I wanted to question my choice of continuing my trip with Nachiket but it was too late. I don't know what I was thinking but agreed to go on this trip due to his vulnerability. It was not not sympathy but a gut feeling that I could trust him. Now, watching him sleep on hay, made me wonder what all adventures are yet to uncover. I sat watching the sun rise from the horizon beyond the hills and eventually fell asleep.
We were woken up by the commotion going around us. Nachi looked at me confused and we both got up to check it. We were at the border check and they were going through a quick passport check before letting the vehicles pass. As our truck got closer, I started feeling nervous and I guess he sensed it.
"Don't worry, we'll explain them our situation.", he gently patted on my hand.
"Can we see your passports?", the officer came upto us.
Nachi handed them the passports and explained them the situation. They were skeptical at first but after looking through our luggage they let us pass safely. The sun was over head so the driver advised us to get in the cab. W started talking about trip and he told us about his family. He was a very friendly guy.
We offered our bus tickets money after we reached but he only took half of it.
"Half for a good company.", he was a jolly man.
We were early to the train station, so we decided to have breakfast nearby. We took a breakfast meal which came with coffee and different types of bread with sides of spread. It was a hearty breakfast followed by yawns.
"You slept early before me, yet you sleepy?", I teased him
"Yeah, last few days were exhausting."
"They were.", I agreed and continued, "What are your plans for Salzburg."
"We'll go the Mozart museum after we rest for a bit. Attend a musical show if its available. We can explore shooting sites of sound of music."
"Woah, you are a music buff, aren't you?"
"Big one.", he smiles sheepishly
"Is there a story?"
"My mom loved music. She used to listen to old Hindi songs. I started learning piano but it didn't attract me much so I switched to drums. I got bored of that so I tried violin but again same. Guitar didn't attract me that time, I started playing the ukulele. I had found my instrument. I kept switching then. At 14, I was a part of a band. When I turned 16, I made a band of my own."
"A child prodigy, I see."
He scoffed but continued, "My grades started falling and my group started changing. My parents didn't like it. They made me stop everything till I graduated. That showed me the magic of busking. I used to sneak out and sing on the streets occasionally."
"Wow, not so innocent afterall."
"Yup, my partner in crime was the best support system", he eyes were distant
"Ohh... your girlfriend?", I teased.
He glanced at me sharply and nodded.
"What happened then?"
"Life happened and we broke apart on mutual terms."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it happened a couple of years ago."
"Are you over it?"
"First love stings, anyways, what's your story, Rhea?"
"I don't have a story.", I laughed thinking about my life till now, "I was an average student all my life. Straight A, kind of kid with couple of friends. I went to a girls college for my graduation so didn't stand a chance of having a boyfriend. I graduated with flying colors and landed the job."
He stared at me clearly not believing a word of it.
"It is true."
"You are trying to tell me, Miss goody two shoes, is on a solo trip without a backstory?"
"Yes! My life is pretty set. I wanted the job and then settle down with someone reliable. I'm a hopeless a romantic so I want to fall in love with my husband directly. I don't want these petty heartbreaks, I have experienced enough from my friends."
He stared at me shocked.
"This trip is taste of freedom and independence before tying myself down with responsibilities. I had planned of doing this after my graduation and saved up for this."
"Are you planning on hooking up with stranger kind of trip?"
"What? No!", I scoffed, "Boys only think that way. I want to taste the independence, the feel of spending my own money on something I like, the taste of culture which is different from mine, the sight of beautiful hidden places, the difference in wine from every country and the sound of music from diverse languages."
"Wow, is this original?"
"Yes."
"You're a girl with ambitions."
"You are a guy with dreams."
We smiled at each other before our conversation took break. An hour later we pulled up at Salzburg and I felt the temperature drop drastically. We wrapped ourselves in jackets and started looking for a place to stay. We booked a hotel at the help desk and took a cab till there.
The place we chose was a boutique hotel with great amenities. We decided to share a room and split the bill. The room was luxurious and big enough for both of us. We put our bags away and I walked off to take a long bath. I came back after a while and found the room empty. There was a note scrawled on my side table which said,
"Going to the reception to fix us some lunch, I have not taken the key so please don't sleep"
I smiled to myself and walked to the balcony to enjoy the view. He came back after 15 minutes followed by housekeeping service and food. The food is setup on the table outside. We take a few pictures before eating.
"Do you want to go see the museum now?", he asked after lunch.
"Sure."
We spent the rest of day exploring Mozart's museum which was his house converted for public display. Nachi kept feeding inputs of information he knew while walking. His passion for music was very notable by the way he spoke. We ended up having dinner outside before coming back to our hotel.
"Pick a side and stick to it.", I said pointing towards the bed.
"You choose, I'll freshen up."
I chose the right side and made a partition with pillows in the middle. I almost fell asleep by the time he returned. He scoffed and muttered something under his breath before switching off the lights. I heard the sheets shuffle and the felt bed dipped with weight before falling into a deep slumber after a long time.
A/n
Salzburg day 1 is complete, sorry for not giving much details about the city. Lets see more about city in the next chapter with the introduction to the new city. Which city do you think is the next? Any guesses? 😂 I hope you guys are enjoying the story, i'll add more details and corrections when I edit it again. Thank you for reading!
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One Night's Steal
Romance"Its this way or the highway", he extended his hand from a hay truck he had climbed on. I contemplated on grabbing his hand and waiting on the highway for the next bus. "I don't have all the time of this world miss!", the driver shot back. "You hea...
