“And don’t forget the eyes, Neel. Eyes as bright as marigold blossoms but even more beautiful because they can speak.”

“It’s not that easy being a poet,” I said, keeping my gaze fixed on my book. I wanted to prevent my eyes from speaking to him.

“It’s the power of a special heart that can make me a poet,” Neel whispered.

I looked at Sarina, but she’d hidden her face in her book.

Neel got up from his chair, saying, “Right now, the power belongs to our final exams, so let’s not worry about soft hair and flying off on a horse of imagination. Study.” He walked away from us, but not before stroking my hair.

It was impossible for me to concentrate after that. That night, while I was brushing my hair, I replayed the conversation in my head, trying to understand what Neel was saying. Had my eyes communicated what my heart felt? I wasn’t sure. One thing was sure. Neel had power over my heart.

Two days later I waited thirty minutes to catch a bus to go to Sarina’s house because one of the buses had broken down and the others were running full. I stood all the way through the ride and almost missed my stop because the bus was so crowded and I had to elbow people to get off. When I reached Sarina’s house my head was pounding. Neel was there, and as soon as he saw me he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just a headache from waiting in the heat.”

“I could’ve picked you up.”

I knew Mummy wouldn’t allow that, but I couldn’t say so to Neel. “It’s okay. My house isn’t on your way.”

“I don’t mind. Next time I’ll pick you up.”

“We’ll worry about next time when next time comes,” Sarina said. She knew that I couldn’t ride with Neel, not by myself.

With the tips of her fingers, Sarina massaged my temples until my headache melted away.

Neel never asked about picking me up again, and I was relieved that he’d forgotten about it. It was so unlike him to forget, but he had, or at least I thought he had.

During the exams Mummy insisted that I stay at home. The entire exam week was hot, sleepless, and exhausting. Each day I had two three-hour exams. The fans whirled above me frantically while I wrote answers as fast as I could. In between exams I had an hour break for lunch, but I was too nervous to eat.