PART 8: The Space We Chose to KeepThe city learned their rhythm.It learned that some evenings, two women would arrive at the bus stop without urgency—standing a little apart, breathing in the same air, pretending they weren’t listening for each other’s footsteps.After that night, nothing dramatic changed.And somehow, everything did.Aarushi noticed it first in the way Mira looked at her now—longer, steadier, as if measuring something invisible. Not possession. Not certainty. Just presence.They walked together, but Mira didn’t offer coffee this time.Instead, she asked, “Want to sit?”They chose a low wall near the street—cars passing, conversations overlapping, life continuing as