Chapter 8

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Teja exhaled slowly as she stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. Running a hand over her outfit; ripped jeans with a crop top and a jacket she thought she was dressed perfectly, even if she had little clue on the plan for the night. Karan had kept it vague, sending her a pin of the location... some hilltop a half an hour away from her house. Whether or not meeting him was a good idea, Teja was yet to decide but had only completely agreed when he agreed to her driving. Irrespective of being so demanding, Karan still let her have her way in a few things like selecting the location previously or driving by herself - a quality Tejasswi appreciated as she prided herself on independence and did not want to be dependent on him for her way back in case things got weird. Driving would also give her some time with her thoughts and Teja needed it since there was a lot of distraction at home. Initially, it had been awkward telling her brother about the plan but she had managed to pull it off casually telling Pra how she planned on meeting Karan as he was flying back the next day. Since her brother had no idea about their friendship or lack thereof, he didn't ask a thousand questions. Ashu was one she was worried about but luckily, her friend had gone back to her hotel so it was a concern for later.

Teja left her place with mixed feelings about this meeting. Truth be told, she was scared. Not because of Karan... but because of how she felt... and how she'd feel if she was walking into another heartbreak. She had no place in her life for casual relationships... she couldn't do casual and whatever she felt, it was far from that. It was the literal truth. No matter how much she denied it in front of everyone but deep down Tejasswi knew she felt something for Karan. It wasn't crazy or strong... maybe just a wisp... yet to be conjured into fully blown feelings but it was there, on the surface, starting to make its way up. And it scared her. She was no stranger to heartbreak but a broken heart for Teja had an entirely different meaning. It meant losing all the sense of right and wrong, of self-respect, to the point of misery. It was what drove her from India to the States in a desperate attempt to fix it. And she had tried. So hard. Teja had given her everything to mend her broken relationship but maybe it was too late. She would have flown back but she just wasn't ready to face the loneliness of her house and the concerned faces of her parents as she dealt with it. In a lot of ways, being with her brother and cousins helped. They were all in one place so it was a wholesome environment making it easy to pull out. Pratik had always been her biggest support system and he had been there through it all. It had been a while and Teja was healing but opening her heart still scared the living daylights out of her. It was why she would always block even slightly playful attempts towards her... but with Karan it was different. No matter how hard she tried, she just could not resist it. It was what had gotten her there. Lost in thought, she was pulled out of her reverie by the voice of the google maps as it brought her to the destination."Relax Googly... I get it." Teja muttered to the map, parked her car, and looked straight ahead.

" Teja muttered to the map, parked her car, and looked straight ahead

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The field ahead of her was beautiful. It was vast, and from what she had researched, it was one of the best spots for stargazing. It wasn't a place she had expected Karan to choose but was pleased that he had. The only problem was... there didn't seem to be a food outlet close by. And that was a MAJOR problem. Another problem was the uncertainty that clouded her. Part of her wanted to reverse and drive back but the other part was nervous, jittery, and excited to see him. Another reason for her excitement was that in these eight months, Teja had seldom toured places like these. She was a travel freak so you could imagine how hard it was. Due to lockdown, a lot of places were closed as per US restrictions and had only started opening. The closest you could do was walk out to the nearest state park or go road-tripping in cities that allowed. Teja sighed and glanced down at her phone contemplating whether to text him or wait in the car until he did but a rap on her window made her jump. There he was... Karan standing right outside her car. She was so lost in her own world that she had hardly looked for his car in the parking lot. A soft expression replaced her surprise and she slipped out of her car, taking her purse but not before making sure her car lights were off. Teja had a bad habit of leaving them on.

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