The door was locked.
There was no way to go out. The whispers grew louder outside, while the silence grew inside.
One hand reached for a dupatta, twisting it, hard.
Another reached for a collar, pulling it away…
A cough erupted somewhere in the room. The sun shone bright, with endless possibilities.
Legs unfolded, dragged slowly across the room, to the wall with the hangings…
“You made these?”
“Yes.”
“You never wrote you created wall art in your emails. This is nice!”
“It never came up, I guess.”
“Or that you were a swimming champ.”
“I am sure there are things about you that I don’t know yet.”
He turned around, hands going deep in pockets, “So, this is weird right?”
She smiled. “A little.” A pause.. ” A lot. Seeing you here, in person is certainly different.”
A longer pause.
“What do you think?”
“About?” Her eyes twinkled.
He laughed. “Hmmm! Let me think. About Modi and Trump?”
Her laugh, her smile, the hand with the bangles covering her teeth, made his heart flutter. “Maybe, we can start with thinking about something simpler?”
“Like” He sat down next to her, closer than before but not too close.
“Like, where will you take me for dinner tomorrow?”
He smiled. The door opened, and her mom came in. “Here are some snacks and lassi to enjoy.” She turned to the boy, “Your parents have left. They said you can go home whenever you guys are done talking…. “
They looked at each other and grinned… The not knowing is sometimes the best part of the journey.
