Vishal changed into a t-shirt and long pair of shorts, his usual attire at home. He was too embarrassed to leave his bedroom and face Nisha again, after she had seen him with nothing but a small towel around his waist. But hunger soon got the better of him, and he decided to venture to the kitchen to get breakfast.
As he walked to the kitchen, he noticed that his sister was sitting alone in the living room, talking on the phone. Where had Nisha gone, he wondered. He rushed into the kitchen, complaining, "Mommm, I'm hungry!" only to find himself almost bumping into Nisha.
Nisha smiled at him. He blushed.
Mom was behind the stove, her back to Vishal. She momentarily turned around to look at him, "Of course you're hungry. I was wondering when you'd be done getting dressed. Look, Nisha already washed up and changed, and she started helping me in the kitchen. You kids need to learn so much from her."
Vishal looked at Nisha, her angelic face framed with damp curls. He noticed that she had changed out of the conservative salwar kameez that she had arrived in, and was now wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt and a knee-length blue skirt. The t-shirt was form-fitting without being tight, and it was short without being a crop-top, ending at her waist just where the skirt started. As she bent over the sink gently rinsing the vegetables, a small sliver of her lower back and the sides of her waist were peeking out. She apparently sensed him looking at her, as she turned to look at him and smile. He averted his eyes.
Mom continued, "Anyway, I'm getting started with lunch so I can't help you. Take the upma and chutney from the counter and help yourself."
Vishal wasn't used to helping himself, and opened his mouth to complain again, when Nisha interjected, "I'll help him, aunty."
She wiped her hands dry, came up to Vishal, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He froze. She had a nice fresh smell. He wondered what soap she used. He then realized that he was staring at her t-shirt and immediately looked up at her face. She was still smiling. "Go sit at the table, Vishal. I'll bring you a plate of upma."
As he was leaving the kitchen, he heard his mom grumbling about how spoilt he and his sister were.
Vishal sat at the dining table. Nisha followed soon after with a plate of upma and a bowl of chutney. She pulled a chair close to him and sat down. He started eating, feeling self-conscious. She started making small talk.
"How is school?"
"It's OK."
"Are you studying for your engineering exams too?"
"Yeah."
"Rita tells me you're a whiz at math and computers."
"Yeah, but I always seem to have trouble with chemistry."
"I love chemistry. I can help you out."
"That's OK."
"Come on, Vishal. It would be a pity if you get a low score due to Chemistry. Let me help you."
Vishal was quiet. He was already feeling flushed that she was sitting so close to him.
"Vishal, you should feel grateful that Nisha is offering to help you out," his mom interjected from the doorway between the kitchen and dining rooms. He didn't realize she was there.
"OK", he mumbled.
"Don't worry, aunty. He'll be a pro at chemistry soon," Nisha assured his mom, and then she got up and ruffled his hair as she headed back to the kitchen. Vishal couldn't get over the fact that she was treating him like a child.
He finished eating, and yelled to his mom that he was going down to play cricket. She told him to be back within 2 hours; they were going shopping. He didn't want to go shopping, but his mom reminded him that they had to get him some new clothes for the pooja season.
Vishal returned around 2PM. His mom was having her afternoon nap. Rita informed him that mom had been annoyed that he hadn't returned yet. He went to the dining table for lunch, the rest of them having finished eating. Nisha brought him a plate again. But before he could sit down, she held his arm and stopped him.
"Vishal, look how you're sweating. Your shirt is soaked. Let's take it off."
She held the bottom of his t-shirt and stated pulling it up. Vishal was shocked and immediately held his shirt down.
"Vishal! You can't sit here with wet clothes."
"I'll.. I'll go change."