The morning was beautiful.
The same city view that had felt strange and uncomfortable to Karthik the previous evening now seemed oddly comforting. Sunlight slipped through the small window of the room and rested gently on the dusty floor.
He splashed cold water on his face.Though, truthfully, he was already wide awake. How could he not be?
It was his first day at work.
And everything that had happened the previous night still felt like a dream.
When he stepped into the kitchen, the house was already alive with movement. Fizza moved quickly between the stove and the table, preparing breakfast in a hurry, while Kaka was still taking his sweet time in the bathroom.
"Kaka! Fast!" Karthik shouted. "I don't want to be late on my first day!"
The bathroom door creaked open and, before Karthik could react, a wet towel flew straight at his face.
"Still two hours left, son," Kaka laughed from inside. "What's the hurry?"
Karthik wiped his face while Fizza chuckled quietly from the kitchen.
They settled onto the floor with their plates. It was a basic meal, but Karthik found himself relaxing into the quiet rhythm of eating with others.
After finishing, Kaka and Karthik stepped outside and began walking toward the hotel.
The morning streets were slowly waking up—vendors opening their stalls, scooters passing by, and the smell of fresh tea drifting from nearby shops.
After a moment of silence, Karthik spoke.
"Kaka… do you know any cheap rooms for rent nearby?"
Kaka stopped walking and looked at him.
"Why?" he asked. "Aren't we good enough for you?"
Karthik quickly shook his head.
"No, no! It's not that," he said with a nervous smile. "I just don't want to trouble you anymore."
Kaka sighed in disappointment.
"So that's what you think, huh? Troubling us?"
Karthik lowered his head.
"I was actually planning," Kaka continued, "to rent you the room you slept in… and include three meals a day."
Karthik stopped walking completely.
"A room… and meals?" he repeated in disbelief. "Why are you going this far for me? I'm basically nobody to you."
Kaka looked at him with annoyance.
"One more word like that and the offer is cancelled."
For a second Karthik panicked, then he quickly smiled.
"It would be an honor to live with you and Fizza," he said.
Kaka nodded with satisfaction, and the two continued walking.
A few minutes later they reached the hotel.
Standing near the entrance was the manager, his posture straight and confident. A golden badge gleamed proudly on his chest under the morning sunlight.
It read:
HOTEL MANAGER: ARAM MEHRA
Before anyone could say a word, someone leapt out from behind him with a loud
"BOOO!"
Karthik flinched so hard he almost stepped back into the wall.
For a moment his heart stopped—then he saw Maya, standing there with a mischievous grin on her face.
She burst into laughter.
"HAHA! Now you'll stay awake the whole day," she said proudly. "You should thank me for that, right?"
Before Karthik could even respond, she turned toward Kaka and greeted him warmly.
"Good morning, Kaka!"
"Good morning, beta," Kaka replied with a smile. "Come to our house this evening. Fizza will make some snacks."
Karthik's heart skipped a beat hearing that.
But before Maya could answer, Aram Mehra stepped forward.
"Cut this off, Maya," he said coldly. "You're not a child anymore. Grow up."
For a moment the cheerful atmosphere froze.
Maya laughed it off and gave Aram a quick side hug.
"Relax, Mr. Serious," she teased. "I'll be late for the clinic."
And just like that, she ran outside the hotel.
But as she left, the small smile on her face had already faded. Anyone looking carefully could see she didn't like the way Aram spoke to her.
Aram didn't seem to notice.
He turned to Kaka and Karthik.
"Kaka, explain the work to him," he said shortly before walking toward his office without waiting for a reply.
When he was gone, Kaka gently pulled Karthik aside.
"He seems aggressive sometimes," Kaka said quietly, "but he isn't that bad. He's just… protective."
Karthik stayed silent.
Kaka looked at him carefully and then smirked a little.
"Anyway," he continued, "it's not like you're in love with Maya, right?"
Karthik didn't say a word.
Kaka raised an eyebrow.
"Right?"
Still silence.
Kaka sighed.
"Son… you're choosing a very hard path."
Karthik slowly looked up.
"She's going to marry him in two months," Kaka continued gently. "The families have already decided everything. I even have their invitation card."
"Two… months?" Karthik almost shouted.
His chest felt tight.
The only person he had fallen for…was going to marry someone else.
Kaka placed a comforting hand on his back.
"It's okay, son," he said softly. "Sometimes life asks us to let go."
He paused before continuing.
"Maybe it wasn't written in your destiny."
Then Kaka smiled a little.
"But destiny can change through prayers and hope. Keep your hope in your heart. Don't share it with the world until you truly earn her."
He leaned closer and whispered playfully,
"And if she really does marry him… then pray she lives happily ever after."
Then he gently bumped Karthik's shoulder.
"So that was the reason you were smiling like a fool last night, huh?"
"Kaka… stop," Karthik groaned.
"I'm serious!" Kaka laughed. "I was just trying to cheer you up."
He grabbed Karthik's arm and pulled him toward the workers' room.
The hotel was about to open, and everyone was getting busy.
Kaka quickly explained his duties before rushing back to the lobby.
Before leaving, he turned once more and raised his thumb.
"Best of luck, son."
Then he added with a warm smile,
"And remember—everything happens for a good reason."
Karthik nodded at him and walked back into the staff room. There wasn't much time to think about anything now. Work had already begun.
He picked up a broom and a few cleaning supplies before entering the first room assigned to him. The hotel wasn't very large or luxurious, so the rooms were small and simple to clean.
As he stepped inside, he opened the window to let some fresh air in.
The view outside stretched far into the ocean. Boats floated calmly on the water, fishermen sitting patiently inside them, waiting for their nets to reward their long hours of hope. Their lives depended on the sea.
One small sight caught Karthik's attention.
A little boy sat on a large rock near the shore. In his hands was a crude fishing rod — nothing more than a wooden stick with a thin thread tied to its end. The boy had probably built it himself. His father stood nearby, focused on his fishing net.
Karthik smiled to himself.
"Not in a hundred years," he murmured quietly, "will that kid catch a fish with that thing."
With that thought, he returned to his work.
Each room took him nearly half an hour to clean. By the time he finished the last one, it was already time for lunch.
Karthik walked to the reception looking for Kaka, but the chair behind the counter was empty. So he decided to step outside and grab something small to eat.
At a nearby stall, he bought a sandwich and sat on a bench facing the ocean.
The sea breeze was gentle. Tourists laughed nearby. Families walked along the shore. Couples sat together, enjoying their vacations.
Life seemed peaceful from a distance.
As he quietly ate his sandwich, someone suddenly sat down beside him.
He turned his head.
It was the same little boy he had seen from the hotel window.
But this time, the boy held a bucket in his hands.
Inside it was a large fish — bigger than both of his small palms combined.
Karthik stared at it for a moment.
All the words Kaka had said earlier slowly echoed in his mind.
Hope. Destiny. Patience.
He looked at the fish again and let out a quiet breath.
Then he whispered to himself,
"Are two months… enough to change fate?"