Thankfully, there was a lot of breakfast on the counter. Sandwiches again. I groaned. We had been eating the same sort of sandwiches for the whole of the 5-days trip, and I was seriously tired of them. Tashanna laughed at my irritated look.
"I know you you're bored of these sandwiches. Honestly, even I am. But we can't really do anything, right?"
This girl knew me too well. Was I really that transparent? I sighed and put some food on my plate. I grabbed a cup of coffee and we walked towards the sitting area.
"Where do we sit?" I asked. There was not a single empty place to be seen. I gave a light smack on my forehead. Now because of me, even Tashanna couldn't sit.
The manager came up to us. "You girls can go sit on the couches and eat. We have run out of chairs, unfortunately." He pointed at some couches in a nearby hall. We smiled, thanked him, and left the room with our plates.
We finished eating breakfast, sitting on the comfortable couches. Thank god we didn't have to eat these sandwiches for another day. We put our plates away and went back to our room. Since we needed to check out pretty soon, and we had to get our luggage and make sure nothing was left behind. We checked the room carefully, and when we were sure that we hadn't left anything, we dragged out our luggage, locked the room, and walked to the reception to hand over the keys. Soon enough, we were sitting on the comfortable seats of our bus.
We had a lake to visit, and then lunch. After a little time to shop, we would head back to Bangalore, stopping for dinner on the way. It was estimated that we would be reaching home by around midnight.
It was a nice experience. We'd had crazy fun throughout the trip, and having gone skydiving was the highlight, at least for me. It had been a hell lot of fun. And now, I had another great event to look forward to - Astrid. I was already damn excited, just thinking about her. I tried to form her image in my mind. It was a hazy image; I'd seen her so many years back. I could only picture a cute, bubbly girl, her brown hair plated into two braids, with short hair falling on her forehead; running around wearing shorts. Since none of us used social media much, I hadn't seen any of her recent pictures. She would have surely changed a lot, and I couldn't wait to meet her.
I remembered the last day we'd been together. We were both bawling our eyes out, wishing to stay together. I remember it was a warm, sunny day, except the rain that was pouring out from our eyes. Astrid was wearing yellow shorts and a green top. Green was her favorite color. I remember I was wearing my favorite red jeans. I even had a jacket on in that summer heat, mainly because it would be cold in the aeroplane. Red used to be my favorite color. It still was. I wondered if Astrid still loved green. Oh God! We had just so much to catch up on. How would we ever manage in a day?!
Soon, it was time for dinner. We had dinner in a hotel on the way. When we got back into the bus later on, I dozed off on my bus seat. The next thing I knew, Tashanna was shaking me, making me wake up. We had reached home. Tashanna and I lived next to each other, and our houses were on the way to the bus stop; so, we got down on the way itself. We gathered our luggage, and walked up to our houses. I left Tashanna at her door. She gave me a hug, saying that we'll meet soon.
I walked up to my house and took out my set of keys. I'd called mom before, to inform her that it might get late, and I won't wake them up; I'll just open the door with my keys and go upstairs, to my room. I wasn't quite sure if she'd have listened to me though, my mom was like that. I was about to slide the keys in the bolt, when I heard the crunch of a branch being stepped on, somewhere behind me. I was sure that it was not me who had made that noise. It was late and I suddenly felt scared. Before I could unlock the door, my hand was yanked away. And suddenly, every nerve in my body told me one thing - scream.
Chapter 3
A hand snaked around her and gagged her mouth. Before she knew what was happening, she was lifted up and held tight in the position.
Kimaya struggled, wiggling like a little fish in her captor's arms.
"Take the key out. We've got some work to do," said the captor, in a fierce whisper.
Kimaya shook her head. She had no intentions of going further away from her beloved home.
"I said, take it out." This time, the whisper was more commanding, more menacing.
Scared, Kimaya slowly withdrew the key. She didn't want the person to harm her. The captor let her get down, but did not let her go. Her arms were held from behind with one hand, the other hand covering up her mouth.
