"Are you going to Ruvee's house?" Vikram heard his brother ask him, peeking his head through the door.

Vikram nodded as he pulled his t-shirt over his head.

It was finally the last Saturday of the month and since Ruvee was back, she had gracefully arranged for their Saturday get together that had almost become a tradition now.

When Ruvee was still at her grandmother's place in Jaipur, Vikram still left home on Saturday nights with Vaibhav because Vikram's mom had finally agreed to have Vaibhav tag along with him whenever he was going to Ruvee's place. They just hadn't told her that they went their own ways once they left the house. Vaibhav would always have separate plans and Vikram would just aimlessly wander around the neighbourhood until Vaibhav called him to meet in front of the house again. Just because Vikram didn't have much social life, there was no reason his brother couldn't either.

Vikram had also started to spend some time at home, not really alone and wallowing in his room but talking to Vaibhav, like actually talking.

He had no idea that his brother wanted to become a neurologist. He found out that until last year, Vaibhav wanted to become a cardiothoracic surgeon but when their dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Vaibhav had become interested in knowing more about it and the more he read, the more he wanted to dive deep into it. He had told Vikram that there was no cure for it because dementia could be caused by a number of diseases and that he wanted to get into research that could potentially and hopefully, one day, find a cure.

On various occasions, Vaibhav had also hinted to Vikram that he should sometimes talk to their mom. Nothing in particular but just talk to her since Vaibhav was still mad at her for now allowing him to go to regular school after 10th. Vikram had agreed, that he would try his best. But neither had touched on the topic of Vikram being more present for his dad. Even Vaibhav knew that was forbidden territory.

The summer vacations were almost coming to an end, with just two more days left. For the first time since Vikram could remember, he was actually excited to go back to school. The summer had been very eventful and the time he spent with Ruvee, was something he had begun to cherish. But it was the Saturdays that Vikram looked forward to the most. Because every Saturday, he got to meet Aditya when they all hung out at Ruvee's place.

"Yeah." Vikram said, "I am going to Ruvee's place. Why?"

"I am coming with you today." Vaibhav said.

It took Vikram by surprise. "You are?"

Vaibhav nodded. "Ruvee invited me and I thought it must be rude to not show up at all. Do you mind?"

Vikram shook his head. "Not at all. The more the merrier."

"It is so good to have you back." Vikram said when Ruvee opened the door. He reached in for a hug that Ruvee returned with the same enthusiasm.

"I missed you guys so much." Ruvee said and Vaibhav and Vikram entered the house.

"Your highness." Ruvee said when she saw Vaibhav, "You've finally decided to grace us with your presence." She even bowed a little.

Vikram looked over behind her and saw Aditya looking at Vaibhav and moving his hand in circles by the side of his forehead, indicating that she was cuckoo. Vaibhav laughed and Ruvee simply just picked up a shoe from the foyer and hurled it at Aditya, which he dodged efficiently like he had been practising for it for years.

To say that it was a fun night, was an understatement. They saw a horror movie called 'The Tale of Two Sisters' upon Vaibhav's suggestion and Vikram found out that Aditya hated horror movies. Vikram was sure he had seen Aditya close his eyes on several occasions when the movie was on. Vikram had no idea why he found it adorable though.

After the movie, they played charades and Vikram and Ruvee were in one team while Aditya and Vaibhav were on the other. Needless to say, Aditya and Vaibhav won, and then they proceeded to have dinner. Vikram did not know what it was with Ruvee but each time they were in her house, Aditya insisted on cooking but Ruvee always ordered from outside.

Today it was Chinese food.

Vikram had to agree he was kind of bummed because he really did want to eat something prepared by Aditya.

"I'm so glad we're doing this again." Ruvee said as she dug into her noodles. She then turned to Vikram. "Tell me about all the places you went to and the photos you took"

Vikram suddenly felt really embarrassed. "Yeah, that didn't happen."

"Why?"

Vikram shrugged. "I just didn't go out much in the heat."

"Wasted talent." Ruvee commented and Vikram looked at her in surprise.

"What?" Ruvee said, "Don't look at me like that. You know I am right."

