We heard Papa shut the gates, which made a loud screeching noise. Arjun woke up, startled. Ma looked tired and I told her, I’d take care of him for some time.

I picked up my baby brother, feeling my heart flood with love. And annoyance. He was going to be a major pain when he grew up. It helped that he was cute, though. Rocking him gently, I took him towards the dining room.

Raghu came and stood beside me. The two of us had been very discreet for the past month. We barely had time for stolen kisses, but now that Raghu was going to study in Bangalore, I felt like we had all the time in the world. Hopefully.

Andaleeb Wajid is the author of twenty-seven published novels and writes across different genres. Her horror novel It Waits was shortlisted for the MAMI Word to Screen 2017 and her series for teens, The Tamanna Trilogy has been optioned for screen by a reputed production house. Andaleeb's novel When She Went Away was shortlisted for The Hindu Young World Goodbooks Award in 2017.

Read more by Andaleeb Wajid

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