Oh my God… seeing him in this traditional attire for the first time makes my stomach flutter. My fingers brush over my stomach almost instinctively, as if trying to calm the riot of feelings racing inside me.
He catches my gaze in the mirror. “You’re awake.”
“Yes.” My throat tightens around the word.
He turns and walks towards me, stopping at the edge of the bed.
“The pooja will start soon.” He hesitates, his fingers raking through his hair. “If you want… you can join.”
I bite my lower lip and nod.
“I’ll wait for you,” he says, giving me a grateful smile before stepping out of the room.
Pulling in a deep breath, I push myself out of bed and quickly go through my morning routine. I get dressed in my favourite pink salwar suit, fix my hair carefully, and add a light touch of makeup to bring colour to my face.
Once ready, I make my way to the living room, where Dev’s mother’s garlanded photograph sits at the centre, surrounded by white marigolds, an oil lamp burning steadily beside it.
Dev’s father, Veer, Dev, and Panditji sit opposite the photograph, their backs to me, hands folded and eyes closed, while Panditji chants quietly.
Just as I am about to take my place beside Dev, the housekeeper approaches, holding out a small, folded slip of paper.
“Ma’am, this came for you.”
“For me?” I ask, surprised.
She nods. I take the note from her and watch as she walks away. My fingers tremble slightly as I open it and read.
Meera, meet me outside.
Samarth.
My breath catches. Samarth wants to meet me? Now?
Why didn’t he call or message? Why a note?
I bite my lip, my thoughts spinning. We’ve hardly been able to speak over these past few days. Maybe it’s something urgent, and he wasn’t able to get through to me by phone.
I glance at Dev. He’s completely absorbed in the pooja. If I disturb him now, he’ll lose his concentration in the one ritual that means everything to him.
No… I can’t do that.
I fold the note, slide it into my phone cover, and slip quietly out of the room.
Stepping outside, I don’t see Samarth anywhere. My mind immediately reasons. He wouldn’t just walk into the house. He must be waiting somewhere nearby.
I move past the gate, cross the road, and head towards the park. My gaze roams around the empty park, searching every corner. Still, there’s no sign of him.
I pull out my phone and dial his number. He picks up on the second ring.
“Samarth, where are you? I am at the park.”
There’s a pause. “The park? I didn’t know we were meeting.”
My heart starts racing. “You… you asked me to meet you.”
“What?” he sounds confused. “I didn’t, Meera.”
Now my stomach drops. “You sent me a note.”
