Gathering courage, Bhuvan called up Sarika to have coffee with him in a cafe. She instead invited him to her home. “I’ll prepare coffee for both of us.”

In the evening, Bhuvan came to Sarika’s home with gifts. Through the half-opened door, he entered. He found the room empty, as her family had gone outside. Just then Sarika came out of the kitchen to greet him.

“A small token of appreciation for you,” Bhuvan said affectionately.

“Thanks, the bouquet is beautiful, but what’s this?” Sarika asked, accepting her gift.

She was delighted to see her framed portrait, painted by Bhuvan.

-Shashi Thakur