"I..." Vikram began but he didn't really have any justifications.

"You know what?" Ruvee said suddenly. "Tomorrow is the last day of the vacation and I want you to go out and do what you're good at."

Vikram was still hesitant.

"I'll even come with you." she said but then took her words back. "Shit, I can't because I have relatives coming over." she then turned to Aditya. "But Aditya can go. I am sure he's free."

Vikram panicked. No, I am sure he's busy."

"I could come." Aditya said. "I am not working tomorrow."

Vikram looked at him and blinked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Aditya really going to come with him as they went about the city, just the two of them?

"See?" Ruvee asked and took Vikram's mind off what he was thinking.

"So, do you want me to come?" Aditya asked Vikram.

What was the word that Vikram was looking for? "Ye... yes." he said, his voice cracking a little. He picked up the glass of water and downed it in one go. Why the fuck was this throat dry suddenly?

The dinner was quickly over and Vikram was helping Ruvee with the dishes when he looked over his shoulders. Aditya and Vaibhav were in the living room, talking about something he didn't know.

He walked closer to Ruvee. "I need to talk to you." he whispered.

"What is it?" she asked loudly but Vikram shushed her. "Somewhere more private?"

Ruvee nodded. "Let's go to the rooftop." she suggested, placing all the dirty dishes in the sink. A minute later, they were on the roof.

"What's up?" she asked as she walked to the table and pulled a chair. Vikram followed.

"I need you to do me a favor." Vikram said. He was still talking in a very low voice because he didn't even accidentally want to be heard.

"Yeah, what is it?" Ruvee asked.

"You how my mom's foundation sponsors scholarships for students from our school?"

Ruvee nodded. "Yeah, what about it?"

"The entries start next month and..." Vikram paused, "and I need you to nominate Aditya's name."

At first, Ruvee didn't understand. "Why doesn't he do it himself?"

"He has this weird misconception that the board will reject his file so he doesn't even want to apply."

"Okay." Ruvee said and crossed her arms. "Why don't you do it then?"

"I think he'll reject the offer if he finds out I did it."

Ruvee was trying to make sense of it. "You don't have to get involved directly. You could ask Mr. Jha to put in his file."

"Yeah." Vikram scoffed. "And the first thing he will do before submitting Aditya's file is announce to the whole school how it was him who 'made it happen!'" Vikram said, air quoting the last words, recalling how he had been so proud of Aditya and Vikram working together on the project. He was sure he would lose his mind if he found out Vikram wanted something good for Aditya. Well, technically Vikram did owe him because had it not been for Mr. Jha., none of them would be here.

Ruvee laughed. "That man is literally the most optimistic person I know." she said and then nodded. "Fine. I'll do it."

"Really?" Vikram asked, beaming.

"Yeah, but will it guarantee him a scholarship?"

Vikra shrugged. "I am just hoping he gets selected for his grades rather than get rejected for other things."

Ruvee smiled and looked at Vikram with fondness in her eyes. "You're amazing." she said.

Vikram cocked his head to the right and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

Ruvee laughed, and shook her head and then, she did something Vikram would have never expected.

She leaned in and kissed Vikram on the lips. It was so sudden and so unexpected, that Vikram forgot to even move. He blinked in shock but slowly, closed his eyes. And then, he was kissing Ruvee back.

Vikram felt different. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing so he decided to go with good. Kissing Ruvee last night was not something he had expected. It happened so fast that the only thing he could do was accept it for what it was. And why wouldn't it be good? Ruvee was amazing, and if she liked Vikram, wouldn't that mean Vikram was amazing too?

"This is good." Vikram told himself in the mirror before fixing his clothes. Aditya would be home soon and they'd go out and take photos. Together. Just the thought of it made Vikram feel jittery. And the more he thought about it, the more he appreciated how truly wondrous day this was.

A smile crept up his face that knew no end.

"Good morning." Vikram said, unable to pull his face to a straight line as he pulled a chair for himself.

Meera looked at him and for a second, forgot what the correct response should be. "G... good morning." she said. What was happening? Vikram was at the table, during breakfast, and he was smiling at them?

