chapter 21

The night sky stretched above them, dotted with stars, as Aarti arranged a bowl of masala popcorn on the small table between their chairs. The fairy lights on both their balconies glowed softly, casting a warm golden hue over their cozy setup.  On Kabir’s side, a projector was propped up on a small stand, aimed at a plain white sheet he had pinned to the balcony railing. It was a makeshift screen, but it worked perfectly.  “Are you sure this is going to work?” Aarti asked, raising an eyebrow.  Kabir, adjusting the focus on the projector, grinned. “Trust me, Mehta. I might not be an architect, but I "am" a jugaad expert.”  Aarti smirked. “Jugaad and expertise don’t usually go together, Singh.”  “Watch and learn,” he said dramatically, clicking play on his laptop. The screen flickered to life, and the opening credits of "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" rolled in.  Aarti’s eyes widened in surprise. “DDLJ? I thought you were going to pick some over-the-top action movie.”  Kabir leaned back in his chair, casually popping a handful of popcorn into his mouth. “I have layers, Mehta. Also, classic Bollywood romance is "chef’s kiss".”  Aarti chuckled, shaking her head. “I’ll believe that when you stop rolling your eyes during emotional scenes.”  Kabir placed a hand over his heart, mock-offended. “Excuse me, I am a man of great emotional depth.”  “Sure,” Aarti drawled. “That’s why you laughed when Rahul almost cried in "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham".”  Kabir snickered. “It was a "dramatic" cry, okay? But fine, I’ll behave. No laughing at emotional moments tonight.”  Aarti narrowed her eyes. “Promise?”  Kabir held up his pinky. “Pinky promise.”  Rolling her eyes, she linked her pinky with his. “You are impossible.”  “And yet, here we are, watching "DDLJ" in a balcony in Ahmedabad.”  As the movie played, they fell into a comfortable rhythm—Aarti getting engrossed in the film, Kabir making occasional side comments that made her giggle.  “See?” he whispered during the train scene. “If I was Raj, I would’ve just waited at the next station instead of running dramatically.”  Aarti elbowed him. “Shh! This is "the" scene.”  Kabir chuckled but stayed quiet.  Kabir smiled but remained silent, he could not take his eyes off Aarti.Aarti's attention went towards him but it was getting difficult for her to face Kabir's gaze, her heart started beating very fast."Kabir, stop staring.""Oh, yes. Sorry. But I am looking at my Simran." Aarti felt embarrassed after hearing him. Neither of them knew when the rest of the movie would end.Aarti was just pretending to watch the movie and after Aarti's talk, so was Kabir!When the movie and popcorn were over and their movie night was over, Kabir got up to go home."Good night, Kabir.""Good night Aarti." Kabir quickly walked from the balcony to Aarti's apartment without looking at her.Aarti also followed her. Aarti was wondering why Kabir was walking in such a hurry, but when Kabir reached the door, he stopped and turned to Aarti. He put his hand on her head as if he didn't understand anything."What happened, Mr. Singh?" Aarti asked her.But before Aarti could understand anything or ask any other question, Kabir hugged her and for the first time Aarti felt that Kabir's heart was beating very fast like hers." Aarti... I love you." Kabir said in a very low voice. To which Aarti could answer with a roar and they both separated to meet again the next day..To be continue...