As they stepped out of the shop, Sanam was flabbergasted by the unexpected turn of events. He had never imagined that Jai would allow her to accompany him for this long.

Initially, Jai had been worried about her identity being exposed. However, when she wrapped the dupatta around her, a sly smirk danced across his lips. She understood why; under that fabric, she was practically unrecognizable.

"It's like that meme: 'They'd know. No one would know,'" Jai chuckled, revving the engine of his bike. This one was different from before-a sleek Royal Enfield that promised adventure.

Ritu hummed in delight as she lifted herself onto the bike, adjusting her position with a playful grin. "I know, right? I'm a genius."

"Undoubtedly." Jai commented quietly as he kick-started the bike. Ritu furrowed her brow, unsure if he genuinely meant it or it was just a mocking compliment. Ritu curiously asked, "Where's the KTM? It was kind of catchy looking."

"Was it? My bad. It returned to its owner," Jai said, his voice rising slightly as he skillfully maneuvered the bike through the bustling street.

"Owner?" Ritu asked, surprised. "Wasn't it yours?"

Jai replied, his voice calm and measured, though slightly elevated to cut through the background noise. "Not quite. That one belonged to Akash. This beauty," he gestured proudly at the Royal Enfield, "is all mine."

"Akash? You mean that insolent, mannerless, pretentious little twit who struts around like he rules over the people around him? I can't believe he's your friend!"

Jai chuckled softly. "You sure have some very interesting vocabulary. But he's not exactly my friend; he's one of the opposition party workers. They are always looking for problems to intervene in and cause disruption."

Ritu was about to retort but paused abruptly as her heart started pounding against her chest, suddenly realizing the intimacy of the moment. She hesitated for a moment. Then, with a deep breath, she slipped her hands in front and held Jai's waist snugly. The warmth of his body radiated through her touch, and her front grazed against his back. A pinkish hue crept up her cheeks. Jai's shoulders stiffened slightly, a surprise at the unexpected intimacy but soon, he relaxed. He didn't say anything to deter her, so she embraced him close. He navigated the bike carefully through the busy streets, the soft rumble of the engine blending with the fluttering of Ritu's heart. The rest of the ride was mostly silent, but the air between them was thick with unspoken feelings. As if the gentle sway of the bike made Ritu feel alive, her senses heightened by the warmth of Jai so near.

After another ten minutes or so, Jai entered the slums from a different direction.

"We didn't come this way last time," Ritu remarked, her eyes scanning the neighborhood. This side appeared surprisingly cleaner, a stark contrast to the chaos they'd witnessed before.

"I chose this route to ease your discomfort," Jai responded quietly, then cleared his throat to shake off his own unease.

Ritu bit her lower lip, a telltale sign of her embarrassment. The bike moved through the narrow alleyways, and Jai frequently made turns to take a different walkway until he finally reached a clearing. With a sudden jerk, he pulled the brake. She jerked forward, pushing Jai to lean forward from her weight behind him.

"Oh! We've arrived?" Ritu exclaimed, her voice a bit too loud, a feeble attempt to hide her growing embarrassment. She quickly dismounted the bike, her heart racing as she took in her surroundings.

Ritu noticed the tiny house as they approached, its sky-blue walls sticking out against the bleakness of the slum. Despite its age, the brick-and-mortar structure appeared to breathe life dimly. The tin roof gleamed in the afternoon sun, producing flickering shadows on the ground.

Three to five worn steps led up to the entryway, which was slightly elevated to protect against the frequent flooding of the lane. They were surrounded by other houses just like it, which were tightly packed together, leaving only narrow passageways. Clothes hung from makeshift wires strung across the front, waving gently in the breeze like resilient flags.

A tiny Shiva temple to the side, with its vivid colors standing in sharp contrast to the subdued hues of the houses, brought some color and spirituality to the otherwise hectic environment. Ritu felt a mixture of anxiety and curiosity as she stepped closer.

Jai parked the bike and dismounted with a calm demeanor.

She turned to face him when he curtly said, "This is not their home, Ritusha. This is where they are forced to live."

Ritu noticed a cautious glint flickering in his eyes as he added without waiting for her response, "Come inside. It's not safe standing out here for long." There was a hint of wary in his tone. "If anyone recognizes you..." But halted abruptly when his eyes settled on her and lingered on her face for a prolonged period of time.

Ritu held his gaze steadily and felt her ears gradually turning hot.

He then smiled and shook his head, breaking eye contact. "Never mind."

"What?" Ritu asked, flabbergasted.

