabric of my pants.

She placed her lips close to my ear. “One, I am already in love with you,
Shaurya. My heart is yours.”
When I glanced at her, she continued, “I was scared it was too soon to tell
so I kept it bolted inside me. You have no idea how I wanted to scream it
out for the whole world to hear. And I am so lucky to have you love me
back.”
“Shut up. If anything, it is me who is lucky. I am hard to love,” I said and
she flicked me on the head.
“Hard to love?" She snorted. "That’s what you assume. You are like this
cute little teddy bear holding a heart with the words ‘ Love me’ written on
it.”
I gaped at her words. “I can’t believe you compared me to a teddy bear!” I
said and she laughed, pinching my cheeks and puckering her lips to kiss the
air in front of me.
“Okay, what’s your second secret?” I asked.
She wet her lips and then looked at me with a smile. Lowering her lips to
my ear, she exclaimed,“I can’t wait to marry you!”

Even though she had meant to whisper the words in my ear, she had almost
torn my ear drums off with her disguised squealing. I couldn’t help but
laugh. She bit her lips for a second and then joined me.
Her secrets were the same as mine but hers were more positive and
confident. It was like she already had her life planned out with me. My
heart swelled in love.
Her chest heaved as her laughter slowly died down. She glanced at me with
one eye, her hand pressed against her throat. “Third secret please,” I asked
and she nodded, but she grew a little hesitant before revealing it. When I
squeezed her waist a little, she continued.
“Um, I may or may not have talked to my parents about you,” She blurted
and it took me a few seconds to actually come to terms with what she said.
“Okay, before you repeat the same thing again for confirmation, yes, I
literally announced that I am head over heels for a guy, who cares for me
and understands me like no one ever did.”
"Why?" I asked.
"It started like this. I was leaving for work and Ma just finished speaking to
one of my Aunts. She came at me, telling me how Lavanya had agreed to
marry finally and how I was the only one left. It seems everyone is
pestering Ma about when I would get married and whether I was in love
with someone and all that shit. I got really angry and I snapped. I ended up
telling them about you."
I opened my mouth but she pressed her palm against it, muffling my words.
“To be honest, I was a little anxious about their reaction. Then they told me
that they already guessed. Yes, I had the exact look you are having right
now. They said they had overheard when I was talking to you on the phone
— I’ve been trying to recall what I said that day to assure myself it’s not
something a parent shouldn’t hear and all I remember is very detailed
flirting. I am feeling so mortified already so don’t you dare rub it on me
with that creepy smile.”
She plastered her palm over my lips. I bit her skin lightly and she smacked
me. " Shaurya , listen!" she said and I kissed her palm, asking her sorry
silently.
“Anyway, they figured I was talking to a guy who is not a friend and they
were waiting for me to bring it up for discussion. They knew I would. So, I
told them everything.”
My eyes widened. “I mean, not everything . Filtered it to make both of us
appear like two saints, don’t worry,” she said. “They said our meet-cute was
like a fantasy, the one that comes in movies and books. That made me feel
on top of the world.”
“Wow,” I said. That was the only word that came to my mind. I wondered
what Ma would have thought.
“Yeah, both of them are avid readers. No wonder they met in the library,”
she said, a little disapproving. I assumed she must have heard the story of
their marriage too many times.

She placed her hands on my shoulders. “So... they want to meet you.”

That much was obvious. “When?” I asked.

“Tomorrow,” She said and I almost fell off the couch. I didn’t expect it to be
so soon.

"What? Are you serious?"

“It’s a Saturday. Ma said it’s a very auspicious day so why not?”

“Sitar, I am nervous,” I confessed.

She tapped my skull lightly. “Remember what I said about the teddy bear.
Who could resist such cuteness?” She pinched my cheeks to show her point.
She was doing that a lot recently.
“Not helping,” I muttered.
She lowered her head and brushed her lips against mine.
And suddenly, all the lights went out. Trust me, it wasn't one of the
cinematic effects that came in Bollywood movies. Sitara confirmed it with
her yelling.
“Not this bloody storm ruining every single thing in my life!” She screamed
into the pitch black blanket of darkness looming over us.

“There might be candles somewhere in the drawers. I’ll go get them,” I

said, gently pushing her off me and switching on the torch in my phone. A
gigantic shadow of me and my messy hair casted over the wall because of
the light and Sitara laughed.
“Look at your big fat hands,” she teased and I swatted her head before
walking into Ma’s room to check for candles. I opened the drawers one by
one and found two white sticks of wax and a scented candle in the last
drawer. I took them.
“Shaurya,” Sitara called out my name in a whisper. “Where are you? I don’t
have my phone with me. It’s so dark.”
I chuckled and made my way into the puja room to grab the matchbox.

“Shaurya, I’m scared. Where are you?” she said and this time, her voice
seemed like she was on the verge of crying. I hurried to find the matchbox
so that I could go back to her.
“ Shaurya .”
“Just a sec, Sitar. Sit on the couch. Don’t go anywhere or you'll hit
yourself,” I advised her loudly.
“Where are you?” Her voice was shaky.
I found the matchbox. I took it and stepped outside the room, only to crash
into someone. The candles and the matchbox slipped from my hand but I
managed to hold onto my phone.
“D-don’t leave me in the dark again. Please ,” she said, her face pale and
her hands shivering. She looked frightened. I pulled her into my arms and I
felt her breathe through her mouth, inhaling and exhaling heavily. She was
shaking. Her fingers clutched the back of my shirt tightly.
“Are you scared of the dark?” I asked her, taking her hands and rubbing her
palms as they had gone cold. Sweat dotted her forehead.

She nodded slightly, just a brief one, as if admitting to it was tearing her
self-esteem to shreds. “Why didn’t you tell me? You think I’d judge?”

“No, it’s just that… I hate that I can’t handle a bit of darkness. Children are
usually afraid of the dark but they grow out of it at some point. I didn’t.
And I couldn’t. That fear always followed me everywhere. I wish I could be
brave enough but it freaks me out so bad. Admitting it is like rubbing salt in
the wound.”
“It’s okay to be scared, Sitara. We are all scared of something,” I whispered,
running a thumb across her damp cheek.
“I wish I was scared of something else. Like heights. I can just avoid
heights and act as if nothing is wrong with me. But darkness… it is
everywhere , it is unexpected. It just looms over you and it doesn’t let you
breathe. You can’t see. You can’t do anything. It is like…it's like— ” Her
breath hitched.
“Shhh…” I pulled her close to me. “It’s okay. Calm down. I’m here with
you now,” I whispered and she nodded, digging her face into my shirt.
“But, you’ve understood something the wrong way. No fear is less or more
than the other. For each person, their fear is the biggest obstacle in life.
They are haunted by it, the idea of it and the things they can’t do because of
it. You wouldn’t know what a person with a fear of heights is going
through. Maybe they feel as if being scared of the dark is way better,” I
said, and she looked up at me. I trailed a finger through her hair. “It is
always nice to wish for things that we don’t have, but that doesn’t mean that
they always turn out to be better things. You never know.”

“You can tell me anything, okay? I will never ever judge you.” I kissed the
crown of her head.
Her eyes were closed. “I know,” she whispered.
“Now let’s light these candles,” I said, picking them from the floor, all the
while holding her hand. She wrapped her thin arm around my waist when I
lit one and waxed it onto the tray in the living room. Then, I carried the
other and stuck it in the kitchen.
“This smells so good,” Sitara smiled, bringing the scented candle to her
nose.
“Vanilla-scented?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I smiled sadly. It was Ma’s favourite scent. Everything she had was vanilla-
scented.
Sitara placed the candle back onto the table and came over to my side to
press herself against me. “Thank you,” she mumbled to me.
“For what?”
“For loving me,” She said and when I glanced down, she hid her face in my
t-shirt. I sighed and swerved her around to lift her and place her on the
counter.
“What’s got you all senti now?” I asked, wiping away the stray tears. She
shook her head simply and bit her lip. “Are you still recovering from that
panic episode?” I lifted her chin to meet her gaze.

“No, I’m alright. I just —” she dabbed at her eyes furiously. “I-I love you
so much, Shaurya. Like so much .”
I smiled and wrapped my arms around her. She continued, her voice
rumbling through her chest to mine. “I can’t explain how I feel and — these
stupid tears won’t let me talk even if I try. They just keep pouring out for
some reason. I wish I could tell you how grateful I feel now and just… how
lucky I am.”
“You don’t have to describe it to me because I already know. I feel that
same unexplainable feeling when I know that I’m not alone anymore. That I
have you.”
I pressed a kiss to her shoulder and tightened my arms around her. We
stayed like that for a long time, just trying to soak in all the love and the
comfort of the situation.
“Shaurya?”
“Hmm…”
“What’s your fear?” she asked.
I smiled. “What do you think?”
Her eyes rested on me while her brain seemed to think of something. “I
don’t know. I really can’t guess. Tell me.”
I pushed her hair back and then whispered, “Spiders.”

