It was one of those long and beautiful evenings that one does not want to end – an evening, which even as you are living it, you know will stay in your memories forever. People may call such evenings with their loved ones dates, but Jay would not fall into the trap of such labelling. For labels convert special things into stereotypes. For Jay, this evening with Priyanka, his soulmate (and now his wife), was when they discovered more of each other. It did not matter that they weren’t in plush surroundings, or that there were no tantalising aromas of expensive foods in the air or melodious music in the background; they had each other’s company. And a simple meal – a hearty Delhi street-side meal of chhole bhature – to bond over.

It was when the dinner plates were taken away and desserts were ordered that Priyanka asked, “So, Jay, tell me about the case you told me you’d talk about later.”

“Which one?” Jay asked.

“Don’t brag. I know you have dozens of cases,” Priyanka teased. “You know the one I’m talking about.”

Jay shook his head. “Really, no.”

“All right, let me ask you in a different way. Who is Nishant?”

Jay held Priyanka’s gaze for a...

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