Jai didn't respond; instead, he turned toward the tiny house and walked ahead. Ritu followed closely as he stepped onto the front step and knocked on the wooden door, the color of which had mostly faded with age. He glanced back at her and said calmly, "Don't panic."

Ritu's brows furrowed in confusion. But before she could ask what he meant, the door burst open and a chorus thundered through the opening. "Jai dada! Jai dada is back! Jai dada, did you bring the notebook I wanted? Jai dada, have you brought Maggie? Jai dada, did you talk to teacher about the fees? Jai dada where's my crayon box? Jai dada, have you bought the white fabric I asked you about? Jai dada..." The onslaught of questions crashed over them like an animated wave, each voice rising higher in enthusiasm. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the noise came to a screeching halt. All heads turned as if choreographed, their gazes locking onto her figure lurking behind Jai.

Ritu gulped. Uh-oh!

Jai followed their gazes and focusing on Ritu with a twinkle in his eyes, a small amused smile on his lips. He turned back toward the kids and promised, "I'll buy them tomorrow. Make a list and give it to me. And Yoddhas," Jai paused dramatically taking in their expressions before extending his left arm to Ritu and introduced her, "Meet, Ritusha ma'am."

"Didi. Ritusha didi." Before she could stop herself, the words involuntarily came out of her mouth.

The kids remained silent for a while. Ritu observed all of their faces, hoping that they would be cordial with her. But the kids only stared at her with serious expressions until they looked at Jai collectively and Jai's subtly amused expression broke into a full-fledged laughter causing the kids join him at once. Ritu was so confused that she stared between the kids and Jai stupidly, and still couldn't unearth the reason behind their laughter.

"What's so funny?" She asked after a while, unable to contain her growing frustration and curiosity.

Jai chuckled and pulled out his phone then held it in front of her face. On his phone the front camera was turned on and it reflected her dupatta-wrap silhouette, and it definitely looked funny, considering she was the only one who was dressed like that.

Ritu acknowledged that immediately and pushed aside Jai's phone. "Oh!" She hurriedly untied her dupatta and revealed her face to the kids who clapped their hands and laughed at the funny incident. Ritu joined them in laughter, exchanging involuntary glances with Jai. Jai seemed to appreciate how things had turned out on first impression.

He said, "Yoddhas, won't you invite your new guest inside?"

"Of course!"

"Yes, come inside, Ritusha ma'am."

"Oh no! Didn't you hear her? She wanted to be called didi. Isn't it, Ritusha didi?"

Ritusha nodded with a broad grin plastered on her face.

One of the older girls approached Ritu, took her hand, and dragged her inside. Ritu glanced over her shoulder and saw Jai enter the house behind the kids with a pleased and appreciative expression.

After everyone had entered the house, Jai closed the door behind him. The kids took her to a room. It wasn't really big, but spacious enough. There wasn't much furniture in it. The floor was covered with severely sewn carpets all over. At one side there was a small table with a flower vase, it held 8-9 sticks of tuberose and above it, a medium sized portrait was hung against the wall. It was of an elderly man. Late Jagannath Basu. Ritu deduced easily. Jai's grandfather and these kids' guardians.

"Sit down, Ritusha didi." One of the girls pulled her toward the center of the room, and a boy turned on the ceiling fan right above her head. "It's really hot today. You sit beneath the fan."

Ritu nodded, accepting her offer without complain. It was really hot today, and as Jai brought her here on the bike, she was struggling under the direct and scorching heat of the sun.

"Would you like some tea?" One girl asked politely with a bright smile on her face. She was sitting right in front of her.

"No, idiot. Why would she have some tea in this heat?" Another girl chimed in, her tone slightly exasperated. She seemed a little older. "Ask her if she would like some cold drinks."

The first girl turned her head toward Ritu and bit her tongue before asking again, "Would you like some cold drinks?"

Jai's gaze drifted from the girls to her, and for a fraction of a second, their eyes met, holding each other in a brief, silent exchange. But the moment quickly slipped away as the girl seated in front of her took Ritu's hand in hers and shook it. "Ritusha didi! Cold drinks?"

Ritusha smiled at their enthusiasm. These kids, even when they are struggling with crisis and adversities in their everyday lives, they are still mindful about their guest's comfort. How could they be so precious and selfless?

"I'll definitely have some cold drinks. But first, we should introduce ourselves," Ritu said, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

"But we already know your name! It's Ritusha. So pretty," a little voice chimed in.

Ritu chuckled, playfully shaking her head. "That's only half of my name. You don't know my full name yet. And I want to learn each of yours, so please, introduce yourselves first!"

The kids gathered around her, eager to share their names. One by one, they announced themselves:

"Krishna."

