He closed his eyes. The courtyard came back. Not the cement and the SUV—but the feeling . The weight of small hands in his. The heat of a summer afternoon that held no responsibility. The certainty that the people beside you would be there tomorrow.

And Nikki simply wrote: “Angna.” Just that one word. But it was enough.

They didn’t know the words. They made them up. Riya would spin until she was dizzy. Sameer would pretend the broom was a guitar. Nikki would just clap, missing half the beats. And Aarav? He would stand in the middle, eyes closed, pretending he was the hero in the film, believing that this moment—the dust, the smell of maggi , the jasmine from the pot by the door—would last forever.