They met once in a year. He never got his eyes off her. She never stopped talking. And every time they met, it was like the time they first met… in Goa. That day was a special one. The sun was up. The birds were a little too chirpy. She walked out of her room and onto the hotel’s deck. There he sat, a friend of a friend. And they were all singing. She still remembered the song. It was All of Me by John Legend. She didn’t like him at first. He just seemed interesting, can you blame her? He could sing! Besides, she was getting over another heartbreak at that time.

A little later that night, when the liquid courage had mixed into his blood stream, he asked her to dance. She was a bunch of nerves, but she accepted. Now, she started liking him a little more. And well, she didn’t remember this song. She was too nervous to think straight. But they danced well. And they haven’t stopped dancing still.

But let’s go back to how they met. Heady with the fenny and a swarm of butterflies in their tummies, they got back from Goa with a plan to meet again. And that’s when they went for their first date. It was at a place that served the juiciest prawn momos. They dipped it in a chef’s special spicy sauce and smiled all along. The butterflies were now all over. They started spending hours talking on the phone. 5am phone conversations were a way of life—whispering under the blanket, undercover from their families. From goodnights to good mornings, every second of the day was spent lost in thought about each other. They laughed, they gossiped, they fought and made up. Over the next four years, their love grew. But the relationship retained its title. They were just friends.

Today, these friends still meet. He is a lawyer at the Bombay High Court. She is a fashion designer, with a daughter he dotes on. They meet once a year. Laugh at the same old jokes. Cry every time they remember how they parted. But well, they’re still friends…with a mutual love for these delicious prawn momos.