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 CHAPTER 7 : MOCHA

—----------------- Sitara —-----------------

THE PING OF my phone signalled Shaurya’s arrival. I grabbed my phone

with a grin and checked the text: mind giving the love of your life some
encouragement? At the parking lot. I put on a long button-up shirt
and shimmied myself into a decent pair of jeans.

“Where are you going?” Ma asked, uncluttering the tea table.

“Shaurya is here. At the parking lot,” I said, putting on my flip-flops.

“Doesn’t he know his way up here?” Pa asked, and Ma hit his shoulders.

“Let her do what she wants,” She told him and nodded at me to go get him.
I got onto the elevator and then just like he had said, he stood in the parking
lot in neat casuals, his back facing me. I sneaked in behind him and slowly
wrapped an arm around his waist. He immediately knew it was me.

“Sitar, I am freaking out,” He admitted. I pressed my face into his back and
hummed in acknowledgement. “What if they don’t like me? Or don’t
approve of me?”
I came around to face him in the front. His hair was perfect and his shirt
was crisp and ironed. “Shaurya, my parents had a love marriage. Do you
know how much struggle they had to go through because both were of
different castes?” I said, eyeing his hastily folded sleeve. “They fell in love
after college and they married almost two years later because they had to
fight for it on both sides of their families.”

I unfolded his sleeve and straightened it out. Then, I evenly rolled it and
buttoned it just below his elbow. “I am sure they would understand that we
are madly in love like they were once, and that sometimes, you’ve just got
to let love win. Because, whatever happens, in the end love will be the only
thing standing. And what’s not there to like about you?” I said, rolling his
other sleeve.

“Who is this, Sitara?” I heard Shambavi Aunty’s voice call out. My eyes
widened and before I could form an exit plan, she circled us. Her glance
glued itself onto our intertwined hands and I knew she was already
preparing her speech to go recite to her other friends in the apartment.

I wanted to remove my hand from Shaurya’s but I knew it was late. “Who is
this? I haven’t seen him around before,” She said, cleverly coating her voice
with sugar.

“Um,” I started, raking through my brain to find an excuse. Do cousins hold

hands? Or is that a friend thing? I glanced at Shaurya and then back at her.
She waited for my response. “Um, he is my…”
I can't say he is my boyfriend. That would become a massive volcano
eruption of gossip.

“Well…” She prompted again and I wanted to break her nose. Couldn’t she
mind her own damn business?

“He is my... fiancé,” I blurted out, squeezing Shaurya's hand tighter. If she
was hell bent on getting information from me, why not give her a juicy one?
“Go tell all your friends, Aunty. Wouldn’t want them missing out on such
great news, do we?”

She spluttered. “B-but…”

“If you’ll excuse me, my fiancé and I should get going,” I said, and pulled
him to the elevator.

“Okay, what in the hell was that ?” Shaurya asked as soon as the doors
closed behind us. “You’ve got to stop giving me mini heart attacks.”

“That’s nothing for you to worry about,” I said and backed him against the
wall with a smile. “So… are you still nervous?”

“A little.”

I nodded and then raised myself on my tip-toes and tugged Shaurya by his
shirt. “Maybe this could be an encouragement?” I whispered against his lips
before pressing mine on his. He smiled into the kiss and his arms came
around me to rest right above the waistband of my jeans. My hands moved
up from his waist and pressed on his chest. His thumb rubbed circles on my
shirt as he kissed me back slowly.

I pulled away and then kissed his jaw once before I lowered myself back
onto my foot and smiled at him. “How are we feeling now?”

“Can I get another kiss?”

I chuckled, smacking his chest. “Now, this is just you being greedy." The
doors opened and we stepped out. “But, who knows? You might get another
one later,” I winked.

“Tease,” he muttered and we walked to my flat. We stopped right outside

my door and I glanced at him.

“Pro tip: Tell Ma you love the cushions. She made them herself. And ask Pa
about the book he read recently. After that, the meeting will be a breeze for
you. He will do all the talking himself,” I said and opened the door.

My parents got up from their seats to welcome him. “Ah, Shaurya right?”
Ma asked and he nodded with a smile before touching her feet to get her
blessings. She raised him by the shoulders and then asked me, “You didn’t
tell me he was this handsome, Situ ma .”

“Ma, I can’t tell you all that. It’s embarrassing to talk about it with parents,”
I said and took a seat on the couch. Shaurya greeted Pa the same way before
all of them took their seats.
“What do you like to drink, kanna ? Coffee, tea or juice?”

“Coffee will be fine. Thanks, Aunty,” He said and I bit back a laugh. He
was being such a saint.

“So, what are you doing for a living?” Pa started the conversation. I told
them everything about him already but I decided not to comment. I let them
get to know each other personally and went to the kitchen to help Ma.

“He seems very sweet,” Ma said, adding a spoon of sugar to the mug.

“He is,” I smiled to myself and she smirked at me.

“I was worried you weren’t going to find the man who makes you happy.
That's why I scolded you a lot. I didn't want you to end up alone but I am so
glad that you found him. I haven’t seen this smile before at all. It looks
lovely on you, Situ ma . I am so happy for you,” She said and I wrapped my
arm around her neck and pressed my cheeks to hers.

“Thank you,” I said, turning to place a kiss on her cheek. She poured the
coffee into two mugs and assembled a plate of gulab jamun and some sev
for snacks. I took them and served them to both the men in the house.

“... told her yesterday about Sitara. She was really happy for me. She said
she wanted to plan the wedding if it came down to that and she will fly
from Texas to organize it,” Shaurya said, when I pushed the tray of snacks
towards him.
“That’s great to hear,” Pa said, sipping his coffee.

“ Kanna , have the gulab jamun at least. Situ made it herself,” Ma

encouraged him and I gestured to her to keep it down.

“That’s the only sweet I know to make,” I whispered to Shaurya and he

smiled, biting into it. He gave me an approving nod.

“But, she cooks well. Her father doesn’t like biryani but if Situ makes it, he
will have it. Non-vegetarian is her speciality but she can manage vegetarian
also,” Ma continued.

“But she can’t sing even if her life depended on it. The reason why she
sings in the shower is because she is not allowed to sing anywhere else. Did
you ever hear her sing, Shaurya?” Pa asked and I put my head in my hands.

“No, Uncle. After what you said, I don’t wish to,” Shaurya said, making my
parents laugh.

“He already loves me. You can stop butchering my image, Pa. He is not
going to change his mind,” I said.

“I’m just trying to warn him before I marry you off to him. He should not
come to me accusing that I didn’t say any of this earlier,” Pa laughed and I
groaned, hitting the back of the seat and letting them laugh all they wanted.

“Are you both sure you want to marry each other?" Ma asked.
Shaurya glanced at me and I blushed. “Yes, Aunty. She is the one for me,”
he said.

Ma gushed at that and nodded more than once.

“From what Situ told about you and from what I’ve heard from others as
well, they say your family is a reputably good one. Your mother worked in
an NGO right?” Pa asked and he nodded. “We asked around. Don’t get me
wrong, but as parents we have to know your background a little before we
give our only gem to you. But we’ve heard only good things about you,
Shaurya. If we would have seeked alliances, we wouldn’t have found such a
good man like you for her. I am really happy that I get to hand over my
daughter to you,” Pa said.

“I promise I’ll take care of her well,” He said.

“And I’ll take care of him equally well,” I volunteered my opinion and my
parents chuckled.

“So, when do you want to get married?”

“Soon,” We chorused as if we rehearsed the answer. We both looked at each

other and blushed.

My parents laughed. "You two remind me of us back in the days," Pa said,

earning a reminiscing nod from Ma.

“We’ll talk to the priest and fix the dates. You can call your sister and tell
her the news. We have a wedding to plan,” Pa said and I grinned like an
idiot.

I was getting married.

To Shaurya.

I wanted to scream.

“What about the engagement ceremony?” Ma asked.

“Can we have a really small engagement party? Like only close relatives
and such. We can have a grand wedding though,” I said and Shaurya
nodded.

