Sun Kissed

Chapter 1: Plan

I was just going to sit down on my sofa to catch up on Doctor Who when my phone rang. I was surprised to see the name displayed but a smile graced my face nonetheless.

"Hi Varun! After such a long time. Kaisa chal raha hai?" excitement evident in my tone as I ask my high school friend.

"Sab theek. But I need to tell you something... actually ask advice about." He replies nervously.

"Oookaay, ask right away."

" I'm going to propose to Divisha"

"It's high time you did that" I reply with a chuckle.

Divisha and Varun were together since after our tenth-grade exams finished. And have been still going strong for eight years now. They were apart from each other for most of this long period but their love was strong and now it was high time to start a life together. They were not like those weird high school couples, but actually pretty mature. They understood that they require time to build themselves and then they could have all the time in the world with each other.

"Yeah.. though both of us have discussed this, I still want to surprise her. And for that, I want all of your help." He replies nervously.

"All... In the sense, the whole gang!?" I asked excitedly.

" Hell yeah! All of you played an important role in our relationship so why not."

"That's amazing news! So, what do you have in mind?"

"I want all of us to go to Andaman. She'll love the beach. And I have something in mind. So... How's that?"

"Andaman is a great idea. It's beautiful. Perfect for a proposal. Just thinking about it is giving me goosebumps." I reply with a longing sigh.

" Okay, then let's call the others, and give them the news!" He says excitedly.

"My favourite couple is now going to get married. Oh God! You have grown so much!" I say with a fake sadness

"Haan haan, chal bye. Talk to you soon.' And then ends the call once I bid him goodbye.

1 day before the trip

I had packed everything. We were going for 6 days. 'We' included Varun, Divisha, Kaushal, and Saahil. My Best friend slash neighbour, Sudhiksha could not come because she had joined a summer internship and could not miss it for the world. We all would miss her but anyways...

Kaushal and Saahil were made aware of the plan and for obvious reasons Divisha was kept out of the loop. For her, this was just a reunion of our high school squad.

In one way that was true but not entirely. We had actually not met each other for a very long time now so this provided as an occasion to see each other.

Double checked my tickets, and all the other essentials. I had gone shopping the previous day and was pretty satisfied with my new pair of RayBans, three sundresses, and pair of denim shorts.

I stared at the walls of my tiny flat that I had rented out when I first came to Washington D.C. I tried to think over the things that I might have missed. Went over my list three more times and when I was satisfied I sprawled myself over my bed letting out a tired huff. Packing for a trip always excited me but it was too damn tiring.

The excitement did not let me close my eyes. I stared at the ceiling and thought. I was recollecting my high school days. It was the only time when the whole squad was at the same place. After that our paths split. We tried to keep in contact but to be honest it was quite difficult. Life became busier day after day. Where we hardly had the time to sit down and have a proper meal, how could we even imagine keeping in touch with old friends?

And that's the reason why Varun and Divisha's relationship surprises me. Actually... It does not. They always somehow found time to spend with each other. The understanding between each other was truly inspiring. I envy their love sometimes. They are so damn perfect for each other that it's ridiculous. And that's why I support them so much.

Their relationship has the right amount of dependency, the right amount of passion, the right amount of joy and the right amount of heat.

I want something like that.

Sometimes I feel lonely and long for a loving touch. Somebody to come back home to. To take care of me. Someone I can take care of. Someone who will listen to each and every word of mine while running their fingers through my hair. Someone who knows my every desire. Someone to hold me and tell me that everything will be fine. Someone who I can cuddle with. Someone who holds my hand forever and ever. And finally who loves me unconditionally.

My mind wanders into the fantasies of love. Unknown it is to me when these fantasies may come to life and my soulmate sweeps me off my feet.

I don't realise when my eyes flutter close and I am dragged into the world of dreams. In my dreams, I do things that my conscious mind neither has the courage nor ability to perform.