‘I’ll meet you there.’

My heart sank. Why was I not being allowed to pick her up from her house, as I always did? And then, of course, there was the absence of one important component in her message. No affection. I locked my phone, trying not to think about it. Telling myself I was blowing things out of proportion. That, with her upcoming final exams, Sakshi was just preoccupied, and as soon as she received her results, things would be back to normal.

A calendar reminder flashed up on my screen, ‘make Maa’s appointment’. I snoozed it until the next day. I needed to deal with Sakshi and my relationship first. Besides, Maa seemed to be on the mend from her cold; she had even lost a little bit of weight after I insisted that she eat a healthy diet. I made a mental note to speak to Maa tomorrow, to ask her if she felt she needed to see a doctor. My work schedule for the next few weeks was pretty full, and I didn’t know if I had the time to take a day off, to accompany her to the doctor.

I unlocked my phone again, unable to get rid of the gnawing feeling inside me.

‘Everything all right?’

I waited, but the three dots didn’t appear on my screen. I told myself she was busy studying. At six o’ clock, I logged off my work computer and followed Rishi down to the café. We ordered a few light snacks and a cup of coffee; there would not be enough time for me to make the commute home and get back in time to meet Sakshi for our date.

Rishi, too, had a date. He had recently started dating Latika, the woman from the festival. She was newly single after finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman. Rishi, of course, was there to offer her comfort as she went through her breakup. By the end of her mourning period, which wasn’t very long, mind you, the two of them were an item. According to Rishi, they were a perfect match. Both enjoyed having fun and being outdoors, rather than sitting at home. She made my friend happy, and I truly enjoyed hearing about their antics. Often, I would find myself longing for the days when Sakshi and I had fun the way the two of them did.

‘It’s seven-fifteen, Ashray,’ Rishi said, pulling me out of my thoughts. ‘You better be going, or you’re going to be late for Sakshi, and then you really won’t be popular.’ He slapped me on my back.