Ishq In The Air

•|A drive to your heart|•1

"The fare is 343 rupees" His eyes were trained on his phone, the amount written in the numericals bold and clear.

The man pulled out his phone and surfed through his apps to confirm. Letting out a 'hmm' sound in approval, he pulled out the change of 340 rupees and handed it to him.

Mukhesh stared at the amount in his hand, contemplating whether to hit him with the steering wheel or to pray for him to die soon.

What about the 3 rupees?

He looked up at him in question, but the man avoided his gaze and turned behind as soon as he took the money. "I don't have change. Do you?"

Cursing under his breath for the nth time since he started this job, Mukhesh couldn't do anything other than nod his head like an obedient dog and work for the entire day, doing 3 different jobs.

Life has been tough for him. Dropping out of college in the last year after his father's sudden death after a huge loss in business, Mukhesh has been working 3 different jobs to pay for his and his sister's living. Siya, his sister, was an exceptionally bright student and got a scholarship to the top college in the heart of the city.

Mukhesh didn't have the heart to stop her studies and get her married when she was still busy weaving her future with hopes and dreams in her determined eyes.

His eyes went to the new booking request which was nearly 3km from him. His fingers hovered over the screen, his brain wracking whether to accept it or not.

He was hungry. He hadn't eaten anything since 1 in the afternoon and it was 11:52 pm right now. Suppressing his hunger, his heart compromised for one more ride. Maybe, he would finally collect the money for Siya's birthday present.

Driving in the dark and lonely road, his eyes followed the GPS. After 10 minutes, he arrived at the location and sent the arrival message to the customer.

Nia

Strange name. He thought.

His head rested on the seat, his eyes dropping low. The huge dark circles under his eyes were prominent, the hollowness in his cheeks foreshadowing his dimples, the dull and exhausted look on his cold and handsome face, screaming the hardships he had been facing for the past 4 years.

"Ah!! You are finally here!" A high-pitched voice reached his ears and Mukhesh craned his neck to meet the girl himself.

Just before he could get a proper look at her, she tripped flat on the road.
Mukhesh wasn't sure if she was his customer or not. He got out of the car and bent down to his knee, inspecting the giggling girl, staring at the sky as she lay on the ground.

"Miss? Are you okay?" He asked in a gentle tone. Her eyes darted from one particular shining star to him, her eyes twinkling.

"When was the third world war started, Handsome?" She wrapped her long arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Mukhesh's being froze in response as she gazed at him in wonder. The faint smell of alcohol reached his nose and he turned up his nose in disgust. Circling his hand on her arms, he pulled himself away from her.

"Get up!" He ordered. She pointed her middle finger at him and looked away, giggling once again. Her eyes were lost in counting the stars until she let out a frustrated groan when she lost the count.

Mukhesh felt like banging his head. Why was his customer drunk and a girl?

An iPhone was gripped in her hand loosely, as the girl now sat up straight. She looked here and there before bringing her hand to the ground and helped herself to stand up.