Imperfect Pyaar

4.) Roshan

O'Hare International Airport has to be one of my favorite places in the whole world. It's beautiful, huge, full of mysteries, secrets, and stories left by those who were here before me. This airport has seen me through over four years of travel, departures, and arrivals and I know the whole thing like the back of my hand.

When I hear the final boarding call for my flight, my first instinct is to recreate that one scene from Home Alone 2 in an attempt at a last-minute Christmas adventure, but I refrain. Instead, I take my luggage and board the plane just like I'm supposed to.

After sticking my carry-on in an overhead bin, I take my seat and pull out my cell phone. 

Missed call from Aakash Patel

Aakash? Why was he calling me? Maybe he texted.

Aakash: bro i met a girl at indy

Aakash: she dropped her wallet so i gave it back and now we're exploring the airport

My eyes went wide. Since when had Aakash taken up an interest in girls? I thought real-life romance was against his moral beliefs, thought only to be experienced through books and movie screens.

Roshan: A girl? That's new

Aakash: ye idk it could be nothing... she's cool tho

Roshan: Indian girl??

Aakash: def desi but idk what kind

Aakash: time will tell

Roshan: Try not to scare her away bud

Aakash: lmfao i'll try my best

Honestly, I'm really happy for the kid. We met at a summer internship program in Chicago, him having driven into the city from Lafayette last year. We became really close and have been keeping in touch since. I never thought that a random girl at the airport would be enough to change his standoffish nature, but there's a first time for everything.

At this time, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position and that your seat belt is correctly fastened. Also, your portable electronic devices must be set to 'airplane' mode until an announcement is made upon arrival. Thank you.

I oblige with the flight attendant's orders, switching my phone to airplane mode and stowing the bag with my laptop in it underneath the seat in front of me.

Leaning back into my own seat, I plug my headphones into my cell, shuffle playing my favorite in-flight playlist— curated years ago by none other than Suhana Sheth. Long, ambient flights in the dark always remind me of her, even though we haven't spoken in years. The playlist brings back memories of high school summers, driving around our little suburb blasting Suhana's meticulous selection of feel-good Bollywood beats.

There have been many occasions where I've considered reaching out, just to see how she's doing, Instagram and Snapchat can only tell me so much. Alas, I never actually do— if she wanted to contact me, she would've by now. Besides, sometimes people just grow apart, even best friends. Especially high school best friends. She's probably made a whole new circle of friends since she started college. She could be in love, engaged too. 

Anyone who's ever known Suhana could tell you that she's made for a sweet yet epic romance. The ones that start off with a fateful encounter, something one may refer to as a "meet-cute". Something like what Aakash has with that girl from the airport. Something that drunken frat party hookups don't qualify as, although they are well within my area of expertise. At least, they used to be.