Kimaya was half dragged to a tree at some distance from her house, and was finally let free. Kimaya turned around furiously and stared at her captor. Her eyes grew wide.
"You?!"
"Yes, me."
"I have no intentions of talking to you, and you know that. So, just get lost!"
"Kim, please listen. I need your help. You're the only way I can do this."
"One chance. If I say no, then you better go and never come back again. Shoot."
***
Kimaya woke up late next morning, the memories of the previous night still fresh in her head. When she opened her eyes, she saw a figure staring down at her.
"What the..!" She yelled, not used to having someone by her side when she woke up. She usually got up early enough, and if she didn't, no one was really going to come and stare at her while she slept.
"Relax, Kimmy. It's just me."
"Astrid?"
It had been years since Kimaya had seen Astrid. She could hardly recognize the pretty brunette she saw. The British teen was beautiful, with long, straight brown hair surrounding her diamond shaped face. Short front hair fell on her face, pushed to a side to reveal her twinkling grey eyes. She was wearing a light green jumpsuit, with a white shrug. Her pale white skin gave her an angelic look. The little chubby girl Kimaya once knew had transformed so much in those ten years, but then so had Kim. Kimaya's hair was of the darkest shade of brown, and her eyes were jet black, which could give looks that killed. Her heart shaped face had almost perfect features, and her once pale skin now had a gentle rosy-brown tint, because of being out in the sun too much. She had an enchanting British touch to her accent.
Astrid smiled at Kimaya, making a line of memories flash back into her mind. A cute, bubbly young girl, with dancing eyes and a playful smile. A girl who always had something green in her dress.
"Astrid... Oh my God, Astrid!"
Kimaya jumped up from her bed and pulled Astrid into a gigantic hug, not ready to let her go.
"Let me go, you bear! You're crushing me!" Kimaya's bear hugs were agonizing.
Kimaya giggled. She set Astrid free.
"Nice room, by the way. So red is still your favorite, huh?"
"It sure is. Just like green is yours."
They both laughed. Kimaya's room was a combination of crimson red and white. It was a clean and clutter-free space, organised and well-maintained. And well, Astrid's green dress couldn't help but scream that she still loved green.
Astrid's eyes wandered off to a corner of the room covered with photo frames. Many photos were of their times in London. The rest were after Kimaya had shifted to India. Astrid pointed at one of the Indian photographs. "Who's that?"
"That's Tashanna Arora. The house next to ours is hers. One of the only friends I have in India. She's a sweetheart - I'm sure you'll like her!"
"The next house? You mean that HUGE one? You've got to be kidding me!"
"Yeah, I know. The Aroras are filthy rich but trust me, they're down to earth and loving. Mr. Arora runs an event managing business, and the fact that Mrs. Arora is a wedding planner only adds to their glory. Uncle is actually a psychiatrist by profession; but he took over his father's business after working for a few years as a doctor. Their house is the only thing which shows off their money. Well, they couldn't really help that, seeing that Mrs. Arora had great fantasies about her dream house and with the money in hand, no one tried to stop her. But to meet her desires, the house needed to be huge. Our house is pretty big too, but the A
rora Villa has a charm of its own."
"I see. Would be nice to meet them. And who's that boy in that photo?"
Kimaya tensed. "That's Vihaan. Their son, and the heir to half the business. He's two years elder to Tashanna. But he has plans of his own I guess. He's a budding musician, and is outstanding at piano and guitar. So of course, he wants to become a musician when he's older. I suppose the Arora Event Planning will be continued by Tashanna alone."
"They seem like an interesting family. I really want to meet them - when can I?"
"I wish you could. But..."
"But what?" Astrid urged.
"Tashanna's parents got divorced over a month ago."
"What? I thought you said they're awesome!"
"Well... They are awesome. But every family has its problems. Tashanna's been terribly upset about this. She hasn't seen her dad and brother for one whole month."
"Damn. Must be so hard for her."
"It sure is."
Kimaya stared out of the window. Her room had huge French windows, bringing in a lot of sunlight. Even though her best friend was here, she couldn't stop thinking about what had happened last night. I need to tell someone about this. Or I'm going to go insane.
