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Chapter 42 - I found you

Alan received a second message from the resort in Gokarna, inquiring if they were interested in staying with them and posting about their experience. He forwarded the message to Fiza, excited about the possibility of going on a trip with Fiza.

Their shared Instagram account was usually managed by Alan. Though she occasionally logged into the account, Fiza preferred not to be distracted by the constant notifications on their social media. She usually left it to Alan to respond to followers and wade through spam to find potential sponsors.

"Shahana, Vineet, Priya, and Chandran want to come too," Fiza responded.

The girls in the hostel had been talking about going on a trip for a while, and now with four days of holidays coming up for Diwali, they wanted to make the most of it.

Alan had initially thought of going to Gokarna alone with Fiza, but the idea of going with the group also appealed to him.

Alan wrote back to the resort, inquiring if they could accommodate a group of six. To their surprise, the resort offered a beach villa for all of them, but with a catch. They needed to visit the main resort and post videos about the place since the villa was not open to the public.

"I dunno, it seems kind of shady to review the resort if we are staying at the Villa," said Fiza, sounding a bit wary.

"I don't think so. We could visit the resort, have some food there, and spend some time in the gardens," suggested Alan. "If that's not okay with you, we could just record songs at different locations at the resort and include video clips to post."

Fiza found this compromise agreeable, and Alan relayed the plan to the resort owners, who agreed to it; as long as they were mentioned in the captions and tagged. They would provide video clips with scenic views to incorporate into their reels.

"Yay!" exclaimed Fiza, unable to contain her excitement. She couldn't wait to share the news with her friend. Being students, they wouldn't be able to afford this trip without having their parents fund it. And that would come with strings and a million questions.

With the trip now official, the group began to plan the logistics. Shahana blushed a little as she said, "I'd like to stay with Vineet."

Priya couldn't resist teasing her and exclaimed, "Oooooh! Are things getting a little heated with you two?"

Shahana laughed, not denying it but not divulging too much either. "I don't kiss and tell," she said, winking playfully.

Fiza giggled, knowing that Shahana and Vineet had been together on multiple occasions. Vineet's parents being doctors, were often busy with work, which meant he had the house to himself. Fiza had covered for Shahana at the hostel on several occasions just as Shahana had done for her the few times she stayed over with Alan.

Priya then confided in the group, "Chandran and I haven't made much progress. We only just talked about being exclusive. I actually haven't talked to him about this trip yet."

"Why not?" asked Fiza, curious about her friend's hesitation.

"What if he says no?" Priya looked a bit vulnerable.

Fiza hugged her reassuringly. "You really like him, don't you?"

Priya nodded with a smile. Chandran was a senior, the captain of the college basketball team and was very popular.

"I'll ask Alan to invite him," Fiza said enthusiastically. "With both Alan and Vineet there, he should be happy to join us."

Priya clasped Fiza's hand in here and smiled. "Thank you! That would be epic!"