Vijay and Nila have only one thing in common - they take the same bus at the same time everyday. What if this mere commonality steers their life into a whirlpool of uninvited feelings, wholesome conversations and unexpected connections, taking them...
That was the moment he decided that his favourite colour was the one painting her cheeks, the prettiest pink in the world.
Thank you, she mouthed back, fiddling with the strap of her tote bag, suddenly shy. Even though Vijay wasn't next to her, he felt like his day was made.
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"What's up?" Nila asked, wondering why her sister was calling her at an odd time like this. She knew when her classes got over and when she usually reached home so getting a call as soon as class ended was a surprise. Nila waved to Maya and Lilly and then shoved Sanjay away from her when he tried to rescue his bike keys from her hands.
"I'm in the hospital," her sister answered coolly. The words didn't register immediately as she was wrestling with Sanjay, her phone pressed between her shoulder and her ear. Only a beat later, she froze, letting Sanjay take the keys from her hands without a fight.
"What do you mean you're in the hospital? Your water broke?" Nila asked.
Sanjay asked her if anything was wrong but Nila waved him off and told him to carry on. She began walking towards the bus stop.
"Yes. They say it's gonna take two more hours until the baby comes out. I'm bored," Kayal said.
"You're bored? Aren't you in pain? Isn't Arjun next to you?"
"I am supposed to be in pain. But I'm not. At least not yet. Ajju has gone to take some work calls outside," she said. "You haven't gone home yet, right?"
Nila was confused. Somehow, her sister made everything seem easy. Even when she was so in love with a man but had to break up with him because their parents didn't approve. Even when she had to marry a man she didn't like and spend the rest of her life with him. Either her sister was the most resilient and emotionally stable person she has ever met, or she was damn good at hiding her pain. "Yeah, I am waiting for the bus. You told Ma and Pa, right?"
"Yes, Ajju cancelled the previously booked flights and booked it at 8 pm tonight. I'll arrange someone to pick them up. When are you planning to come?"
"I don't know. I have an important presentation tomorrow. Can you book me a flight tomorrow evening? Or train? I don't want to be too late to see the baby," Nila said, wondering if her attendance percentage will take a hit. Actually, she didn't care. She was too excited to see the baby.
"Okay, bubs. I'll see you tomorrow or the day after then. I can't wait for you to come here. I miss you."
This was another thing about Kayal. She never thought twice before addressing her feelings. It made Nila's heart ache. The one person she was extremely attached to was her sister and when she had married and moved to Bangalore, it was as if someone had taken a crayon and coloured her life grey. It was a lonely phase where she'd moped around the house as if she was carrying her heavy broken heart on her shoulders.
