chapter 13

One evening, as Kabir and Aarti stood on their adjoining balconies sharing a laugh over one of Kabir’s failed attempts at making dhokla pancakes, a neighbor on the floor above peeked down.  “Arey, these two are always chatting,” whispered Mrs. Shah to her husband. “I told you there was something going on."Though Kabir and Aarti have no idea about it by the next morning, the gossip had spread like wildfire through the building.  ---Aarti had just stepped into the elevator, balancing her bag and a cup of chai, when she overheard two older ladies talking.  “Did you see Aarti beta and that Kabir boy last night?” one asked, her voice filled with curiosity.  “Yes! Always on the balcony together,” the other replied. “Must be something more than just chai, don’t you think?”  Aarti almost choked on her tea but managed to keep a straight face. *Great. I’m officially the building’s entertainment,* she thought, rolling her eyes as she exited on the ground floor.  ---Meanwhile, Kabir had his own run-in with the gossip mill. As he strolled through the lobby, humming to himself, the building's watchman, Ramesh, stopped him.  “Sir, chai achi lagti hai, kya?” Ramesh asked with a sly grin.  Kabir frowned, confused. “Huh? What are you talking about, Ramesh bhai?”  “Bas, woh Aarti madam ke saath chai... roz baat hoti hai balcony pe. Achha hai, sir, padosi ke saath dosti,” Ramesh said, winking.  Kabir smirked, catching on. “Arre, Ramesh bhai, it’s just chai and friendly talks. Nothing more.”  But Ramesh didn’t seem convinced. He chuckled knowingly as Kabir walked away, shaking his head.  ---That evening, as Aarti stepped onto her balcony, she found Kabir already there, watering his plants.  “You wouldn’t believe what happened today,” she began, setting her chai down.  Kabir turned to her, smirking. “Let me guess. The building gossip brigade?”  “Exactly!” Aarti said, throwing up her hands. “Apparently, our chai sessions are the hottest topic in the building.”  Kabir laughed. “Tell me about it. Even Ramesh bhai gave me the ‘friendly neighbor’ speech this morning.”  Aarti groaned. “Why can’t people mind their own business? We’re just talking. What’s so scandalous about that?”  “Well,” Kabir said, leaning on the railing with a playful grin, “to be fair, we do spend a lot of time out here. Maybe they’re jealous of our excellent taste in tea.”  Aarti rolled her eyes. “I think it’s less about the tea and more about people needing something to talk about.”  “Let’s give them something real to gossip about,” Kabir said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.  Aarti raised an eyebrow. “Oh no. What are you plotting now?”  “Nothing too crazy,” Kabir said with a smirk. “Maybe we start waving dramatically at each other or passing notes like we’re in some old Bollywood movie.”  Aarti burst out laughing. “You’re ridiculous, Singh. But honestly, that might just fuel the fire.”  “True,” Kabir admitted, still grinning. “But hey, at least we’d keep things interesting.”  They both laughed, their voices mingling with the sound of the city below.  ---Later that night, as they both sat quietly on their respective balconies, sipping their second cup of chai, Kabir glanced over at Aarti.  “Hey, Mehta,” he called softly.  “Yeah?” she said, looking up from her cup.  “Let them talk,” he said with a shrug. “Who cares? We know what this is, and that’s all that matters.”  Aarti smiled, a warm feeling settling in her chest. “You’re right. Let them talk.”  From that moment on, they decided to let the gossip flow. After all, their balcony chats were too good to give up and they can't stay without talking to each other. . To be continue...