Sweetness & Sass

The kulfi cart stood under a flickering streetlight, its glass display case frosted over, revealing colorful sticks of saffron, rose, pistachio, and mango kulfi lined up like treasure.

Rhea leaned forward, tapping the glass. "One kesar pista for me."

The vendor, a round-faced uncle with paan-stained lips, smiled and turned to Arjun. "Aur aap?" (And you?)

Arjun paused, glancing at Rhea. "Same for me."

She gave him a side-eye. "Copycat."

He shrugged. "What can I say? Your taste seems…sweet."

Rhea took her kulfi first, unwrapping it slowly. Arjun caught himself staring just a second too long at the way her lips closed around the first bite.

"Focus, you idiot."

Sania's voice chimed in inside his head like an overexcited bestie watching a rom-com.

"Ohhh boy, look at you! Staring like a hungry puppy. Should I start playing a romantic background score for you?"

Arjun coughed, nearly choking on air. "Shut up!" he hissed under his breath.

"What?" Rhea glanced up, licking a drop of melted kulfi off her thumb.

"Nothing. Just… talking to myself."

"Common symptom of heatstroke," she teased. "Want me to call a doctor?"

Arjun rolled his eyes. "Only if the doctor's cute."

Rhea laughed — not the polite kind, but the real, belly-shaking kind. "You're terrible at this."

"At what?"

"Flirting."

Sania's voice purred again.

"Oh my GOD, she called you out! This is painful to watch. Want me to auto-generate a charming reply for you, Casanova?"

Arjun mentally shoved her voice aside and leaned on the cart next to Rhea. "You're judging me too fast, Didi."

Rhea froze, mid-bite. "Didi?"

"Sorry, sorry!" Arjun raised his hands dramatically. "Aap toh senior journalist hain, right? (Oh you are a senior journalist, right?) Out of respect!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Call me that again and I'm shoving this kulfi up your nose."

"Damn, I like her," Sania giggled.

"Spicy. Are you sure you can handle her? Or should I call her Bhabhi already?"

Arjun gritted his teeth, forcing his brain to stop blushing. "Okay, okay. No Didi. What should I call you then?"

"Rhea." She leaned closer, eyes gleaming. "Just Rhea."

For a moment, Arjun forgot how words worked. Her perfume — light, a little citrus with something floral — mixed with the creamy kulfi scent in the air.

Sania clapped inside his mind.

"Speechless! Ladies and gentlemen, your future Cricket Emperor can smash sixes under pressure but turns into a baby lamb when a pretty girl gets close."

Arjun internally groaned. "Why are you like this?"

"Excuse me?" Rhea tilted her head.

"Nothing! Just… kulfi's good," Arjun said, stuffing a bite in his mouth to shut himself up. Cold sweetness numbed his tongue, buying him a few precious seconds to recover.

"So," Rhea rested her elbow on the cart, "Mr. Future Legend — tell me something real. Why cricket? Why not, I don't know, study, get a job, something stable?"

The teasing tone softened into something more curious. Arjun could tell this wasn't just idle chit-chat anymore.

"Because it's all I've got. Cricket wasn't a dream. It was the only thing that made me feel like I had some control." His voice came out quieter than he expected. "No family. No money. Just a bat and a dream."

Rhea's smile faded, replaced by something warmer. "That's… not what I expected."

"What did you expect?" Arjun smirked, trying to steer the mood back to playful. "A filmy monologue about bringing glory to India?"

"I expected a cocky line about becoming the next Virat Kohli."

"That too." He grinned. "But mostly, I just hate losing."

Rhea's eyes lingered on him for a beat longer than necessary. "You're not as shallow as you act, are you?"

"Depends," Arjun said, his smirk deepening. "You prefer depth or charm?"

"Both." She took the last bite of her kulfi and tossed the stick into the cart's dustbin. "But let's see if you have either first."

Arjun let out a low whistle. "Tough crowd."

Sania's voice added the final jab.

"You're dying out here, my man. Want me to unlock 'Rizz Mastery' skill? Cost: 500 system points and your dignity, I can give you system point on a loan out of pity."

"Pass." Arjun muttered.

"What?" Rhea asked.

"Nothing." Arjun flashed his usual grin, but there was a flicker of something real beneath it now. "Kulfi's on me, by the way. Call it a sponsorship from a future brand ambassador."

"Oh? Future brand deals already?"

"Why not?" Arjun gestured dramatically. "Picture this — Arjun Mishra, ICC Player of the Year, eating this very kulfi on a billboard in Times Square."

Rhea shook her head with a laugh. "You're ridiculous."

"And you're still here."

She paused, then smiled. "Yeah. I am."

For a moment, the noisy street faded. Just the two of them, standing under a flickering streetlight, an empty kulfi cart between them — and a strange, crackling tension Arjun wasn't entirely ready to understand.

"Well," Rhea broke the silence, "I should go. Got a deadline to chase."

"Before you leave," Arjun tapped her phone, "send me that video. I need my fans to see my street legend debut."

"Fans?"

"Manifesting."

Rhea rolled her eyes but sent the clip anyway. As Arjun's ancient phone buzzed with the incoming file, she stepped back into the crowd. "See you around, Sultan of Lucknow."

Arjun watched her disappear down the street. Sania's voice chimed in again.

"Congrats, lover boy. Step one of your future harem secured."

"Shut up." Arjun smiled to himself, licking the last bit of kulfi off his stick.

The city buzzed around him — but for the first time since his rebirth, Arjun felt something beyond just ambition. Something messy, unpredictable… and kinda fun.

"Let's see what tomorrow brings," he whispered.

"With me in your ear, babe? Tomorrow's gonna be fireworks." Sania laughed.

Arjun pocketed his phone, slung his bat over his shoulder, and walked back toward the orphanage, feeling a little lighter — and a lot more curious about the girl who just walked into his story.