HOPE

Chapter Nine

"Umm, hello?", The girl sitting on Susheela's new home's porch, Janhvi, waved a hand in front of her face to bring her back to earth.

Susheela quickly blinked her eyes and smiled politely. This was the first time she was seeing her online friend face to face, and didn't have any clue as to how to greet her. Should she hug her, give her a side hug or just shake hands, she wasn't sure. It was getting awkward by the second. Surprisingly, Susheela had trusted this girl with her certificates and her appointment letter, as well as given the task to hunt a house for her. She had relied on a complete stranger with her important documents and life decisions, if Garima would have been here she would have called her sister stupid. But she was in a fix already, a lot had happened bad with her so she guessed, one more betrayal from a stranger won't be surprising.

"Hi?", Susheela awkwardly waved her hand in a greeting.

"Aree yaar! Itna awkward hone ki koi jarurat nahi hai. Main toh dost hu yaar!", Janhvi came forward with a 1000 walt smile and pulled Susheela in a tight hug. Yes, this girl too was as stupid as her to hug a complete stranger, Susheela noted with a chuckle as she hugged her back. The remaining of the awkward tension left Susheela when she felt the genuineness of her online friend's warm embrace.

Janhvi pulled away and not once did her smile flater, it somehow just got bigger and wider. "Ye lo tumhare naye ghar ki chabi.", Janhvi dangled the house keys in front of Susheela's face. She turned around and walked towards the dark wooden door that had many intricate flower designs carved on it. Susheela let her hand wander on the beautiful design as Janhvi unlocked the door.

Janhvi opened the door wide enough for Susheela to get in. Instantly Susheela was left in a state of awe. The small hallway led to a beautiful hall joined with a cozy kitchen. From the outside, the house looked small but from the inside it was very spacious even with full furniture.

The hall was painted a light shade of sunny yellow and the sofa had a light orange colour to it, making the house look lively and homey. A small coffee table was kept in front of the sofa and in front of it on the opposite wall was a small TV. Lamps in the shapes of flowers were hung up on the walls. The small attached kitchen too had a similar shade of soft yellow painted on the three walls, while a long floor length window with a colourful glass painting in the kitchen opened up into the backside of the house which was an opening for a small kitchen garden. It was already filled with blooming flowers and a tall standing oak tree.

The kitchen had every necessary items, right from a small toaster to a big oven. Everything was kept intact, spoons, pans, a small white fridge with sticking animal and flower magnets, everything seemed to be in place.

Susheela followed Janhvi out of the kitchen and to the far right corner of the hall which led them to a door. Susheela opened it slightly to see a small but comfortable bathroom. It was a simple bathroom with peach colour theme. The walls were a light shade of peach and sunny yellow, while the sink and the tub were white. Susheela walked upstairs on the small staircase that led to a long hallway dividing it into two doors. Susheela opened the very first door and it led her to a comfortable size bedroom. It had a queen size wooden frame bed with drapes and a small nightstand beside it. A small lamp with a candle inside of it was kept on the table and a window on the right side of the bed's wall gave the beautiful view of the valleys. The walls in this room were painted a bare white, but it still gave a beautiful look to the plain bedroom.

"You're going to love your master bedroom!", Janhvi was bouncing on her heels as she dragged Susheela out of the spare room and into the next room which had a wooden door similar to the main door with the same flower and forest designs. On the edge of the door, there were shapes of moon designes, right from a full moon to that off an eclipse. Susheela gasped inaudibly as her fingers traced the small moons.