"Is everything alright?" Meera asked, a little worried.

Vikram looked at her and nodded. "Everything is superb." he said and turned the bowl downside up. He poured some milk and cornflakes into the bowl and began munching.

"They said the summers are going to be harsh this year." Vikram's father said, looking at Meera. Meera smiled.

"I know." she said softly.

Deepak then turned to Vikram. "Mr. Riyas said you're doing well this year."

Vikram realized his dad was in 2002 this time when Vikram was in 8th standard. Mr. Riyas was his class teacher back then. He happily munched on his cornflakes and nodded.

"Did he tell you I got full marks in math?" he asked.

Meera didn't quite believe what was happening. Vikram wasn't snapping at Deepak, instead, he was indulging in the conversation.

"Did you?" Deepak asked.

"Yes." Vikram said. "I got a hundred on the exam."

"That's brilliant." Deepak said and suddenly he smiled and looked at Meera. "Did you hear that Meera?"

Meera nodded, still coming to terms with everything. She then turned to Vikram. "Deepak hasn't smiled in such a long time, thank you."

Vikram hadn't smiled like that in a long time too. And he still was. Because he just had his first kiss and it was all wet and a little awkward in the beginning but Vikram had gotten a hang of it soon and this morning when he had woken up, the sun was brighter than usual and the birds were chirpier and his step-mom was his only mom and his dad was still his dad, despite everything and Vikram was just... happy, because it was his first kiss, ever.

There was someone who liked Vikram, liked him enough to kiss him. And the world was beautiful.

Even breakfast made sense this morning.

"We're going to France this year." Deepak suddenly announced. "When are your winter vacations starting?"

"Soon." Vikram said, pushing a spoonful of cornflakes in his mouth.

Deepak nodded. "Paris is beautiful in the winters." he said and Vikram agreed. Any other day, he would have told his father that he had liked Lyon more and his father would tell him how his choices were strange and then they would argue but not this morning. This morning, Vikram would agree to everything.

"Sure, dad. Paris is beautiful."

"Did something happen?" Meera asked, a little curious and a little worried. Vikram was indeed behaving very weirdly.

Vikram just shrugged. "It's a good day." is all he said.

Meera was about to ask something when the phone rang. She quickly excused herself to attend the call and Vikram turned to his father.

"Do you need something else?" he asked.

Deepak looked up, from his breakfast and stared at Vikram for a second too long.

"Dad?" Vikram asked.

Deepak didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes terrified Vikram. Then, Deepak blinked. "Vikram," he said, "have you done your homework?"

Vikram sighed out in relief. "Yes, I've done my homework." he said softly, ignoring the frantic beating of his heart. His dad nodded, simply for up and walked over to the living room to begin watching his daily news.

Vikram was almost done with the breakfast himself when Meera returned, looking all furious.

"Is everything alright?" Vikram asked.

"Yes." Meera said, but Vikram could see that she was distressed.

"Mom..." Vikram said, "What's wrong?" he asked.

Meera shook her head. "It's the foundation's 20th anniversary." she said. "There's a charity event in two hours and the photographer we hired just cancelled. Apparently, he fractured his hand this morning and Neeraj hasn't been able to find a replacement."

Neeraj was Meera's secretary and was overseeing the entire event. "It's so short notice that no one had agreed to work yet. And it's not helping that it's a Sunday today."

Vikram didn't know what to say. It really sounded like a big problem.

Suddenly, Meera's eyes widened as she looked at Vikram. "Can you do it?" she asked.

Vikram choked on his cornflakes. "Me?"

Meera nodded. "You have your cameras with you, right?"

Vikram nodded. "But I am not a professional."

"That's absolutely okay." Meera said. "Will you do it?"

Vikram hesitated. He had the entire day planned with Aditya who would be at his door any minute and Vikram was really looking forward to it. He had planned to take some photos by the lake in the early light of the morning and he was finally going to let Aditya use his Olympus. "I have a friend coming over, I don't think..."

Meera cut him off. "Bring the friend along." she said. "We could use more help."

