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“Look at you,” she said, smiling as she rushed to grab his shawl and draped it around his shoulders. “All set for a party like a college kid.”

Grandpa smirked, straightening his collar with dramatic flair. “What can I say? My old friends at Serene Meadows have specially invited me. There’s paneer, politics, and gossip waiting for me. How can I refuse?”

She laughed, walking him to the door where his longtime friends Mr. Verma, Mr. Iyer, and Mr. Bhargava waited near the gate, leaning on their own canes and chatting animatedly. They had organised a special dinner at the Serene Meadowsclubhouse to celebrate Grandpa being back on his feet. The idea thrilled him to bits.

“I’m finally free from house arrest,” he whispered loudly, grinning. “Tonight, I’m going to live a little.”

Nandini chuckled and fixed his shawl properly.

“You deserve it, Daadu. But don’t push yourself too much. Walk slowly and take rest in between. And don’t forget to take your medicine after dinner.”

He gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

“You sure you’ll be okay alone?” Grandpa asked, adjusting his muffler with practised ease.

Nandini grinned. “I’m not a child, Daadu.”

“Neither am I,” he quipped back. “But that hasn’t stopped you from fussing over me, has it?”

“Only because I care,” she said, grinning. “And don’t flirt too much with Sharma Aunty.”

Grandpa looked positively scandalised. “How dare you! I’m a one-woman man,” he declared with mock indignation. Then, with a sly glint in his eyes, he added, “But a little innocent flirting keeps these old bones moving. It’s good for the heart, you know.”

Nandini burst out laughing. “You’re impossible!”

He winked. “That’s what keeps me young.”

“Right,” Nandini said, still chuckling and hugged him gently. “Be back by eleven, okay? Verma uncle said he would drop you.”

“I’m not a kid, Nandu. I can handle myself,” he replied, but there was fondness in his eyes.

With a final wave, he stepped out, joining his friends, who began cheering the moment he appeared at the gate. She watched them stroll down the path towards the waiting vehicle, talking loudly, animated and alive again.

Nandini locked the main door with a soft click and leaned against it for a second, letting the quiet of the house sink in. It felt good to see Grandpa reclaiming little pieces of his freedomagain. She smiled, thinking about how proud she was to see him walking out the door on his own, with nothing but a stick and that familiar swagger in his step.

As she turned and walked toward the living room to draw the curtains of the French doors, her hands paused mid-air. Through the glass, she saw him.

Shaurya emerged from the pathway that ran between their villas, the old mango tree casting faint shadows behind him under the soft porch light.

He looked sinfully relaxed in grey lounge pants and a plain charcoal T-shirt that clung to his frame just right. His hair was still damp, freshly showered, and the sight of him walking closer made her stomach flip in the most traitorous way. His entire demeanour screamed effortless allure. How did he manage to steal her heart every single time without even trying?

She stood frozen, watching him draw closer to the door like a scene straight out of one of those romance novels she used to mock. He approached the door with a slow, confident gait and raised an eyebrow when he caught her gawking.

She blinked, then narrowed her eyes. “You really need to stop showing up like this. Looking like… that.”

“Like what?” he asked, stepping in when she finally opened the French door.

“Like trouble... the tall, sexy kind,” she muttered under her breath, her cheeks tinged with pink.

Shaurya chuckled, and even that low, velvety sound curled through her like warm honey.

“You’ve got a way with words, Miss Raichand.”

“And you’ve got a way of making even a chuckle feel illegal,” she huffed, crossing her arms, as if that might protect her from the sheer hotness he walked in with.

He stepped closer, the freshly showered scent of his body wash filling the space between them.

“Where’s your grandpa off to? I saw him leaving with his oldie friends.”