Tum Mile - Chapter 4 & 5 page 3 Updated 18th Sept- Page 3

Chapter 4

Maan stood in his kitchen the following morning with a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other, having spent the better part of five minutes looking at Geet’s number while the drink he had made with considerably more confidence gradually cooled between his fingers. Armaan had sent him her contact details after the date, confirming that Geet had agreed to him passing them on before following that perfectly reasonable exchange with a warning that Maan suspected his friend had enjoyed composing.
A: SHE SAID YOU WERE NICE. DO NOT MESS THIS UP.
Maan had stared at the message for several seconds, trying to decide whether being described as nice was encouraging or merely the kind of thing a woman said when she wanted to avoid explaining that she had spent dinner planning her escape, before eventually typing his response.
M: That sounds vaguely threatening.
A: IT IS.
Armaan’s immediate reply had almost made him laugh, although the amusement had done very little to help him now that he was standing alone in his kitchen, discovering that sending one woman a message apparently required more consideration than negotiating a contract worth several million pounds. He knew that he had enjoyed the evening, and unless he had misunderstood almost everything about the way Geet had looked at him, she had enjoyed it too, which should have made this considerably simpler than he was allowing it to become.

Blind dates had never particularly appealed to him, but after his engagement ended, dating itself had gradually become something he found reasons to avoid because he had little enthusiasm for returning to the exhausting business of explaining why the way he loved was not inadequate simply because it was quiet. He remembered birthdays and the details people mentioned without expecting anyone to retain them, and he would happily drive across the city because someone had experienced a difficult day, but he had never understood why those things seemed to count for less if they were not accompanied by an extravagant surprise that could be photographed.
He preferred keeping certain memories to himself, whether it was a conversation that continued long after dinner had finished, a walk through unfamiliar streets or the particular way someone laughed when they forgot to be self conscious, because there was something about sharing an experience with one person that lost its intimacy when everyone else was invited to examine it. Maya had initially teased him about that preference, calling him boring with enough affection in her voice for him to smile, until the affection gradually disappeared and he realised she had stopped making a joke.
One evening remained particularly clear in his memory, perhaps because he had spent most of it standing beside a table of people he barely knew while music made conversation impossible and Maya disappeared into the crowd with her friends. He had gone because she wanted him there, but on the journey home she had looked at him with the same frustration he was beginning to recognise whenever his enjoyment failed to resemble hers.

“You never want to do anything” Maya had complained as she turned towards him in the car, folding her arms while he tried to ignore the headache gathering behind his eyes.
“That isn’t true” Maan had replied as he looked away from the window, already tired of defending himself against a statement that dismissed every suggestion he had made that month.
“You want dinner and walks and quiet little weekends away” Maya had responded dismissively, shaking her head as though the problem should have been obvious to him. “You’re thirty two, Maan, not sixty.”
“I like those things” Maan had told her, keeping his voice level because he could not see how raising it would make his answer any easier for her to accept.
“Well, I don’t” Maya had snapped as she turned away, leaving him to sit beside her with the uncomfortable understanding that neither of them had said anything they could reasonably ask the other to change.

Looking back, he knew that conversation should have prompted an honest decision about their future, but instead they had spent months trying to negotiate their way around a difference that grew more painful the longer they treated it as somebody’s fault. He had no desire to repeat that mistake, which was perhaps why he kept remembering the way Geet had looked at him when he told her that he wanted peace, her expression softening as though he had put a name to something she had been searching for without knowing how to describe it.
He remembered other things too, including the laughter that escaped her whenever she forgot to be cautious and the suspicious narrowing of her eyes when she thought he was teasing her, although what had stayed with him most was the effort she had made to remain honest despite how uncomfortable certain admissions clearly felt. She had kept apologising whenever her thoughts returned to her marriage, but Maan had never expected eight years of someone’s life to disappear simply because another man was sitting across the table.

There had been vulnerability in the way she spoke, although he doubted Geet would appreciate him confusing that with helplessness, especially after Armaan had casually mentioned that she had taken up Krav Maga. Remembering the faint bruise near her jaw and the expression she had worn while accusing him of having a smug face, Maan smiled into his coffee before looking down at the empty message box again.
“What are you doing?” Maan muttered as he rested his cup on the counter, irritated by the realisation that he was approaching a simple greeting as though someone intended to scrutinise it in a board meeting.
He typed that he had enjoyed the previous evening, read it twice and deleted it because it looked unexpectedly abrupt, then replaced it with a more polite version that somehow sounded like a message he might send after a successful corporate dinner. By the time he set the phone down, he had begun to suspect that the problem had very little to do with the words and considerably more to do with how much he wanted her to be pleased to receive them.

His phone vibrated against the counter, and the speed with which he reached for it would have been embarrassing had there been anyone present to witness it, particularly when he discovered that the notification was an email about revised planning costs.
“Of course” Maan murmured as he picked up his coffee and took a distracted sip, only to discover that it had gone cold while he had been occupied with behaving like a man who had never spoken to a woman before.
By the time he left the house, the coffee had been poured away and his phone was back in his pocket, although the message to Geet remained unwritten and the irritation he felt towards himself had become considerably harder to ignore.

Across the city, Geet had been awake since six because her mind had apparently decided that the most productive use of an early morning was to replay dinner in unnecessary detail, paying particular attention to every occasion on which Maan had smiled at her. She lay beneath her duvet with her eyes on the ceiling, attempting to understand how Armaan had managed to arrange a blind date with Maan Khurana while describing him as though he were merely an acquaintance who happened to own a respectable suit.
His money was not what interested her, although she suspected Armaan would enjoy accusing her of being impressed by the family name if she gave him half an opportunity. Geet had grown up around wealth and knew perfectly well that an impressive bank balance offered no guarantee of decency, while Dev had provided eight years of evidence that expensive clothes could disguise a remarkable absence of class, particularly when somebody else had paid for them.
The thought drew a reluctant smile from her before she rolled onto her side, pulling the duvet closer as her mind returned to Maan and the unsettling ease with which he had made her feel comfortable. He had listened without searching for an opportunity to redirect the conversation towards himself, and when she told him about her divorce, he had accepted the information without making her feel that she needed to persuade him she was still worth knowing.
It was too early to decide what any of that meant, and Geet knew it, but knowing something sensible did not seem to prevent her from remembering the way he had slowed his steps on their way to the car park.
“No, we’re not doing this” Geet muttered as she pulled the duvet over her face, determined to remind herself that one pleasant dinner did not justify lying awake thinking about a man before she had even brushed her teeth.
Her phone vibrated beside her, and she immediately threw the duvet back and reached for it, only for the anticipation in her expression to fade when Armaan’s name appeared on the screen.

A: ARE YOU AWAKE?
G: Unfortunately.
Geet sent her reply before settling against the pillows, although Armaan’s next message arrived so quickly that she suspected he had been waiting for permission to begin an interrogation.
A: HAS HE TEXTED?
G: No.
She stared at her own answer for a moment, disliking how disappointing it looked when reduced to a single word, while the typing indicator appeared and disappeared beneath it.
A: Maybe he’s asleep.
G: It’s 7:12.
A: Successful businessmen need rest.
G: You’re useless.
A: He liked you.
Geet’s fingers stopped above the keyboard as she read that final message again, trying to decide whether Armaan knew something or was simply attempting to reassure her before she admitted that reassurance was necessary.
G: Did he say that?
For someone who had managed to send several messages within a minute, Armaan suddenly appeared to have developed a demanding schedule, and Geet narrowed her eyes at the screen while she waited for him to answer.
A: I am not interfering.
G: Armaan.
A: Have a nice day at work, babe xx
“Coward” Geet muttered as she tossed the phone onto the mattress and pushed the duvet aside, deciding that she would shower, get dressed and behave like a woman with responsibilities instead of allowing her morning to revolve around a message that might never arrive.
She promised herself she would leave the phone untouched for at least twenty minutes, but four minutes later she picked it up on her way to the bathroom, telling herself that checking the time was entirely different from checking whether Maan had contacted her.
By half past nine, Maan was seated in a glass conference room while Aditya presented the revised figures for a commercial development in Birmingham, although the phone lying beside Maan’s notebook had begun to occupy an unreasonable proportion of his attention. He had placed it face down in the hope that removing the screen from view would help, but that had merely left him wondering whether he might have missed a notification.

“Maan?” Aditya prompted as he paused beside the projected spreadsheet, drawing the attention of everyone around the table towards the man who was usually the first to notice when somebody else stopped concentrating.
“Yes?” Maan responded as he lifted his head, keeping his expression composed despite the uncomfortable suspicion that he had missed something.
“You asked whether the revised figures accounted for the additional planning costs” Aditya reminded him, holding the presentation remote loosely while he waited for recognition.
“Yes, I did” Maan replied with a nod before glancing towards the relevant column. “Have they been included?”
“That was the section I was just explaining” Aditya responded carefully, his confusion making it clear that he was unused to needing to repeat information Maan had specifically requested.
Maan looked at the screen for a moment before acknowledging the mistake with a small nod, unwilling to make Aditya responsible for the fact that he had spent the last few minutes considering whether half past nine was too late to send someone a good morning message.
“That’s my fault” Maan admitted as he picked up his pen. “Go through it again, please.”
“Of course” Aditya replied as he turned towards the screen, although the brief glance he exchanged with Kabir suggested that Maan’s distraction had not escaped either of them.

