06-08-2025, 01:33 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-08-2025, 01:34 PM by shailu4ever. Edited 1 time in total. Edited 1 time in total.)
A moment like that Once paused, never resumes the same way again.
He stood, ran a hand through his hair, and moved to the table.
The messages were from his office Slack group,
A gentle reminder that he still had one or two things to check before signing off for the day.
And then, as if the universe had decided to push him out the door, another ping came in, a WhatsApp message from Vamsi.
“Ravi bhai, got some snacks for evening. Come down to 401 if you're free around 6.”
Ravi smiled, Vamsi does not know I am already in 401. A cue he didn’t even know he needed.
“I think I’ll step out for a bit,” he said,
Turning to Sirisha who was now lazily sitting up,
Stretching her arms above her head like a cat.
Her top lifted a fraction, teasing more skin than she realized.
Or maybe she did.
She gave him a mock pout.
“Escaping from my room already?”
“I might return with a better excuse next time,” he replied, half-smiling.
Sirisha grinned and tossed a pillow at him.
“You better.”
As he opened the door, he heard her say
“Don’t forget the poem.”
He paused. Looked back.
She was sitting on the bed, legs folded, her hair a tangled, beautiful mess,
And her cheeks still faintly flushed.
“And Bhayya…” she added, her voice softer, “thank you... for just being you.”
Ravi nodded once.
“Should we tell this to Neetu Bhabhi?”, she asked, question in her face
“There is nothing tell, we didn't do anything, right? ... But if we do something it is fine to tell her as we are all in the circle of trust.”
That was enough.
He stepped out of 401, the warm weight of the moment still clinging to his chest.
The hallway felt colder somehow.
Quieter.
But 205 was just a few steps away.
And inside that flat… waited another kind of silence.
One that smelled like Priya Didi’s jasmine soap.
He stood, ran a hand through his hair, and moved to the table.
The messages were from his office Slack group,
A gentle reminder that he still had one or two things to check before signing off for the day.
And then, as if the universe had decided to push him out the door, another ping came in, a WhatsApp message from Vamsi.
“Ravi bhai, got some snacks for evening. Come down to 401 if you're free around 6.”
Ravi smiled, Vamsi does not know I am already in 401. A cue he didn’t even know he needed.
“I think I’ll step out for a bit,” he said,
Turning to Sirisha who was now lazily sitting up,
Stretching her arms above her head like a cat.
Her top lifted a fraction, teasing more skin than she realized.
Or maybe she did.
She gave him a mock pout.
“Escaping from my room already?”
“I might return with a better excuse next time,” he replied, half-smiling.
Sirisha grinned and tossed a pillow at him.
“You better.”
As he opened the door, he heard her say
“Don’t forget the poem.”
He paused. Looked back.
She was sitting on the bed, legs folded, her hair a tangled, beautiful mess,
And her cheeks still faintly flushed.
“And Bhayya…” she added, her voice softer, “thank you... for just being you.”
Ravi nodded once.
“Should we tell this to Neetu Bhabhi?”, she asked, question in her face
“There is nothing tell, we didn't do anything, right? ... But if we do something it is fine to tell her as we are all in the circle of trust.”
That was enough.
He stepped out of 401, the warm weight of the moment still clinging to his chest.
The hallway felt colder somehow.
Quieter.
But 205 was just a few steps away.
And inside that flat… waited another kind of silence.
One that smelled like Priya Didi’s jasmine soap.
.