"Devi."

"Sreeparna."

"Tapati."

"Surya."

"Dino."

"Rama."

"Karthik."

"Vivek."

"Asha."

"Srilekha."

"Jahnvi."

"Rahul."

"Jimmy."

"Gopi."

"Satya."

Everyone turned their heads toward the last one who stood at the feet of Jai. Ritu's smile widened as her eyes fell on the familiar face.

"I know her name already." She extended her hand toward the little girl, her voice warm and inviting. "Come here, Pari!"

Pari looked up at Jai's face, as if asking for his permission. Jai nodded approvingly at her.

Ritu encouraged again. "Come."

Pari quietly went forward and when she was in reach, Ritu pulled her into her lap. "We've met before. Didn't we?"

Pari nodded quietly and looked at Jai again.

Ritu realized something. The girl might be thinking about the argument she and Jai had been engaged in earlier when the girl saw her. That might be the reason why the girl was acting rigidly toward her. She could be seeing her as a threat.

Ritu cajoled, "Your Jai dada and I are friends. We weren't really fighting back then. It was just a..."

Jai completed her sentence, "Play fight."

Pari looked at Ritu with her big eyes. "Play fight?"

Ritu quickly picked up on. "Yes, that is correct. Play fight. Don't you all play fight? It's so fun." Ritu tried to coax her, hoping to make her feel at ease around her.

"And that uncle?" Pari asked, her gaze flickering with uncertainty.

Ritu understood she was asking about Irfan. "Oh, that uncle? He's good uncle. He was also playing with us."

"Really?"

"Really." Ritu confirmed in a friendly tone before her eyes spun toward Jai. He was quietly watching over everyone without saying much.

Ritu wiggled her eyebrows at him, as if to ask him, how was she doing?

Jai smiled softly, a flicker of approval in his eyes, and then tried to conceal it by looking down.

Rahul interrupted impatiently. "Aren't we getting cold-drinks?" He looked at Jai. "Jai dada, give me money. I'll bring the bottles. Karthik, come with me."

Jai nodded, retrieving his wallet. Since Karthik was sitting closest to him, he handed him the cash, prompting Karthik to spring to his feet.

But Ritu was quick this time. "Karthik, wait. Come here."

Everyone looked at her curiously while Karthik went ahead standing in front of her. Ritu carefully picked Pari up from her lap and set her down on the carpet. She then opened her own purse and pulled out three five-hundred-rupee bills. "Give me that money and take these instead."

"Hey, why?" Jai asked urgently.

Ritu threw him a steady stare and silenced him with her next words. "Because I'm saying so. That's why." She turned toward Karthik. "Give me that money, Karthik."

Karthik obediently extended his hand and gave her the six hundred rupees that Jai had given him. "Now go with Rahul and bring back whatever snacks you guys like to eat. And, of course, cold drinks for everyone. Okay?" She handed him the money she had pulled out from her purse.

Karthik took it, and the boys left with broad smiles plastered on their faces.

Jai crossed his arms and glared at her questioningly.

"Don't sulk. I'm not giving you back this money. I'm taking it," Ritu smiled slyly. "For the future." She looked away from him after saying so and didn't notice the way Jai's jaw dropped wide in response to her statement.

Afterthat, she was entirely absorbed in conversing with the children. They offered so much information about life that Ritu was unaware of, such as their dreams, hardships, and the small joys they discovered every day. Each child's narrative inspired her to ponder a world so dissimilar from her own, one that was full of viewpoints and experiences she had never before given much thought to.

Meanwhile, Jai went to the far corner and sat down on an ancient wooden chair, observing the scenes unfolding in front of him. Ritu often stole glances at him, noticing how his expression shifted from amusement to uneasiness every time their eyes met. His fingers fidgeted with the edge of the chair, and he let out a quiet sigh, as if wrestling with thoughts he couldn't quite articulate. Each time Ritu laughed with the kids, he smiled, but there was a flicker of something deeper in his eyes-an ache of longing or perhaps regret. He shifted in his seat, casting his gaze to the ground, lost in a moment of introspection, as if he were grappling with the undoubtedly difficult current circumstance.

When the boys arrived with chips, samosas, chops, mini-pizzas, and cold drinks, it was a lavish feast for the kids. They munched happily, their laughter filling the air, and Ritu's heart swelled with a quiet peace.

She took two plastic glasses of orange cold drink and walked over to where Jai had been sitting silently. "Here." She extended one glass toward him. He took it without complaint, his gaze questioning but silent.

Ritu ignored his stare and sipped her own drink, but Jai couldn't hold back any longer. "This is going to be difficult," he muttered.

