Nayab, a brilliant and meticulous MBBS student, possesses a mind built for calculations and precision. Her dreams are set on excelling in her medical career, leaving no room for frivolities or romantic distractions. Meanwhile, Danish, a vivacious an...
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Danish folded his shirts and neatly placed them inside the suitcase. Yayha, who was half-lying on the bed, was staring aimlessly at the wall ahead of him. Danish gave him a concerned look. "I will be back before you know it."
Yayha pouted sadly. "I don't think so. You are going for more than ten days."
Danish ruffled his hair lovingly, and continued packing.
"Your exams are around. So focus on your studies. And remember, I am always a call away." Danish said as they stood on the porch.
Yayha hugged his dear brother and blinked rapidly to get rid of the tears accumulated in his eyes. Danish next hugged Yusuf, Mustafa and Sumaya.
"Take care," He kissed his chachi's forehead before reluctantly getting in the car.
While pulling his luggage out of the trunk of the car outside the airport, he dialed Catherine.
"Where are you, Cathy?"
"Pulling in.. hold on, I can see you." She said through the speaker and true enough, he felt a car stop behind him. He shut the trunk and turned around. Catherine stepped out of the passenger seat and waved at him with a bright smile. He smiled back before a man emerged from the driver's seat. He was Duke.
"How are you, man?" Duke came forward to shake hands with Danish.
"I am doing good. How about you?"
After the pleasantries were over, Duke and Catherine came closer and gave each other a long goodbye kiss.
"I will miss you." He spoke on her lips.
She giggled. "I know."
They took another minute to whisper sweet nothings to each other, while Danish patiently waited.
"Am I planning your wedding next?" Danish teasingly asked as they both made their way inside the airport, dragging their luggage behind them.
That made her blush. "We haven't spoken about it yet."
"The heartbroken look on his face as you were walking away from him right now was proof enough that he doesn't want to spend a single minute away from you. So you might as well put your names down now because I have a long waiting list of couples."
Catherine rolled her eyes. "I am your assistant. I sure can mend a few dates for myself in your calendar."
Inside they met their team who was traveling with them. Together they finished their customs and immigration check before going to the lounge.
"I can't tell you how excited I am about going to India. I have heard they have the best, most flavorful food." A guy, Tim, spoke in excitement while buttering his croissant.
"Sure," Priya, a fellow teammate and an Indian, replied, "we have some awesome food, but are you sure you'd be able to handle our spices? I mean, your stomach is pretty fragile."
Tim glared at her. "It was one time, and there were legit red paprika in that burger. It would mess with anybody's stomach."
The entire team cracked up. "We all had it, but we weren't the ones rushing to the loo."
Danish was listening to the banter while sipping coffee, but his mind was somewhere else. Catherine returned from the buffet area with a plate full of food and sat beside Danish. As she took a bite of her scone, her eyes fell on his disturbed expressions.
"Hey," She kept her hand on top of his, "are you okay?" She knew he was conflicted about going back to India.
He was brought out of his daze, and he subtly nodded. "I am fine."
"Dan," She softly said, "I know that you are very brave and there isn't anything you can't do on your own, but just know that I am always there for you." Catherine would always be grateful to him for his kindness, his generosity and his unwavering support during her darkest time. He squeezed her hand to let her know that he was fine.
"It just feels like I will have to relive that trauma again. But..at the same time, it is also making me feel like I will be closer to them." He voiced out.
She looked unsure while asking, "Will you come back with us? Or do you want to go to Mumbai?"
"No," He said immediately. "I am not going there..I can't."
"But your home.."
"No, Catherine." His voice was hard. And she knew that she should let go of the topic, because he called her Catherine. It meant his patience was running low and he could snap any moment now.
The boarding started soon after that. It was an eight and half hour long flight. Danish slept half the time, and the rest half was spent chilling with everyone. The banters going around made him forget about his uncertainty he had about going to India.
They landed in New Delhi at 6:30 in the evening. From there, they had another flight for Port Blair after two hours.
As his second flight soared high into the endless sky, Nayab and Simran zoomed through the streets of Delhi after four exhilarating days of non-stop fun, adventure and celebration in Kasauli.
When Simran dropped Nayab at her home, the reality of the impending wedding began to sink in. They had a lot to do in the next three days. All the last minute shopping and tailor alterations kept the girls busy, and gave Nayab no time to think about the upcoming six day long wedding on the island.
It was when she was sitting inside the flight to Port Blair, the anxiety started to kick in. But despite her apprehension, she was determined to make the most of the trip. The trip to Kasauli had changed some of her perspective towards life. Sure, she was still hesitant around strangers, but she was no longer content to sit in the sidelines and watch the world pass her by.
And so, with a deep breath and a brave smile, she set off for another adventure. She didn't know what this week would bring, but she was ready to face it head-on, to embrace the unknown, and to make the Andaman wedding a memory she would cherish all her life.
