The next morning, Vikram woke up early. He had kept Priya’s black panty inside his pocket the whole night. He took it out and looked at it for a long time. He knew he should return it to the laundry area before anyone noticed it was missing. He washed his face, changed his clothes, and quietly walked towards the laundry area with the panty in his hand.

He stood in front of the washing machine and looked at the pile of clothes. He was about to put the panty back when he suddenly stopped. His hand stayed in the air. He looked at the black cloth for a few seconds. Then, very slowly, he pulled his hand back and pushed the panty deep inside his pocket again. He could not bring himself to return it. He felt a strange mix of guilt and excitement as he walked back to his room.