A Flight of Love

Chapter 9 - Deep Thoughts

"What would you like to drink?" The bartender asked.

Abhimanyu had managed to find a quiet, quaint place called Alex's Bar & Grill with the perfect low light night time ambience.

"I would like a whiskey on the rocks, with a splash of soda water please." He turned to Akshara, who had now changed from her floral dress to a pair of light wash jeans and a pale pink top.

"Long Island Iced Tea please."

"And keep 'em coming." Abhimanyu added as he began flipping through the mood menu.

As he looked up to ask Akshara what she wanted to eat, he saw a dullness in her eyes, her face filled with worry. She looked lost deep in her thoughts. Abhimanyu snapped his fingers in front of her face before waving his had to gain her attention.

"Hey, where are you lost? Everything okay?"

Akshara shook her head in embarrassment. "Sorry. What were you saying?"

Abhimanyu's went to ground level where saw Akshara tapping her feet against her bar stool. He gave her a pointed look. Akshara glanced down to see where Abhimanyu was looking. Embarrassed she stopped tapping her feet.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you get a call from the customer service lady about my wallet and phone?" She asked anxiously.

"Don't worry. You'll find em. By the way, who is that you wanna call? You can use my phone if you'd like?"

Akshara shook her head, "No, no. It's okay. I just wanted to call home, let them know I'm in Dubai."

"Home...where is home?"

"Udaipur. You?"

The bartender interrupted their conversation by passing them their drinks. Abhimanyu look a sip of his whiskey while Akshara took a giant sip of her Long Island Iced Tea. Abhimanyu couldn't help but smile as he watched Akshara's nose scrunch up in disgust.

"What happened?"

"Too strong."

"Do you want to order food?"

"Chicken fingers and fries please."

"Isn't that a children's meal?"

"We're at the airport, drinking at midnight. Airports are the one place that don't cater to regular human rules!"

"Fine." Abhimanyu turned to the bartender and ordered himself a chicken burger with fries ans Akshara her desired chicken fingers and fries.

"So where were we?" He asked, turning back to face her.

"Home. Where is home for you?"

"Jaipur. But I stay in Mumbai mostly."

"Then what were you doing in the US?"

"Medical conference. I'm licensed to practice in the States too. And I have a few hospitals in New York and California I consult with. So I split my time between the US and Mumbai. What about you?"

"Vacation. My uncle and aunt live in the States so I came to visit them. But they're already in India."

"In India? Leaving you in the States?"

"My sister is getting married. In fact I really hope I get to Udaipur tomorrow. The wedding events start day after and as maid of honour, there is so much preparations i have to do."

The bartender interrupted them again, this time pushing plates of food toward them. And refills of their drinks. Akshara excitedly took a bite of her fries before taking another large sip of her drink.