"Yasmeen"! She heard her name being called out softly. She drew the veil back over her visage and opened her door partially wondering what he wanted at this hour. He asked her if she had anything to eat and when she replied in the negative he held up a package saying he had remembered to pick up a little extra food and would be happy if she joined him.

There was a garden table on the terrace, he set the food and bottled water on it and arranged a couple of plastic chairs for them without waiting for her to respond. She excused herself for a minute and returned with a lit candle placed in a dainty little holder. The rain had just taken a respite and the place looked freshly bathed, as a cool breeze caused the flame of the candle to sway gently. The moon could be espied through a cloud, helping set the perfect mood for a rooftop rendezvous.

'"Bombay sandwich!" He declared, besides apologising for the simple meal having gotten a little soggy. The bread was spread with green chutney and butter; filled generously with sliced onions, tomatoes, cucumber, boiled beetroot, potato and then grilled. He smiled to see her struggling to take small bites of the food behind her veil but said nothing, if that was how she conducted herself in public, so be it.

"That evening at the party you left before I had the chance to speak to you." He told her. She replied that she had waited for him but he was busy with others so she left. She was surprised to see him here, did he not stay in the hostel in the IIT Campus, she inquired. He told her that he would retain his hostel room as he had paid for the semester already and use it at times when staying back on campus became inevitable, such as during late hour classes and projects. He told her hostel life was fun but it was too distracting and noisy making it difficult to focus on assignments and studies. Too many guys there had issues, personal effects got stolen regularly, some brought in girls to 'socialise with'. He told her girls could officially remain in the boy's hostel till 10 pm-mostly for official business like projects, but the guards did keep vigil and couples who were caught red-handed were hauled up before the DOSA and fined. Like any male-dominated campus, he told her, girls were a rare species and were highly competed for; it was typical for both boys and girls to cheat on their partners.

"Aapne koi girlfriend nahi banayi?" she asked. "Would not be here if I had one." he replied with a twinkle in his eye. "I meant, girls are possessive, they would not let their guys out of sight even for a day." As he said this he could almost see her blush, though her face remained hidden like the moon behind a cloud. She thanked him for dinner and told him if he did not mind she wanted to start cooking as soon as she could organise some essentials for a basic kitchen, wondering if he could help her set it up. There was a working sink and a kitchen platform in her room, along with drawers and shelves for storing stuff. She insisted on paying for the expenses as he had already contributed towards the rent for both. The next day was Sunday and he told her they could go shopping and pick up as much as they could, as he would be busy with classes during the weekdays. They agreed to meet in the morning and said goodbye for the night, tidying up after them.

As he hit the sack he played back the events of the entire day in his head, including every word they spoke to each other and most of all recalled her heady fragrance- a mix of sandal and spice. He could not believe he had taken this step, but he felt blissful. He knew he had to inform his parents about renting a place outside the campus. Money was not an issue, he hardly spent much from his generous allowance, but he had to give them a credible reason lest they smell a rat. He could not tell anyone other than Parth about Yasmeen, not even Vidushi just yet. He was not sure about how he felt, though he was definitely attracted to her. But he hardly knew anything about her, she had not revealed much. It would not be wise to let his mother get any inkling at all, this development was not part of the charted course of his life, he sighed as he drifted off to sleep.

Sanyukta took stock of things to do. She had already deposited the college fees and had a week before classes commenced. She was lucky to have found a locker at her bank branch to place her jewellery, cheque book, her passport, deposit receipts, certificates and other identity documents- she could not let these fall into wrong hands. Most importantly she had found a house and now needed to set up a home starting the next day. She desperately hoped the cash she had was enough to cover the expenses.