Madhav managed to find a space to her left, and sat down, transfixed. He looked around and saw murals depicting the dreams of children and adults alike, dotted with whimsical doodles. Paper lamps and flowers littered the space, making it look cosy and warm.

Madhav tried to observe the other people in the circle, but his eyes were inexplicably drawn back towards the girl. She seemed to glimmer in the light of the candles and lamps. Her magnetic presence was easily felt, even with his eyes closed. He felt as though she was the only real person there.

A chant arose from the circle, breaking his reverie. The room echoed with a Buddhist mantra that rushed through his veins and prickled his skin. He opened his eyes before anyone else did and a murmur ran through the room. The girl uttered a soft chant and opened her eyes, which were large and spectacularly green—the green of trees and seas in dreams.

She was slender, with shoulder-length brown hair and pale skin. Although she wasn’t tall, her angular shoulders and firm posture gave her a quietly determined look. She wore silk pants, loosely bound at the ankles, a loose white cotton shirt and a long silk shawl. All her clothes were of different hues and she wore her shawl backwards, with the smooth fabric flowing down her back.

‘Thank you, everyone,’ she finally spoke. It was the same voice he’d heard on the phone, husky and seductive. She folded her hands and greeted everybody in the circle with a bow. Her voice was almost a whisper. She looked around, at each one of them, and finally came to Madhav. As their gazes locked, they both drew a breath, the moment suspended between them. Then they exhaled and she looked away.

Madhav sat stunned. The light in her eyes evoked something deep within him—he felt as though her soul glinted in those orbs. As she smiled, she illuminated the whole circle with an ethereal glow. He began to wonder whether, despite his cynicism, love at first sight might actually exist. Perhaps this is what it felt like—a sudden bolt of energy, of magic.

‘I offer my deep gratitude to this circle. We are blessed by your presence here. We have some new beautiful souls who have joined us today.’ The girl’s voice ebbed and flowed rhythmically.

‘I’m Radhika Kapoor. I work for Art from the Heart and I welcome you all.’

She said her name with an impish glint in her eyes. Her crescent-shaped eyebrows rose slightly when she caught Madhav staring at her.

The curve of her smile spoke of a certain pride and confidence. Madhav felt that perhaps a lot of people mistook her pride for arrogance and confused her quiet confidence with impassivity. His thoughts were lost, swimming in the lagoon of her steady, even stare.

Suddenly, he felt someone’s arms encircle him, pulling him into a long hug as he sat there dumbfounded, unsure of what was happening.