‘Madhav, sorry, baby! I was just excited about your job. Don’t I deserve to be happy?’

He pulled his hand away, lit a cigarette and checked his phone to see if Radhika had texted.

‘Are we staying in tonight? Richa is out all night. Let’s have some wine and we can talk to your heart’s content,’ she said. What a bimbo, thought Madhav.

‘Okay, Meera, we’ll see. I need to go home now to tell my mom about the job,’ he said, putting out the cigarette on an ashtray. She stood up and kissed his cheek and was worried when he didn’t reciprocate.

By the time he reached home, it was afternoon, which was the best time for him since his annoying sister and father would be at work and his mother would usually be at a relative’s place.

But that day was different. Sauntering in, he saw everyone in the living room. He realized that he kind of missed spending time with his family. For the past twelve years, ever since he had returned from Nainital, he had avoided conversing with them. They deeply cared about Madhav, but he was wary about spending too much time with them.

‘Madhav, is everything okay?’ his mother asked.

His dad looked at him, unsmilingly, while Vihana chattered away on the phone.

‘Didn’t you have an interview yesterday? You didn’t tell us how it went. What happened?’ His mother fired her questions at him in one breath, which usually irked him, but to everyone’s surprise, he smiled.

‘I got the job,’ he said. His father smiled and congratulated him in his surly yet proud way, while his mother caressed his cheeks. Vihana hung up and said, ‘Good job, dude!’ and patted his shoulder. ‘Well, we have good news for you as well,’ she added.

‘What?’

‘We’ve fixed a date for Vihana’s wedding,’ said his father.

Madhav beamed. ‘Wow! You and Karan are getting married?’ he asked. Vihana blushed and nodded. It had been many years since they had all been in one room this way, smiling and talking. His mother teared up at his reaction.

Madhav hugged Vihana. Life hadn’t allowed them too many such moments. ‘Congrats! I am so happy. I know you love him because you can never stop talking to him!’ he teased her.

Madhav could feel something transforming within him, slowly but steadily. He knew it was because of Radhika and suddenly he ached to see her again.

Madhav bought flowers and pastries on the way to her office, dabbing cologne on his neck as he parked the car, far away from her scooter this time.

He climbed the stairs to her office but found the door closed. He rang the cowbell multiple times and eventually heard footsteps. It was around 6 p.m. Suresh opened the door.

‘Suresh!’ Madhav greeted him in surprise, trying in vain to hide the box of pastries and the flowers.

‘Madhav!’ Suresh looked at him warily.