“That’s okay for us too,” Ma agreed with a smile. “We have to fix dates, get
rings, invite everyone, buy clothes… there’s so much work to do. And, I
forgot half the traditions we have to follow so I have to call Ma and find
out. She is going to freak out when she learns you are going to get married.”

“Yes, I’ll tell the news to Paati (grandma) myself,” I said.

“Okay then. Allow us to worry about all the preparations. Next year is
going to get busy for us,” Pa said. “You two are free to go out now. Though,
you will have to visit often , Shaurya.”

“Sure, Uncle. Definitely,” He said. “And thank you.”

Everyone stood up. “We should be the ones thanking you, kanna ,” Ma
smiled, hugging him.“And you should eat more. Don’t rely on restaurants
for all of your meals. You now have a home here. Come by whenever you
want.”

I pretended I didn’t see Shaurya’s eyes well up with tears. “I’ll go with him
too. I’ll be back in the evening,” I said and my parents nodded. I hugged
both of them and followed Shaurya out of the flat.

We didn’t talk once on our way to the elevator. As soon as the doors closed,
I nudged his hands lightly but he looked away. I went around to face him
and stood on my tip-toes to wipe the tears that had escaped his eyes. “I
know,” I whispered. “I wish they were here too. I would have loved to meet
them.”

He nodded lightly. "You have me as your family. And my family comes

along with me. You aren’t alone anymore," I whispered, placing a hand on
his cheek, over his stubble.

The elevator stopped at level 3 and I took my place beside him, his fingers
loosely tangled with mine. A mother and her son walked in with their dog.
They eyed us suspiciously and I smiled awkwardly at them before turning
away to face straight.

When we reached the ground floor, I took his hands in mine and led him to
a secret spot the girls and I hung out in sometimes. “Did you understand
what I said?” I asked him and he nodded.

“Sorry, your mother reminded me so much of mine and I hadn’t heard such
motherly concern after she passed away so I just got… emotional,” He said.
“And it was nice to talk to your father. I wondered if this was how mine
would have been.”

I smiled and hugged him.

“So, Mr Shaurya, when are you going to let me talk to your sister? You
can’t keep us away for long,” I said.

“I know, sadly. I am not ready to be ganged up against,” He said.

“Sorry, that’s something that I can’t help you with,” I shook my head with a
mischievous grin.

“You can, by agreeing to never join my sister and stick to my side. But I
know you never will.”

“You know me too well,” I shrugged, patting his chest. “So, what are we
doing now? I have till evening.”

“I promised my friends I’ll introduce you to them. What do you say?”

“Okay, let’s go. I’m sure they aren't as bad as you described them,” I said
and pulled him to his motorbike.

“Oh, you’ll see.”

 —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
 CHAPTER 8 : PEANUT BUTTER

—----------------- Sitara —-----------------

I WAS DRAINED. I threw my bag on my bed and pulled out some comfy
pants to change into. As soon as I was changed, I put on a face pack and
jumped onto my bed, leaning on the headboard.

Two days back, I was casually discussing my work with Shaurya, how
many communities in India don't even know what a pad is and use whatever
they find instead of it. And how many women can't afford it because it is
expensive. Our organization was solely founded to battle the unawareness
and women's inability to afford them and supply organic and cheap pads to
them. Four years and several outlets branching across India later, we were
expanding further.

But then, Shaurya raised a good point. He'd said, "I understand that you
started out as an all women organization to help other women. You say you
want to normalize periods. Shouldn’t you be employing males as well to
break that stigma? You are confining periods as a matter solely pertaining to
women by employing only women, don't you think?"

His take on it was an eye-opener. I took this opinion to the office and turned
the meeting into a chaos of opinions for and against it. Some wanted the
company to function as an all-women firm and felt that if men were
employed, it may reflect as if we women can't do well without men (which
felt stupid to me). Some agreed with what I said. There were endless
arguments on the opinion and we didn't come to a conclusion in the end.
But Aisha had said it was a really good point. My other friends agreed as
well. That was a little comforting. On top of all this, there was a selection of
employees who are to go to London soon for setting up the new branch. I
was chosen. I wanted to go because I've never been anywhere out of India
but my wedding was still undecided. I didn't want the dates to clash.

Or leave Shaurya for almost a month.

The London thing was in February and it was December now. I had a few
weeks to decide and confirm my choice with the management.

I grabbed my phone and checked to see if Shaurya had left messages but
there were none. I frowned. The good morning text I sent remained
unanswered, more importantly, unseen.

I called him. The ring went on for a long time until I was sure he wasn’t
going to pick up. When I was about to hang up, the call connected.
“Shaurya, what the hell happened to you?” I asked.

“Sorry, I’m not feeling well,” He murmured, his voice beaten and worn out.

I sat upright immediately. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded, already
rushing to the bathroom. I put the call on speaker.

“After Ma passed away, I had no one to call whenever I got sick. It has
become a habit now,” He said and I stopped splashing water on my face.

“Well, I’m here now. You better make it a habit to call me whenever
anything happens,” I said, scrubbing the face pack from my face.

I heard a weak chuckle from his side. “Do you need anything from the
medical shop?”
“I’m having a bad headache and I’ve been vomiting a lot,” he mumbled.

“Okay, just keep the door unlocked and go to sleep. I’ll be there,” I said into
the phone and hung up. I hastily wiped my face, took a change of clothes
and threw in basic toiletries into a small bag.

“Ma!” I called, stepping out of my room.

“ Aiyoo Rama, don’t shout like I am two galaxies away from you,” Ma
said, glaring at me before going back to watching the TV serial she loves. "I
didn't hear what this girl said to her. And now she is crying. It was a very
important scene."

“Ma," I sighed, "Shaurya is sick."

That got her attention. She immediately asked me what was wrong and then
ushered me to the kitchen.
“Sad that he is living all alone and eating outside food all the time,” She
said, grabbing a few carrots and dicing them. “When you marry him, you
better cook good food for him and keep him healthy. It’s your
responsibility.”
“I know,” I said. She threw in a couple vegetables and then filtered some
vegetable soup. I helped her pack it in a container. “If he is vomiting out
this too, give him some honey and water. That will keep his energy levels
high until his stomach recovers. You can’t give him tablets until he has
something in his stomach.”
I nodded. “And um, Ma?”
“What?” She asked, packing the container in a bag.
“Can I stay over and take care of him? He is alone there and I can’t leave
him like this,” I said, biting my lip. Ma took a few seconds to think about it.
“Fine, but let’s keep this between you and me. Your father doesn't need to
know about this. I’ll tell him you are staying in Deepika kanna’s house,”
She said.
I hugged her. “Thanks, Ma!”
I was almost out of the kitchen when she called me. “And Situ ma?”

“Yes?”
“No funny business,” She said and I nodded, going a little red.

When I reached the familiar compound of his house, I parked my car and
rushed inside. As I had instructed, he had left his door unlocked for me. I
tip-toed in and made a bee-line for his room. There he was, rolled in grey
sheets, his head sandwiched between his hands. When I took a few steps
closer, I found that his eyes were closed.
I pushed away the hair falling on his forehead and touched it to check the
temperature. He had a mild fever and with the tiny dots of sweat on his
forehead, I could tell his fever was breaking slowly. When I pulled my
hands back, his eyes opened.
“You didn’t have to come,” He said in a croaky voice.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine then, shall I leave?”
He caught my wrists. “Don’t you dare,” he said.

"That's what I thought," I chuckled. “Ma made soup for you. Do you want
to have some now or later?” I asked, tucking the sheets around him. He
pushed it away, shaking his head.
“What?” I asked, when he pushed himself up from the bed. “What
happened?”
He just shook his head and stumbled to the toilet. I heard the latch being
dragged across before I could reach the door. By the sounds of it, I knew he
was vomiting.
“Let me in, Shaurya!” I said, banging on the door.
More retching sounds.
“I am never going to talk to you if you don’t open this damn door!” I said.
Who was I kidding, I couldn’t shut my mouth even if I wanted to. But, he
didn’t need to know that. “I swear, Shaurya. I’ll never ever—”

The squeak of the latch sounded and I pushed the door open immediately.

Shaurya was bent against the wash basin, but that wasn’t the reason my
eyes went wide and I turned red. It was because his shirt wasn’t on him
anymore and instead it was in a heap on the floor.
“I stained the shirt—” he managed to get out before puking again. I went to
his side and held his head as he vomited indescribable fluid. I rubbed circles
on his back, the feel of my hand on his bare skin sending me into a frenzy.
There were two scars on his back, a line-shaped one just above his
waistband and another brown patch on the right side. Just right next to it,
was a black mole the size of a dot.

