An electric encounter - another slice of romance from a forthcoming Red novel

Charu was winded too. She had not expected anybody, especially a luggage-carrying body. No one came down their driveway, except for the milkman, the vegetable vendor or the postman.

She gingerly looked up, dusting the mud off her jeans, peering into her bag to see that all, including her lunch box was intact. The body was a man in a scruffy pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and he was glaring at her, even while he inspected his luggage. It turned out to be a laptop and from the looks of it, something had happened to it. “You… can you not see where you are going?”

Charu could not reply. Should she retort to this rude man… or… suddenly comprehension dawned. This was the permanent visitor, the bright young… and at this moment, he didn’t look too bright. Just mad.

“First,” he bit out, “I see only a jungle and not a house. The taxi driver tells me this is the address. Is this 21/2 Shankara Avenue?”

Charu nodded dumbly. “My laptop is broken,” he glared at her as if she was at fault, “And you are Charu? Or are you a dimwitted friend?”