Along the Lines of Love | ✓

Chapter 15 : Just The Beginning

Off schedule update! My wanderlust is at it's peak right now.🥺

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chhotaa sa fasaana, kisi ko pataa naa, isse kya bataana

♪

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Nikhil didn't like lying to his mother. However, he had blatantly lied to his mother, telling her that he had to travel for a business trip to Chennai. Now in retrospect he felt guilty about it. But if he had told her that he was going with Arun, Gargi and Sharanya, to Ooty; he was sure she'd have something to say that he wouldn't like. He was almost certain his mother wouldn't like the idea of going on a trip with his to-be-wife. Somehow his mother was more conservative when it came to him than his siblings, or so he thought. 

Or you like staying in her good books! A voice in his head whispered.

Honestly, there was a part of him that really wanted to be a twenty-year-old guy, make friends and have fun. He wanted to catch up on all that he had missed because he was too busy making his career, making a namefor himself  in the industry.

When Arun had proposed the idea of the road trip to Ooty over the weekend, he was tempted to say no. Like he always did to anything that required him to step out of the zone of comfort and confidence, he had built for himself over the years. It was easier to stay behind the screen review code, improvise strategies and evaluate performances, heck even desing proposals for possible clients.

But something Arun said made him reconsider. Arun had made sense when he said it was a good way of spending time with Sharanya without being concerned about what others would say. Frankly, he wanted to know Sharanya, wanted to spend time with her. It would help him be assured that he was making the right choices.

He glanced at the bouquet of flowers — gerberas only. They were a combination of white, pink and purple ones. With a box of chocolates— dark chocolates; he had found out from Gargi via Arun that she liked those. He had requested the florist to scribe the message— Happy Birthday Sharanya on the message card. She didn't have to know that his handwriting wasn't pleasant to read.

He was restless. All of this—buying flowers, gifts— was so stupid. He had mentioned the same more subtly to Arun and the man had laughed saying he would just get used to buying gifts. He sighed, looking out of the window.

He had never imagined he'd be preparing himself for a road trip early on a Friday morning instead of bracing himself for a series of review meetings. The day was one of a kind.

* * *

"Hey, birthday girl is here," Gargi had greeted her opening the door.

Sharanya smiled reciprocating her quick hug and then pulled in her trolley bag. "I still feel guilty for denying Akshu and Harshit's pleas to come along." She said, leaving her travel bag by the wall.

Earlier on Sharanya wasn't even ready for the sudden weekend getaway to Ooty. But Gargi had very cleverly done, what she was best at— manipulating her mind.

Nikhil would come too.

In mere twenty minutes, Gargi had given her all the reasons for making this trip. First and foremost being, she hadn't travelled for a long time. Second, they had never got around to making a trip together since the past three to four years. Next, Ooty would be a perfect place to visit in this time of the year. Further, this was her chance to know Nikhil more.