Maan made a determined effort to listen, writing down the revised contingency allowance and asking a question about the planning timetable, but once Aditya moved on to a section that did not require his immediate input, his attention returned to the phone. Deciding that he had wasted enough time finding reasons to delay something he wanted to do, he opened Geet’s contact and typed the message before he could begin another pointless round of editing.
M: Good morning. I enjoyed last night. I hope you got home safely.
He pressed send after reading it once, then placed the phone beside his notebook with rather more care than necessary, aware of a small tightening in his stomach that seemed wholly disproportionate to what he had just done. When he looked up, Kabir was watching him from the neighbouring chair with an expression that suggested he had discovered something interesting.
“What?” Maan asked quietly as he turned his pen between his fingers.
“Nothing” Kabir replied, returning his attention to the presentation with a faint smile that made Maan certain he would be hearing considerably more about it later.
Geet’s phone vibrated against her desk while she was reviewing a report, and although she initially intended to finish the paragraph in front of her, that intention lasted only until she noticed Maan’s name on the screen. Armaan had sent his number the previous evening with instructions to save it and refrain from inventing reasons not to answer, but seeing the contact appear now still made her stomach lift in a way she found deeply inconvenient.
She read his message twice, her smile arriving before she thought to conceal it, and was about to begin a reply when a voice from the doorway interrupted her.

“Interesting” Priya remarked as she stood with a folder tucked against her chest, looking considerably more interested in Geet’s expression than in whatever had brought her to the office.
“What is?” Geet asked as she placed her phone down, attempting to recover the professional composure she had apparently abandoned the moment Maan contacted her.
“That smile” Priya explained as she stepped inside and nodded towards Geet’s face. “I was going to ask whether you’d looked through the report, but now I’m wondering whether I should be asking a more interesting question.”
“I do smile, Priya” Geet responded as she reached for the folder, hoping that introducing actual work into the conversation might encourage her colleague to remember why she was there.
“Yes, you have a very efficient smile for thanking people and ending conversations” Priya replied as she demonstrated a restrained expression that Geet found unnecessarily insulting. “That one looked as though you’d forgotten you were at work.”
“You appear to have too much free time” Geet observed as she opened the folder and looked down at the first page.
“I have almost none, which makes it particularly impressive that I still noticed” Priya responded cheerfully before glancing towards the phone. “Was the message from a man?”
“Thank you for bringing this in, Priya” Geet said as she lifted her eyes, putting enough emphasis into her colleague’s name to make her intentions clear. “You can close the door on your way out.”
“It was a man” Priya concluded with a delighted smile as she began retreating towards the doorway, apparently satisfied that Geet’s refusal to answer had told her everything she needed to know.
Geet waited until the door had closed before picking up her phone again, although the smile returned so quickly that she was relieved Priya was no longer there to witness it.
G: Good morning. I did, thank you, and I enjoyed it too. Although I’ve discovered Armaan has already asked me about it approximately twelve times.
She read the message once before sending it, then set the phone beside her keyboard and attempted to return to the report, discovering almost immediately that the figures were less interesting now that she knew Maan had been thinking about her too.
When her reply reached the conference room, Maan glanced down at the notification and allowed himself to pick up the phone, intending to read it quickly before returning his attention to Aditya. Unfortunately, the smile that appeared as he reached the reference to Armaan gave Kabir precisely the evidence he had been waiting for.
“Who is she?” Kabir whispered as he leaned slightly towards him, keeping his voice low enough not to interrupt the presentation.
“What are you talking about?” Maan asked as he turned the phone away, although the movement did little to support his attempt at indifference.
“I’ve worked with you for seven years” Kabir murmured as amusement gathered in his expression. “I watched you close a two hundred million pound deal with less enthusiasm than that.”
“You should be listening to Aditya” Maan replied as he placed the phone down, avoiding the question because he could not imagine an answer that would persuade Kabir to leave the subject alone.
“So should you” Kabir pointed out before returning his attention to the screen, looking far too pleased with himself for Maan’s liking.
Another notification appeared a minute later, and when Maan glanced towards Kabir, his operations director immediately adopted an expression of exaggerated concentration that would have been more convincing if he had not been smiling.
G: Actually, make that thirteen. He’s just messaged again asking whether you kissed me.
Maan pressed his lips together to contain his amusement before lowering the phone beneath the edge of the table and typing his answer.
M: Tell him I was raised properly.
G: He’ll be disappointed.
Geet’s response arrived almost immediately, and Maan had to look down at his notebook to hide the smile it caused, while Kabir quietly shook his head beside him as though he had just witnessed something extraordinary.

By eleven, Geet had managed to answer several messages, review the first report and attend a short call, although she had also checked her phone far more often than any of those tasks required. Priya had passed her open doorway twice without coming inside, and when she appeared for a third time, Geet looked up from her laptop with an expression that made her stop.
“Do you need something?” Geet asked as she rested her hands beside the keyboard.
“No, I’m perfectly fine” Priya replied, glancing along the corridor as though she had only just realised where she was.
“Then perhaps you can explain why you keep walking past my office” Geet suggested, watching her colleague consider several answers before apparently deciding that honesty was unnecessary.
“Exercise?” Priya offered with a hopeful smile.
“I’m sure there’s more space for that near your own desk” Geet responded as she gestured towards the corridor, although the amusement threatening the corners of her mouth weakened the dismissal.
“I’ll leave you to it” Priya replied before taking a step away and looking back. “Unless you wanted to tell me whether it’s still the same man.”
“Goodbye, Priya” Geet said firmly, waiting until her colleague disappeared before returning to the screen, only for her phone to vibrate beside her a moment later.
M: How busy is your day?
G: Meetings until three. Then I have to review figures my finance team apparently believe will magically fix themselves if they avoid looking at them.
M: Interesting. I have the same finance problem. Perhaps they attend the same training course.
Geet laughed quietly as she read his reply, imagining the calm expression he would wear while making the observation aloud, and was still smiling when Leena entered with two coffees and stopped beside the desk.
“What?” Geet asked as she looked up, recognising the curiosity on her assistant’s face with increasing irritation.
“You laughed at your phone” Leena explained as she placed one of the cups beside Geet’s laptop, sounding as though she had discovered an unexpected error in a document.
“Apparently everyone in this building has conducted a detailed study of my facial expressions” Geet remarked as she reached for the coffee. “Should I expect a report, or are you all planning to deliver your findings personally?”
“We’re observant” Leena replied with a smile, entirely untroubled by the accusation.
“You’re nosy” Geet corrected before taking a sip, although Leena’s laughter suggested that she regarded the distinction as unimportant.
The phone vibrated again before Leena reached the doorway, and when she paused, Geet pointed towards the corridor without offering another word of encouragement. Her assistant left with a knowing smile, allowing Geet to open Maan’s next message in peace.
M: Are you always this terrifying with your employees?
Geet stared at the screen, briefly glancing towards the doorway as though there might be some explanation for his timing, before another message appeared beneath the first.
M: Armaan warned me.
G: Armaan talks too much.
M: That may be the first thing we completely agree on.
Geet shook her head as she smiled into her coffee, deciding that she would address Armaan’s apparent enthusiasm for discussing her with other people later, preferably when she could do so without admitting how much she was enjoying the consequences.

Maan’s meeting finally ended shortly before midday, but Kabir followed him into his office with the determination of a man who had postponed a conversation for as long as he intended to tolerate. Maan placed his files on the desk and sat down, hoping that opening his laptop might communicate that he had work to do, although Kabir closed the door behind him and remained exactly where he was.
“So, are you going to tell me?” Kabir asked as he leaned against the door.
“Tell you what?” Maan responded, knowing perfectly well that pretending not to understand would only prolong the exchange.
“Why you’ve spent the morning smiling at your phone” Kabir explained as he walked further into the room. “Usually, it takes an error free quarterly report to produce anything resembling that level of happiness.”
“That comparison makes very little sense” Maan replied as he opened his emails.
“It makes perfect sense to someone who knows you” Kabir insisted before resting a hand on the chair opposite him. “You went on a date, didn’t you?”
Maan looked up before he could stop himself, and the satisfaction that spread across Kabir’s face made him regret the reaction immediately.
“It was dinner” Maan explained as he turned his attention back to the laptop.
“With a woman?” Kabir asked, apparently determined to make the conversation as irritating as possible.
“No, Kabir, with a Labrador” Maan replied as he clicked on an email he had already read.
“There he is” Kabir remarked with a laugh, pulling out the chair and making himself comfortable. “I knew there had to be a reason you were in such a good mood.”
“It was one date, and it was nice” Maan admitted, hoping that providing a small amount of information might satisfy him.
“Nice?” Kabir repeated as he settled back in the chair. “You haven’t properly dated anyone since Maya, and you expect me to accept nice as a sufficient explanation?”
Maan’s expression altered at the mention of his former fiancée, and Kabir noticed it immediately, the teasing easing as he lifted one hand.
“I’m not comparing them” Kabir clarified, his voice becoming more measured. “I’m saying it’s been a long time since you seemed interested enough in someone to lose track of a meeting.”
Maan rested his hands beside the laptop, acknowledging the truth of that observation even if he would have preferred Kabir to make it somewhere else.
“She’s recently divorced” Maan explained after a moment, choosing not to share anything beyond that because the details of Geet’s marriage were not his to discuss.
“Okay” Kabir responded with a small nod, waiting for him to continue.
“That’s all you have to say?” Maan asked as he looked across the desk.
“What else am I supposed to say?” Kabir questioned, appearing genuinely confused. “Did you enjoy spending time with her?”
Maan almost smiled because Kabir’s response was remarkably close to his own when Armaan first mentioned Geet, and he found himself appreciating the absence of unnecessary concern.
“Yes, I did” Maan admitted as his eyes moved briefly towards the phone beside his laptop.
“Then that seems like a reasonable place to start” Kabir replied, although the grin returning to his face suggested that his restraint had reached its limit. “And judging by the way you’ve been behaving, I’m guessing you’d like to see her again.”
“You have work to do” Maan reminded him as he pointed towards the door.
“I was about to say that I’m happy for you” Kabir protested, getting to his feet with an expression of injured innocence.
“You were about to say something you found amusing” Maan corrected as he reached for his pen.
“I can manage both” Kabir replied before pausing beside the doorway. “Just try not to frighten her with your wild lifestyle.”
“I had dinner and was home by eleven” Maan responded, looking up in disbelief.
“Exactly” Kabir agreed solemnly as he opened the door. “You’ll have to ease her into that kind of recklessness.”

