They sat on a bench at the center of the garden, looking out at the city. Pallavi opened her tiffin, "I'm starving." Raghav just kept staring at her.
Pallavi took a spoon of her dahl chawal, admiring the flowers around her, then she looked at Raghav, "Are you going to eat?"
"Yea, right, right," he absentmindedly opened his lunchbox, and started eating.
They ate in silence for a little bit, and after Pallavi finished, she closed her box and got up, walking around the garden, smelling each flower, her smile getting wider and wider.
"I want to design sarees that make me feel like this, this happy, this free."
"I come here a lot when I need to feel inspired too," Raghav added.
He opened the bottom box of the tiffin, dahi rice. His favorite.
"You made this?"
Pallavi looked at him, "yes, I noticed it's one of the main things you'll finish as soon as Amma makes it. I assumed it was your favorite. It won't be as good as Amma's but..."
"No one can make food as good as my Amma..." Raghav interrupted, taking a bite of the rice as he looked at her, "but tumhare hate kha khanaa kuch aur mazaa dehta hai."
Pallavi grinned, "Accha ji, so is that the mazaaa you want, so much that you used to steal the food I made out of the fridge for weeks? I will let you know, Main ek independent ladki hun, much khana ke sivay bahuth kuch aathi hai," she got up and made a superman pose to emphasize her point,
Raghav put down the tiffin, and pulled her wrist so she was sitting on his lap, "aur kuch? kis cheez tummy aati hai?" he asked, tracing his finger up her arm.
Pallavi played along, "sari ke design, scooty chalana, kathak, gaana, business—"
"Business, really? I had no idea." Raghav teased.
"Ek aur challenge lagana hai, soch ke bolo."
"Nahin nahin baba, mujhe ek challenge hi kafi hai." he said, tugging his ears.
They laughed and talked for a while after that, their tiffins laid forgotten. Walking around the garden, at times their fingers touching, letting out waves of butterflies in each of their stomachs.
"Pallavi, I—mujhe tumhe kuch batana hai"
"Ok, kya, bolo, ijazat hai aapko," Pallavi grinned, playing with a flower in her hand.
Raghav started to pace, Pallavi glanced at him, most of her attention on the flowers.
"I—main, Baat yeh hai ki sabse hum dono. Let me start over."
Pallavi turned away from the view looked at Raghav again, what was wrong? What was he trying to say? Please don't let him ruin such a nice day. Then she looked at her watch, "Oh shit, it's already 1:30, Raghav we've been here for two hours, I have to go."
She packed up the tiffins, and made her way to the door, "Raghav, are you coming? Come on, I have a photoshoot to finish, and I'm sure you have work too."
Raghav remembered his promise to himself to meet Asha Aunty. He'll tell Pallavi that he—he'll tell her after he fixes Mansi's wedding. Might as have the best possible cards to play before taking such a risk.