Vikram still wasn't sure. "I'll ask him when he's here. If he's okay with it, then I guess I could do it."

Meera face lit up. "Thanks."

Vikram shook his head, wanting to tell her that there was no need for her to thank him but before he could, the doorbell rang and Vikram leapt out of his chair to answer it.

"You're here." Vikram said, flashing his biggest smile at Aditya.

Aditya shrugged and smiled at him.

"Come in." Vikram said and Aditya walked in.

"I don't think we can visit the city today." Vikram said as they walked past the foyer.

"Why?"

"There's this charity event for the foundation's 20th anniversary and the photographer cancelled. Mom asked me to fill in."

"Oh." Aditya said, a little disappointed that he wouldn't get to spend time with Vikram.

"She asked you to come if you wanted to."

"Yes." Aditya immediately said and then cleared his throat. "I mean it's not like I have anything important to do."

Vikram smiled at him and took him to the dining room.

"Mom." he said and then called out his dad in the living room. "This is Aditya, my classmate." Vikram said, not giving any more information. "And Aditya, these are my mom and dad."

"Namaste." Aditya said with both his hands folded.

"Namaste, beta." Meera said while Vikram's dad looked at him once and got back to watching TV.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Meera asked.

"Yes." Aditya said politely, even though it was a lie. He had been so excited about coming to Vikram's place that he had skipped breakfast.

"There can always be more space for breakfast." Meera said, "Have a seat."

Aditya complied and took the empty seat next to Vikram's.

Meera called for more breakfast and soon, Aditya found his plate being stuffed with a variety of food.

Meera asked him questions about his studies and other things but didn't ask him anything about his family, which made Vikram wonder if she already knew. And if she did, the fact that she didn't talk about it, suddenly made Vikram look at her in a very respectable light. They talked and Aditya ate everything on the plate, not only because he was famished but also because he didn't want to be rude and waste anything.

When they were done, they were driven to the big open field in the middle of the city that had been set up for the event. They stood by the entrance, looking at the entire arrangement.

Neeraj came running the moment he saw them.

"Good morning ma'am." he said.

"Good morning Neeraj." Meera said. "This is my son, Vikram," she said, introducing Vikram to him, "And his friend, Aditya."

Neeraj shook their hands.

"Vikram is in charge of the photoshoot today and Aditya..." she said and paused, "He is going to oversee the catering staff, making sure everything is hygienic and servable." she turned to Aditya, "and if anything, anything seems off to you, come to me directly, okay?"

Neeraj seemed a little shocked by this but he did not question his boss. "Sure, ma'am." he said.

Aditya nodded at Meera and immediately rushed to the back of the set-up where the food was being prepared.

Once he was gone, Meera turned to Vikram and explained the schedule to him. "First we have the arrival of the key guests, like the chief minister and members of the foundation" she began, "once they are all welcomed and seated, we have various performances by the kids" she continued, referring to the kids that the foundation supported, most of which belonged to families that were below the poverty line. "Then we have the award ceremony where our foundation gets the award from the chief minister and then we move to lunch. The chief minister leaves and then there are two more hours before we give out the gifts and the kids go back."

Vikram nodded. "When does it start?" he asked.

Meera looked at her watch. It was only 11 am now. "In an hour."

"Okay." Vikram said, trying to replay the schedule in his head.

"Now I want you on the entrance when the guests arrive, then I want you by the stage when the chief minister takes the seat. You should stay there till the awards are given and then you can take a break to have lunch. Post that, you are free to shoot whatever you want."

Vikram closed his eyes, trying to work it all out in his mind. Once he was sure he had it all understood, he decided to take a stroll around the place.

The entire field has been covered with a red rug that event planners usually used at weddings. There were tents set up to cover the field in case it rained. Straight ahead, a small podium had been built where some people were setting up chairs and mics. On the right, there were food stalls in a row and on the right, there were multiple booths with games. The seating arrangement was set up in the middle, right in front of the podium. A big sofa lay at the centre with chairs on either side, which was clearly for the guests and behind that, were rows of chairs which would easily accommodate around two hundred people.