Maan flicked the pen towards him, missing by enough for Kabir to laugh as he disappeared into the corridor, and although Maan shook his head at the closed door, he was still smiling when he picked up his phone.
M: I’ve just been accused of having a wild lifestyle because I stayed out until eleven last night.
Geet read the message while waiting for the next meeting to begin, lowering her eyes towards her lap so that Priya would not immediately notice her expression.
G: Scandalous. Do your family know?
M: I’m hoping to keep it out of the newspapers.
G: Too late. I know someone in PR.
His reply contained a laughing emoji, which should not have interested her nearly as much as it did, but Geet found herself looking at it with an entirely unreasonable degree of affection. There was something unexpectedly endearing about discovering that the man who ran Khurana Group and spoke as though he considered every word could also sit at his desk sending her little faces because she had made him laugh.
She placed the phone down before that thought could develop into anything more embarrassing, although apparently she had already allowed her attention to wander for longer than she realised.

“Geet?” Rishi prompted from the other end of the table, lowering the report in his hands as she looked up.
“Yes?” Geet responded, straightening in her chair and reaching for her pen.
“I asked whether you were comfortable with the revised forecast” Rishi explained, glancing towards the document in front of her.
Geet looked down at the figures, aware that she had heard almost nothing of his explanation, while Priya sat two seats away with a smile she was making very little effort to conceal.
“Go through the final projections again, please” Geet requested, turning to the relevant page. “I want to be clear about the assumptions behind the revised margin.”
“Of course” Rishi replied as he lifted the report, giving her the opportunity to send Priya a warning look before returning her attention to the discussion.
Priya lowered her eyes to her notebook with suspicious obedience, and Geet made a determined effort to concentrate until the question of the margin had been resolved. When her phone vibrated again, she left it untouched while Rishi finished speaking, although she glanced down as soon as the conversation moved to the next item.

M: I think my colleagues have realised I’m texting someone.
G: Mine too. Apparently I never smile.
M: Apparently neither do I.
Geet bit the inside of her cheek as she read his reply, remembering the warmth in his expression the previous evening and finding that she wanted him to know she had noticed.
G: That’s not true. You smiled last night.
The typing indicator appeared, disappeared and returned before his answer finally arrived, leaving Geet looking down at the screen with far more anticipation than she intended to admit.
M: You gave me reasons to.
Warmth rose into her cheeks before she had time to prepare for it, and Geet read the sentence again as though a second look might reveal that she had misunderstood what he meant. She had not expected him to be so direct, particularly in the middle of a conversation that had allowed both of them to hide their interest behind jokes about their colleagues, and the simplicity of it left her momentarily unsure how to answer.
Priya glanced towards her and immediately noticed the change in her expression, her eyebrows lifting before Geet could turn away.
“Are you alright?” Rishi asked as he paused beside the screen.
“Yes, it’s just a little warm in here” Geet replied as she reached for her water, avoiding Priya’s eyes while the woman beside her disguised a laugh with a deeply unconvincing cough.
Geet placed her phone face down and returned her attention to the report, determined to make it through the rest of the discussion without providing anyone with further evidence, although Maan’s message remained inconveniently clear in her mind.
In his office, Maan had begun regretting his choice of words approximately three seconds after sending them, not because they were untrue but because they left very little room to pretend that he was merely being polite. He read the message again, considered following it with something lighter and decided that attempting to explain himself would probably make the situation worse.

Five minutes passed without a response, during which he opened a document and managed to read the same paragraph several times, before reminding himself that Geet had already told him she was in meetings until three. That explanation was perfectly reasonable, but by the time another few minutes passed, he had still found room to wonder whether he had made her uncomfortable.
When the phone finally vibrated, he reached for it before the notification had fully appeared.
G: That was suspiciously smooth for someone who claims to be reserved.
Maan smiled as he read her answer, relieved enough to feel faintly ridiculous about the concern he had manufactured in the first place.
M: I have occasional moments.
G: Should I feel special?
He rested his thumb against the edge of the screen while he considered the question, aware that there were several safer answers available and increasingly disinclined to choose any of them.
M: Maybe.
Geet took almost a minute to respond, although this time Maan managed to remain seated without convincing himself that the conversation had gone wrong.
G: I’ll consider it.

A slow smile spread across his face as he looked at her reply, and he was still holding the phone when a familiar voice interrupted from the doorway.
“Now that is interesting” Kabir remarked as he folded his arms and studied him with open amusement.
“What do you want?” Maan asked, lowering the phone while resisting the urge to turn it over as though he had been caught doing something inappropriate.
“I was going to ask about the revised programme, but you appear to be blushing” Kabir replied, looking far too pleased by the possibility.
“I am not blushing” Maan responded as he reached for the relevant file.
“You’re thirty five years old, and apparently all it takes is a text message” Kabir continued, ignoring the file Maan held towards him.
“And you’re about to discover how much work I can find for you if you remain in that doorway” Maan replied, although the lack of real irritation in his voice made Kabir’s grin widen.
“I’ll take that as my cue to leave” Kabir said as he accepted the file, pausing briefly before turning away. “It’s good to see you enjoying yourself, Maan.”
The sincerity beneath the teasing left Maan without an immediate response, and by the time he looked back down at his phone, the warmth in his expression had very little to do with embarrassment.
By half past four, the messages had moved beyond careful questions about their working day and into conversations neither of them had intended to begin, with food leading to films and films becoming a discussion about the kind of holidays they enjoyed. Geet discovered that Maan disliked horror films after suggesting one he should watch, and she seized the information with far more enthusiasm than he thought it deserved.
G: You’re telling me you can manage hundreds of employees but not a ghost?
M: Employees usually follow the basic laws of physics.
G: That isn’t an answer.
M: It is the only answer you’re getting.
Geet laughed as she approached the lift, where Leena was waiting with her handbag over one shoulder, and immediately slipped the phone away when her assistant looked towards her.

“You’re doing it again” Leena observed as Geet pressed the button.
“Doing what?” Geet asked, adopting an expression of innocence she suspected was not particularly convincing.
“That smile you apparently haven’t noticed” Leena replied as the lift doors opened.
“I have no idea what you mean” Geet responded as she stepped inside, although her phone vibrated before she could make the claim sound credible.
Leena glanced towards Geet’s handbag, and Geet looked back at her with a warning already forming in her expression.
“Don’t” Geet said as she reached inside.
“I haven’t said anything” Leena protested, raising her free hand while Geet took out the phone anyway.
M: Are you still working?
G: Just leaving. You?
M: Unfortunately, yes. Another hour at least.
G: Successful businessman problems.
M: I would have thought a successful businesswoman would be more sympathetic.
Geet’s smile softened as she read the message, her attention catching on the description with an intensity she had not expected. He had written it casually, as though it were an obvious fact rather than something generous he was choosing to say, and that made it affect her more than a deliberate compliment might have done.
Dev had always found a way to place her father between Geet and anything she achieved, reminding her where the company came from whenever somebody praised a decision she had made. Even when she returned to the business and began earning the confidence of people who had initially looked past her, he had treated her progress as another benefit of being Raj Malhotra’s daughter, until she sometimes found herself qualifying her own accomplishments before anyone else could do it for her.
Maan had known her for one evening, yet he appeared to have no difficulty acknowledging the work she did without first explaining why she had been given the opportunity to do it.
G: I’m getting there.
M: From what I’ve heard, I think you’re already there.
Geet looked at his reply while the lift slowed, feeling an unexpected tightness in her throat that made her grateful Leena had stopped teasing her.

“You okay?” Leena asked gently as the doors opened and Geet remained still for a moment longer than necessary.
“Yes, I’m good” Geet replied as she slipped the phone into her handbag and followed her out, realising as she said it that the answer required no effort at all.
Maan finally left his office shortly after six, loosening his tie as he stepped into the private lift with his phone still in his hand. He had begun wondering whether he should allow the conversation to settle for the evening because they had exchanged messages throughout the day, and although Geet had seemed equally willing to continue, he did not want to turn her enjoyment of speaking to him into an obligation to keep answering.
That sensible consideration lost some of its authority when he looked at her latest message, which had arrived while he was closing his laptop.
G: I’m going to the gym tomorrow morning, which I already regret.
M: Krav Maga?
G: Gym in the morning, Krav Maga in the evening. I apparently enjoy suffering twice.
Maan smiled as he read her reply, remembering the teasing determination in her expression the previous evening, before opening the keyboard again. He knew that he wanted to see her, and after spending an entire day finding reasons to keep the conversation going, asking whether she felt the same should not have required quite so much preparation.
He typed the beginning of an invitation, deleted it because it sounded overly formal and tried again while the lift descended, eventually stepping into the lobby without having noticed that he had reached the ground floor. His driver was waiting near the entrance, but Maan paused beside the doors and looked down at the screen, deciding that there was no version of the question that would protect him from the possibility of her saying no.