"Andy?"
"Wow, I missed you calling me that. Anyways, what?"
"I need to talk about something." Kimaya held out her hands, as if asking for something. It was a little sign that she and Astrid had made years ago. A symbol of friendship, a promise for keeping secrets.
"Alright," said Astrid, taking Kimaya's hands. "I promise I won't tell anyone about it. So what's wrong?"
***
Astrid's jaw dropped as Kimaya finished her little story.
"Are you serious?!" She said, stressing out on each word.
"Yes, I am."
"Okay, so I know you like writing, but you can't expect me to believe anything you make up."
"That's not a story, Andy!"
"But... It's too fictitious to be real!"
"I know. But it's the truth."
The two friends stared at each other for some time.
"So now, what are you going to do?" Astrid asked.
Kimaya sighed. And then a smile made its way to her face. "Right now, I'm going to get ready and get some breakfast. I'm starving!"
They both laughed. It was 11 O' clock already, and neither of them had realized.
Astrid got up and left the room, leaving Kimaya alone to get ready.
"Come soon," she called out, as she went down the stairs.
Kimaya got ready quickly, and put on denim capris, and a red hoodie. It was August, and kind of hot, but there was a chill in the breeze. Kimaya had no intentions of catching a cold.
Kimaya was about to step out of her room, when her phone buzzed. It was a message from her captor.
"For God's sake, don't go and tell all this to you-know-who. That will seriously mess things up."
"Okay," Kimaya messaged back. She had no intentions of spreading this, but she knew she could trust Astrid.
***
"That was a great breakfast, mom! It's been ages since I ate food made by your master-chef hands!" Astrid said. She would call Mrs. Verma 'mom', because her own mother being a gynaecologist hardly had any time for her. Kimaya's mother was an artist, with a little studio built within the house. She had a few galleries here and there, but she would visit them only sometimes, because there wasn't anything for her to do over there, and most of the accounting work was done by her assistants. So she could give Kimaya a lot of time, and Astrid was like another daughter to her.
Kimaya's mom smiled. "Thank you Astrid. Okay now, I have to go to my gallery today. Kim, make sure you lock the house properly if you both plan to go out. The car is always ready to take you wherever you want. Take care, and be safe. Love you both!"
Kimaya and Astrid gave Mrs. Verma a hug, and closed the door as she left.
"So what should we do now?" Asked Astrid.
"Want to meet Tashanna? Or should we spend this day with only each other?"
"Let's just be alone right now. I want to meet Tashanna, but let's revive old memories today!"
"Sure! So what do you want to do? Tell me what you feel like, and I'll take you to the perfect place for it."
"Umm... Are there some good activity clubs in town? You know the type where there are a hell lot of things to do, and a lot of people around?"
"Yeah, of course! And I know just the place for it. Come on, let's go!"
Kimaya got her purse. Astrid already had hers. They locked up the door properly, and walked towards the car. Kimaya had been to this place many times, if only to get some books from the library within it. It was always a cheerful atmosphere in the club, but Kimaya preferred the quiet of the library. She was seriously anti-social. But well, she would do anything for Astrid, just like Astrid would do anything for her.
The two friends got into the car, and Kimaya gave the directions of the club to the driver. They talked and they laughed; they had a lot of catching up to do. Little did Kimaya know that this day would change her life forever.
Chapter 4
They stepped inside.
"So what all can you do here?" Astrid wanted to do something crazy.
"Well, there's a lot of stuff. There's a swimming pool, a music hub, a gym, a dance hall, arcade gaming, you name it. But the best of all is the library. Anyways, where do you want to go?"
Astrid didn't reply. Kimaya looked at her, and found her gaze fixed at the centre of the hall, where a huge crowd was gathered.
"What's going on there?" asked Astrid.
"I don't know. Let's go find out."
The two girls walked up to the place, and made their way to what was going on.
"Oh God," said Kimaya, "It's an arm wrestling competition with Jake. That guy never loses. Look on."
