Later that day [Arvind]

I climbed out of the auto and handed the driver his fare. Slinging my school bag over my shoulder, I turned toward home, my steps slowing as I approached. Ma wasn't out in the lawn watering her plants - a small mercy. That meant I wasn't in catastrophic trouble. But with the sun already sinking low on the horizon, painting everything orange and gold, I was definitely late enough to catch hell.

I stopped at the gate and took a breath, bracing myself for the interrogation waiting inside.

"Arey, Arvind! Pretty late to be getting home from school, no? Getting cold feet about facing your mother?"

Relief flooded through me at that familiar voice. I turned to see Mira Aunty standing in her driveway, and potentially my salvation from Ma's wrath. She was our neighbor, married to Sunil Uncle who worked some finance job that kept him traveling constantly. She looked like she'd just returned from the gym - her fitted black workout top and leggings hugged every curve of her body, and a light sheen of sweat made her brown skin glow in the fading sunlight.

I walked over to her fence. "Namaste, Aunty. Thank god you're here."

She laughed, dabbing at her neck with a small towel. "Oh? That sounds serious. What's wrong? You look like you're about to face a firing squad."

"I'm late getting home," I said. "Ma's going to kill me."

"Kill you?" Mira Aunty raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk playing on her lips. "And what exactly were you doing that made you so late, hmm? Something you shouldn't have been doing?"

Heat crept up my neck. "No, Aunty. Just... group study. At a friend's place."

"Group study," she repeated slowly, her smirk widening as her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Really? You think I'm that naive?"

I laughed nervously. "I'm serious, Aunty. We were just studying."

She leaned against her fence, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "You know, Arvind, you're an absolutely terrible liar. But lucky for you, I happen to like you anyway."

"So you'll help me?" I asked, hope creeping into my voice.

She straightened up and crossed her arms, tapping one finger against her bicep as if seriously considering it. "Hmm. Maybe. But first, I want the truth. What were you really doing that made you this late?"

I hesitated. Mira Aunty wasn't like the other neighborhood aunties who gossiped over chai and judged everyone's life choices. She was blunt, sometimes uncomfortably forward, and she had this unnerving way of looking at you like she already knew all your secrets and was just waiting for you to confirm them.

"I was... with my girlfriend," I admitted quietly, glancing toward my house to make sure Ma hadn't appeared.

Her face lit up with delight. "Aha! I knew it, you little devil." She laughed, genuinely amused. "Does your mother know you have a girlfriend?"

"God, no," I said quickly, my eyes widening. "She'd absolutely lose her mind."

Mira Aunty nodded knowingly, her expression softening slightly. "Yeah, your mom's pretty traditional about these things. Don't worry though - your secret's safe with me." She winked and pushed off from the fence. "Now come on. Let's go save your ass before she comes looking for you."