• Second Chances •

28. Starry Nights

"It's cold!!!" Ram's teeth clattered as he and Priya slowly made their way towards the hotel room. 

Priya looked at him and smiled. She pushed her hands inside the pockets. Everything around them was silent. The hotel was so close to the lake that she could clearly hear the sweet sound the soft waves were making. The sky was cloudless, so clear that it felt like a jet black marble floor. The gravel crunched beneath their boots as they both walked on the path. A silent sigh left her lips. It felt good. 

"Yeah..." she replied. 

"Dinner was amazing! Don't you think?" chirped Ram. "I liked the fish the most. The fact that it was so tasty even without our usual masalas is amazing. I guess this is why fresh produce matters so much." 

Priya nodded. "Yea. I liked everything."

Smiling on his childlike enthusiasm about food, Priya took out the room card from her pocket, flashed it and opened the door of their hotel room. She had silently taken on the mantle of handling all the important things. As cute as Ram was, she didn't really trust him. Priya knew that he would lose the key in a jiffy. And then they would be fined. No one had that kind of spare money.

The comfortable silence between them stretched for long minutes as they both went ahead and did their individual things. Ram went back to quickly scrolling through his work emails whilst Priya walked into the washroom to change into her nighttime clothes.

As she peeled off the clothes from her body, Priya's eyes momentarily gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She always had issues with how dead and sad her eyes seemed. But surprisingly, she could see some life in them now. She let out a sigh.

Priya always thought that only she had all the power in her life. She thought that only she could make herself happy or sad. However, that perception was steadily changing ever since Ram had walked into her life. With his disarming charm and bad jokes, he had begun to make her happy. Could she give him that kind of power? What if at some point in their lives, Ram started to make her miserable as Neeraj did?

She stared at herself. Her face hardened. How was it with Neeraj anyway? She didn't even remember it all that well now. How did she start to date him? And really, what did she see in him? He wasn't even that good looking. One would understand if anyone dated Ram no matter how ill-behaved he was because he was that handsome. But Neeraj?

Priya squeezed her eyes and hastily splashed water on her face. She really needed to stop comparing everyone with Ram. What was wrong with her?

Shaking her head, she wiped her face and slipped into lighter clothes. She didn't need to think so much about Ram. Before his thoughts could plague her mind anymore, Priya dashed out.

She found Ram tucked under the heavy blanket with a glass of red wine. When their eyes met, Ram grinned and remarked, "I was about to send a search party for you. I thought that you got pulled down the flush pipe."

"Yuck!" Priya made a face and took her side of the bed.

Ram chuckled. He then poured the slightest amount of wine into another goblet and offered it to her. "Some wine for the lady?"  

Priya looked at him and the wine, sceptically. "I haven't really had alcohol. Ever."

"I know!" Ram smiled. "But it's a little too cold here and I think a few sips won't hurt you. You will feel better. I promise."

Priya looked at his face, then at the wine. The blood-red liquid didn't look that intimidating. At best, it looked like her Mami's famous Roohafza sharbat. But it was Ram's gentle assurance that was more comforting. She was falling into the rabbit hole but somehow, she didn't have the heart to stop herself from doing it. He wouldn't lie to her, would he?