M: Are you free Saturday evening?
He sent it before he could make another unnecessary revision, then looked at the sentence and realised he had somehow managed to ask for her time without explaining what he intended to do with it.
Geet had just changed into her pyjamas when the message arrived, and she sat on the edge of her bed with her hair piled loosely on top of her head and an open tub of moisturiser beside her. She picked up the phone expecting another comment about her gym schedule, only for her stomach to flutter when she read the invitation.
“This is embarrassing” Geet muttered as she rested one hand against her middle, looking down at herself as though her body ought to offer an explanation for behaving this way over a perfectly ordinary question.
Another message appeared before she had decided how to respond, and the clarification made her laugh with an affection she was finding increasingly difficult to discourage.
M: For dinner, I mean. I realised that sounded vague.
G: I assumed you weren’t asking me to help you move furniture.
M: I was trying to be clear.
G: You’re very proper, aren’t you?
Geet leaned back against the pillows while she waited, finding something reassuring in the thought that he might also be considering his words more carefully than their conversation required.
M: Is that a complaint?
G: Not yet.
M: I’ll try to maintain my record.
She smiled as she read his answer, then glanced towards the open moisturiser and remembered that she had abandoned the simple task of getting ready for the evening because Maan Khurana wanted to take her to dinner again.
G: I’m free Saturday.
There was a brief pause before his response, during which Geet found herself looking at the screen with the kind of anticipation she would have mercilessly teased Armaan for displaying.
M: Good. I’d like to see you again.
The directness of his answer settled some of the uncertainty she had been trying to disguise all day, because there was very little to misunderstand when someone told her what he wanted without making her search for it beneath a joke. She had enjoyed teasing him, and she suspected she would continue to enjoy it, but there was something unexpectedly comforting about knowing that he could also leave the teasing aside when it mattered.

G: I’d like to see you again too.
Geet sent the message before she could talk herself into a less honest reply, then dropped the phone onto the duvet and covered her face with both hands, smiling despite the embarrassment warming her cheeks.
“This is ridiculous” Geet whispered into her palms, although when the phone vibrated again, she reached for it immediately.
M: Saturday at seven?
G: Seven works.
M: I’ll choose somewhere quieter this time.
G: Peace?
M: Exactly.
Geet remained looking at the final reply for several moments before setting the phone beside her, remembering how carefully she had prepared herself for disappointment before their first date and how little of that preparation had proved necessary. She was not ready to decide what Maan might become to her, and she knew that one enjoyable evening followed by a day of messages could not answer every question she had about allowing someone close again, but for once she did not feel compelled to settle all of those questions before giving herself permission to be happy.

Across the city, Maan was seated in the back of his car with the conversation still open, reading her agreement to Saturday again while his driver glanced towards him in the mirror. He noticed the second look and lifted his eyes, finding the older man returning his attention to the road a little too quickly.
“What is it?” Maan asked as he lowered the phone.
“Nothing, sir” the driver replied politely, although the smile he was attempting to hide made the answer less than convincing.
“You looked twice” Maan pointed out, beginning to suspect that everyone he employed had developed an unreasonable interest in his personal life.
“I’ve worked for you for nine years, sir” the man explained carefully, keeping his eyes on the traffic. “I don’t think I’ve seen you smile at your phone quite like that before.”
Maan looked at him through the mirror, uncertain whether there was any response available that would not make the observation more embarrassing, while his driver apparently decided that changing the subject would be in everybody’s best interests.
“The traffic is quite light tonight” he added as he indicated and moved into the next lane.
Maan shook his head, allowing the change of subject to stand as he returned his attention to the phone, where Geet’s messages remained exactly as he had left them. He had begun the morning unable to send her a simple greeting, yet somewhere between meetings, reports and the interference of people who knew him far too well, speaking to her had become the part of his day he kept looking forward to.
At home, Geet finally closed the tub of moisturiser and settled against her pillows, while Maan watched the evening traffic through the window with his phone resting loosely in his hand, each of them privately considering the same invitation. Neither knew what would follow their next dinner, but as Geet allowed herself to think about what she might wear and Maan began considering a small restaurant where they would be able to hear each other properly, Saturday had already become something they were both quietly waiting for.

Chapter 5

Geet changed her earrings for the third time while Armaan sat at the end of her bed with a bowl of grapes beside him, apparently having decided that providing moral support involved keeping a detailed record of every decision she failed to make. She had barely lifted her hands towards the silver pair she had just put on when he pointed towards the growing collection on her dressing table with the satisfaction of someone whose suspicions had been confirmed.
“That’s three” Armaan announced as he reached for another grape, watching her through the mirror.
“I didn’t ask you to count” Geet replied as she removed the earrings, placing them beside the first pair before examining the small gold ones she had initially dismissed.
“You also didn’t ask me to come over, yet here I am providing emotional support and fashion expertise” Armaan reminded her, settling more comfortably on the bed as though his presence were an act of considerable generosity.
“You came because you’re nosy” Geet corrected, holding one of the gold earrings beside her face while she tried to decide whether it suited the neckline of her dress.
“I came because this is your second date with Maan Khurana, and I felt somebody should witness your transformation from terrifying businesswoman into nervous teenage girl” Armaan explained, his expression becoming solemn enough to make her turn around.
“I am not nervous” Geet insisted as she folded her arms, although Armaan’s eyes moved pointedly towards the dresses lying across her bed before returning to the lipsticks scattered beside her jewellery.
“You changed your lipstick twice, tried on two dresses, rejected both and then put the first one back on” Armaan replied as he counted each offence on his fingers. “You’ve also checked your phone approximately seventeen times, but yes, sweetheart… you’re clearly approaching this with complete indifference.”
“Why am I friends with you?” Geet muttered as she turned back towards the mirror and finally fastened the gold earrings, deciding that any further consideration would only provide him with more material.
“Because I’m beautiful and emotionally intelligent” Armaan answered proudly, lifting another grape towards his mouth.
“You’re annoying and emotionally invasive” Geet corrected, although the smile appearing across her face rather undermined the criticism.
“And yet you love me” Armaan pointed out, looking sufficiently pleased with himself that she refused to give him the satisfaction of agreeing.
Unfortunately, he was right about that, even if she was less willing to acknowledge the accuracy of his other observations. She was not nervous in the way she had been before their first dinner, when walking into the restaurant had felt like agreeing to be examined for flaws she already knew too well, but there was something equally unsettling about wanting an evening to go well because she already knew she liked the person she was meeting.
Her eyes moved towards her phone again before she could prevent it, and she remembered the message Maan had sent that morning while she was finishing breakfast.

M: Looking forward to seeing you tonight. Seven still okay?
G: Seven is perfect.
He had reacted to her reply with a smile, and although they had not spoken since, Geet knew there was nothing unusual about that. He might have been working, exercising or reading, and she rather liked the idea that he could spend an afternoon doing ordinary things without needing somebody to witness every moment, even if that did not explain why she kept checking whether he had contacted her.
“I can see you thinking” Armaan remarked as he watched her reach for her perfume.
“That’s generally what happens when somebody has a functioning brain” Geet replied, spraying a little against her wrist before setting the bottle down.
“You’re thinking about him” Armaan accused, ignoring the insult with the ease of considerable practice.
“I’m thinking about whether this dress is too much” Geet responded as she looked down, smoothing her hands over the black material where it fitted around her waist before falling softly towards her calves.
“Absolutely not” Armaan replied immediately, sitting straighter as the teasing left his voice. “You are not changing again because you’ve decided looking lovely might somehow be embarrassing.”
The dress was simple enough that Geet knew he was right, with long sleeves and a neckline that made her feel attractive without leaving her uncomfortable, but she continued adjusting the fabric as though there were some practical problem she could solve with her hands.
“I just don’t want to look as though I’ve tried too hard” Geet admitted, looking towards him through the mirror.
“You have tried” Armaan pointed out as he stood and walked towards her. “You’re going on a date with somebody you want to see again, and I imagine he’s made an effort too.”
Geet paused because she had been so occupied with wondering what Maan might think when he saw her that she had not considered whether he might be standing in front of his own wardrobe with similar concerns.
“You’re allowed to want him to think you’re beautiful” Armaan added gently as he adjusted a strand of hair near her shoulder. “That doesn’t make you desperate, Geet.”
“I know” she replied, although the quietness of her answer made him look at her more carefully.
“Do you?” Armaan asked, resting his hand briefly against her shoulder.
“Most of the time” Geet admitted with a small sigh, and his answering smile was gentler than the ones he had been directing at her all evening.
“That will do for now” Armaan assured her, stepping aside just as her phone vibrated against the dressing table.
Geet reached for it immediately, then stopped when Armaan drew in a theatrical breath behind her.
“Say one word” she warned as she turned towards him, pointing at his face while he pressed his lips together with an expression of exaggerated obedience.
M: I’m outside. No rush.