He straightened up and his chest heaved as he breathed hard. “Anything in

the queue?” I asked nervously.
He spat out the water he was gargling his mouth with. “In the queue ?” He
laughed.
I smacked his back lightly. “Why are you laughing? That was a serious
question.”
“No, nothing in the queue , Madam. I’ll let you know if there’s
development,” He swallowed a laugh, squeezing toothpaste on his brush. “I
should’ve called you in the morning,” he admitted.
“Yes, you should have. I would’ve taken a day off today. Would have
skipped the torturous debate,” I muttered the last part almost to myself. I
stood beside him and wrapped an arm around him.
“We make a good pair, don’t we?” I asked cheekily, looking at our
reflection in the mirror. I was in a pink hoodie, barely reaching Shaurya’s
shoulders as he brushed his teeth, shirtless. My smile was wide while his
was covered in foam. My eyes were bright while his was tired. We balanced
each other well, I observed proudly.
“You only realised that after you saw me shirtless?” He asked through the
foam in his mouth.
“Of course not,” I said. “But this is a good look for you. You should try it a
lot,” I added quietly. He spat the foam out and laughed before catching me
in a headlock with his one arm.
"Ahh, let me go, Shaurya!" I hit his back. He took his own time teasing me.

“Behave like a patient,” I said, freeing myself. After he was done, he went
back to pick his soiled shirt.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll rinse it off and put it in the wash. You go take
rest,” I pushed him out of the toilet.
“No way I’m letting you do that,” He said.
“You have no say in it,” I said, tucking him under the covers. “Are you
hungry?”
“I’ll tell you after a few minutes. I can’t feel anything right now except the
aftertaste of toothpaste,” He said, closing his eyes.

“How is your headache?”

“Like hell,” he murmured. I found the pain-relief balm Ma had sent with me
and sat on the bed, lifted his head and pushed away the pillow. I guided his
head to my lap.
Shaurya opened his eyes and stared at me from below. “What are you
doing?”
“Taking your pain away,” I smirked and scooped a little balm on my hands
and applied it on his forehead. I began spreading it evenly across the skin
and then applied pressure to massage. He let out a satisfactory sigh and
closed his eyes back.
I continued massaging his head in a pattern, watching his features change in
the size of micro bits whenever I pressed a certain point. He shifted to make
himself comfortable in my lap after I was done, turning sideways. I weaved
through his hair slowly and watched him sleep, this time more relaxed. He
always slept like a baby.
I traced his stubble, feeling the coarse hair graze my fingers. I admired him
for a few more minutes before I grabbed my phone. I started answering the
queries of the customers on Instagram silently, peeping out from the screen
to check on Shaurya once in a while. His even breath felt warm against my
legs, sending little shivers through my body. At one point of time, he
pushed away the sheets.
He sweated and his body was cooling down. I twisted myself and reached
the shelf to grab a towel. Gently, I blotted out the sweat on his body, smiling
at how he was unaware of everything and peacefully sleeping.
After that, I got back to work on my phone. My eyes burned after staring at
the screen for long and I had to put it away. Only then, I noticed the time. It
was past six in the evening.
“Shaurya?” I whispered. He didn’t stir. I carefully shifted his head back to
the pillow and slipped out to the kitchen. I warmed up the soup and spent a
good ten minutes finding the soup spoon. I poured the hot liquid into a
porcelain bowl and took it to Shaurya’s room.
He was awake. “Where did you go?”
“Just the kitchen. You need to eat something,” I said, placing the bowl on
the bedside table and propping the pillow so he could lean on it. I handed
the bowl to him.
“I thought you were going to feed me,” He said and I laughed.

“If you used the same energy to lift the spoon instead of talking like this,
you would be able to feed yourself,” I said and he stared at me. I stared at
him back.
He made a terrible pout and my gaze broke. “Fine, you big baby,” I
grumbled, climbing on him and sitting cross-legged over his stretched legs.
I blew on the soup and fed him.
“You aren’t supposed to sit on the patient,” He said.

I narrowed my eyes. “You are enjoying this, aren’t you?” I asked dryly. He
chuckled and opened his mouth. I fed another spoon of soup.
“Just wait until I fall sick next time. I’m already having wonderful ideas,” I
said, feeding another spoon.
“Be honest. You like this too, don’t you?” Shaurya asked me.
“Stop guessing the truth like that. Let me have a little fun,” I said, fighting a
smile as I wiped the drop of soup I spilled on his chest.
"You could have lied and said No," he shrugged.
"For you to see through it like glass and mock me again? No thanks," I
mumbled.
“I would love taking care of you if you fall sick, Sitar,” he said, drinking his
last spoon of soup. I placed the empty bowl on the table and moved closer
to hug him. He wrapped his arms around me as well and I could feel his lips
press against my side. I weaved my fingers through his hair, which was now
sweat-clad and damp.
Then I remembered his shirt still lying on the floor. I had forgotten to put it
in the wash. I pulled away to go do it.
“Is it late already? Are you leaving?” He asked.
“No, you baby. I’m staying the night. Ma is okay with it. Only Ma,” I said
and relief filled his eyes. My heart stung as I wondered how lonely it got
here for him when I wasn’t here.
“Then, where are you going?”
“Your t-shirt—”
“Let it be. You’re not going anywhere,” He said.
I protested, "If I don't go now, I would have to scrape the dried-up vomit
from your shirt."
"It's okay," he murmured and he held onto me tight.
I realised he could be very stubborn when we wanted to be. So I gave in and
shifted so that we were both leaning on the headboard, my head on his
chest, my arm wrapped around his waist and his around me, our legs
tangled.
“Tell me a story, Sitar,” he whispered.
And I did.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
 CHAPTER 9 : RED VELVET
CHEESECAKE

—----------------- Sitara —-----------------

"LOOK OUT FROM your balcony," Shaurya said and I frowned, jumping
out of my bed and walking to my balcony. There he was, in a sage green t-
shirt and light-washed jeans, with his hands raised in a wave.

My jaw fell open. "You said you were busy!" I said into the phone, a child-
like excitement rushing through me.

"I was busy coming to pick you up," He said. I looked at him staring at me
and I felt my cheeks heat up. He was doing something to my heart. "We're
going on a date. You have fifteen minutes, Sitar."

"You should have told me sooner. Where are we going? Should I dress nice
or casual?" I asked, my brain rushing.

"Casual," He said. I nodded and hung up, almost stumbling to my room. It

was almost six in the evening so I had a feeling we were going to the
movies. I picked out a solid lavender placket blouse and then jumped into
my jeans, tripping a little as I pulled it on. He hadn't given me time to
straighten my hair a little so I had to tie my wavy hair into a high ponytail. I
pulled out a few strands of my hair in the front to cover the tiny
constellation of acne on the side of my forehead. I put on light makeup and
then applied a thick coat of gloss.
Fastening my watch on my wrist, I picked up my bag and went out of my
room. I informed Ma that I was meeting Shaurya and skipped down to the
elevator. I was excited.

It was our first date.

When the doors opened, I met Shaurya, leaning against the opposite wall,
scrolling through his phone. "Hey, boyfriend!" I said, patting his shoulders.

"Boyfriend? I thought we were skipping the labels," he said.

"I always wondered how it would sound. Calling a guy my boyfriend. I

didn't want to miss the opportunity because you'll be my fiancé soon." I
shrugged.

"Well then, girlfriend. Shall we go?" He played along.

"Am I decent?" I waved to my outfit and he nodded but then a slight frown
took its place. He lifted my hand and snapped a loose thread hanging from
my sleeve.

"All good now," he said.

I grabbed my helmet — Shaurya got an extra one personally for me (how

sweet is that?) — and buckled it in. I got on and clutched his shirt as he
reversed the vehicle. He removed my hands and tugged them closer to wrap
around his waist. "How many times have I told you to hold onto me and not
my shirt?" He said.

"Sorry," I said, and tightened my hold. Wind blew through my hair and
rushed against my face as we went into the city. "Wait, I forgot to ask.
Where are we going?"
"You'll see," He said.

"Tell me, Shaurya!"

He didn't answer. I sighed and rested my head against his back and watched
the neon billboards blur past in a mix of colours. At that point of time, I had
already figured out we weren't going to the movies.

Shaurya took a sharp right, into a street so narrow that not more than two
motorbikes can pass through it at once. I had never visited this part of
Kawanpur. This was more of the clustered and stuffed part of the city. I
wondered if he had lost his way. Before I could ask him, he parked his bike
and killed the engine.

"Here?" I asked.

