Beneath the Vivid White Coats

Iyana: The cure for anything is saltwater. -Isak Dinesen

There are so many shops lining the shore. I am not much for shopping but the stuff they are selling looks too good. We are just walking along the streets admiring at everything, I don't even realise when Sana and Shrey stray away from us. I am left with Vivaan and Aarav who don't seem to mind me visiting every other shop and not buying anything. At least, they are not complaining out aloud.

"You know what, are you even going to buy something, anything?" Vivaan asks me finally. I just jut my tongue out. "I just feel good looking at all these pretty things."
"My mouth is literally running dry. I need a drink." Aarav tells us. Then the three of us go to this small cafe that resembles a cute cabin. I order a cold frappe, when they both order mocktails.
"Can we go sit next to the shore after we are done here?" I plead. "Yeah totally!" Aarav agrees.

I remembered to take a good big bottle of sun screen lotion with me, I so didn't want to get a sun burn.

We sit under the shade of a palm tree though and just enjoy the serenity of this place.
After a while Aarav breaks the silence, "so Iyana, where are you from?" He asks. "We stay at a place near Mangalore now." I reply. "Where are you both from?" I ask, curious now.
"Bangalore." Aarav replies.
"Been in Bangalore all my life." Vivaan tells me.
"Oh, I've actually visited and stayed at almost all the major cities, even Bangalore. It's just a blur. I could hardly make any good friends at school. By the time I make one, I had had to shift." I tell them.
"Why is that?" Vivian asks curiously. "Where do your parents work?"
"My dad was a teacher in Central School. My mom works in the bank. So both of them got transferred often." I tell them.
"So you are original from?" Aarav asks.
"Somewhere in Uttarakhand." Even I was not sure. "Where are you guys originally from?" I ask. "We both are originally from Bangalore too. We have lived a boring life in comparison." Aarav laughs.
"Mom and dad?" I ask.
"They work in the RBI. Please don't ask me to get new money for free, I can't do that." He jokes again.
"My mom is no more. My dad works for a watch factory." Vivaan tells me with a very neutral expression.
"I'm so sorry, Vivaan." I apologise quickly. I realise at that moment, some of why he is the way he is.
"Don't be Iyana. I loved my mom and I like to talk about her." He tells me. "It keeps her memories alive."
"Tell me more about her." I plead softly, wishing to understand more. I'll
"My mom is better than every other mom in the world. I miss her a lot. She used to run along with me every morning. She used to cook awesome food. She used to think I'm the best. She used to understand even the deepest desires of mine, she fulfilled them. She kissed me good night. She guided me to find the light even in the darkest of darkest nights." Vivaan tells me.

I don't realise when tears had started running down my face. I am unable to tell anything to him. I am unable to tell him it's okay. Because it is not. It is completely unfair. At that moment, Vivaan brushes the tears off of my cheeks with the tips of his rough fingers. And more tears fall through.
"It's okay, Iyana." Vivaan says. "You sometimes remind me of someone that I used to know of when I was a kid."
I smile through my tears.

We leave the shore. Aarav wanted to get some sleep before we start the evening. He is tired from all the driving he did. I want to rest too. We all head to our separate rooms in a lodge. I am sharing my room with Sana. Sana is still not back. I deliberate calling her, but I know she is in safe hands with Shrey. I call my mom second time that day and assure her that I am completely safe.

We decide to go clubbing in the night. I am not that much of a dancer, thankfully because the dance floor is too crowded. I realise that Sana and Shrey are designed for each other. They dance to every damn song without catching their breaths.

Aarav, me and Vivaan are left watching the dance floor, together again. But, Aarav gets up, walks up to the bar and orders himself a drink. And another one. He orders drink after drink, after that.
I look at Vivaan, concerned. "It's his first time, he wants to drink, I will take care of him." He says. "Shrey can drive us back."

"Don't you like dancing?" He asks me, after a while.
" I will dance if you pay me." I laugh. He begins to remove his purse, "I was joking" I add and he begins to laugh.
"Me too, I don't think I can dance." He says.
" What do you mean? You haven't tried dancing?" I ask shocked.
"Iyana if you pass this opportunity, you can never get drunk in your life." Sana appears out of thin air.
" I am not drinking." I tell her.
" don't you be a spoilt sport. Just this once with me. Let yourself go." She coaxes. "Shrey and Vivaan will take care of us." She adds.
"Okay just one drink." I tell her.

"The cure for anything is Saltwater, sweat, tears or the sea."-Isak Dinesen