“Because I wanted a reason to be alone with you. I’ve wanted that since the day Arjun brought you home from the hostel.”

Dinner is the sacred anchor. Even in a high-tech world, sitting on the floor to eat with hands is still revered in many homes. The meal is a ritual: roti, rice, dal, sabzi, achaar, and papad . The conversation ranges from office politics to relative’s weddings. Afterwards, the "Screen Time" treaty is negotiated. The father watches the news (which is mostly loud shouting). The teenager scrolls Instagram reels. The grandmother watches her daily soap opera. Finally, the last glass of water is drunk, the gas is turned off, and the house falls silent.

“I don’t want to go back,” she said.

“Do you know why I really wanted to learn to drive?” she whispered.