"Trust me, Sitar," He said, helping me get off the bike. The smell of masala
and spice wafted in the air, not belonging to the street. I frowned.

He wove his fingers through mine tightly and led the way. There were
various repair shops, stacked with broken mixer grinders and electronics. A
little stall selling flowers was on the left, right next to a fancy jewellery
shop. The plump man sat inside his shed-like shop and shook his head
firmly at the customer, not giving into her bargain. There were a lot of tiny
stalls and when we got to the end of the street, Shaurya pulled me to the
path cutting right.

My jaw fell open, the second time this day. "Street food?"

He nodded.
"A street full of street food?" I asked stupidly and he grinned. I wondered
how I hadn't known this place all my life.
Steam clouded the entrance of a stall as the guy splashed water onto the flat
heated surface he used as the pan. On the side, one guy was twisting a ball
of dough and rolling it into a thin cloth-like sheet. Then, he flipped it across
his hands repeatedly, made it even thinner and rolled into a small ball. He
was getting the dough ready to make parottas .
I looked to the other side and spotted a crowd, waiting for their mixture of
pori and boiled peanuts. A man was calling out the people walking by,
selling hot jalebi . The street itself was narrow and the number of people in
it would seem impossible if one said it out loud. I couldn't see the brown
muddy path at all because the road was packed. I held onto Shaurya tighter.

"Pick something," He said.

My eyes roamed. Most of the stalls were headed by people who looked like
they were from North India. There were so many chaats and drinks to
choose from. And it looked like I had to make the decision soon so that we
could get in line. My eyes fell on to the bright yellow roadside counter that
sold pani puri and other chaat items.
"That one," I pointed to it and Shaurya nodded. We walked together and I
had to keep shrinking myself to evade a passing stranger. Shaurya's arm
came around me and pulled me close to him as we made our way through
the crowd.
It had been a long time since I had pani puri and my mouth was basically
salivating at the sight. Before Shaurya could ask, I pointed to it.

"I love pani puri too!" He said and then he gestured to the man to prepare
for two.
"Duh, who doesn't? Once, I ate the most pani puris for a small bet with my
family," I boasted, remembering the last time I had a bet with my cousins
and won thousand rupees.
"You?" He asked.
I frowned at his inability to believe me. "I am perfectly capable of stuffing
pani-puris in my mouth. Don't underestimate me because of my height."
"But I'm sure you can't beat me," He bumped my shoulders.
"I can!" I said and before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "Wanna bet?"

Shaurya's eyes glinted with mischief. Did I just fall into the trap he set me
in?
"You asked for it," Shaurya said, too eagerly. Yes, he definitely set me up. I
wanted to hit myself with a chappal .
I watched Shaurya converse with the man in Hindi, pointing to the two of
us and then pulling out his wallet. The man's eyes were more than happy
because we had just guaranteed more than half of his sales.
"Okay, he will be passing them one by one to both of us and he will keep
count. Ready?" He asked.
"Wait. What should the loser do?"
"Whatever the other says," he said. "Wanna back out, Sitar?"

"No freaking way," I morphed my expression into a stronger one and

nodded. We each took the little bowl made of dried palm leaves. Shaurya
smirked and I wanted to wipe it off his face.
I was hungry. I could definitely eat more than him, I told myself.

The man placed the first puri in my bowl and I stuffed it in my mouth. The
second was given to Shaurya. Our bowls kept filling and filling. I kept track
of it until the point when I had taken too much time to chew and Shaurya
got a double refill, skipping my turn. I lost count of it after that.

One puri broke before I could stuff it in my mouth, making my hands go

sticky with the spicy water inside. Shaurya broke his puri thrice.
"How many?" I asked the man, chewing the crispy layer. I was panting. I
couldn't stand.
"30," he said, pointing to me. Wow, that was two more than what I had
eaten last time.
"33," He said, pointing to Shaurya. I grumbled under my breath.

I managed to squeeze in two more and I literally felt my stomach burst. If I

had any more, I was sure the buttons on my jeans would pop off. I threw the
bowl and held onto the rail, shaking my head. "I can't. That's enough!" I
said.
Shaurya asked the man to stop, chewing his last share. He washed his hands
from the bucket of water kept on the side and called me over. He poured
water on mine and let me wash away the spills. " Aiyoo , I feel like a
pregnant lady. I can't walk," I whined, clutching my stomach. Shaurya
chuckled.
He spoke to the man again and then paid him five-hundred rupees. We ate
pani puris for five-hundred rupees? Wow .
Shaurya came to my side. "You had 32. I had 35," He said, patting my head
in consolation. "It was close enough."
"Argh," I cried, leaning my head on his shoulders.
"But you still have to do what I tell you. You lost the bet," He grinned and I
nodded obediently. He balanced his chin on my head and patted my back.
"Do you want anything else?"
"Are you serious? I am so full," I groaned. "But will you bring me here
some other day?"
"Of course," He said, kissing my hair. "But, do you mind if I have Parotta
from that stall? I'm still hungry."
I gaped at him. "How much do you eat?"
He laughed. "I didn't have lunch today. So, you can't blame me."
"If you are planning to eat all this, fall sick and get pampered again," I
clicked my tongue and shook my head, "forget it. Not happening, Sir."

"I won't fall sick. Come on," He said, dragging me to the stall. There were
two college girls sitting on the bench and eating hot parottas. All others
were men. Shaurya ordered a plate and then found a spot between an old
man and the girl on the bench. But, it was a spot for one. And others were
filled.
"I'll stand," I said. "You go eat."
"No, come on," He said, taking his seat and pulling me onto his lap.

"Shaurya," I hissed, trying to get back up. The girl beside me smirked and
whispered to her friend. I felt all eyes land on us.
I pinched his arms, telling him to let go of me. "Relax, Sitar. No one's going
to tell anything," he said.
I felt embarrassed to sit on his lap in public but he didn't mind it and
everyone else forgot about it in seconds. That made me feel a little better.

A woman handed over a plate of parotta and chicken curry. She smiled at
us warmly. Shaurya held the plate with the arm which was around me, and
used the other to eat. I watched him dip the piece of the crumbling soft
parotta in the red spicy curry and stuff it in his mouth. I would be lying if I
said I wasn't tempted.
"Want a bite?" Shaurya asked and I nodded.
He broke a piece and added some chicken to it before feeding me. My eyes
widened and I nodded at how good it tasted. Even better than I imagined.
We ended up helping ourselves to another plate. I didn't know if it was
solely the taste that made me enjoy it so much or the fact that I was on
Shaurya's lap and that he fed me each bite.

Before the college girls left, they tapped my shoulders and called me. "You
two look cute together," She said. I exchanged a glance with Shaurya and
then thanked her, fighting a huge-ass grin on my face.
Shaurya went to wash his hands and I pulled out tissues from my bag for
him. After we shared a mug of lemon soda, I was so done with today. I just
wanted to sleep and go extra rounds of walking the next morning.

Shaurya led me in a different, quieter route this time to reach his bike. It
was dark, and we walked hand-in-hand under a few street lights flickering
here and there. It felt nice. Just us and our thoughts. I leaned into him.

—----------------- Shaurya —-------—---------

She was happy. I could see that in that enormous smile she hid when she
pressed herself against me, and the little squeezes she gave my fingers. She
thought I didn't notice but I did. I always noticed.

"So, how was your first date, girlfriend?" I asked, nudging her with my
elbows.
"You did well," She said, patting my hand.
"I just get a pat on the hand?" I asked, faking heart ache.
"Well, I can't kiss you in the middle of the road. There are people," she said.
I remained silent.
A few seconds later, she took my hand and pressed a lingering kiss on my
knuckles. "Thank you."
I pulled her close to me. "I'll let you go this time but I need a bigger prize
than this next time," I said and she rolled her eyes.
"Shaurya?" She called after a while. "You remember I asked you if you
were busy when you called me?"
I nodded.
"I asked because I wanted to discuss something with you," She said, tucking
her hair back. "It's about work. Um, you know we are opening a new branch
in London, na? They picked out a few people to go organize stuff and train
employees there. It's for a month and management will cover the stay, food
and travel expenses. And... I was chosen," She explained.
"When?" I asked.
"February," She said. "Our wedding is on March 10. And our engagement is
on Jan 6. The dates are not clashing."
"Okay," I said, not sure where she was going with it.
"What do you think? Should I go?" She asked.
I stopped in my tracks. "You're asking me? I am not the one going to
London, Sitar. You are. It's your decision."
"You don't care either way?" she asked, her voice falling. I sighed.

