Hemalatha

Chapter 6: The Dangerous Reflection
Over the next few days, the atmosphere in our home shifted. The tension I had felt earlier was replaced by a strange, exhilarating closeness between Nisha and me. We shared glances over the breakfast table and private jokes that Mallika didn't quite understand.
Mallika, instead of being suspicious, was delighted. "I’m so happy you two are getting along," she said one evening as we sat in the garden. "I was worried Hemanth would be bored entertaining my friend, but it seems your wavelengths match perfectly!"
Nisha leaned back, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh, we match more than you know, Mallika. Actually, Hemanth reminds me so much of a very close friend of mine in Cochin. Their personalities—and even their tastes—are almost identical."
My heart skipped a beat. I tried to signal Nisha to stop, but she was already reaching for her phone.
"Look," Nisha said, sliding the phone across the table to Mallika. "This is my friend from Cochin."
It was the photo—the one of us together. My blood ran cold. I watched Mallika’s face as she studied the image of Hemalatha standing next to Nisha. I prepared myself for the worst, my mind spinning with excuses.
Mallika looked at the screen, then at me, then back at the screen. A slow smile spread across her face. "Oh my god, Nisha! You’re right. She looks exactly like a lady version of Hemanth! If Hemanth had a twin sister, this would be her."
The two women burst into a fit of giggles. I stood there, frozen in shock, feeling the world tilt.
"What's her name?" Mallika asked, still chuckling at the resemblance.
"Latha," Nisha replied smoothly, using the shortened version of my secret identity. "She’s very stylish and quite a traveler."
"Well, Latha is beautiful," Mallika said, handing the phone back. "Hemanth, you should be flattered! You'd make a very pretty woman." She laughed once more, patted my shoulder, and headed inside to check on dinner.
The moment the door closed, I turned to Nisha, my face flushed with a mix of fear and adrenaline. Without thinking, I reached out and gave her a playful, "girly" hit on the arm—a gesture that came more naturally to Hemalatha than to Hemanth.
"Are you crazy?" I whispered-yelled. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"
Nisha just laughed, catching my hand. "But look how well it worked. Now, even if she sees a photo of you later, she’ll just think it’s your 'lookalike' friend Latha. I just gave you the perfect cover, Hemalatha."
I shook my head, a smile finally breaking through my fear. Nisha wasn't just my stylist anymore; she was my partner in crime.