"The Aloo Parantha is magical, Madz! I love it," said Muskaan, relishing the burst of flavors in her mouth with closed eyes. The younger woman's nickname made Madhuri giggle and shake her head. Muskaan and Madhuri had bonded over a shared lunch a few weeks ago.

With her restricted culinary experience and scarcity of time, Muskaan found the food prepared by her bland and unappetizing. When Madhuri had forwarded her lunch of Roti and Dal Makhani to the young woman, the temptation had proved irresistible, and Madhuri had made it a point to bring an extra box for her new friend.

"I'll pass on your appreciation to Jijaji. He prepared the filling. He learned the recipe during his hostel days in medical school," Madhuri replied, tearing off a piece of the rich and luscious Parantha for herself.

"Oh, that's cool! Papa loved to cook as well-. "

Muskaan's sentence was interrupted as a hand landed on her shoulder. She squirmed, swallowing the morsel in her mouth, and shooting a glare at the owner of the hand.

"Good afternoon, Muskaan," said Vijay, their colleague, with a saccharine smile that turned Muskaan's insides. She placed the piece of parantha back in the box with a stiffness that made Madhuri arch her eyebrow. Despite her stoic face, the slight quiver of her lower lip had not missed the older woman's concerned eyes.

Madhuri cleared her throat to shift their colleague's attention to herself. "Oh, hi, Madhuri. I did not realize you were here. What do I say? I cannot see anyone else when Musu is in front of me," he said, pushing his palms into his pockets with a smirk that wiped away the last of Muskaan's appetite.

Muskaan rose from the bench and turned towards the man with a lusty glimmer in his eyes. "I asked you to stop calling me that."

Vijay tsked with his face contorting with anguish, which was superficial enough to make Muskaan roll her eyes in exasperation. "But you love giving nicknames to everyone, don't you?"

Vijay's torso angled towards her without the slightest concern for the onlookers. Madhuri's eyes turned into saucers before she pulled herself to her feet and stepped in his direction. Whooshing of her rushing blood reverberated in her ears, and it was a surprise for Madhuri how the younger woman had stood her ground.

Madhuri's reaction deepened Vijay's smirk. "Tell me, do you prefer other kinds of nicknames? More private, intimate ones, perhaps?"

Bile rose to Madhuri's throat and her features contorted with disgust for the man in his early thirties. "Not from people with rotting brain cells," said Muskaan, throwing a glare in his direction before she turned around on her heel to exit the cafeteria.

Madhuri tailed the younger woman after shooting an enraged incredulous stare towards the older man. Her heart, her racing heart, was in her mouth. She caught up with the young girl, who almost jogged, with long strides and wrapped her fingers around Muskaan's icy wrist.

"Are you alright? How long has he been doing this?" she asked, guiding them to her desk at the corner of the room, away from the prying ears of their colleagues, who would soon pour in when the lunch break ends.

Muskaan bit down on her lower lip and rolled her eyes to ward away the tears glistening in her eyes. "He learned I had eloped with my ex-boyfriend. He thinks I'm easy and sent me inappropriate pictures of him. Easy prey - without family, without inhibitions - just easy."

Madhuri grasped Muskaan's left shoulder and cupped her right cheek, fighting back the sobs clogging her own throat. "No, no, Muskaan! You were just a child, and you had just stepped over the threshold of youth."

Madhuri wiped away the silent tears rolling down Muskaan's cheeks and her eyes stung with worry for the young woman. "Yes, it makes you an easy prey for monsters like him, not because you are easy. But because you are still learning your way around the world. Because you would not expect such monsters to wait around for the right time to exploit your blind spots."

The wails gurgling at the back of Muskaan's throat poured out of her lips and she flung herself into Madhuri's arms. Muskaan muffled her lament in the crook of Madhuri's neck, while Madhuri ran her hands over the younger woman's back to soothe her.

Faith had just blossomed in the otherwise withered and barren land of Madhuri's heart, and a fresh storm had announced its arrival, threatening the existence of the newfound faith.

****

Arjun had looked over his phone in a moment of consternation when his eyes landed on the absentminded form of his client and his niece's tutor. The scarf, which once covered her like an armor from the eyes of the onlookers, had hung from her left shoulder and billowed behind her.

He had not missed the paradigm shift in the color palette of her wardrobe from the faded hues of autumn to the vibrant hues of spring. But the stiffness, reminiscent of the Madhuri he had first met, had resurfaced after days of relaxed posture.

"Madhuri," he called out, pulling himself to his feet. Much to his surprise, the woman had neither reduced her pace nor did she show any hints of her intention to pause. "Madhuri!"

With a jolt, the woman halted in her tracks and angled her torso to face him. She blinked in rapid succession before she drew a sharp inhale. "S-Sir. Namaste!" she said with a slight bow of her head.

With long and purposeful strides, he made his way to her side. The proximity shed light on the slight crease of her forehead, the compulsion behind her smile, and the tightening at the edges of her eyes. "You seem lost. Is everything alright?" he asked, pushing his left palm into his pocket.

"Yes. Why, yes. I'm fine. Yes," she said with an awkward chuckle as she tucked stray tendrils of her hair behind her ears. Arjun cast an incredulous look in direction and scrutinized her squirming form.

"Okay," he said. "If you say so. We need to prepare you for the hearing on the day after. Perhaps you could drop by my office tomorrow when you are let off from work. I don't have any meeting scheduled from 1 PM."

"Ah, I see! I'll... I'll come. Sure," she said, nodding with a force that intensified his suspicion.

Arjun stepped closer to her. "Are you sure you are alright, Madhuri? You appear restless."

Despite the turbulence of the conflict wreaking havoc on her senses, the warmth of compassion permeated her agitated heart and caused ripples of gratitude for the wise attorney. A tiny smile stretched on her lips. "I'll be fine, sir. I wouldn't want to trouble you with my woes."

Arjun regarded her weary features for a moment, contemplating his response. She did not appear to be in imminent danger, and he did not want to put her in a spot by asking her to reveal the reason for her restlessness when she was uncomfortable.

"Well, should you need a listening ear, you know where to find us. Although Di would be a better choice if you do not want interruptions or obvious, but implausible, solutions."

The edges of her lips twitched wider at his remarks and amusement twinkled in her eyes, replacing the worry. "Thank you. Good night, sir!"

"Good night, Madhuri!"

Arjun Malhotra was never the one to jump to premature conclusions based on preconceived notions, but it appeared he had judged the young tutor to be predictable in haste.