Ritu paused mid-sip and lowered her glass. She shifted her focus on Jai and caught him looking at her, his eyes searching her face. As if he were trying to peek into her very soul and see the true intention she was hiding there. There was mild pleading in his gaze.

"What do you mean?" asked Ritu as she feigned to appear confused.

"Don't pretend you don't understand what I'm talking about, Ritusha. Why do you think I'm unable to figure out what's going on in your mind?"

"Jai, what are you..."

"Ritusha," Jai cut her off, sighing as he closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them, his eyes met with hers. "I can guess why you're doing this. Either you want to buy me with these offers of help or you're... " He trailed off, looking away, a faint blush creeping up to his ears.

Ritu pursed her lips from grinning at his face. Instead, she replied, "You know it very well it's not the first one."

Jai didn't look her way but lifted his glass and downed his drink in one go. Ritu smiled, savoring her own drink.

Moments later, Surya came running over and handed them each a samosa before dashing off again. Ritu chuckled, taking a bite.

Jai stared at her in astonishment.

"What?" she asked, chewing the crispy samosa, which was surprisingly tasty.

"You're eating this?"

"Why? Can't I?"

"Aren't you supposed to be health and hygiene conscious? You're in the fashion industry, after all, and..." he hesitated, "you're one of the Roys."

Ritu shrugged. "I'm not a model, Jai. I'm just a designer. And anyway, why would you assume the Roys don't eat junk food? We're human. All humans crave junk food at some point. Besides, this is delicious."

"And it's from a slum shop."

"Oh, that?" She laughed. "We're all eating it together. If it's poisonous, we'll all fall sick together. It's fine. Let's see if I can withstand its power."

"You don't have to do this," Jai said, his voice laced with genuine concern. "I don't want you to fall ill just to prove you can be one of us."

Ritu paused mid-bite, lowering her hand. "I'm not trying to prove anything, Jai. I genuinely want to help. I don't need any credit."

Jai sighed. "They won't take it that simple."

"They don't have to know anything, and I don't care."

"But I do. I have to survive. I have to take care of them." His eyes strayed toward the kids.

"And I'm willingly to assist you in that." Ritu studied him as his eyes scanned over the kids.

"Ritusha..." Jai began as he rose from his seat, but her next words silenced him.

"Jai, nothing is impossible if you listen to your intuition. And my intuition is screaming at me, I'm at the right place, at the right time, and with the right person."

Jai looked into her eyes, searching for the depth of her response. "This is forbidden."

"I don't care."

"This is not going to end well."

"I don't care."

"This might hurt."

"I don't care."

"Ritusha..."

"Jai," She looked into his eyes. She didn't notice until now they were standing so close to each other. She could almost feel the heat radiating from his body. After a brief pause, she pleaded, "I have to take the risk. Don't stop me."

Jai's tone sharpened suddenly as he questioned a little harshly now, "What changed in these two days? Weren't we sworn enemies according to you just a few hours ago?"

Ritu didn't have an answer to that. She was only moving with her instinct, and she had no idea why...what exactly pulled her toward him. Helping the kids was part of it, no doubt. But there was something more, something she was curious to discover. Ritu locked eyes with Jai but couldn't voice the answer he demanded.

Meanwhile, Jai looked like he was about to press her further when Srilekha and Surya came running over, grasping their hands and leading them out through the opposite gate.

"Jai dada, look."

Both of them looked at the object they were pointing to. It was a flower plant. Jasmine. And there was only one flower blooming.

"It has bloomed!" Surya clapped when the other kids joined them.

Jai's eyes softened. "Yes, it has."

Ritu glanced at him curiously. When Jai noticed that, he explained, "I planted it a few weeks ago. It wasn't in good condition. So, it's really good to see the flower."

Ritu smiled, glancing back at the flower. "It'll grow to be a beautiful plant, I'm sure."

Jai looked at her, his expression unreadable. Then unexpectedly, he reached down and gently plucked the jasmine bloom. Turning to her, he placed the flower on his open palm, holding it out toward her. "For you."

Ritu stared at him, aghast. "For me?"

"It's yours," Jai murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "It bloomed just before you arrived... as if it knew you were coming." There was a mild grimace formed on his forehead, as if it were difficult for him to acknowledge this simple event so poetically.

A warmth crept up Ritu's cheeks when she felt that familiar stir inside her whenever she was close to this man. She reached forward and touched the little flower, her fingertips lingered against his palm a moment longer than necessary before she took the flower from his hand.

She looked at the flower closely. It knew. The plant knew. Nature knew. Perhaps, the universe had always known.