Dawn of Spring

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ahana exclaimed, kicking the tire with all her power. "Your car is a piece of trash," she continued, "and you haven't got a Stepney."

She grumbled for the fifth time.

It's not like Vivaan was keeping track. He was irritated beyond words, pressing his palms into his temples to relieve the hammering pain. Looking up at the sky, he let the breeze wash through his hair to help alleviate his headache.

"Seriously, just stop. This is becoming quite tiresome." He spoke with his eyes closed.

"Becoming?"

Vivaan suggested taking the highway to avoid the commercial district and get home faster. It was a wise decision since traffic congestion was usually high at night. Things would have been easier if they were closer to the city, but alas, all they could see were the bright headlights of vehicles speeding into the darkness.

"What do you think we should do?"

"You tell me, 'Mister, I know the way from the back of my head.'" She mimicked him.

"If we walk, no, wait, listen to me," Vivaan shook his head and hastily added, noticing her expression go from passive to incredulous. "Just a kilometer, maybe two. I know a side lane that leads us to the commercial area. We hail a cab. We leave."

He explained the plan carefully, gauging her reaction, holding a thumbs-up sign at the end to silently ensure her agreement.

The day felt far too hectic for Ahana to find the guts to challenge him and devise a new plan. She was exhausted, and all she wanted to do was sleep. Barely registering her actions and humming her head in agreement, the duo followed the route and walked for a mile and a half until the street light appeared in their line of sight.

Ahana scowled at his deduction. It was much, much longer than two kilometers.

Vivaan cannot possibly be good at math.

Perhaps, he just wanted her to stop ranting.

The strenuous walk had taken its toll on the pair, and they found themselves drenched in sweat and desperately gasping for air. She wished she had more water for herself at times such as these.

"What now?" Ahana spoke in between her breaths. Her throat was sore and dry as she swallowed down a lump. The bag on her shoulder was causing an aching pain across her sore muscles.

Never jog with a laptop in your carry bag. She made a mental note.

His fingers were working quickly on his cell phone. He frowned in concentration, tapping away at the screen. She asked what he was doing, and he swiveled the phone around and showed her the display. Evidently, there were no cabs to be found.

"Are you kidding me?" She groaned, giving the scenario some thought. She checked her watch. It's not that late. "How is it even possible?"

He was only slightly ahead of her in his thought process. "Let's take the lift."

Without waiting for her reply, Vivaan held her hand and started marching forward. She stumbled on her feet, tripping slightly, feeling her legs giving away. They felt too light and numb after running hard.

"Woah. Stop." She yanked her hand away to disengage herself from him. "I can walk on my own."

He could only comply. One of the best aspects of nights was that they were never silent. He was well aware of this. Therefore, one doesn't have to worry about getting lifts since one or two cars pass in less than fifteen minutes.

The same last fifteen, plus five more minutes and thirty-six seconds, by his watch, they have been walking on the road hoping some good soul would agree to stop by. It's true, he reasoned, that one or two cars pass every fifteen minutes, but did he mean to claim that they stop at the hitchhiking?