Afterlife Of Ember And Rhea

Chapter 67: There In The Room We Met

It was day four at the hospital. Jessica had come to check up on Rhea. She was doing okay after Ember got into his senses.

"Let's...go back to LA." He said.

"I can't. Remember?" She looked upset. "My passport has been suspended. And same for my family."

He looked at her with sympathy. "I can organise a helicopter."

She looked surprised. "Wow, but why do I need to go to the USA? I'm going to school here."

"For what? Someone still needs to be proven innocent!" She stayed quiet. "Believe me, we can make things alright. You can stay with us there."

"Ember, we had to return to India eventually someday. I don't see a point to worsen things. I suggest you to go back home."

"Things will get better! And how can you tell me to leave? Didn't you miss me??" He said, out of a flow. "I-I mean, you know, you left without any notice and-" He stopped.

"I missed you, Ember." She looked into his eyes. "But now that I know you're alright, I won't miss you anymore. Go back." She got up and he held her hand.

"Please, Rhea, listen to me. You can't keep the fake guilt on yourself forever. I'm sure we can figure things out once we get there." He said with sincerity in his eyes.

"It's not that easy! You know my parents are away. If they know I'm missing, and that to, to America, I-"

Jessica stepped in with Noor. "Hey, how are you?"

Ember released Rhea's hand and looked at her. "I'm good. But you are...?"

"I'm their cousin. I'm looking after them until their parents return from their trip. If you don't mind, you can visit us after you recover?" She smiled.

"What a mom." Noor rolled his eyes and received a pinch.

"I recovered completely! I'd love to visit you guys!" Ember tried getting up on his feet. Rhea supported him.

"Are you really okay?"

"Yes! I can break a leg!" He laughed. "Well, quite literally."

He wasn't discharged until the next day. The sun was shining, the weather was great and Ember wanted to roam around the city with Rhea.

"No way!" She got startled. "I can't be seen on the street with a blondie!"

"What's wrong with being a blondie? Especially a blondie who's tall and attractive?" She rolled her eyes at him and he smiled. "I really want to go out with you."

"Wait, g-go go-go out??"

"Yup!"

"No, he can't be dumb, he knows what he's saying." She thought. "O-kay." She said as she threw a cap at him. He looked at it. "It's signed by my favorite cricketer. You should be honored you're getting to wear it." He smiled and wore it.

"Let's go?"

"Lemme get ready, oh God." She smiled. He didn't listen to her. He grabbed her forearm and ran out of the house. They sneaked out of the sight of Charles and got onto Rhea's bicycle. "He had a car." She said as he paddled.

"I just want to spend time with you. Plus, the car is rented so it's not my preferred car." He paddled at full speed as Rhea held his cap on his head with one hand and the other on his waist.

"I look like a fool in this position." She complained.

"More like a phool." He smiled and she tried to look at his face.
(Tn//phool;flower)

"You know hindi?"

"Not really. Just a few words." He said and stopped the bicycle near a bush of flower in front of the mall. "Is it allowed to pick them?" He enquired.

"No."

He picked up a red flower and handed it over to her.

"What the-" She laughed and he got onto the bike again as a watchman(security guard) rushed towards them. They giggled as Ember paddled the cycle inside the mall. "Get down! We need to separate in order to trick the guard."

"We're never separating ever again." He said as he continued paddling and Rhea blushed. They left the bicycle at the escalator and ran up the stairs to the second floor as the security guard took over the cycle. They rushed towards the room where they met while giggling with laughter. They caught their breath at the room.

"My cycle is gone." She laughed and Ember took a seat. "Eww the benches are dirty."

"See this." He ignored her complaint and pointed at the desk. Rhea peeped inside to look.

"I saw this long ago."

"Did you write this?" He smirked.

"I saw this way before we met."

"Seriously?" They looked at each other. "Were there some lovers with our names?"

"W-weird, right?!"

"Not really." He got up and removed the remaining newspaper from the window. The hospital was in the view from a long distance.

"We met here for the first time and we met there for the last time." She mumbled.

"Huh?" He looked at her.

"Nothing." She looked at the bird walking on the electrical wires.

There was silence in the scene as Rhea kept staring outside through the window and Ember walked around the classroom to explore the place.

"This used to be a classroom, it seems." He finally spoke. "Did you come here often?"

Rhea turned to him. "This mall is really old and I never saw anyone around this place."

"I went to a place similar to this." He said. "There's an abandoned school nearby to where I live in California. Recently I heard that the school was the previous building of our school. They shifted cause the building caught fire many years ago and it still hasn't been recovered."

"You went in?" She laughed.

"I did." He answered her and she stopped laughing cause he was serious. "I found a keyring in a locker that had your name and a notebook in one of the classrooms that had....the same thing written as here."

"WHAT!"

"Do you think," He narrowed his eyes and smirked. "We had been past lovers?"

"Pff-" She scoffed. "It's a coincidence!"

"Are you sure? This is too right to be wrong." He looked at the bench. Why do I feel that I have written it?"

"But you never came to India before." She laughed. "And there's no way you'd ship us!" He looked at her laughing as sadness spread over his face.

"I know right..." He faked a smile.

-to be continued...

Arorhea Laghari
— Afterlife Of Ember And Rhea