"Don't twist my words. I said it's your decision, meaning it's completely up
to what you want to do. If your heart asks you to go, then do it," I said,
taking her fingers in my own. "I would keep you glued to my side if I could.
But, I don't own you, Sitar. Whatever label you take doesn't mean I get the
rights to your life. It's always your choice. It's always about what you
want. I won't stop you. I don't want to be that man."

She nodded, slowly. "But I don't want to leave you for a month," she
admitted.
"I'm not going anywhere. This opportunity might. Don't miss it because of
your obsession with me." I said, chuckling. "Are your friends going too?"

She nodded. "Except Trisha," she said and then whispered quietly, "She is
pregnant. Don't tell anyone. It's a family norm that a woman should only
reveal to others that she is pregnant after three months."

My eyes widened and I nodded, surprised at the information. Trisha didn't

seem pregnant the last time I had seen her.
"Sitar, I don't want to keep you from your friends. Already Aisha was
giving me an earful for stealing you away every time. Go have some fun," I
said.
"You talk to Aisha?"
"Yes," I said. "Why are you so surprised? You talk to my sister behind my
back."
"Shaurya, that's your sister. She is practically family. This is different. Who
else do you talk to?"
I smirked at her reaction. "Sometimes, Deepika too. Why?"
"You idiot." She hit me with her bag. "How dare you do that to me? I need
Aarav's phone number."
"You already have it. He saved it on your phone, remember?" I riled her up
even more.
"I hate you!" She said, smacking me with her bag. A man who passed us
gave us a strange look but I couldn't stop laughing. She was so cute.

"Sitara!" I laughed, trying to dodge her handbag. God only knew what she
had in that. It hit me like a brick. "I was lying!" I said, capturing her hands
mid-air.
She struggled against me so I had to wrap her arms around my waist to keep
her still.
"I called Aisha to find out if you liked street food. She took the chance and
started yapping at me for always occupying your time. They miss you, it
seems. That's all," I said, kissing the crown of her head. She glared at me
from below.
"And besides, I think there is something going on between Aisha and
Aarav," I added.
"You noticed them brushing each other's fingers accidentally and then
blushing, didn't you?" She asked immediately, her eyes lighting up. I
nodded. "I noticed too. There is something definitely going on because I
saw them exchanging phone numbers. Ahh, what if they get together?"

Her eyes sparkled.

"They will make a good pair," I agreed, smiling at how easily her thoughts
can be distracted. One minute she was hitting me with her bag and the next
minute, she was gushing about our friends' unborn love story. She was
innocent but at the same time bold. It was one of the many many reasons I
loved her.
"So, you are going to London, na?" I asked.
"Yes," she smiled. "But, don't think you can escape me. I don't care about
the timezones. I'm going to call and talk to you for hours. And maybe we
can make a second trip there for our honeymoon," she added, cheekily.

"Nah, I have some other place in mind," I said.

"Which is?"
"A surprise. I'll tell you when you become my wife," I whispered.
"You are so mean," she grumbled and punched my shoulders. "Good thing I
love you."

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
 CHAPTER 10 : NUTELLA

—----------------- Shaurya —-------—---------

I rolled to my side, rubbing my eyes and stifling a yawn. My eyes squinted
to find Sitara but in her place, her peach-coloured socks lay discarded in the
most twisted way possible. I assumed she must have gone somewhere.

Sitara lied to her parents that she was staying at her friend’s and came here
instead. We had video-called my sister and ended up talking to her for an
hour. Amara was more than happy to do so since she didn’t have anyone to
talk to. Both of them had talked about marriage and somewhere in the
middle of the saree discussion, I had dozed off. I woke up once when Sitara
accidentally knocked the bowl on the bedside table when she fumbled for
the switches. Then I went back to sleep.

I grabbed my phone to check my messages. I frowned at the mail titled

RESPOND ASAP and went through the issues the company’s website was
facing. I was trying to understand the root of the problem when Sitara’s
voice came from inside the bathroom.

“Shaurya?” She called. “Are you awake?” She knocked on the door from
inside. I stood up from the bed and padded to the bathroom. “What’s
wrong?” I asked, standing just outside the door.
“By any chance, do you think there might be pads here? Maybe in your
mother’s room?” She asked.

“I don’t think so. Why?”

“I just got my period and I didn’t bring any with me,” she said, a little
frustrated at the situation.
“Okay, don’t panic. I’ll go get it from the store, okay?” I said. She told me
the brand’s name and a few specifications. “Will you be alright in here?” I
asked.

“Yeah, I’ll just take a shower. Can you pass me the clothes from that tote
bag?”

I fumbled through the bag and took the set of clothes she had clearly stuffed
inside hastily. I passed it to her.

“I’ll be back before you are done, okay? Do you need anything else?”

“Heat patches if there’s any available,” she said.

“Okay.”

“And Shaurya?”

“Yes?”

“I love you,” She said and I smiled, leaving the room and grabbing my
keys.

When I was in school, girls would sneak pads from their bags into their
pockets and rush to the bathroom. Or when they stained their pants, they
would lower the strap of their school bags so that the stain wouldn’t show.
We boys knew what it was but no one ever dared to comment on it. It was
almost like a banned topic of discussion for both the genders.

At home, it was exactly the opposite. Ma casually discussed it with Amara

in front of me. In the beginning, I would get out of the room whenever the
topic came, feeling embarrassed. But when Ma forced me to go buy pads
for my sister, I had no other choice. I would never forget the look on the
shopkeeper’s face when I asked for it. He had smirked at me. I felt so
disgusted that I told Ma I wouldn’t go again.

But she sat me down and explained how there was nothing to be
embarrassed about. ‘It is normal,’ Ma had said. After that day, I didn’t mind
the period talk anymore nor was I ashamed to get what my sister needed. I
never cringed at the word periods, or forced myself to look away when
someone slipped a pad to someone else. It didn't phase me anymore. Ma
had made sure of that.

Never had I imagined that that small thing which Ma imprinted in me

would catch a girl’s attention and then bridge the way to develop a special
bond between us. I was glad that Sitara didn’t have to hide anything from
me or turn all shy to talk about it. And I knew that's what the ‘I love you’
she had said was for.

—----------------- Sitara —-----------------

I wanted to slap myself with a bamboo chappal for forgetting to pack pads.
Last morning, I had remembered that it would start either today or
tomorrow but it completely vanished from my mind later in the evening. I
felt bad for sending Shaurya all the way to the store so early in the morning
but I have to admit, this ranked number one among the sweetest things he
had done for me.
My stomach twisted, sending a shot of pain through me. I stepped out of the
shower and dried myself. Shaurya knocked on the door just in time. I put
my hand outside to grab it.
He passed it to me but not before playfully pinching my hands. I slapped
him and heard his loud chuckle before I locked the door again.
When I stepped out in my kurti and my leggings, he eyed my outfit. “Is that
comfortable?” He asked.
“It’s the only thing I have. I had to wash these pants too,” I shrugged,
walking to the balcony to hang the wet clothes to dry.
“You can wear something of mine if you like,” He said. I pretended to
consider it when on the inside I was screaming. I clipped my wet clothes on
the line and went to his closet to pick something for myself. I noticed a tiny
blue box with a white bow on it.
"What is this?" I asked, showing it to him.
He rushed to me as if I had discovered his biggest secret. "You are not
supposed to see that now."
He took the box from me and hid it behind him. I crossed my arms over my
chest. "What is that, Shaurya? Show me."
"No."
"Is that for me?"
"Um, maybe," He said.
"Then, give it to me, you idiot," I tried to grab it from him.
He paused for a few seconds and then said, "That's your birthday present.
But, since you will not be here with me on that day, you can have it now."

My heart melted. My birthday was in February and he had already bought

me a present? I wanted to smother him with hugs.

He took my hands and made me sit on his lap before giving me the present.
I opened it too eagerly and my jaw went slack at the delicate pendant. It
was a silver constellation of stars, intricately designed and feathery light in
my hands.
"Because Sitara means star and to remind you of the night we met under the
stars," He said softly. "This is an Aquarius constellation, your sign."
"This looks so expensive," I mumbled, running my fingers over it.

"Yes it is, but you deserve it. You should know you are more worthy than
what you assume to be. You deserve the world, Sitara," He said, gently
taking it from my hands and clasping it around my neck.

He traced the pendant on my skin, admiring it with a satisfied nod. I threw

my arms around him. "You are my world, Shaurya," I whispered.

Shaurya held me close. "I love you."

