Rajamundry, 10:45 p.m.
The drizzle had been steady since evening, tapping the tiled roofs of the lane where every house knew the next by name and heart. In the Naidu's corner house, the smell of filter coffee and wet earth's soil hung in the air.
Yuvan Naidu lay on his bed, phone screen glowing in the dark. He could hear the faint laughter from his parent's room and Kavya's voice humming some random tune. Everyone els was settling into the night..except him.
Across the narrow street, a soft yellow light still glowed from Roa's upstairs window.
Ashwin's room.
Yuvan's heart did it's usual uneasy dance. He told himself he only wanted to ask about the extra umbrella he'd borrowed last week. But his thumb hovered over WhatsApp far too long for that to be true.
He finally typed:
Yuvan : Still awake, Ashwin anna?
The reply came before he could change his mind.
Ashwin : Hmm.Rain's noisy. Couldn't sleep.
Yuvan : Same here. The lane's so quoet except for that one dripping pipe outside your house.
Ashwin : I fixed it twice already. The pipe likes being dramatic.
Yuvan smiled at the screen. Even through text, Ashwin sounded calm, gentle and mature. That steadiness was what drew him in and what hurt him the most.
Yuvan : Heard Atta scolding Arjun this evening.
Ashwin : Usual story. He forgot to buy milk again. Amma says one day he'll forget himself somewhere.
Yuvan: Navya said she'll marry someone like you. I told her not possible—you're one of a kind. 😏
A pause. Then:
Ashwin: Flattery this late? You must want something.
Yuvan: Just conversation.
Ashwin: Conversation's fine. Just keep it decent, mister poet.
Yuvan laughed softly to himself. He typed, deleted, re-typed. If only you knew what I really want to say.
Yuvan: Don't worry, I know my limits.
Ashwin: Good. Get some sleep, Yuvan. You've got your classes tomorrow.
Yuvan: You too, architect sir.
He added a heart emoji, stared at it, and deleted it before pressing send.
> Yuvan: Good night. 🌧️
(Seen ✔ 11:02 p.m.)
The message turned grey again as his phone dimmed. Outside, the drizzle deepened into proper rain.
---
By morning, the rain had cleared, leaving puddles that mirrored the coconut trees. The Rao and Naidu houses faced each other like mirrors too—same verandas, same flower pots, same easy noise of family life.
From his balcony, Yuvan watched Radha aunty hanging laundry while Arjun swept half-heartedly. The smell of their breakfast drifted across—ginger, curry leaves.
"Yuvan! Get down!" Savitri amma called. "Your dosa's getting cold!"
He turned. "Coming!"
At the table, Murali was reading the paper while Kavya scrolled on her phone. Savitri bustled around.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked.
"Hmm," Yuvan murmured.
"Your Ashwin anna went early to his office," Murali said without looking up. "That boy's all discipline."
Savitri smiled. "Radha raised him well. Even Suresh annaya says Ashwin is the pride of their house."
Yuvan forced a small grin. "Yeah… pride of the lane, actually."
Kavya smirked. "Someone sounds jealous."
"Jealous? Please."
"Right," she teased. "Then why were you staring at their balcony five minutes ago?"
"Was not!" he protested, cheeks warming. Savitri raised an eyebrow, half-amused, half-suspicious.
Murali chuckled. "Stop teasing your brother. Let him finish breakfast."
Yuvan focused on his plate. If only they knew.
----
Later, on his way to tuition class, Yuvan found Ashwin outside fixing that same dripping pipe.
"Good morning, plumber anna," he joked.
Ashwin looked up, smiling. "Architect, not plumber. But sometimes both."
"Your house would fall apart without you."
"Amma says the same. Maybe she's right."
He straightened, wiping his hands on a cloth. The morning sun caught in his hair. Yuvan's throat went dry.
"So," Ashwin said, "finished your assignment?"
"Almost."
"You said that last week."
"Procrastination is a form of art."
Ashwin laughed, the easy, older-brother laugh that twisted something inside Yuvan. "Focus on finishing, not philosophizing. Want a lift to class?"
Yuvan hesitated. "No, I'll walk. Need the fresh air."
"Suit yourself."
As Ashwin walked back toward his gate, Yuvan called out, "Hey!"
He turned. "Yeah?"
Yuvan almost said you looked nice yesterday when it rained. Instead he said, "Pipe still leaks."
Ashwin sighed dramatically. "Then I surrender."
They both laughed. The sound felt simple, harmless—until it wasn't.
---
That night, Yuvan sat at his desk, pretending to study. The sounds of the neighborhood floated in: Arjun's scooter, Kavya's TV serial, Suresh uncle's faint cough, Radha aunty calling, "Dinner's ready!"
Through his window he could see the glow from Ashwin's balcony. The sight was both comfort and ache.
He opened his diary.
""He smiles at everyone the same way.
I keep hoping one day, he'll look at me differently.
Maybe that's foolish.
Maybe that's love.""
He closed the book as thunder rolled again in the distance.
Across the lane, Ashwin turned off his lights. The world went dark except for the moonlight slipping between their houses—bright, tender, unreachable.