A bulky man from the audience walked up to Jake. Jake's next competitor. The wrestling started, with each man trying to push the other man's arm down to the table. The crowd went wild, some supporting the competitor, the others supporting Jake, because he would always win.
The match ended. Of course, it was Jake who had won.
"See? He has not lost even one match. Too much power."
Astrid chuckled. "Well, let's go to the music hub, shall we?"
"Sure," said Kimaya, and led Astrid to the music corner.
There were already three people inside the hub. Astrid and Kimaya quietly made their way to the piano, an instrument they both loved. Just when they were about to start---
"Kim?"
Kimaya turned around.
"Vihaan!"
"Hey! Never thought I'd find you here! And who's that pretty brunette with you?" Vihaan was flirtatious by nature. Astrid smiled at Vihaan, a little uncertainly.
"That's Astrid, my best friend from London. And a warning, don't even think of it."
Vihaan laughed. "Okay, I won't, Kimmy."
"Don't call me that!"
"Okay, sorry, Ms. Wildcat."
"I'm going to murder you some day. I'm going to go to hell for that, but I'm still going to do it."
Vihaan burst out laughing, earning glares from people who were trying to seriously play some music. Vihaan smiled apologetically at them, and turned back to Kimaya.
"So? How come you're here? I never thought you were interested in music."
"Yeah, but you don't know me that well, do you?"
"Fair enough. So you're here to play the piano?" asked Vihaan, glancing at the instrument behind Kim and Astrid.
"No, I'm here to bang on its keys and break it."
Vihaan smothered a laugh, not wanting to be glared at again.
"See? You really are a wildcat. Why are you so pissed off with me?"
"You know why."
"I know. But I'm not that bad, am I?
Kimaya looked up at his dark brown eyes, half covered by his black hair. He and Tashanna looked pretty similar... Except that Tashanna didn't let her hair cover her
eyes.
"Maybe not," said Kimaya, after a little pause.
"Glad to know that," said Vihaan, smiling at his sister's best friend. "Okay, I have to go now. It was good seeing you. Bye!"
"Bye," said Kimaya, and returned to Astrid.
They spent the afternoon playing piano, and checking out the library.
As they were stepping out of the library, Astrid stopped.
"I remember you said something about a dance section, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did. It's on the second floor."
A mischievous smile crept up on Astrid's face.
Kimaya realized what it meant. "No way! I am so not going there."
"Come on," pleaded Astrid, "It'll be fun!"
"I said, no."
"You know what Kimmy?"
"What?"
"This morning, before you woke up, I was checking out your room. And...”
Oh shit! Uncertainty was visible on Kimaya's face.
"Yeah, I saw that."
"Saw... What?"
"That stuff you keep in that huge cupboard? The stuff I'm assuming no one has seen and which makes you so possessive about your room. Right?"
"Damn you Andy! I never meant to let anyone know about that! Why on earth did you do that?"
"Come on, Kimmy. You share your darkest secrets with me. But you know, this one is a nice, juicy one. So if you don't take me to the dance area right now, I might just..."
"NO! Fine, we'll go there. But you better not spread this!"
Astrid laughed. She had no intentions of spreading Kimaya's most cherished secret, but well, Kimaya didn't know that, did she?
Kimaya took her best friend to the dance hall. There were crazy songs being played - Pitbull, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, and not to forget, Bollywood. It is India, after all.
"This is awesome!" cried Astrid, as they entered the hall.
***
Kimaya and Astrid left the hall, their moods high. Even Kimaya had enjoyed it.
"Never thought dancing and getting crazy like this could be so much fun!"
"It always is, stupid!"
"Well, for once, thanks for pulling me in here!"
"You're welcome!" said Astrid, laughing.
"So now," asked Kimaya, "Where to?"
"Let's just go home maybe? I've got our old photo albums from London. We can sit and flip through them! With some popcorn and Pepsi, maybe!"
Kimaya agreed. "Fine, let's go."
They came down to the ground floor. They were about to head towards the exit, when they noticed that there was still a huge crowd in the middle of the hall.