I saw Sammy stretched out with a book in the sunlight-flooded living room. The house was strangely peaceful for the time of day.

‘Where’s everyone, Sammy?’ I asked, perching on the plump orange cushions in the large bay windows of the living room. Living in one of the older apartment buildings in Mumbai had its advantages and the bay windows that came with Sammy and Rishi’s apartment were definitely among them. The two sprawling balconies were another. Most of the plush new residential complexes that were sprouting up in and around the suburbs just looked good from the outside—a closer look revealed matchbox-sized apartments with barely enough place to dry a towel, and people who lived in them probably didn’t even remember what a balcony looked like.

‘Rishi’s taken Aryan down to the park and the Momster is away for the day at a workshop,’ Sammy replied, sounding hugely relieved. ‘Some nonsense about coping with old wounds by healing the inner child. So it’s just us for now and I fully intend to just sit on this couch and vegetate till Aryan gets back. What about you? What’s your scene?’

She turned to look at me and sat up suddenly, a look of concern flashing across her face ‘Megha, you look like hell! Is everything okay? Is there some stress at work?’

I shook my head unconvincingly but the look of abject misery on my face must’ve given me away because Sammy just sat up straighter and slapped her book shut. ‘Spit it out, Megha, something is wrong—it’s written all over your face. So tell me, what gives?’

I hesitated for a split second before giving in. The last thing I wanted to do was bother Sammy with my silly problems. I mean, she had her hands full already. But then Yudi’s face flashed through my mind again, the unfathomable look he’d given me as I told him about the mess I was in, and I found myself telling Sammy all about him and about the conflicting feelings I was having about work. I told her about how work had seemed like a total drag before Bright Biscuits happened, about how the one thing that excited me about Bright Biscuits wasn’t even part of my job and about the mess I’d gotten myself into by falling for Yudi given that he was the last person who’d want me involved in creative work.

Sammy had a thoughtful look on her face as I spoke. When I finished, she shook her head and sank back against the cushions. ‘Whoa, young Megha! You’re in over your head this time around, aren’t you?’

I nodded miserably, ‘I know! Yudi is not my type at all normally, and I certainly am not his type, but…’

‘I’m not talking about Yudi,’ Sammy interrupted. ‘I meant the other part, the work part of it. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?’

‘I don’t know, Sammy. I didn’t want to bother you, I guess. Besides, you have your hands full with Aryan and I barely get a chance to speak to you these days, what with my crazy schedule.’