They filled cracked pots with crumbly soil and tucked in coriander seeds, chili seeds, and glossy money plant stems. Warm light lay across the rooftop. “Coriander first,” Vivaan said, patting the soil with one careful finger.

Vivek bent over each pot and printed the names in tidy, serious letters. Beneath them, Vivaan drew wiggly leaves, round suns, and one very crooked chili. Their hands turned dusty, their noses twitched, and when Vivek sneezed—pffft!—soil puffed up and both of them laughed.