As all the eyes were on him with massive frowns on their faces, he chuckled weakly. "I meant... uh... Rishi and Nandini might not be... be... uh... might not look good together."

Nandini huffed, narrowing her eyes at him. "And why do you think so?"

"That has got nothing to do with you or your appearance, Baby Elephant."

The defiance in his tone cracked everyone up, including Rishi, who said, "You are crazy, Adi. I bet we will look amazing together."

Aditya rolled his eyes. "Whatever!"

Piyali put up a wide smile on her face. "Go for it, Rishi and Nandini. You have my blessings."

Aditya glared at his girlfriend. "What the fuck, Piya! No," he whispered in her ears.

She glowered back at him. "Why?"

"Don't hold back, Rishi and Nandini," Abhi said, whistling.

"Way to go, Rishi!" Akanksha squealed.

"Ask them to stop this nonsense, Piya," Aditya mumbled to the girl.

She had her cheeks puffed up in annoyance. "Not until you tell me why."

"I have told you already," he snapped.

"Okay!" Nandini giggled at the other end. "I will go on a date with you, Rishi."

"Idiots," Aditya muttered before storming out of the store.

Piyali passed a small smile at all of them before excusing herself, hoping she would be able to shove some sense into her boyfriend's brain.

The rest of them stayed back for a bit longer, finishing their ice creams, frolicking with one another despite the fatigue coursing through their bodies. They had danced a lot at the concert, and now the soles of their feet, their hips, their forearms, and their limbs were agonizingly painful. But the affable company was too attractive to decline no matter what the clock's hands indicated.

However, when they couldn't sit any longer, for the shop was about to shut, all of them made their way outside. Nandini assumed that Aditya and Piyali already left, given it had been fifteen minutes since both of them exited the store. So, she requested Rishi to drop her home, but then her eyes fell on Aditya's blue, shiny car, parked right outside the ice cream parlor.

Excusing herself, she made a beeline towards the vehicle, hoping he would be heading to his apartment and not Piyali's, and he could potentially drop Nandini too. Crouching down, peering through the window, she knocked at the glass before her gaze fell on the scene in front of her, and despite the partial darkness, she could only have her mouth hung open in mortification.

Stepping back, squealing, she attempted to run towards Rishi, but a sheepish Piyali fixed her traditional purple-colored Indian attire and slid out of the car.

"Nandini... uh... please come and sit." She raked her hands through her hair and looked everywhere but at the girl. Uh... I am heading over to Adi's tonight. So, uh... we will drop you off."

Nandini pursed her lips to prevent herself from snickering, for Aditya had come out too, setting his messy hair and staring at her with his eyes narrowed to slits. "It's okay, Piyali. You and Aditya," she giggled behind her palms, "can continue your... activity."

"There was no activity." Aditya huffed, glaring at her. "Stop the drama and sit inside the car. It's already very late."

Nandini shook her head, chortling at the way the two of them were looking abashed. "Good night." And she rushed off towards Rishi, guffawing to her heart's content.

Piyali hid her face behind her palms, peeking through the gaps of her long and slender fingers. "I am embarrassed, Adi."

He rolled his eyes. "Big deal! We are a couple. We can make out in my car."

She groaned. "But Nandini saw us!"

He let out a puff of air. "I call her obnoxious Nan for a reason. Freaking irritable girl."

***

Aditya couldn't believe Nandini had actually agreed to the preposterous idea of going on a date with Rishi and that the two of them were currently on the said dinner date, whose reservations Piyali made herself, undertaking all the responsibilities of making the evening special for the duo.

Aditya could comprehend Rishi's excitement. He was a flirtatious guy and took casual dating a bit too far. He could also comprehend Piyali's jubilant squeals throughout the week when she was constantly on the phone with Rishi, planning the elaborate date. But what he couldn't understand was Nandini's acceptance.

"I should not care about those two buffoons," he muttered to himself before going to work that day.

Not that his work woes had ended. His boss had tasked him with quite an ambitious and important project that their company signed with the US government. The budget had already been finalized prior to the contracts getting signed, but given the delays in the delivery of the product, there was a certain amount of overspending which he was supposed to investigate.

