I couldn’t help myself from looking at him.

‘Why?’ I asked him, despite wanting to shut up.

‘What do you mean why? Because I was going to be away for so many days!’ he said, looking earnestly at me.

I had to look away from his gaze, not sure how I was going to deal with this devastating news.

‘Oh no! I’m so sorry! I never really thought of that when I demanded that V come and stay here with me,’ Ma said, looking distraught.

I turned back to him, feeling agitated. ‘You shouldn’t have come here, then!’

If he had a girlfriend, why hadn’t he said anything before? Why had he kept looking at me like that, and what was that flirting in the hospital?

He shrugged.

‘It’s okay. She understands now,’ he said.

The three of us sat in silence for a few seconds. I didn’t know what to think. Disappointment bloomed in my chest.

I looked at him—he was busy fiddling with his phone.

‘Texting her?’ I asked.

‘Yeah. Problem?’ he asked, without looking up from the phone.

I looked away and switched the TV off. ‘I’m going to sleep,’ I said.

Ma got up gingerly. ‘I’ll also go. It’s quite late,’ she said.

‘But you guys asked me to join you two and now you’re both off! Not fair,’ Raghu complained.

I bit down on a retort, saying his girlfriend could keep him company. I didn’t want him to know how insanely jealous I was.

‘Sorry, beta. Maybe some other time. Eat something before you go to sleep,’ Ma said as she walked towards her room slowly.

I got up and started walking away too when I heard him humming something and I stopped.

‘Decided to stay back?’ he asked, with a smile on his face, even though his gaze was still on his phone.

‘What were you humming just now?’

He looked up and grinned. ‘Guess?’ he asked. His eyes glinted mischievously. The old Raghu, the one who pulled my leg every now and then, was back and it made me happy.

Everything just clicked into place.

I picked up the nearest cushion and started hitting him with it while he tried to protect himself by crossing his arms in front of his face as he laughed. I had heard right—and I was laughing too.

He had been humming the old Sridevi song ‘Main Nagin Tu Sapera’.

Suddenly, he caught hold of my wrist and yanked me down. I toppled on top of him gracelessly. I dropped the cushion and my breath seemed trapped in my throat. No one was laughing any more.

He looked at me intently and then pushed away my hair from my face, gently, in a way that made my heart race.

‘You could have just asked,’ he whispered.

I felt hot, being so close to him. It was like he was burning me up.