Roommates, Inc.

Harsh white LED light. Ek chhota sa cabin. One desk. Three mismatched chairs. Whiteboard par half-erased scribbles. Floor par coffee cups, sticky notes, ek phone charger, aur ek printed pitch deck.

KAVYA (29) laptop ko shield ki tarah pakde khadi hai. NORA (30) paint-stained jeans aur messy bun mein, haathon se air me logo bana rahi hai. PALLAVI (27) immaculate casuals mein, desk ko straighten kar rahi hai jaise war room ho.

Okay. Pehle opening line.

Pehle coffee.

Pehle charger.

Pallavi desk ke neeche charger dhoondhti hai. Kavya laptop tight pakadti hai. Nora ek coffee cup uthati hai.

Investor ko confidence chahiye.

Investor ko soul chahiye.

Investor ko numbers chahiye.

Beat.

Aur humein caffeine.

Is coffee mein sugar kam, salt zyada hai.

That’s not possible.

Yahi toh problem hai.

Kavya whiteboard marker uthati hai.

Okay. “We are a disruptive, scalable—”

Stop. “Disruptive” mat bolo. Sab bolte hain.

Because it works.

Because it sounds like a guy in a hoodie saying “I’m building the future.”

Aur hoodie ka budget humare paas nahi hai.

Kavya marker se whiteboard pe underline karti hai.

Brand tone crisp hona chahiye.

Brand tone warm hona chahiye.

Brand tone affordable hona chahiye.

Pallavi, tone budget nahi hota.

Har cheez budget hoti hai, Kavya.

Nora pitch deck ke pages flip karti hai.

Slide 3 pe logo ka color wrong hai.

It’s premium.

It’s sad beige.

Sad beige ka ink cost low hai.

Wow. Operations ne art ko defeat kar diya.

Operations ne rent pay kiya hai.

Main bhi pay karti hoon.

Kab?

Kavya glare deti hai. Nora marker se invisible moustache draw karti hai on a sticky note.

Guys, focus. Investor meeting in ten minutes.

Exactly. Isliye we need a killer narrative.

Killer narrative ke saath killer coffee bhi.

Coffee mein kya hai?

Hope.

That explains the taste.

They all stare at each other.

Pallavi suddenly picks up the printed pitch deck.

Wait. Yeh intro email copies dekh.

She reads from her phone.

“Honestly, I think we need space.”

That was strategic.

That was a breakup text.

To the investor?

To the ecosystem.

Maine bhi bheja tha.

Tumne bhi?

“Let’s not force this if it’s not organic.”

Oh my God.

Wait. Main ne likha tha,

“It’s not you, it’s our alignment.”

Same investor ko?

Same investor.

Silence.

We all sent breakup texts to the same investor.

That is not funny.

It is a little funny.

No, it’s catastrophic.

Nora points at the phone.

Guys.

Pallavi checks.

He replied.

What?

“Fine. Let’s discuss in person. I’m coming early.”

Early? How early?

Three minutes.

Kavya snatches laptop.

Okay. We rehearse. Now.

Rehearse kya? We’re dead.

We are not dead. We are underprepared.

That’s the same thing in startup language.

They scramble.

Kavya opens laptop, closes it, opens it again.

Nora wipes whiteboard, accidentally smears marker everywhere.

Pallavi stacks sticky notes into a neat square.

Opening line.

“We’re building a community-led solution—”

Too vague.

“We’re building a scalable—”

Too generic.

“We’re building a profitable—”

Too boring.

What do we say then?

Truth.

Which truth?

That we fight a lot.

That we care a lot.

That we’re tired.

Beat.

A KNOCK at the door.

All three freeze.

Another KNOCK.

A familiar male voice from outside.

MR. BHATIA (O.S.)

Main early aa gaya.

Aur is baar rent bhi late nahi chahiye.

The three women stare at the door.

No.

No way.

Don’t tell me.

The door opens.

MR. BHATIA (50s), dry, practical, former landlord energy, steps in with a clipboard.

He looks around the tiny cabin.

MR. BHATIA

Toh...

startup chal raha hai?

Ya phir office breakup phase?

The women are stunned.

Aap...

Investor?

Former landlord?

MR. BHATIA

Dono. Kabhi-kabhi.

Beat.

MR. BHATIA (CONT'D)

Ab bolo.

Rent ka pitch hai ya pitch ka rent?

The three look at each other.

Then, all at once:

Sir, we need space.

Mr. Bhatia blinks. Deadpan.

MR. BHATIA

Beta, space toh tum logon ne already le liya hai.

Ab payment ka kya?

A beat.

Then all three BURST OUT LAUGHING.

Nora grabs a marker and writes on the whiteboard:

“ROOMMATES, INC. - WE’RE NOT SCALING. WE’RE SURVIVING.”

Kavya shuts her laptop.

Pallavi straightens the chairs.

Nora lines up the coffee cups like art.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Mr. Bhatia points at the whiteboard, amused.

MR. BHATIA

This, at least,

looks like a business.