"Come on, Jimmy! Don't be a lazy brat and crawl out of your doghouse." Attempting to coax him out, this dog seems to be a disgrace to the canine world.

"Jimmy, I command you right now! Get out, and let's go for your walk. We are running late!" Unintentionally, my voice raised, unaware that I had yelled at him. He simply looked at me with his round eyes, licking the side of his mouth, ignoring my command and turning his back toward me.

"Aaaja mere bhai! I'll give you a break from bathing for two days... Come outside; it's time; she might be waiting."

("Come on, my brother! I'll give you a break from bathing for two days... Come outside; it's time; she might be waiting.")

"Who might be waiting?" My face drained of color when I heard my mother in the garden.

"Ummm... Mom, it's Tracy – Mishra uncle's dog. She joins us for walks, and Jimmy is friends with her." Mentioning Tracy, I noticed Jimmy walking out of his doghouse. He tugged the leash in my hand, asking me to tie it around his neck. Quite a forward dog.

"Tracy seems to be a good friend of Jimmy's." My mother chuckled and walked inside.

"Tereko sharm bhi aati hai Jimmy. Apni girlfriend k naam par aagya or jo mai ite derr se minatyein karra tha teri uska koi farak nahi pada tereko." I could feel Karan's despair very well now.

(Do you even feel shame, Jimmy? You show up on the name of your girlfriend, and the efforts I've been making for so long, you don't care.")

With a sigh, I walked out with Jimmy. Yesterday when I met her, it was around 5:30. I hope I'm not late today. I can't believe she asked me herself if I would be coming today.

Jimmy and I roamed near the water banks aimlessly. It was already 6; she must have forgotten.
"Kya lagta hai, Jimmy, aayegi?" He ignored me again, sniffing the nearby grass.

("What do you think, Jimmy, will she come?")

Apparently, my dog was throwing a fit today because I didn't take him to meet his "girlfriend."

"Teri toh setting karva rakhi hai na maine. Tracy kisi kute ko muh ni lagati hai, fir bhi maine apne charm se tere liye usko impress kiya. Aur ek tu hai jisko koi farak nahi padta meri minnatyon se." He gave me a side-eye, offended by my statement.

("I've arranged everything for you. Tracy doesn't like any dog, yet, I've managed to impress her for you. And there's only you who doesn't care about my efforts.")

"Bhool gayi shayad." I sat near the river bank and threw a pebble into the calmly flowing water.
("Maybe she forgot.")

Feeling disappointed, the sun had already set. All the birds were flying back to their nests. It was 6:30 now, and I had been waiting for more than an hour. Jimmy was exhausted after chasing almost every insect in the grass. I should get back home; there was no use in waiting here; she must have forgotten about me anyway.

Both of us walked back home, and I heard loud laughter from the living room. Freshening up, I went inside to see my parents seated with three more people. A middle-aged man, about the age of my father, a lady beautifully dressed in a saree, and her. She was sitting there in a white frock, her hair open, falling on her shoulders with a white hairband. She wasn't talking much, just offering a few one-word answers here and there.

"Come in, Lovish. Why are you standing at the door?" My mother broke my trance, and I quickly greeted everyone in the room.

"Lovish, my son, meet Lt. Col. Ajay Kaushik and his wife Mrs. Suhana Kaushik. Ajay just got transferred here, and we are in the same unit. They have a daughter of your age, Milan Kaushik." My father introduced me, and the middle-aged man, apparently her father, stood up to greet me with a handshake when I tried to touch his feet.

"Gentleman, officers shake hands and match shoulders." He hugged me warmly, patting my back. I passed him a gentle smile.

I greeted her mother, and my eyes fell on her, fidgeting with her fingers, twisting and turning them as if testing the elasticity of her muscles. Is she nervous?

"Hii." Her cheeks turned a tint of red when I waved my hand a little; she responded in kind.

"Vikram told me, Lovish, that you are planning to join the army afterward. That's a great idea; I can't expect anything less from a gentleman like you." Officer Ajay patted his side and motioned me to sit beside him. I could see my father's proud face when his colleague talked about my strong physique.

