The Scenic Life

Chapter 24

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After that meeting, time went by like hurricane. Vihaan and I completed all our projects on the list in less than a week. We had to hurry like bullet trains to get everything completed.
Now, were seated on the airplane back to Mumbai. Fortunately, this time Vihaan was next to me instead being far away. My brain is quite surprisingly not anxious this morning.

We woke up today at five in the dawn and reached the airport three hours early before our takeoff. I had been quite grumpy at Vihaan for making us wake up this early, but then he had defended himself by saying that ‘you aren’t indian enough if you don’t reach the airport hours early’. I had laughed at his face, but seeing his honest expression made me smile a bit,

“yeah, okay. Just like how you're not indian enough if you don’t have a plastic bag for storing all the plastic bags, right?”

He laughs aloud.

Being in the airport brought me back to the memories of boarding our first plane together for rajasthan. Never in a million years had I thought at that moment that I would be sitting in the waiting area of an airport beside Vihaan with sandwiches in our hands and laughing over ancient tactics of our parents.

But it’s a nice change.

Just a few more days, I assure myself, and then ill hopefully  see this laugh everyday.
Vihaan nudges me out of my reverie. I turn my attention to what he has to say,

“hmm?”

He points the little tv on the seat infront of him, “have you watched this movie?”

He's pointing to call me by your name, one of my favourites, of course I had seen it.

I nod my head. “have you?”

He shakes his head. “no,”

“lets watch it then.” I press play on the tv.

By the end of the movie, my head has found his shoulder and his hand has found mine. Were close but nit close enough to break our promise, which I am grateful for. Although the strong scent of his deodorant and his curls touching my forehead has made me a bit crazy.

When our plane lands, we both sit for a while and wait for other people to get out. A strong sense of déjà vu is washing over me, and I think Vihaan can remember too, because when he stands up to take my handbag from above us, he gives a small smile. I give one back.

Being back home feels a bit surreal, the never ending humidity and heat of Mumbai feels homely. I cant believe I have missed this. All the other times, I complain about the same thing constantly, but now that I've been away from it for the few days,I am surprised that I missed it. it’s a surprise how a human mind works.
When we pick our luggage back from the baggage carousel, and head towards the exit of the airport. Vihaan, with his duffel bag on his shoulders and I with my suitcase as well as a duffelbag, we look like road travellers.

My phone vibrates from my pocket and I nudge Vihaan to stop for second. when I check the caller id I find that its my dad calling me.

“hey dad.”

“hey, honey. I just saw your live location that you sent me and it says you're already in mumbai! Did you land okay?”

I let out a laugh, “were you sitting with your eyes glued on the phone, dad?”

He is silent for a while. “no.”

I laugh once more. When he pauses a bit while answering, it is clear that he is lying. I find it endearing that he was just waiting for me to land. I'm lucky to have a father like him.

“yeah, sure dad. Well, I just landed a while ago. And now I'm going back home.”

“oh, okay. I just called to ask if it was possible for you to come for lunch directly at our house? I know you must be tired-,”

I interrupt him, its been a while since I've seen my old man, i miss him. And I don’t like that he has to ask me to come for lunch.

“of course. I'll hail a taxi directly at your place. Ill be there in about an hour, okay?”

“okay honey see you.”

“see you,”

I hang up the phone, with a smile on my and see that vihaan is looking at me with a weird smile.

“what?” I whisper denfensively.

“nothing, its just you look like a little kid when you speak to your dad. its cute.”

I huff, “I'm always cute.”

He grins, and walks ahead.

"Cant argue with that.”

And just like that, my whole face turns red.

Vihaan and I hail the same taxi, as Vihaan lives on the same path as my dad, we find that it would be easier and a saving if we just took the same taxi.
I make myself comfortable and try to make absorb as much of Mumbai I can in these few minutes. The weather isn’t as bad as it usually is, so the day is a treat. Vihaan beside me, leans his head against the seat.
Were both as comfortable and warm as we've ever been, but this moment is scattered when our phones bing simulteneously. His eyes open in a fright and we both check our phones in a fright, fearing that the office group would be blaring in bad news or something. But when we actually check our phones, its just a head up by Nikhil saying that the two weeks notice should be sent by 2 in the afternoon.

It is one forty four right now.
I let out a sigh, relieved that it isn’t something majorly negative, but then the reality of hitting send on the email that Vihaan and I had drafted hits me like a truck going at 2oo kms. Its frightening but at the same time, the though of everything getting over seems exhilarating.

Beside me, Vihaan takes out his laptop on his lap and opens the google mail site. I take a deep breath and rest my back against the back seat like a turtle retreating back to its shell back in its shell.

Vihaan presses send on the laptop, and I let out the breath. Vihaan is resigned in his posture, like he isn’t as nervous as I am that this might probably BE THE  end of our careers, that this might just ruin every relationship we've ever had, that the possibility of this working out is very slim.
My nerves have taken control of me once again, I feel my self closing up but I resist. I resist the control over me, I resist the black shadows coming over me. I resist.

And then I press send.