The Silence Between the Stairs

“Kabir baba ,” she said, pressing her palms together. “You should have told us. I would have made puri .”

“Bhabhi!”

He stepped closer, and she caught the scent of rain and jet fuel. “I wanted to surprise you.”

The other married women of the house fasted for their husbands. Aarohi, with no husband to pray for, was expected to cook the sargi and serve the thalis . She did so with a smile that cracked at the edges.

“Don’t,” she whispered. “Please. If you say my name one more time like that, I will shatter.”