Day One - Evening
Abhinav arrived five minutes early and leaned against a pillar, waiting. He heard her before he saw her.
Meera stepped out of the inner corridor. Today, a small bindi rested between her brows. It caught the light just enough to draw his attention.
He looked away.
“Hukum.”
That word, in her voice, sounded differently at night.
He gave nothing away. “Meera.” He pushed off the pillar. “Shall we?”
She led him forward.
The corridors narrowed as they walked, lamps placed in such a way that each circle of light dissolved into shadow before the next began. A soft breeze moved through the night, carrying the distant sound of temple bells.
He kept close behind her. Close enough for her to notice.
Her spine straightened.
They turned a corner.
He slowed. Then stopped.
Moonlight filtered through the jali screens along the wall, scattering light across the floor, across the walls, across… her.
Light found her, slipped away, found her again with each step she took.
She turned when she realized he was no longer beside her.
He walked forward and stopped near her. The fractured light fell across both of them.
“These screens... tell me about them.”
Meera turned to the wall, then back to him. Her expression opened, bright, alive. He had asked about the Haveli.
“Jharokha screens,” she told him, her fingers brushing the carved stone. “Hand-carved. No two panels are the same. The women of the Haveli stood behind them during processions. Festivals. Weddings. Political gatherings.” She glanced at him. “They could see everything without anyone seeing them.”
The patterned light moved across her face as she spoke.
Abhinav watched her. The way her voice changed when she spoke about the Haveli. The way she forgot to guard herself around him.
“Privacy and connection,” he murmured.
Her eyes were still bright. “Yes.”
“Come, we have more,” she turned and continued down the corridor.
He followed.
She stopped at a stretch of wall that looked no different from the rest. Her palm pressed against a single stone. Nothing happened at first. Then the wall gave way, opening with a motion designed to remain unnoticed.
She stepped through. He followed and… stopped.
A courtyard.
A hidden courtyard.