However, he could barely concentrate at work. Once again, he and Piyali had indulged in a pointless but nonetheless massive argument about the fact that he was working extra hours during the week. He didn't really comprehend how the discourse about him switching jobs morphed into him not being an attentive, loving boyfriend as her exes had been. And before he knew it, the altercation snowballed into something much more profound, for she was under the assumption that he had been lying to her all along and that no family would create the drama he was afraid of as far as him introducing Piyali to them was concerned.

For hours, Aditya had tried to make her understand that though his family was educated, they were conservative too, belonging to the quintessentially and traditionally rich and elite, and that he wasn't lying or making excuses. Such families still hold onto their beliefs, convictions, and his family took it too far because of the failed first marriage of his elder sister.

Now, he had more than two reasons to be concerned about. The first one was most certainly the meaningless argument with his girlfriend, which he wished to resolve at the earliest. Secondly, he wouldn't waste another moment and call his grandmother up to confirm the wild suspicions she held about him and Piyali before confiding in his parents that he had chosen his partner and things could be no other way. Then, of course, there were two important calls he had been expecting for a few days now, but nothing was materializing, leaving him utterly frustrated.

As he was cursing his fate, a stroke of luck did grace him, and he received the first call that had been keeping him awake for days now.

***

The dinner date with Rishi turned out to be quite entertaining. Nandini was flattered because of the not-so-subtle ways in which he was flirting with her. He took her to a good Japanese restaurant before they went to an open park to stargaze. Finally, he took her to his apartment that he shared with Raunak, and indeed the views from the topmost floor of the tower were breathtaking. The entire city skyline was perceptible, the multiple edifices lit up with artificial illumination, the iridescent billboards flashing a jumbled morass of advertisements, gentle drafts blowing atop the terrace of the 70-storied building, fluttering her hair, messing up his.

They laughed just like she used to do with Shubham, and she missed her friend a bit more that day. But then she was glad she came across another great person just like the vexatious but charming Shubham Agarwal.

"You remind me of a friend," she said once they were leaning against the balustrade of the terrace.

He turned to face her. "Really? Who?"

"This college friend I had. We are no longer in touch, but I am glad I found you." She flashed a bright smile at him.

He slid along the length of the banister and plopped on the ground, patting the spot next to her. Once she gave in, he said, "So, how was the company today?"

She sighed. "Enchanting! Quintessential!"

"Ah!" He grinned. "I see."

She giggled. "I want coffee. Let's head back to your apartment."

"Sure."

"Would you want coffee? Tea?"

"You." He winked.

She clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes playfully. "Be serious, Rishi."

"Okay... is there going to be a second date?"

She bit her lips. "I loved going out with you today."

"But. I sense a but." He chuckled. "Feel free to speak your mind."

"But," she licked her lips, smiling sheepishly, "you are a great friend, Rishi. I adore you, and I can see us being terrific friends down the line too. How about we stick to that and not complicate this?" She wagged her fingers between the two of them. "Because I don't wish to lose you owing to silly matters that concern our stupid hearts." She pouted.

He tried to suppress the snigger but couldn't. "You are so cute, Nandini." He nodded, mulling over her words. "I think you are right. Being friends is the best course of action. But," he wiggled his brows, "I am not going to stop flirting with you, darling."

"Please don't," she said, batting her lashes. "It makes me feel special."

"Even if you are old and withered and I have fake teeth and a wig to hide the bald patch, I will flirt with you despite your husband glaring at me," he said, chuckling.

"And I will not give a damn about what he says because," she pinched his cheeks, "you are very special to me and will remain so."

"For the rest of our lives."

She beamed. "For the rest of our lives."

***

Putting the signature on the papers, sliding his credit card down the glass-topped table, Aditya sighed in relief. This would be a major investment on his part, and he wasn't sure if he should even be doing this so early on in his life and career, but then he didn't wish to wait anymore either. Though he had too many doubts regarding his relationship with Piyali, he was certain he wouldn't be breaking up with her over pointless banters.

"Nandini was right," he muttered to himself.

