Or maybe it’s because for the first time in years I’m not thinking about bills or inventory or responsibilities.
I’m just… here.
With them. Neel drags us toward another ride that swings high into the air like a giant metal pendulum.
Aditya looks up at it thoughtfully.
“Absolutely not,” he says.
Neel gasps. “You are scared!”
“I am not scared.” Aditya argues.
“Then prove it.”
Aditya glances at me. “You started this.” he accuses me.
“I suggested the park,” I say sweetly. “Not emotional blackmail.”
He sighs like a man accepting his fate. “Fine.”
Ten minutes later he is seated beside me again while Neel sits in front of us, already cheering like he’s won something.
The ride launches forward. I scream. Aditya laughs. The night stretches around us like something wide and open. By the time we stumble off that ride, my cheeks hurt from smiling.
We wander through the park slowly after that. Stopping at random stalls. Trying ridiculous games.
At one point Neel wins a cheap plastic whistle and immediately begins using it to terrorize the surrounding population.
Aditya buys cotton candy for him.
Then ice cream.
Then a fried potato twister that Neel insists is the greatest invention in human history. I watch the two of them together and something warm settles quietly inside my chest.
They look… comfortable.
Like they’ve known each other longer than they actually have.
We stop near a game stall where people are trying to toss rings onto bottles. Neel squints at the prizes hanging behind the counter.
“Didi,” he whispers conspiratorially, “you need that teddy bear.”
I follow his gaze. The teddy bear is enormous. Ridiculous. Pink. “I absolutely do not.”
“You do. I know you better.” He folds his hands against his chest and looks up at me as if challenging me. I see from the corner of my eyes Aditya is already stepping forward.
“Three rings,” he tells the man running the stall. I cross my arms.
“This is unnecessary.”
Neel grins at me. “It is extremely necessary.”
Aditya misses the first ring. Neel gasps dramatically. The second one lands perfectly. The third ring wobbles on the edge of the bottle before dropping neatly around it.
Neel erupts into celebration like they’ve just won a national championship. The man hands over the giant teddy bear. Aditya turns and places it directly into my arms.
It’s so big it nearly knocks me backward. I stare at him. “You didn’t have to do that.”
