"How's the Biryani coming aunty?", Riya asked as she and Mishti trooped into our apartment.

"You tell me", said Mom coming out of the kitchen beaming.

"Eid Mubarak aunty", Mishti said as we settled down.

"Thank you beta. Come and sit down. Lunch is ready".

In a few minutes, Mom was doling out generous amounts of biryani on Riya and Mishti's plates as I brought the rhaita from the kitchen.

After she had finished serving Riya and Mishti, Mom picked up the checklist that she and I made every year before Eid. It was the list of people to whom biryani had to be sent. It changed every year though some like Riya's family and Mishti's family were constant.

"So Mrs Kashyap...done. Dixits and Kanwals... we'll send with Riya and Mishti. Only a few of my colleagues and the Saxenas are pending", Mom said brightly, looking over list.

"You're sending biryani to the Saxenas this year?", I asked.

I had my back to Riya and Mishti but I was aware of their eyes on the back of my head.

"That's right".

Riya and Mishti finished their lunch and I got ready to go and see them off.

"As you're going to down anyway to send of Riya and Mishti, take this to the Saxena's house no", Mom said bringing out a tiffin carrier from the kitchen.

Riya and Mishti gave me commiserating looks as I took the carrier from mom.

Riya and Mishti had left and I thought I couldn't be more embarrassed to stand infront of the Saxenas door and ring the bell.

To my further embarrassment, it was Meghna who opened the door.

"Oh...Dr Shaheen's daughter", she said importantly but it looked like she was speaking more to herself than me.

"Isn't Rahul at home?", I asked and immediately regretted it.

Meghna predictably raised her eyebrows and eyed me as if she was a headmistress and I was an unruly student who had been brought infront of her for misbehavior.

"Listen up girl! I know very well what you're doing with my brother", Meghna said bossily "And my tolerance is waning".

"Your tolerance? What crap!" I said with as much disdain as I could manage.

"Look, I'm very gifted with people. I can read minds. I know what you're upto and I fully intend to nip such nonsense in the bud".

The bud? Who was going to tell this cow that the bud she was taking about had grown into a full gigantic flower with thorns?

I was sure the mind reading thing was a lie and I was glad it was, because Rahul was often appearing in my thoughts in forms that would make things very complicated if Meghna could indeed read minds.

"Meghna, will you go inside?", said a familiar masculine voice from behind her.

My stomach gave a jolt. I hadn't spoken to Rahul since the day after his concert. He had maintained a stony silence.

"I'm just having a friendly convo", Meghna said scornfully , "Is that wrong now?"

"Yeah I can see you're being very friendly", Rahul said "Now get inside".

Meghna scowled at him before flouncing off into the living room.

"My mom asked me to deliver this to your house so this is me doing that", I said speaking to the floor and holding out the tiffin carrier to Rahul.

"Err...thanks..Eid Mubarak!", Rahul said, "Hope you have a good one".

"Ho ho! He hopes she has a good one, it seems!", Meghna's voice rang from inside the house.

I looked up at Rahul who was looking down at me with a softer expression than I had ever seen him wear.

"Don't try to kiss me or anything now. Take the biryani and get lost", I snapped.

"Zoya I know I suck but can we just talk?"

"I have always been ready Rahul. You're the one ghosting me since last week!"

"Look, I'm sorry. Okay?", he said and for some reason he looked very embarrassed. Was he blushing? Oh my God!

He put his hand into his jeans pocket and withdrew a silver something that looked like a string.

"I have something for you", he said.

"I can see that", I said "Is it a rakhi? Alright. I promise to protect you always".

"Shut up", he said holding up the silver thing for a clearer view and I realised it was a charm bracelet, festooned with silver charms and a single crescent with a star at it's centre. The Ramadan symbol.

"The crescent moon for my full moon", Rahul said gently grabbing my wrist and fastening the bracelet to it.

"Corny level five hundred!", I said and laughed before I could help it. It was too difficult to act snappish now.

But all the same lifted my arm up to admire the effect better. Rahul caught my hand and kissed it.

"I love it! The bracelet, I mean. Thanks", I said kissing back his hand.

Rahul stepped back for a second to shut the front door behind him and this time when when he leaned towards me, I knew it was not my hand he was going to kiss.

"Will you say something to make me feel, I'm not the only one who wants this?", Rahul asked when our faces are an inch apart from each other and his hand on my cheek.

"Uhm..okay. I used my new strawberry flavoured mouthwash today".