It was a day of firsts for Arnav. He had for the first time left the office early, visited his sister uninvited, tried to make small talk with his niece and had a heart to heart conversation with his brother in law. And now, at 10.30 at night, he was busy enjoying the beauty of Barakhamba Road in New Delhi. Yellowish orange leaves floated down from their branches making small wave patterns in mid-air as they united with Mother Earth. The yellowish hue of street lights, the raven black of the skies and the grey of the passing clouds, made Arnav want to capture their essence onto something more tangible. He only didn't know what. Arnav wasn't a good photographer. And the only pictures he looked at were those of his catalogs and models. Come to think of it, Arnav had never paid any attention to the natural beauty of the city he lived in before tonight. Whenever he was on the road, he was either driving or busy scanning his Blackberry.

Arnav stopped at the next red signal. He paused to look at the pebbles that were strewn near the sidewalk. There were big ones and little ones, round ones and some that did not belong to any shape. There was a lot of dust on them. And yet somehow they still looked enchanting, as if they were where they were always meant to be.

The honking of a car behind him brought him out of his reverie. The light had turned green. It was time to move on. Arnav switched his gear to drive, gave a right indicator and turned his car into a fairly dimly lit street.

*****

"What did Arnav tell you?" asked Anjali of Shyam for the nth time.

"Nothing, that I haven't already told you", told her husband, spectacles perched on his nose bridge, peering into a thick green file.

"Then why did you say he was in love?"

"That's what I felt"

"Felt what?"

Shyam put his file down and looked up at his wife who was pacing their bedroom as if she was awaiting the news of childbirth. He understood her anxiousness but he was exasperated with her line of questioning. He decided to end it once and for all. Taking his spectacles off, Shyam gestured to Anjali to come and sit in front of him. She obeyed.

"Why are you getting restless", he asked her gently.

"Why am I getting restless?" questioned Anjali, the tone of her voice rising with every word she spoke. "You just told me Chhote was in love and you expect me to be calm?

"Shyam, in case you have forgotten, Chhote doesn't believe in love. He doesn't believe in marriage."

"Hold on," stated Shyam. "When did I say anything about marriage?"

"You didn't, but you told me Chhote was in love."

Shyam closed his eyes and rubbed the tip of his nose bridge. Sure his wife was an extremely clever and capable woman, but she was still a woman. And women could always jump to conclusions. He had to end this once and for all before the conversation continued in his household for the coming weeks.

"Anjali, listen to me very carefully," he began. "I told you Arnav was in love and that he didn't know about it himself. Which means, he didn't tell me anything like that.

"The reason I said something like that to you is so that you find out what is going on in Arnav's mind and help him realize what he really wants from life. Arnav is 34 and although he doesn't say it out loud, I'm sure his party days are over. He needs a steady arm that will stand by him through thick and thin, something like you and me."

That last comment almost made "The Dragon Lady" blush, something Shyam was very proud about.

"So what am I supposed to do now", she asked.

"Nothing. Just wait and watch."

*******

The sight that greeted Arnav when he got home was that of Khushi Kumari Gupta sleeping on his doorstep. She was wearing the same baby pink salwar kameez that he had seen her in when she first moved into the apartment. Her back was supported but the wall near the door, her head by the dozen files that he recognized from work. Her legs were sprawled across his door, blocking his entry into his own house.

Arnav looked it at his watch. It showed 12.01am. Then he chuckled. Khushi didn't give up that easily. He liked that about her. Come to think of it, she had never given in, even when he was being his worst. That thought wrung a slight admiration from him. Arnav rarely admired women. He never gave them much thought. Except for Anjali. But she was family. And Khushi, an outsider. Which reminded him that he was still standing outside his door and he intended to get in before dawn broke.

He crouched beside Khushi and gently nudged her shoulder. "Khushi", he called out softly. No response. "Khushi," he said, slightly louder. Still no response."Khushi," he screamed.

And suddenly Khushi woke up with a start. "Aman?"