The familiar flutter returned to her stomach as she read his message, and Geet began to resent how readily her body revealed things she was still attempting to discuss sensibly with herself.
“He’s here” she announced as she picked up her handbag and checked her reflection one final time, ignoring the way Armaan’s smile widened when she carefully placed her phone inside.
“Remember what we discussed” Armaan instructed as he followed her towards the bedroom door.
“What did we discuss?” Geet asked, glancing over her shoulder because she could not recall him offering anything resembling useful advice.
“No recounting your entire marriage before the starters arrive, no discussion of mortgage rates unless he asks, and if he tries to murder you, go for the throat” Armaan replied with such seriousness that she stopped and stared at him.
“That was never a conversation we had” Geet informed him before continuing towards the stairs.
“It should have been” Armaan responded, following closely enough that she knew he had not finished. “Also, kissing is perfectly acceptable on a second date.”
“Go home, Armaan” Geet instructed as she turned on the staircase, feeling warmth rise into her face despite her determination not to reward him with a reaction.
“I’m only saying that you’re both adults” Armaan explained, lifting his hands as though she had objected to a perfectly reasonable observation.
“And I’m saying that you need to leave my house” Geet replied as she continued downstairs, although her laughter made the demand considerably less convincing.
“If you kiss him, I want details” Armaan added as she reached the front door.
“You’ll get blocked” Geet warned, searching for her keys.
“I’ll use another number” Armaan assured her cheerfully, prompting her to shake her head as she opened the door.
“You need professional help” Geet told him, but before she could step outside, he caught her hand and squeezed it gently.
“Have fun tonight” Armaan said, the affection in his expression settling some of the nervousness she had been refusing to acknowledge.
“I’ll try” Geet promised as she smiled at him, then turned towards the drive and immediately forgot whatever else she might have intended to say.
Maan was standing beside his car in black trousers and a dark navy shirt, the sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, and although there was nothing particularly elaborate about what he was wearing, Geet found herself slowing as she took him in. He looked less formal than he had at their first dinner, but the change only made her more aware of the broad line of his shoulders and the quiet confidence with which he straightened when he noticed her.
His eyes met hers before moving briefly over her dress, and the warmth that entered his expression made her grateful Armaan was no longer close enough to comment.
“You look beautiful” Maan said as she approached, his smile making it difficult for her to dismiss the compliment as something he felt obliged to offer.
“Thank you” Geet replied as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You look nice too.”
“Nice?” Maan repeated, lifting one eyebrow while she stopped in front of him.
“You’re fishing for compliments already?” Geet teased, relieved to discover that speaking to him felt as easy as it had throughout the week.
“I was simply trying to establish whether nice is an improvement on proper” Maan explained, his expression remaining serious enough to make her laugh.
“You remembered that?” Geet asked, looking at him with more interest than the question should have required.
“I remember quite a lot of what you say” Maan replied, and something about the unremarkable way he offered that information made her pause.
Dev had forgotten appointments, conversations and plans they had made together, while one birthday dinner had required a reminder from his assistant before he remembered he was supposed to attend. Maan had retained an insignificant joke from a conversation on his phone, and Geet disliked how quickly her mind reached for the comparison, particularly when she wanted to give this evening to the man standing in front of her.

“Ready?” Maan asked as he opened the passenger door, drawing her attention back to him without appearing to notice where her thoughts had wandered.
“That depends on where you’re taking me” Geet replied as she looked inside the car before glancing towards him.
“You agreed to let me choose” Maan reminded her, resting one hand against the open door.
“I’m reconsidering that decision” Geet informed him as she settled into the passenger seat.
“You have very little faith in me” Maan observed, although the amusement in his voice made it clear he was enjoying himself.
“I’ve known you for a week” Geet pointed out as she reached for her seat belt. “I think my level of trust is entirely appropriate.”
“I suppose that’s fair” Maan conceded with a quiet laugh before closing the door.
Geet watched him walk around the front of the car, looking away only when he reached the driver’s side, and then became annoyed with herself for behaving as though there were something embarrassing about finding her own date attractive. When he climbed in, she kept her eyes on the windscreen, although she could still see the smile forming across his face.
“What?” Geet asked as she turned towards him.
“Nothing” Maan replied innocently, starting the engine.
“You’re smiling” Geet pointed out, narrowing her eyes because she suspected he knew exactly why she had looked away.
“I’m having a nice evening already” Maan explained as he glanced towards her.
“We’ve been together approximately ninety seconds” Geet reminded him, unable to prevent her own smile.
“I’m optimistic” Maan responded, and Geet turned towards the window before he could notice quite how much she liked the answer.
The restaurant was outside the city, tucked away from the main road behind a low wall and a garden that softened the entrance with climbing plants and small pools of light. It was smaller than the place they had visited before, with candles along the windows and tables spaced far enough apart for conversations to remain private, and Geet felt herself relax almost as soon as they stepped inside.
“You remembered” she murmured as she looked towards the windows overlooking the grounds.
“The quieter restaurant?” Maan asked, following her gaze before returning his attention to her.
“You said you would choose somewhere peaceful” Geet replied, smiling when he nodded.
“I thought you’d like this one” Maan explained as the hostess approached, and Geet found herself appreciating that he had considered the evening beyond simply making a reservation.
Once they reached their table, Maan pulled out her chair before taking the seat opposite, while Geet placed her handbag beside her and looked towards the garden again.

“I do like it” she admitted as she picked up the menu.
“I’ve been here a few times” Maan replied. “The food is good, and people generally leave you to enjoy it.”
“Is being left alone a particular concern when you’re Maan Khurana?” Geet asked, lifting an eyebrow over the menu.
“I’m not sure what being Maan Khurana is supposed to involve” he responded, looking sufficiently amused that she knew he understood her.
“Oh, please” Geet said as she lowered the menu. “You run one of the largest property groups in the country, yet whenever somebody mentions it, you make it sound as though you occasionally help out in accounts.”
“I work there” Maan replied, apparently determined to make her argue the point.
“You own it” Geet corrected, watching the corners of his mouth move.
“My family owns a significant percentage” Maan clarified, leaning back slightly.
“And you run it” Geet persisted, refusing to let him escape through a technicality.
“Yes, I do” Maan admitted with a laugh. “I’m simply not sure what else you want me to say.”
“Nothing, really” Geet replied, her smile becoming more thoughtful. “I’m still getting used to it.”
“To what?” Maan asked, resting his menu against the edge of the table.
Geet hesitated because she had not intended to bring Dev into the conversation, but the comparison had arrived before she could stop it. He had been managing director of a company her family owned and had introduced himself as though every success in its history could be traced directly to his arrival.
“My ex husband liked people to know what he had” Geet explained carefully. “Or what he considered his, anyway.”
“Material things?” Maan asked, his expression remaining open.
“Everything, from cars and watches to business connections” Geet replied, folding her hands loosely in front of her. “If somebody important knew his name, everyone else needed to know about it.”
“Did that bother you?” Maan asked, leaving enough room in the question for her to answer honestly.
“Not at first” Geet admitted after a moment. “I think I confused it with confidence, and by the time it started making me uncomfortable, I had become very good at explaining it away.”

“And now?” Maan prompted gently.
“Now I think people who are comfortable with themselves usually feel less need to keep announcing why everybody should be impressed” Geet responded.
“I agree” Maan said with a faint smile, and Geet immediately narrowed her eyes.
“That sounded suspiciously like you were complimenting yourself” she accused, grateful for the opportunity to move the conversation somewhere lighter.
“I agreed with a general observation” Maan replied, looking unfairly composed.
“An observation from which you happened to benefit” Geet pointed out.
“That sounds circumstantial” Maan responded, making her laugh just as the waiter approached to take their order.
Once their drinks had arrived and they had chosen their food, Geet rested her hands beside her glass and looked at him with renewed curiosity.
“I feel as though I know what you do, what irritates you and that you’re frightened of ghosts” Geet began, enjoying the resigned expression that crossed his face.
“I knew telling you that would be a mistake” Maan remarked as he reached for his water.
“It was an excellent decision from my perspective” Geet assured him. “What haven’t you told me?”
“That’s a fairly broad question” Maan replied, considering her over the rim of his glass.
“That’s intentional” Geet explained, settling more comfortably in her chair.
“I have a younger brother” Maan offered after a moment, then paused with the beginnings of a smile. “Although I should probably warn you about his name.”
Geet looked at him suspiciously before understanding dawned. “Please don’t tell me it’s Dev” she said, watching his expression confirm the answer before he spoke.
“I’m afraid it is” Maan replied, and Geet let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Then I’m going to need him to change it” she informed him, shaking her head.
“I’ll mention your request, although I suspect he may have objections” Maan responded.
“Then we’ve already encountered our first disagreement” Geet said solemnly.
“You haven’t even met him” Maan pointed out, unable to conceal his amusement.
“And yet he’s being difficult” Geet replied, smiling when Maan laughed properly.
She liked the way his face changed when he stopped trying to contain his amusement, and for a moment she found herself watching him instead of considering what to ask next.
“What’s he like?” Geet asked once she remembered that she was supposed to be learning something about his family.
“Much more sociable than I am” Maan explained. “He talks more, goes out more and somehow manages to know somebody everywhere we go.”

“So, the fun brother?” Geet teased, lifting her glass.
“I’m capable of having fun” Maan assured her, raising one eyebrow.
“I’ve heard rumours” Geet replied, enjoying the way he shook his head.
“From Armaan, I assume” Maan said. “I’m becoming increasingly concerned about how much that man knows.”
“He considers information a public service, provided he’s the one collecting it” Geet explained before her expression softened. “And your parents?”
“My father died when I was younger” Maan answered, resting his glass on the table. “My mother passed away several years after him, so Dadima brought us up through most of my teenage years.”
“I’m sorry, Maan” Geet replied, the teasing leaving her voice as she looked at him properly.
“Thank you” Maan said, acknowledging her sympathy without attempting to dismiss it. “It was a long time ago, although I still find myself thinking of things I would have liked to tell them.”
Geet nodded, resisting the temptation to offer something comforting merely to fill the silence, and after a moment Maan’s expression eased.
“Dadima has more than compensated for the lack of parental supervision since then” he added. “She runs the house, the family and as much of my life as I allow her to.”
“I think I already like her” Geet admitted, smiling at the affection that entered his voice when he spoke about his grandmother.
“You say that because you’ve never been questioned by her” Maan replied.
“She sounds adorable” Geet insisted.
“She’s terrifying” Maan corrected, although his smile rather spoiled the warning.
“Even better” Geet responded, making him laugh before he asked about her own family.
“My father you already know professionally” Geet began. “Outside work, he’s apparently incapable of having a conversation with me without first establishing whether I’ve eaten.”
“That seems like a reasonable concern” Maan observed.
“You would think so” Geet replied, looking at him with growing amusement. “You have responsible eldest son energy.”