"Lovish, Milan also got admitted to the same school as you today itself." Her mother added after a long while of conversation, and her head shot up listening to her mention.

"Yes, ma'am, we are in the same class." My mother smiled at me and looked at Milan, who was busy fidgeting with her frock. She looked like an angel dressed in white.

"Milan, beta, if you need anything in school, be it academic or any help, make sure to ask Lovish." She nodded, and my mother boasted about my academic and sports achievements for a while.

"Thank you, aunty." After enduring a full half-hour, her two words reached my ears when my mother served her cutlets and other snacks.

The last thing I desired this evening was to spend time among middle-aged people discussing various army stories and tales of different states. I am habitual to them due to all those routine tea parties, arranged by the commanding officer's wife in the cantt, which are painfully dull, demanding disciplined comportment.

While answering occasional questions, she remained quiet. I couldn't stay, my eyes constantly betraying my brain's focus on her. To avoid any potential blunders if observed by her father, mine, or anyone present, I decided to leave.

"Mom, I'll serve Jimmy his dinner. He's tired after the walk. Excuse me, everyone." I exited the living room, fetched Jimmy's dog food and tray.

"Jimmy, dinner time!" Well-trained, he rushed toward me with a wiggling tail, excited as always for his meal.

"Relax, I'm serving you, alright." I served his tray and water bowl. He feasted while I scratched his ears, sitting on the wooden step near the glass wall.

"She's inside." I sighed, and Jimmy looked at me, licking the palm of my hand lovingly.

"I'm sorry." I turned my head to find her standing there. Walking toward me, she was about to sit beside me when I abruptly stopped her.

"Don't!" She stood up immediately, looking at me as if she had done something she shouldn't have.

"I came to call for dinner and to apologize for this evening. I didn't know my parents had plans. I'll leave." She hurried with her words and actions. Before she could exit the garden, I held her wrist, stopping her.

Damn, why does my body react so weirdly when it comes in contact with her?

She stood frozen, as if her shoes were glued to the ground. "Milli." God, I don't know why and how that name slipped out of my tongue, but it just suits her. It's cute like her.

"Huh," she turned to face me, her face glowing in the dim light of the yard. I could see the red tint on her cheeks and her action of biting her lower lip, as if she was feeling nervous with me or under my gaze.

Her eyes lifted, and she saw my face, perhaps for the whole day, clearly noticing my features. All sorts of romantic songs played in my head.

I felt as if whatever they showed in movies is actually true because I was feeling no less than Raj of DDLJ, and she was not any less than Simran. I am not a Bollywood freak, but experiencing Bollywood in real life is something I only dreamt of but never thought it could be this magical.

Our perfect moment was ruined by Jimmy, who startled her with his bark. I hated this dog the most at this moment. She quickly pulled her wrist out of my hold, and my heart missed that soft skin instantly.

"Actually...ummm... Wait." I pulled out my handkerchief from the pocket and cleaned the wooden step.

"You wore white, and it was dirty." She looked at me as if she was adoring me. I don't know if she is, but my delusional mind was assured that she is.

"Thank you, Lovy. You again ruined your hanky because of me." She gave me an apologetic look, and I shrugged it off.

"You're welcome, Milli." She smiled when I mentioned her name, and my petty self got relieved.

"Would you like to sit?" My palms were sweating, waiting for her answer. She looked around and parted her perfect lips.

"Aunty must be waiting for us." My face fell. I nodded and started walking past her, only to feel her soft fingers wrap around my wrist.

"But we can spare a few minutes." She sat on the step and caressed Jimmy's head. I just saw her sitting there; after a few seconds, she looked at me.

"We just have a few minutes." I wonder how she manages to speak so soft, so polite, as if marinating each word in honey.

"Yeah." I sat beside her, and our shoulders grazed against each other, making shivers run down my spine.

"How old is he?" She was smiling while petting Jimmy.

"An year." She hummed at my response and continued brushing his hair.

We sat in comfortable silence until my mother called us for dinner from behind the curtained glass wall.

"Let's go." We both walked inside, each step measured, as if asking time to pass as slowly as possible.

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