Yes, he was angry with Piyali because of the way their altercations regarding his job and his unavailability had started shaping up, but nothing could beat the fact that they shared a four-year-long sweet, simple, nurturing relationship. Hence, the right course of action was to invest in real estate, buy a house for him and Piyali, introduce her to his family, and settle down. Both were anyway in their late twenties, and the pressure to get married might start mounting soon from both sides.

Smiling at the real estate manager who finalized the contract for the loft he was planning to buy on the top floor of a twenty-storied building, Aditya ambled out of the office, heading straight towards his locality, expecting Piyali to be there since it was already evening on a Friday. With the roads backed up for miles as the after-work traffic caused congestion along the highways and city roads alike, his mood dampened, and when he reached home, he was furthermore piqued as Piyali called him up, informing him of some work that had held her up, and disconnected the call without listening to what he wanted to say.

Grumbling under his breath, he was about to go and take a shower when a knock resounded at his door, and he was surprised to see Nandini in front of him, wearing a blingy floral dress, holding a rectangular plastic container in her hands, with a wide grin on her exuberant face.

"What are you doing here?"

Her expression fell instantly upon hearing him question her with a frown on his features. "What a way to welcome someone!"

He chortled, stepping out of the way and letting her in. "Sorry about that. Feel free to come in."

She pushed away all the other empty containers and ceramic dishes from the kitchen island before dropping the container from her hands. Letting her eyes sweep around the apartment, she crinkled her nose. The other evening when she was there, it was more or less tidy, which, as Aditya told her, was because he had cleaned up that weekend. However, a week later, his shoes were lying everywhere in the living area opposite the kitchen, and his clothes were sprawled on the couch too. The television was tuned into a news channel, hanging on the wall opposite the kitchen, next to which was the patio door that opened to the balcony. The evening had already fallen, and the sunlight was receding to make way for a starry night.

Then her gaze went to the pots and pans on the stove, and she was pretty sure the slabs hadn't been cleaned in over a week. Even the sink had a bunch of plates and spoons lying inside, and she couldn't stand it anymore. Heading straight towards the sink, she twisted the knob of the tab, and as water gushed out of it, she commenced washing the dishes, stowing them away inside the dishwasher.

"Stop it!" he yelled, trying to tug her wrists away from the ladle she was holding. "You are embarrassing me, Nan. I will clean things up tomorrow. I promise. Please don't do this."

She pursed her lips and flashed her eyes at him. "Would you please let me live in peace, Mr. Devil? I won't be able to sleep at night knowing that my friend's house is in an utter mess."

"Hey!" He frowned. "All of this is not mine. Abhi lives here too. Piyali and Shruti come over from time to time."

"I know Piyali is equally messy if not more. I hadn't expected this from Shruti."

He rolled his eyes. "Not everyone has extreme OCD as you."

"Not everyone can live like animals as you and your friends do."

He huffed, leaning his back against the kitchen island, abandoning any futile attempt at convincing her otherwise. "I would be glad if you wouldn't embarrass me like this."

"It's okay, Aditya."

She washed the sink clean before wiping the countertops, scrubbing them so well and so hard that both could see their reflections on the surface. Finally taking care of the kitchen island, forcing him out of her way whenever he attempted to intervene and halt her in her actions, she sighed in relief when everything in the kitchen looked orderly. The plastic containers were back in the cabinets with their lids fastened, the dishes were squeaky clean, the tissue holder had been straightened at the spot, and the bottles of ketchup and sauces were back inside the fridge.

"Happy now?" He chuckled, seeing the contentment imprinted on her face once she was done. "Now tell me what you are here for. Because I don't think your sole motive was to clean my apartment."

She eyed the unorganized living area where half-opened magazines and newspapers were sprawled amidst the clothes and shoes. "Can you..." She bit her lips, gesturing towards the couch.

He followed her gaze and rolled his eyes. Holding her by her shoulders, he urged her to look at him, tugging at her chin. "You want me to clean that?"

She nodded. "I will get nightmares otherwise."

"Cool. I will do it."

She beamed.

"Tomorrow."

