The fingers of my left hand are nearly numb at the tips, while the ones on the other hand are warm and tingle pleasantly, clasped around Dhruv's. The sleeves of our padded jackets touch each other as we walk through the length of the empty sidewalks in the dark.


The streets are illuminated by fairy lights strung around each corner of the street and the streetlights hover above those, amplifying the glow. There are people on the street that we walk past, as we leisurely walk together. I glance up at Dhruv once or twice to check his mood. He wasn't entirely happy about going out on a holiday, not to mention he was an Atheist and always counted himself out of religious festivities. But hey, it was Christmas, and he knew I felt restless at home.


We walked on towards the Church closest to us. It was going to be crowded. And we'd probably have to leave early, but I was happy to see a neutral expression on his face, instead of a frown or one of annoyance. It made me feel comfortable enough to lean into him slightly, and he glanced down at me, and he squeezed my palm.


Just as we'd thought, the Christmas fest had kicked off in our locality. There was a gigantic board at the entrance, in front of which people were handing out fliers. There were displays at the front of the Church and little...