3. Are we meant to be together

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We safely landed in Delhi. Everybody were ready to separate to their respective destination expect me and Vimal. We sat together to complete the registration process. I  had still two more hours for my flight.

But that wasn't the only reason I agreed to his request. I wanted to spend more time with him.  I wished to know more about his life other than his social works and knowledge. I believe that character not always comes in line with skills. I  sharpened my eyes to analyse his moves. But he was focused on his work which disappointed me a little. We finished off the work within half an hour.

He relaxed his posture and stretched his hands. He then made a call to inform the news to the incharge of his NGO. I shifted my eyes apart and glanced at various people seated. I could hear thunder sounds within seconds. I was a bit startled.

Vimal came back after the call. I could notice a change in his eyes. His focused eyes were a bit confused. He sat near me and was hesitant to speak about something. Though I knew his struggle, I didn't try to initiate the talk. At last, he started the conversation.

"Shall we have some coffee?" He asked.

I hid my smile and replied, "Nah. I prefer tea. Still the price and taste will be the worst in airports".

The look he gave was unimaginable. I didn't want to make him suffer more.

"Vimal, do you need to say something?" I asked him.

Though shocked he responded, "Yes. I kind of..like your attitude. So can we be friends?".

I smiled at him and said, "Why, not? But one condition. You shouldn't embarrass me through remarks like in the message you sent me".

He laughed at that. Then we spoke about lots of things about my family and his friends. But he was hesitant to speak about his family.

"So, how about your family? Do you have any siblings?" I asked out of curiosity.

His face darkened and became devoid of emotions.

"I'm a single child. My mother passed away four years ago. My dad owns a factory that manufactures pickles"

I felt bad hearing that. Why do I feel that he is desperate to hide the pain? I tried to comfort him by placing my hand over his. For a moment, his eyes looked vulnerable. I decided to question him regarding that.

But Anita's voice interrupted us, "Hey guys" along with the others. Vimal took his hands at instant.

"Thank god. We didn't miss you" Anita said.

"What happened? Is anything wrong?" I asked and stood up from my seat.

"Yes. The weather is bad and it is reported to remain the same. So all our flights have been  cancelled" Anita answered.

I was shocked. I checked my mobile. There were five calls from Mom and friends. I informed them and made a call to Mom. She was a bit worried. I assured her and explained the situation.

"So how do we get back to our places?" Raghav asked.

We were all confused. We contacted our friends and family for help. Situation became worse as every place outside were flooded with water. Public transports stopped functioning. We were trying to find private transports which were already booked by others.

That's the time Vimal spoke, " I know a friend in Delhi who owns a car. We can use that. Let's move to Punjab which will take four hours time. You all can stay in my place until things get settled down.

Everyone hesitated for sometime but no other plan struck our mind as helpful as that. So we gave in. I was unusually nervous to travel to his house especially after he revealed so much at it. I don't he has a healthy relationship with his father. I informed my parents about this and about my stay in a friend's house. I assured her about safety concerns.

Within sometime, a car has arrived to pick us amid the flooded water. It was a rare occasion to spot this. The main roads were quite easy to travel. But the small roads were too difficult. Vimal seemed quite distant as his eyes avoided me after that.

What is running in his mind?

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