18-07-2025, 12:53 PM
Neetu laughed. “You have no idea, Ravi. When Sirisha sets her mind on something, she doesn’t slow down.”
There was a pause then, a comfortable silence.
Ravi’s gaze drifted to the kitchen,
Where soft clangs of steel tumblers and plates hinted at someone finishing up prep.
Neetu’s movements were graceful, and even in her casual attire, she carried a quiet confidence.
Sirisha, on the other hand, was all energy and expression.
“So,” Sirisha leaned forward suddenly, chin in palm. “How long have you been in Mumbai?”
“Just a few weeks,” Ravi replied. “Still adjusting. This city’s… different. Fast.”
“But you seem calm,” Neetu said. “People here tend to rush everywhere, all the time.”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged.
“Maybe it’s because of people like you three. Makes a new place feel... softer.”
There was a beat of quiet, then Sirisha said, voice light, “That was smooth, Bhayya.”
Neetu clapped once. “Very smooth. He might be dangerous.”
Ravi raised both hands in mock surrender. “Only with words, I promise.”
Sirisha’s eyes twinkled, but she looked away quickly.
Neetu stood up. “Okay. I’m bringing the sweet now. You two behave.”
When she walked away, Sirisha moved to sit where Neetu had been, closer to Ravi,
just enough that her shoulder almost brushed his.
She kept her tone light. “So… you really remember everything you see?”
Ravi gave a modest smile. “Mostly. Faces. Clothes. Details.”
- o -
There was a pause then, a comfortable silence.
Ravi’s gaze drifted to the kitchen,
Where soft clangs of steel tumblers and plates hinted at someone finishing up prep.
Neetu’s movements were graceful, and even in her casual attire, she carried a quiet confidence.
Sirisha, on the other hand, was all energy and expression.
“So,” Sirisha leaned forward suddenly, chin in palm. “How long have you been in Mumbai?”
“Just a few weeks,” Ravi replied. “Still adjusting. This city’s… different. Fast.”
“But you seem calm,” Neetu said. “People here tend to rush everywhere, all the time.”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged.
“Maybe it’s because of people like you three. Makes a new place feel... softer.”
There was a beat of quiet, then Sirisha said, voice light, “That was smooth, Bhayya.”
Neetu clapped once. “Very smooth. He might be dangerous.”
Ravi raised both hands in mock surrender. “Only with words, I promise.”
Sirisha’s eyes twinkled, but she looked away quickly.
Neetu stood up. “Okay. I’m bringing the sweet now. You two behave.”
When she walked away, Sirisha moved to sit where Neetu had been, closer to Ravi,
just enough that her shoulder almost brushed his.
She kept her tone light. “So… you really remember everything you see?”
Ravi gave a modest smile. “Mostly. Faces. Clothes. Details.”
- o -
.