“I have what?” Maan asked, staring at her as though she had introduced a term he had somehow missed throughout his education.
“You look like the sort of man who reminds people to take an umbrella” Geet explained, pleased by how thoroughly the description appeared to confuse him.
“That is extremely specific” Maan remarked before considering it for a moment. “Although I did remind Kabir to take one last week.”
Geet burst into laughter, pointing towards him as though he had just provided evidence for an argument she had been making for years.
“There, exactly” she said as she tried to contain her amusement. “I knew it.”
“I’m beginning to feel judged” Maan replied, although he looked far too entertained to be offended.
“You are, but favourably” Geet assured him as their food arrived.
Their conversation moved easily through childhood memories, school and places they had visited, with Maan admitting that he had been a serious teenager while Geet described a version of herself who had rarely managed an entire lesson without talking.
“I used to get detention constantly” Geet confessed as she cut into her food.
“For talking?” Maan asked, the speed of his deduction making her look up.
“What exactly is that supposed to mean?” Geet questioned, setting her knife down.
“Only that I can imagine you having quite a lot to contribute during a lesson” Maan replied, attempting an expression of innocence that she was beginning to recognise.
“I was delightful, and my teachers loved me” Geet informed him.
“Is that why they kept asking you to stay after school?” Maan asked, making her narrow her eyes while she fought a smile.
“You’ve become considerably cheekier since our first date” Geet observed.
“I’m becoming comfortable” Maan replied, and the ease with which he said it softened something inside her.
She looked down at her plate, aware that her smile had changed, and Maan noticed the shift before she could hide it.
“What is it?” he asked gently.
“Nothing bad” Geet assured him, lifting her eyes again. “I like that you’re becoming comfortable.”
“I am” Maan replied, holding her gaze.
“So am I” Geet admitted, allowing herself to remain in the moment for a few seconds before reaching for her water, her cheeks warmer than they had been before.
They finished dinner shortly after nine, and when the bill arrived, Geet reached for her handbag before Maan could decide that he intended to pay again.
“No arguments” she warned as she took out her purse, watching the smile appear across his face.
“I remember what you said last time” Maan assured her, resting his hand beside the bill.
“Then hand it over” Geet instructed, holding out her palm.
“You’re quite determined about this” Maan observed as he passed it across.
“I keep my promises” Geet replied, opening the folder before looking up at him again. “That was surprisingly painless.”
“I choose my battles” Maan explained, settling back while she handed her card to the waiter.

Geet noticed that he allowed the matter to end there, without attempting to reclaim control through another argument or quietly offering a second card. Dev had disliked being seen to let her pay, despite having considerably fewer objections to using her money in private, but tonight she allowed the comparison to pass without dwelling on it.
“There’s something nearby I thought you might enjoy” Maan said once they were ready to leave, slipping his phone into his pocket as he stood.
“Should I be suspicious?” Geet asked, picking up her handbag.
“Only if you object to a walk” Maan replied. “The grounds lead down towards the lake, and it’s about fifteen minutes from here.”
“You planned this?” Geet asked, her expression softening before she had time to disguise how much the thought pleased her.
“I thought you might like it” Maan explained, and Geet smiled as she rose from her chair.
“Then you’d better lead the way” she replied.
The air had cooled by the time they stepped outside, and the path behind the restaurant curved through gardens lit by low lamps before continuing towards the water. Maan walked beside her with his hands in his pockets, matching her pace without making her feel that he was waiting for her to catch up, while Geet found herself enjoying the unhurried quiet after dinner.
She glanced towards him once, then again a few moments later, taking in the relaxed line of his profile before he turned and caught her looking.
“What?” Geet asked when his mouth began to curve.
“You were staring” Maan replied, sounding sufficiently pleased about it to make her deny the accusation immediately.
“I looked at you” Geet corrected as she returned her attention to the path.
“For several seconds” Maan observed.
“That still qualifies as looking” Geet informed him, although his quiet laugh suggested he had no intention of accepting the distinction.
A little further along, she caught him doing precisely the same thing, and the satisfaction that entered her expression made him look ahead before she even spoke.

“Now who’s staring?” Geet asked, turning towards him.
“I was looking” Maan replied, borrowing her defence without the slightest hesitation.
“For several seconds” Geet pointed out, repeating his earlier words.
“I understand that still qualifies as looking” Maan responded, making her laugh as their shoulders brushed.
The contact was slight, but Geet became abruptly aware of the warmth of his arm beside hers and how little space separated them, her attention shifting towards details she had been attempting not to notice all evening. She looked ahead before he could read anything in her expression, finding the lake visible beyond the trees, its surface holding broken reflections of the lights along the path.
“This is beautiful” Geet murmured as they approached the water.
“It is” Maan agreed, slowing beside a bench before looking towards her. “Would you like to sit for a while?”
Geet nodded, settling beside him with her handbag in her lap while he left enough space for her to feel comfortable. For several minutes they watched the water without speaking, and when she lifted her eyes, she could make out a scattering of stars beyond the glow from the grounds.
“This is what you meant, isn’t it?” Geet asked quietly, turning towards him. “When you said you wanted peace.”
“Yes” Maan replied, his expression softening as he looked at her.
“I understood what you meant at dinner last week, but I don’t think I realised quite how much I wanted it until now” Geet admitted, looking towards the lake again. “Everything used to require so much effort, even the things that were supposed to help me relax.”
Maan remained quiet while she gathered her thoughts, allowing her to continue without making the pause feel like something she needed to apologise for.
“If we went away, there were always restaurants to book, people to see and somewhere else we needed to be” Geet explained. “I used to come home feeling as though I needed another holiday to recover from the first one.”
“And you prefer this?” Maan asked gently.
“This feels like being able to breathe” Geet replied before she could reconsider the honesty of it, then glanced towards him with a small, embarrassed smile. “That sounded more dramatic than I intended.”
“It sounded honest” Maan responded, holding her gaze long enough for the warmth between them to become difficult to ignore.
Geet looked away eventually, although the silence that followed felt closer than the one before it, and she found herself adjusting the strap of her handbag simply to give her hands something to do.

“What were you like when you were little?” she asked after a moment, deciding that she would rather learn something about him than continue becoming distracted by the way he looked at her.
“That was quite a change of subject” Maan remarked, smiling when she lifted her chin.
“I’m curious” Geet explained. “And you’re not allowed to just say serious again.”
“I liked reading and cricket, and I followed my father around whenever he let me” Maan replied, looking towards the water as the memory settled across his face.
“You were close?” Geet asked softly.
“Very” Maan answered. “He started teaching me about the business long before I understood that was what he was doing, although most of what I learned about people came from Dadima.”
“What did she teach you?” Geet asked, turning slightly towards him.
“That people will usually show you who they are if you stop making excuses for them long enough to notice” Maan replied after considering the question.
Geet’s fingers stilled against her handbag because the observation reached somewhere she had not expected the conversation to go.
“She sounds clever” Geet murmured before attempting a small smile. “Perhaps I should have met her eight years ago.”
“Would you have listened?” Maan asked gently, and although the question caught her off guard, she found herself laughing quietly at the answer she already knew.
“Probably not” Geet admitted, shaking her head. “My father had concerns, and Armaan certainly wasn’t subtle towards the end, but I could always find an explanation.”
“You loved him” Maan said, offering it without judgement.
“I loved the version of him I kept believing he might become” Geet corrected, looking down at her hands. “Every time he did something kind, I treated it like proof that I hadn’t imagined that person.”
“That must have made leaving harder” Maan replied, his voice quiet enough that she looked towards him again.
“It did” Geet admitted.
“I suppose you weren’t only giving up the relationship you had” Maan continued thoughtfully. “You were giving up the one you had been waiting for.”
Geet swallowed as the words settled, recognising something she had struggled to explain even to herself.
“You really need to stop doing that” she murmured, looking away before her expression revealed too much.
“Doing what?” Maan asked, concern entering his voice.
“Saying things that make me think when I was having a perfectly pleasant evening avoiding it” Geet explained, allowing a smile to reassure him.
“That sounds terribly inconsiderate of me” Maan replied, and she laughed, grateful that he allowed the conversation to become lighter without making her feel that what she had shared was unwelcome.

When they eventually began walking back, the space between them had narrowed enough that their hands brushed as they followed the path. Geet noticed the first contact and became conscious of waiting for the second, looking down briefly when Maan’s fingers touched hers again.
He turned towards her before moving any closer, and rather than drawing away, Geet let her fingers rest against his, giving him a small smile as his hand closed gently around hers. She had not expected such an ordinary gesture to affect her so strongly, but the warmth of his palm and the light movement of his thumb made it difficult to remember why she had been so determined to appear unaffected.
“You’re smiling” Maan observed as they continued towards the restaurant.
“So are you” Geet replied, keeping her eyes on the path because looking at him might make the situation worse.
“I wasn’t attempting to deny it” Maan said, his thumb brushing the side of her hand again.
“Neither was I” Geet responded, allowing herself to hold his hand a little more securely.
The ease of it unsettled her more than she wanted to acknowledge, because there was no obvious difficulty for her to solve and no uncertainty in his behaviour for her to examine. She was simply walking beside a man she liked while he held her hand, and allowing herself to enjoy that without preparing for disappointment felt like a small risk of its own.