I kissed his cheek. "Thank you so much. I love it."
He simply smiled and walked to the closet. “Here,” Shaurya handed me a
brown hoodie.
He pulled out a pair of joggers from underneath his clothes. “I think this
will fit you.”
It was a little longer but it was okay. “How come you have such small
pants?”
“I got it in my twelfth grade. It was my favourite pair so I kept it. I guess it
was meant for you all along,” He said, shutting the door. I changed into his
clothes and I wanted to dance in the bathroom because of how good it smelt
— the same scent of musk and pineapple but this time, a little dominated by
the smell of detergent.
I opened the door and grinned at him, twirling in my new outfit. He shook
his head and laughed.
✦
“Oh, this looks interesting,” I said, reading the movie plot. Shaurya crushed
a biscuit wrapper and added it to the growing collection of empty packets
and covers. He had gone the extra mile and bought me chocolates and
biscuits to munch on. He said his sister once told him that it helped. And
apart from that, he even let me share his stash of Oreos. This should be
enough proof that he loved me.
“ Ohm Shanthi Oshaana ,” I read the title on the screen. “Can we watch this
movie? It’s in Malayalam.”
“I don’t care. Play anything,” he said, dusting the crumbs of his shirt. I
clicked on the movie and then snuggled into Shaurya’s chest. He was
quietly munching on Oreos, his arm wound around my back and tucked
under mine. As the introductory credits got over, he put away the packet
and pulled me closer to his chest.
The movie started playing and then he softly brushed his lips on my neck. I
slapped his arm, smiling. He balanced his chin on my shoulders and then
watched the movie quietly, laughing at a few jokes. “Is this female character
behaving just like you or am I imagining things?’ He asked.
“I admit we have a few similarities,” I said, surprised. “She is very cute,
though.”
“That’s a similarity too,” Shaurya mumbled, making me flush lightly. He
was smooth. I’d give him that.
“How is the pain?” He asked.
“Much better,” I said, lifting my fingers to play with his hair.
“Good.”
“There is only a week until we get engaged,” I reminded him.
“Nothing’s gonna change,” He said, twining his fingers with mine and
dipping his head to kiss me lightly. “I will always keep loving you more.”

I brought his head closer and kissed him.

Two months earlier, if anyone had told me that I would be cuddled on the
couch with my boyfriend, with him feeding me chocolates and kissing me
to make me feel better while we watched Malayalam movies, I would have
chased them away to build my hopes up for something that was never
gonna happen. That was just wishful thinking. Or so I had thought.

But now, I’ve realised it’s alright to hope for things that sound trivial, silly
or even impossible. Because sometimes that’s all we can do — close our
eyes and hope for good things to come when Fate rolls its dice.
And so, I hoped again.
I hoped for a life full of shameless flirting with Shaurya, kisses that spoke
more than words, hugs that meant everything and smiles that lit up each
other’s eyes; times when I save him from spiders and he never lets go of my
hand in the dark; years building a family, raising children and loving them
equally and most important of all, moments when we look at each other and
know that, together we feel utterly blissfully complete.

—————— THE END ——————

 THE EPILOGUE : BILL & TIPS

Here is a collection of snippets from shaurya's and sitara's future.

One last time, thank you for keeping this story close to
your heart. stay magical <3

—----------------- Sitara —-----------------

"So, I told you about Anna, right? The trainee who takes care of the stock in
London?" I asked him.

"Yeah, you mentioned. What about her?" Shaurya asked, reaching to his
side table to pick up a glass of water. I could see his familiar bed through
the screen and a pang of longing to be with him hit my chest.

"Well, you know, she has a boyfriend," I said, looking down and picking at
the loose thread in my sweater.

"And?"
"He calls her baby everytime he comes to pick her up and it's so cute. Her
face just lights up like fireworks when he does that. It's so nice," I
mumbled. There was a slice of silence that cut through the conversation.
Then I looked up at him.

"No, nah, I am not doing it," Shaurya shook his head very firmly.

"Please, Shaurya. Just once," I said, morphing my expression into the cutest
and saddest.
He shut his eyes. "No, Sitar. It's so... not me."
"Please. You can add five more kisses to the list," I said, wishing I was
beside him so that I could pester him more into giving in. He sighed and
closed his eyes.
"Sitara, baby , I hate you," He said and then opened his eyes. Whatever
assumptions I had about it being romantic shattered into dust. I hoped
Shaurya hadn't seen me cringe so badly.

"Okay, we are never doing that," I said.

"I warned you," He said, looking very displeased. I burst out laughing at his
sour expression.

"Don't worry, I still owe you five kisses," I said to help him feel better.

"I am holding you to that," He said and then after a long pause, he added, "
baby ."

"Shaurya!"

He stuck his tongue out. Dork.

▬▬▬▬▬▬

"When will the meeting finish?" I asked Shaurya through the video call,
still sleepy. He was fastening his tie around his collar and I wished he had
picked out a neutral colour to go with the brown shirt.
"Around one in the afternoon," He said. "Will you be busy at that time?"

"I might," I said and Aisha sneaked up from behind me. She had her eyes
closed.

"Is your fiance decent?" She asked and I rolled my eyes.

"No, I am watching him take a shower. Wanna join?" I asked acidly. A

satisfying grimace creeped up on her face and I turned back to the phone.

"Hi Aisha," Shaurya called, looking to the left of him with a smirk. I
suspected that Aarav was in the same room with him. But Aisha didn't have
to know that.

"Hello, Shaurya. By any chance, do you know where that boyfriend of mine
is? I told him to call back later and he never did. I miss talking to that idiot
but he never cares," Aisha grumbled. "Can you knock some sense into
him?"

Shaurya held in his laughter. "I think you did that already," he said and I
chuckled as Aarav stepped into the screen with a nervous wave. But before
either of them could open their mouths, I told them to get their own screen
to talk through and shooed them away. Aisha slapped my head before she
called her boyfriend and went to the other side of the room to yell at him.

"Shaurya, brush your hair the other way. A little to the side like I always tell
you," I said.
"This looks fine," He muttered but nevertheless picked up his hairbrush and
combed his hair that way.

"A little that way, just a little ," I said, my hands gesturing to his side. He
grumbled and did as I asked.

"Oh, not so much. It should not look like you have forced your hair to that
side. It should appear as if the wind has casually blown your hair that way
and even then you are sexy," I said and Shaurya glared at me.

"What? I want you to look good!"

"You like my messy hair, Sitar. How should I trust you?"

"Fine, do whatever you want."

"Fine," He said and he combed his hair again. When I glanced at him, I
realised he was taking my advice after all.

"See, you look so handsome that I could kiss you right now!" I grinned and
a tiny smile came onto his face. "What would you ever do without me,
Shaurya?" I asked, dramatically.

"Get to my meeting on time?" He asked.

My smile slipped. "I hate you," I said.

"I love you too," He laughed and hung up. Idiot .

▬▬▬▬▬▬

"So, I have something to tell you," I said, staring at Shaurya through the
video call. "I caught one London guy in the cafe down our rooms checking
me out. He has been doing that for a week now. And today, he gave me a
bouquet of white lilies and told me I look really beautiful and wanted to
take me out on a date."

Shaurya's jaw twitched a little but he didn't say anything. He just stared at
me. "Then?"

Why is he not even showing any signs of jealousy? "Then, Aisha told me
that you are the one who asked me to have fun and one innocent date will
be harmless."

I paused to get any reaction but he didn't say anything; just had his jaws
clamped together as if he would break if he spoke. "So, I agreed. It's
tomorrow night. You don't mind right?"

"I don't mind it. Have fun on that non-existent date," He smirked, and I
gaped at him.

"I am really going, Shaurya. Do you think I am not beautiful enough to be

asked out?" I asked.

"No, I think no guy would be foolish enough to ask a woman with a ring on
her finger for a date," He said and I wanted to facepalm myself.
"Fine, you win. He didn't ask me out on a date but he gave me that gorgeous
bouquet of flowers," I said, my lips pursed.

"Every woman deserves beautiful flowers," He said and I wanted to throw

my phone at him. Why? Why doesn't he get even a little jealous? Or
possessive?

"What if someone flirts with me in front of you?" I approached this another

way.

"You wouldn't flirt back but even if you do, I wouldn't say anything to you,"
He replied.

"Are you at least a little possessive over me?"

"I am but I don't show it to you," He sighed when I simply blinked at him.
"When you told me that guy had been checking you out, I wanted to bash
him in the head. But if I told you that, you would act like a kid who is high
on sugar and I sure as hell can't deal with that energy now because it's two
in the morning here."

Oh.

"Sometimes, I hate that you know me so well," I kept my neutral face but it
wasn't long before a smile creeped in.