And a frown instantly developed on her features. "Fine." She pointed towards the container she had brought. "I was working from home today and made rice pudding. Then I recollected how ebullient you became when you ate this the other day at my office. So, I brought it for you and for Abhi too."

He stepped back, shock and surprise evident from the way his mouth had hung agape. "You what?"

"Eat it, share it with Abhi unlike the last time, and please clean your home," she said in a faux stern fashion.

He let out a ragged breath. "That was a really sweet gesture, Nandini. No one has ever made me feel this special since I left home and came to a foreign country. That was..." Fumbling for words, he shook his head. "Thank you."

She giggled. "Please enjoy it. I gotta head home."

She was at the door when he said, "Can't you stay? Piyali has some work thing, and she is not going to meet me tonight. We can... we can have dinner together. You, I, and Abhi."

A sheepish smile crossed her face. "I am so sorry that I have to decline the offer, but I have the same work thing that Piyali has. I just came by to drop the pudding off. Now, I gotta go."

He briefly nodded his head, pondering over why he felt so empty, so dank from within once the door closed, for the moment she had stepped inside his abode, she brought all the warmth in the world with her.

***

As Saturday morning came by, Aditya was irritated further. Piyali had ditched him the previous night because of work, but had he done the same thing, she would've gone berserk. On top of that, he couldn't sleep well at night because Nandini's smiling face and her innocent expressions kept intruding. The decadent rice pudding wouldn't leave his thoughts either, but more than anything else, her warmth, care, and concern were proving to be the catalyst in the bout of insomnia he seemed to be experiencing. Hence, when his phone rang, he picked it up without opening his eyes, his voice hoarse and a tad bit rude too.

But when he heard what the other person had to say on the other side, all somnolence went out of the window, and he wasted no time in springing from his bed, hurriedly freshening up, forcing Abhi to do the same, and the two of them rushed out of their apartment when the sun had barely risen.

***

It took her eons to respond to the call Aditya placed from the call box of her building. When she finally received it and let the main entrance click open, Abhi and Aditya wasted no time in running towards the elevators and riding it to her floor. But then again, she took a long time to open the door to her apartment, prompting them to bang their hands on the wooden surface and scream their lungs out.

When she finally appeared at the door, Aditya was taken by surprise and a chuckle escaped Abhi's throat, for Nandini was scowling heavily at the duo, her hair sticking out at odd angles, her night suit crumpled, her eyes swollen, and her lips parched.

"Wow! You look hideous early in the morning, Baby Elephant," Aditya said, snorting.

She rolled her eyes. "Why are you here at six in the morning, disturbing my beauty sleep?"

"Come with us," Abhi said, exchanging a quick glance with Aditya. "Right now."

***

Nandini was getting too frustrated, for the two boys pushed her inside Abhi's car, and off they went towards the crowded parts of the city, but they weren't answering her incessant questions and rather told her to fix herself up. Tugging at her messed-up hair, groaning, she fixated her eyes out of the car's window as one building after the other hurtled past them until they finally reached the outskirts and only townhouses were visible at sporadic intervals. But the car was not seemingly going to stop anytime soon. So, she rested her back against the headrest as silence ensued.

She was already sleeping soundly when the vehicle came to a complete stop a few minutes later and she jerked ahead ever so slightly. Snapping her eyes open, she glimpsed around. They had arrived at the top of an accessible hill via the winding roads that tourists usually take to utilize the spot since it offers promising views of the city and the bay beneath.

"What the heck do you want, guys?" she yelled, sliding out of the car and striding towards the two boys who were leaning against the bonnet. "Why did you bring me here?"

Pursing his lips, Aditya held her by her shoulders and turned her around, pointing his fingers straight towards the edge of the summit where a white car was parked, against which a very familiar figure was standing, his hair ruffling in the early morning winds.

It took her a few moments to comprehend what she was seeing, and she even had to rub her eyes with her knuckles to ensure she wasn't hallucinating.

"Happy Diwali, Nandini Basu," Aditya murmured in her ears.

Taking a deep breath, her eyes widening, she licked her lips. "Shubham?"