train journey, girlfriend's sister, tension, and escalating intimacy.

The train was unusually crowded for a mid-week AC 3-tier journey from Bangalore to Hyderabad. I had managed to get the side lower berth — 45 — and my girlfriend’s younger sister, Riya, had the middle berth right above me — 46.

My girlfriend (her di) was supposed to come with us, but last minute she got stuck with an office emergency and told me to “please take care of Riya” and drop her safely at her PG in Hyderabad. Riya was 20, just finished second year engineering, and had that dangerous mix of innocence and curiosity that makes older guys weak.

She climbed up to the middle berth wearing a loose pink kurti and black leggings. The moment she bent to keep her bag, the kurti rode up and I got a clear view of her smooth lower back and the thin black waistband of her panties peeking out. I immediately looked away… but not fast enough.

She caught me.

“Eyes up here, bhaiya,” she said in a teasing whisper, smirking as she settled on her berth.