▬▬▬▬
"Ma, I am switching off my phone. If anyone in the family calls me again
and asks me if I am planning to get pregnant, then I would jump into the big
ocean in front of me," I snapped into my phone as I walked back into the
room.

"Situ ma , don't get angry. They are excited for you," Ma said.

"Well, tell them I have no plans to get pregnant. I just want to flirt with my
husband and spend time with him on my honeymoon and not on the phone
answering everyone's suggestive questions. Is that too much to ask?"

"Okay okay. You two go have fun. We will not disturb you," Ma said and
my shoulders sagged in relief as I hung up.

I grumbled and set my empty mug on the side table before I slipped into
bed next to Shaurya. "Go easy on them, Sitar," He said, his hands on my
bare knees to calm me.

"Don't act as if you weren't pressured at all," I said. "I remember the look
on your face when Paati came to you and asked you to give her a great-
grandchild before she passed away. I just can't deal with another Be
productive in your honeymoon, Sitara and Make sure we get some good
news soon. Ugh!"

"Okay, now come here," Shaurya opened his arms and I burrowed myself
close to him. His scent was exactly what I needed to calm myself down. He
kissed my hair and then pulled me close, his arms caging me in a safe
embrace.
"What are we doing tomorrow?" I asked, my hands tangling in his hair.

"Anything you want."

"Even if I want to stay in bed all day and order room service instead of
sightseeing?"

"Especially that. Do you think I'll complain?" He asked and I laughed,

brushing his nose with mine.

"Have I told you that you couldn't have chosen a better place for our
honeymoon than this?"

"Have I told you that you look like a goddess in my shirt?"

I blushed. "Guess we both know now."

▬▬▬▬▬▬

Shaurya's family was loud. It was odd to me because I was never allowed to
get high-pitched in front of my family. I wasn't brought up like that. Amara
akka 's voice rang through the walls whenever she spoke and Shaurya said
she had gotten it from his mother. I was glad that Shaurya's father had been
soft-voiced because my husband took after him, luckily.
I could hear the loud laughter of Shaurya's grandmother in the living room
and Amara shouting at her son to stop twisting his sister's doll. It was chaos
but it didn't bother me anymore. I liked a lively place.

I lifted the tub of damp clothes that were fresh out of the washing machine
and headed out to the balcony to pin them on the drying line. The two
unspoken requirements of Shaurya's grandmother's visit was that I wear
saree until she leaves and that I should never call Shaurya by his name. His
grandmother had shaken her head in disapproval when I did that the first
time. Out of the two, calling Shaurya Bava was the toughest one.

Shaurya was like my best friend before he was my husband. I couldn't bring
myself to call him Bava as if he is some elderly person I had to respect.
Trisha loved calling her husband that way and it had become her substitute
for darling or hubby but I didn't get used to it. I only carried the pretense
around Shaurya's grandmother.

I bunched up the loose end of my saree and tucked it around the saree-fold
around my hip. I took the clothes one by one and then hung them on the
line. I heard footsteps approaching me and I knew it was him just by the
sound of it. Six months of marriage did that to you.

Shaurya snaked his arm around my waist and lifted me to the hidden side of
the balcony. My eyes widened as he buried his face in my neck.

"Shaurya, your grandmother is here," I hissed, slapping his arms silently.

"I think she is planning to stay another day at the expense of Amara visiting
India after a long time," He said, "It's been three days already. I haven't
spoken to you properly."

"But, this is not the time," I peeled his hands from around my bare hip.

"It's our house. I don't care," He said and I sighed. When it was just the two
of us, it was very easy and simple cooking for two and cleaning up later on.
Amara akka 's visit was a welcomed one but running after her kids just
invited too much work. Shaurya's family had been visiting her from time to
time as well, some staying for a day and some leaving after a cup of coffee.
The company was nice but the thought of more work after leaving my
office everyday twisted a knife into me.

I sighed and buried my head into his shirt, wrapping my arms around him.
He balanced his chin on my head. "I know that you have been so tired for
the past few days. You fall asleep at night when I am still talking and you
massage your neck when you think no one's watching," He said. "Should
we hire someone to do the cleaning everyday?"

"No, this is just for a few days. After Amara akka 's gone, no visitors. It will
be just you, me and the house. We do a pretty good job together," I said,
mustering a smile.

"I'm sorry I can't help you now. Avva hates it if the husbands help out in the
kitchen or do household work. She will blame you for it and scold you. She
is still stuck in the past," Shaurya said, tucking a strand of my hair behind
my ear. He wiped away something from my forehead.
"What?"

"The kumkuma got smeared," He said simply and I saw some of it stuck
onto his shirt where I had leaned. I dusted it off.

"Amara leaves next week and then we'll go somewhere on the weekend.
Maybe to that resort Deepika was talking about?"

"Yes, please. I need it," I smiled at him and he kissed my forehead.

Amara ka poked her head into the balcony. "I thought your romance will
die after a few months after your marriage but you two are attached
together. I am so jealous of your relationship," she said and I waved at her
to stop teasing us. That's all she's been doing lately.

"God, Avva finally went to sleep and she told me Dharma Mama is coming
to pick her up today evening. She has scolded me about everything possible
in this world and I was scared I would snap at her. Finally, I'll get some
peace and quiet after she goes," She stretched her arms upwards. "Kriti and
Aditya have been nagging me for ice cream. I am going to take them out
after Avva leaves. Let's go out!"

The thought of ice cream lit something in me. "I love you, Amara ka ," I
cried, hugging her.

She laughed and then pulled my husband into the hug as well.

▬▬▬▬▬▬
"You know, this place should have been our first date," I said, as Shaurya
parked the car near Sunset Pier. "This shop played matchmaker for us and
the fact that we don't come here often is so sad."

"That's because we order in everytime," he said and Shaurya clasped my

hand with his before we crossed the busy road. Feeling something odd, I
stopped before the shop and frowned. I felt like I was missing something
but... where was my phone?

"Do you have my phone?"

"You never gave it to me," He said.

"I think I left it in the car. I'll go pick it up. Order the usual for me but with
extra ice cream," I told him before I crossed the road again and looked for
my phone in the passenger seat. It was stuck between the seats. I realised it
must have slipped from my jean pocket and then took it before shutting the
door.

When I was about to step into the shop, my eyes caught Shaurya through
the windows. He was still near the counter, but he had someone talking to
him. A girl with brown hair braided in a fishtail and a yellow work uniform,
had her hands on the counter, just near where Shaurya's thumb was gripping
it, his wallet open. She was chatting him up rather animatedly.

This should be fun , I thought and quietly slipped inside the shop and took a
comfortable seat. Shaurya's mouth opened and the girl started talking about
something else so he closed them again. His shoes were one behind the
other, as if deciding between running back and finishing the conversation
abruptly. The uncomfortable glances he sent towards the door (in hopes of
me walking in) and the forced smiles he gave her sent me shaking with
quiet laughter. He hadn't realised I was inside already.

I decided that a few more seconds of watching him squirm would be fun but
the second the girl's finger touched my husband's thumb, so I straightened
up. Shaurya pulled his hands away quickly, dropping the wallet in his
hands. I thought it was time.

When he stood up after picking up the wallet, I quietly appeared beside him
and snaked an arm around his waist. Relief flooded him. Idiot, he could
have just told her he was married and had a beautiful wife.

"Hi, did my husband get my order right? It's one Classic Caramel with
chocolate drizzle and topping of ice cream," I said, displaying my sweetest
smile.

Her smile dropped. "H-husband? Shaurya, you got married?"

"Sorry, Nisha. I was trying to tell you that but you never gave me a chance,"
He said, pulling me a little tighter. They were familiar with each other's
names. He knew he had some answering to do when we got home.

"I-I thought you - Aarav never told me," she said at last and I felt bad for
her. I wouldn't blame her for flirting with Shaurya. I wasn't much different
from her a few months back, except that I got lucky and she didn't. Thank
God.
"I'm sorry," Shaurya said, giving her a few seconds of silence to process the
information and then quietly added, "Did you take our order?"

She quickly recovered and forced a smile before typing in and tearing off a
bill. "You two look good together," she said for formality, and I knew it
must have pained her to say it.

"You are gorgeous too. I hope you find a man who deserves you," I said and
she thanked me. Shaurya had this look in his eyes as if he worshipped me.

"You just made me love you more," He said, handing me my milkshake

later.

"That was the plan."

He looked at me and I looked at him. We both knew what we wanted to say

to each other so we quietly sipped our milkshakes, smiling and falling in
love a little more.

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