The drive home passed far too quickly, their conversation returning to films before somehow becoming an argument about food, which Maan appeared to believe he could win through calm reasoning.
“Fruit doesn’t belong on pizza” he maintained as he turned onto her road.
“Tomato is a fruit” Geet replied, looking towards him with immediate satisfaction.
“That is a deliberately unhelpful argument” Maan informed her, glancing briefly in her direction.
“It’s a factual argument” Geet corrected. “You can’t reject it simply because it makes your opinion inconvenient.”
“I can still dislike pineapple on pizza” Maan pointed out.
“And I can question whether we have a future if you insist on being wrong about it” Geet replied, laughing when he shook his head.
Her laughter softened as he stopped outside her house, and for a few moments neither of them moved to end the evening. Geet looked towards the front door before turning back to him, her fingers tightening slightly around the strap of her handbag.
“I had a really good time” she said, finding that the words felt inadequate for an evening she was already reluctant to leave.
“So did I” Maan replied, his voice softer now that the engine had stopped and there was nothing else competing for her attention.
His eyes remained on hers, and Geet became aware of the quiet inside the car in a different way, particularly when his gaze moved briefly towards her mouth before returning to her face.

“Can I kiss you?” Maan asked, giving her enough time to answer that she felt the question settle through her before she responded.
Geet nodded, then found her voice because she wanted him to hear the answer as clearly as she felt it.
“Yes” she whispered, loosening her grip on her handbag as he moved towards her.
His fingers brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek before his hand rested lightly near her jaw, and Geet’s eyes closed as his lips touched hers. The kiss was gentle at first, giving her a moment to absorb the warmth of his mouth and the unexpected tenderness of his touch before she leaned closer, her fingers finding the front of his shirt as she kissed him back.
Maan responded to the movement by drawing a little nearer, deepening the kiss without rushing her, and the anticipation she had been carrying through the evening became something warmer and more immediate. His thumb moved against her cheek while her hand remained against his chest, and for a few moments Geet forgot to wonder whether she was doing too much or allowing herself to want something too quickly.
When he drew back, he stayed close enough that she could still feel the warmth of his breath, and she opened her eyes to find him looking at her with an expression that made her cheeks grow hotter.
“Don’t” Geet warned as his mouth began to curve.
“I haven’t said anything” Maan replied, his hand easing away from her face.
“You’re smiling at me” Geet pointed out, unable to decide whether she wanted to look away or kiss him again.
“I had a rather good reason” Maan responded, and the quiet amusement in his voice made her lower her eyes.
Geet touched her lips before she realised she was doing it, then noticed his gaze follow the movement and immediately wished she were capable of behaving with a little more composure.
“This is humiliating” she muttered, laughing under her breath as she looked towards the windscreen.
“What is?” Maan asked, his expression becoming attentive.
“I’m thirty three years old, and apparently I’ve forgotten what to do after somebody kisses me” Geet admitted.
“I’m thirty five, and I spent most of the drive home deciding whether to ask” Maan replied, making her turn back towards him.
“You were nervous?” Geet asked, genuinely surprised.
“Yes” Maan admitted, looking entirely comfortable with the confession now that the question had been answered.
“You didn’t look nervous” Geet said, studying him.
“I’ve had a great deal of practice looking composed in meetings” Maan explained.
“This wasn’t a meeting” Geet reminded him, smiling despite herself.
“That was rather the problem” Maan replied, making her laugh before the moment softened again.
“Thank you for asking” Geet said quietly, holding his gaze.
“Of course” Maan responded, offering the words so naturally that she felt an unexpected tenderness towards him.
She did not want to turn the moment into another comparison, yet she could not entirely ignore how much it mattered to be given a choice without being made to feel awkward for needing one. When Maan noticed something shift in her expression, he waited a moment before speaking.

“Everything alright?” he asked gently.
“Yes, really” Geet assured him, smiling so that he would know she meant it.
Maan nodded and accepted the answer, which somehow made her feel more comfortable than another question would have done.
“I should go inside” Geet murmured, reaching towards the door before stopping with her hand near the handle.
“You probably should” Maan agreed, although he made no attempt to hurry her.
Geet turned back before she could reconsider, leaned across the space between them and kissed him again, keeping it brief even as the surprised movement of his hand towards hers tempted her to stay. When she drew away, the expression on his face made her smile with a confidence she had not possessed a minute earlier.
“That one was mine” Geet told him, pleased to have caught him unprepared.
“I noticed” Maan replied, his surprise giving way to a slow smile.
“Goodnight, Maan” Geet said as she finally opened the door and stepped out. “Text me when you get home.”
“That sounded very responsible eldest son” Maan observed, making her turn back and stare at him.
“You’re never going to forget that, are you?” Geet asked.
“Absolutely not” Maan confirmed, and she shook her head as she closed the door.
He remained outside while she walked to the house, and when she looked back from the doorstep, he was still watching her. Geet lifted her hand with a smile he returned immediately, then stepped inside and heard the car pull away only after she had closed the door.

Continued chapter 5 below

Chapt 5 continued from above

She was still smiling when she reached the kitchen, which made discovering Armaan seated at the counter with a packet of crisps feel particularly unfair.

“You’re still here?” Geet asked, stopping in the doorway.

“You gave me a key” Armaan reminded her as though that explained everything.
“For emergencies” Geet replied, placing her handbag on the counter.
“I needed to know how the date went, and you were taking an unreasonable amount of time to return” Armaan explained.
“That is not an emergency” Geet informed him, although she became distracted by the sudden narrowing of his eyes.
Armaan set the crisps down and looked at her more carefully, his expression changing so quickly that she instinctively took a step back.
“You kissed him” Armaan announced, getting to his feet.
“How do you know?” Geet demanded before realising that she had confirmed it.
“You did!” Armaan exclaimed, reaching for her arms while she closed her eyes in frustration.
“I hate you” Geet muttered, unable to stop the smile that undermined the statement.
“Was it good?” Armaan asked immediately. “And don’t tell me nice, because we’ve already established that your vocabulary becomes deeply unhelpful when you like somebody.”
“I’m not rating it for you” Geet replied, attempting to move past him.
“You got butterflies” Armaan concluded, looking delighted by whatever he could see on her face.
“Stop reading my expression” Geet demanded, covering her cheeks with both hands.
“You’re making it incredibly easy” Armaan replied before pulling her into a hug. “I’m happy for you, sweetheart.”
Geet wrapped her arms around him, still smiling when she rested her cheek against his shoulder, but the affection in his voice loosened something she had been holding together throughout the evening. Her throat tightened unexpectedly, and when she tried to swallow it away, Armaan felt the change in the way she was holding him.
“What happened?” he asked gently, drawing back enough to look at her.
“Nothing happened” Geet assured him, looking down while she tried to recover her composure. “It was lovely.”
“Then tell me what you’re thinking” Armaan said, taking her hand rather than allowing her to turn away.
Geet let out an unsteady laugh as tears gathered in her eyes, embarrassed by how quickly she had moved from smiling about a kiss to struggling to explain why a good evening frightened her.
“It felt almost too good” she admitted, wiping beneath one eye. “I know how that sounds.”
Armaan guided her towards the sitting room without making another joke, waiting until they were seated before reaching for her hand again.
“He remembers things I say” Geet explained, staring at their joined hands. “He listens, and he doesn’t look as though he’s waiting for me to finish so he can talk about something more interesting.”
Armaan remained quiet, his thumb moving gently over her fingers while she continued.

“He chose somewhere quiet because I said I liked that, and he took me for a walk because he thought I’d enjoy it” Geet said, her voice catching despite her efforts to keep it steady. “When I talk about Dev, he doesn’t make me feel foolish for having stayed, and when I say something he disagrees with, he doesn’t behave as though I’m embarrassing myself.”
“You’re allowed to enjoy being treated kindly” Armaan reminded her.
“I am enjoying it” Geet replied, looking towards him through the tears she had been trying to contain. “That’s what frightens me, because I keep waiting for something to happen that explains why I shouldn’t.”
Armaan nodded slowly, letting her finish before he spoke.
“With Dev, there was usually something you had to explain away” he said. “It makes sense that you’re looking for it now, but you don’t have to invent it before it exists.”
“What if Maan changes?” Geet asked quietly.
“Then you decide what you want to do with what you learn” Armaan replied. “You’re not promising him the rest of your life by agreeing to another dinner.”
Geet wiped her cheeks with the tissue he passed her, absorbing the distinction while he shifted closer.
“And none of what you’ve described is something you should have had to earn” Armaan continued. “Being listened to, having your boundaries respected and being able to speak without somebody making you feel small… you deserved those things before Maan came along.”
“I know” Geet whispered, although saying it made her eyes fill again.
“I think you’re starting to know” Armaan corrected gently. “There’s a difference.”

