‘Let’s stay connected, man. We’ll catch up on your side of the world whenever I visit next,’ I say.

‘Cheers, man! Merry Christmas!’ he says as he hurries off towards the lobby.

‘Cheers!’

I linger a little in the restaurant. I have another meeting in the city before I finally meet Nia and we go apartment hunting in Bandra. And yes, I’m super excited about this second meeting because it’s with my childhood bestie Vedant.

You make all sorts of friends through different stages in life, but it’s only your childhood friends who’ll stand the test of time. I want Nia to meet Vedant, but maybe after we move in together and settle down in our new pad. And after she’s met Vedant, I’ll introduce her to my family. For now, I’m kind of taking it slow.

As I leave the hotel and wander through the streets of the Fort area, I realize that while my life has changed by leaps and bounds, Mumbai hasn’t changed a bit. From the red double-decker buses to the worn-out buildings that dot the city’s landscape, it still has the same madness that it always had.

I make my way to the iconic Leopold Cafe and grab a table near the window that overlooks the street. As I sit back and enjoy the Christmassy vibe in the café and the rich scent of freshly brewed coffee, I debate whether or not to scroll through social media to kill time. But these days, I dread going on social media. Unlike me, who’s still thinking about getting married, most of my friends and peers are already married and having babies! And I’m done seeing post after post showing off their family pictures. Even Vedant got married to his childhood sweetheart three years ago, and he was recently blessed with a baby girl.

I wonder how they did it. Being an adult and making these big life decisions is so hard. Things were so much easier in childhood when the choices were simpler and the stakes lower. For instance, when your mother promised to take you out, the only decision she wanted you to make was whether you were going to put on the yellow shoes she got you for your birthday or the red ones she got you for Diwali. Or when your father agreed to cook because it was the weekend, you and your sibling only had to choose between pizza or pav bhaji for dinner.