Geet leaned back against the sofa, tired suddenly by the effort of understanding why happiness had unsettled her so thoroughly.
“It sounds pathetic when I say it aloud” she admitted.
“No, it sounds like you spent years accepting less than you needed, and now you’re having to get used to something better” Armaan replied firmly. “Dev was a rotten egg, sweetheart, but that doesn’t mean the entire supermarket needs to be condemned.”
A laugh escaped Geet before she could stop it, and she turned towards him with an expression of disbelief.
“That is your serious advice?” she asked, wiping the last of the tears from her face.
“It’s an excellent metaphor” Armaan insisted, pleased to have made her laugh.
“It’s a terrible metaphor” Geet corrected.
“Fine, then Maan might be the gem you found after finally throwing the rotten egg away” Armaan offered.
“That makes even less sense” Geet informed him, laughing again as he lifted both hands.
“You understand what I mean, which is more than enough considering how emotionally intelligent I’ve been for the last several minutes” Armaan replied, settling beside her.
Geet rested her head against his shoulder, grateful that he could make her laugh without making her feel foolish for crying.
“You don’t have to decide whether he’s perfect” Armaan said after a moment. “You barely know him, and that’s what the next few dates are for.”
“Slowly” Geet murmured, considering the word with less anxiety than before.
“As slowly as you want” Armaan agreed.
“And if he turns out to be awful?” Geet asked, lifting her head enough to look at him.
“Then I destroy him” Armaan replied immediately, making her laugh.
“There you are” Geet remarked, settling against him again.
“I’ve been mature for almost six minutes, and it’s exhausting” Armaan explained before his voice softened. “Do you like him?”
Geet allowed herself to think of Maan beside the lake, his hand closing around hers and the quiet question he had asked before kissing her, and this time she did not feel the need to qualify her answer.
“Yes, I do” she admitted.
“Then that can be enough for tonight” Armaan replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Maan arrived home shortly before midnight, entering a house where most of the lights had been turned off except for the lamps along the hallway. He loosened his collar as he walked towards the kitchen, reaching for his phone to let Geet know he was home just as her message appeared.
G: Home?
M: Just arrived. I was about to message you.
G: Good. Thank you for tonight.
Maan leaned against the counter, smiling as he read her words before answering.
M: Thank you for trusting me with your Saturday.
G: That sounded very Maan Khurana.
M: I’m assuming that’s a compliment.
G: I haven’t decided yet.
He laughed quietly at the familiar answer, remembering the expression she had worn the first time she said something similar across a restaurant table.
M: Goodnight, Geet.
G: Goodnight, Maan.

Maan remained looking at the conversation for a few seconds before locking his phone, finding that he was not yet ready to go upstairs. Instead, he opened the back doors and stepped into the garden, slipping his hands into his pockets as he walked beyond the light spilling from the house.
The night was cool and clear, and although he looked towards the stars, his thoughts returned almost immediately to Geet laughing at dinner and the way her face had softened when he told her he was becoming comfortable. He remembered her hand resting in his, the warmth of her mouth beneath his and the brief, unexpected second kiss that had left him considerably less composed than he hoped she realised.
He touched his lower lip without thinking, then smiled at himself just as a familiar voice interrupted from behind him.

“Well, this is interesting” Dadima remarked, making him turn to find her standing a short distance away in her dressing gown and slippers.
“What are you doing awake?” Maan asked, lowering his hand while she approached.
“I could ask you the same question” Dadima replied, examining his face with an interest he immediately distrusted. “Although I suspect your explanation is more entertaining.”
“I went out for dinner” Maan said, hoping the information might satisfy her despite knowing perfectly well that it would not.
“And came home to smile at yourself in the garden” Dadima observed as she stopped beside him. “Who is she?”
Maan looked towards her before he could prevent the reaction, and her expression brightened with immediate triumph.
“There is somebody” Dadima exclaimed, lowering her voice only when he glanced towards the house.
“How did you reach that conclusion from me standing outside?” Maan asked.
“I raised you” Dadima replied, linking her arm through his. “Now tell me her name before you waste any more time pretending there’s nothing to tell.”
Maan hesitated, not because he wanted to conceal Geet but because speaking about her here made the evening feel like something that had begun to enter the rest of his life.
“Geet” he answered eventually. “Geet Malhotra.”
“Raj Malhotra’s daughter?” Dadima asked, looking towards him with recognition.
“Yes” Maan confirmed.
“I heard about her divorce” Dadima said thoughtfully, and his expression changed before she had finished.
“That isn’t what I want you to think of when I tell you about her” Maan replied, the protectiveness in his voice surprising even him.
Dadima looked at him for a moment before squeezing his arm.
“I know there’s considerably more to her than that” she assured him. “I was placing the name, Maan, not deciding who she is.”
“I know” Maan responded, relaxing as he looked away.
“You like her” Dadima observed, her smile returning.
“We’ve only been out twice” Maan explained.
“That was not what I asked” Dadima pointed out, waiting with the patience of someone who knew he would eventually answer.
“Yes, I like her” Maan admitted, unable to prevent his own smile when her face lit up.
“I knew there had to be a reason you looked like this” Dadima said, leaning closer.
“Please don’t make it dramatic” Maan requested, already suspecting that he was too late.
“You haven’t mentioned anybody since…” Dadima began, then stopped before saying Maya’s name, her expression softening as she looked at him.
Maan knew what she had intended to say, but for once the reminder did not pull him away from the evening he had just enjoyed.

“She makes you happy?” Dadima asked instead.
“I enjoy being with her” Maan replied, choosing the words carefully because they felt both honest and appropriate for something so new.
“What is she like?” Dadima asked, resting more comfortably against his arm.
“Funny, intelligent and rather more observant than is convenient” Maan explained. “She’s also a little suspicious, although I think she has reasons to be.”
“And beautiful?” Dadima prompted, looking up at him.
“You’re enjoying this far too much” Maan remarked.
“So, very beautiful” Dadima concluded, making him laugh.
“Yes, she is” Maan admitted before his expression became more thoughtful. “She’s rebuilt a great deal of her life over the last year, but I don’t think she always gives herself credit for it.”
Dadima watched him rather than the garden, noticing the care with which he spoke.
“You’ve paid attention” she observed.
“I listen” Maan replied, looking towards her.
“Of course you do, I brought you up properly” Dadima said proudly.
“I should have known this would become a discussion of your achievements” Maan responded, smiling when she squeezed his arm.
“Everything good about you required considerable effort on my part” Dadima informed him before adding with studied casualness, “When am I meeting her?”
“You’re not arranging anything yet” Maan replied immediately, beginning to walk towards the house.
“I only asked a question” Dadima protested as she kept pace beside him.
“You asked a question because you intend to make a plan” Maan corrected.
“Next month would hardly be rushing” Dadima suggested.
“Dadima, I’ve had dinner with her twice” Maan reminded her.
“And apparently enjoyed it enough to come outside and discuss it with the stars” Dadima replied, making him shake his head as they reached the doors.
“I want to get to know her without making her feel as though she has walked into something everyone else has already decided for her” Maan explained, stopping so that he could look at his grandmother properly. “We’ve both had relationships that became difficult, and I would rather let this develop at its own pace.”
Dadima’s expression settled as she listened, the teasing easing without disappearing entirely.
“That is sensible” she conceded.
“You sound disappointed” Maan observed.
“I’m perfectly capable of being sensible and disappointed at the same time” Dadima assured him.
Maan laughed, then glanced towards the garden before continuing.
“I like how it feels at the moment” he admitted. “I’d like to see what happens when we know each other properly.”
Dadima smiled at the honesty in his voice, allowing him a few seconds of peace before asking the question she had apparently been saving.

“And did you kiss her?” she enquired.
“Goodnight, Dadima” Maan replied immediately, opening the door.
Her delighted intake of breath followed him inside, and he knew before she spoke that his response had told her everything.
“You did” Dadima announced, hurrying after him.
“I said nothing” Maan pointed out as he turned towards the kitchen.
“You made a face” Dadima replied, following with the determination of someone who considered the conversation far from finished. “Was it romantic?”
“You should go to bed” Maan told her, unable to look directly at her without becoming more embarrassed.
“Did she kiss you back?” Dadima asked, and the memory of Geet leaning towards him for that unexpected second kiss returned so clearly that his smile appeared before he could stop it.
Dadima laughed with immediate satisfaction, while Maan briefly closed his eyes and accepted that there was no useful defence available.
“This conversation is over” he informed her.
“You can manage entire companies, but you still cannot hide anything from your grandmother” Dadima remarked, reaching up to rest a hand against his cheek.
“I’m beginning to realise that” Maan replied, looking at her as the amusement in her expression softened.
“I’m happy for you” Dadima said quietly.
“It’s early” Maan reminded her, although he no longer felt quite so compelled to protect the evening from her enthusiasm.
“I know” Dadima replied.
“I don’t know what this will become” he added.
“You don’t have to know yet” Dadima assured him, squeezing his hand. “You can enjoy being happy while you find out.”
Maan looked at her for a moment before nodding, finding that her advice required less thought than most of the decisions he had made that week.
“I can do that” he said.
“Good” Dadima replied, turning towards the stairs before stopping as though something else had occurred to her. “When you do eventually invite Geet here, give me some warning.”
“Why?” Maan asked, immediately suspicious again.
“So I can make sure your brother is properly introduced” Dadima explained, her mouth curving. “One unexpected Dev is probably more than the poor girl needs.”
Maan stared at her for a moment before laughing, remembering that Geet had raised almost the same objection at dinner, and Dadima looked thoroughly pleased with herself as she continued upstairs.
He was still standing in the hallway when his phone vibrated, and the sight of Geet’s name brought back the smile his grandmother had spent several minutes examining.

G: I forgot to say… the walk was my favourite part.
Maan read the message twice, remembering the way she had looked towards the lake and then at him, her hand settling into his on the path back.
M: Mine too. Although the ending was difficult to complain about.
The typing indicator appeared almost immediately, disappeared and returned, leaving him smiling at the screen while he imagined her deciding how to answer.
G: Goodnight, Maan 😂
M: Goodnight, Geet.
He locked the phone and glanced towards the garden before heading upstairs, carrying the quiet satisfaction of an evening he had enjoyed without needing to perform his way through it. Across the city, Geet was already in bed with her phone beside her, smiling into her pillow as she remembered his expression after she kissed him the second time.
Neither of them knew enough to make promises about where this might lead, but Geet found that she could think about seeing him again without immediately demanding reassurance from herself, while Maan was already considering what she might enjoy the next time they went out. For now, the wish to spend another evening together felt like something they could trust, and both were willing to let it be enough.