What we left unsaid.

7. Well, this is going to be awkward.

Kavya POV

The ride to the hotel did not seem to end for some reason. Why did it have to be so long????

We both did not say a word except for a small 'Thank you' that I managed to mutter and his little 'hmm'.

Okay, you know what, that's it. I'm just gonna take out my phone and look at all the important calls and emails that I missed.

I need to do something to make this less awkward for both of us.

I opened the purse which was on my lap and took out my phone.

As expected, I had a ton of missed calls, emails and texts. I started going through them one by one, and as I was going through them, I got a call.

It was Josh.

I pick it up. "Hey, Josh! The flight got a little delayed so I couldn't pick up the call. Sorry about that."

I saw Aditya visibly stiffen as I mentioned Josh's name but I decided to ignore it.

"Hey K! It's all right. You landed safely right?"
Josh spoke on the other side with his thick British accent. I had a little bit of a British accent in my accent as well as I lived in London for a few years too but it was nowhere near as heavy as Josh's.

Josh and I have been friends ever since I came to London for college and we stayed in touch after college was over as well.

A year ago Josh moved to New York for his job and we have become even closer now since we are in the same company.

We became friends because we were the only Asians in our batch ( he is Korean). We bonded over a lot of things and he truly helped me feel a little happy in my depressing life.

Anastasia and Josh were the only 2 good friends that I had who knew everything about IT.

"Yes, we landed safely. I am currently on my way to the hotel. Is there something you need?" I replied.

I needed to end the conversation soon because it was just becoming too awkward now. Great. I needed to make things less awkward but it backfired on me.

"Well, that's great! I hope you have fun and fix your issues, Kavya. I mean it." He emphasised on the word fix. I took a deep breath knowing what it meant.

He knew everything because I told him all of it when I was having a panic attack. It felt good to have shared this incident with a person and I have to be honest, I did feel a little relieved and unburdened.

" Uhm, yeah. I'll try my best." I said nervously. Aditya still focused on the road while still sitting in a stuffy position.

"Well, okay then. You know if you ever need me, I'll be there, right? So be happy and enjoy. Text me when you reach the hotel and remember to breathe, okay?"

"I'll text you. Ya. Thanks, bye." I replied and cut the call.

Now this is awkward. Should I say something?
I don't think I have the right to, to be honest.

He's mad at me so I just stay quiet and look out the window again.

Wow! So much has changed here in 11 years. Jaipur. The city I grew up in. The city where it all happened. The city where THAT happened and suddenly all of the fear and anxiety of returning came rushing to me again.

I think Aditya understood that it was just becoming too awkward now because he switched on the music system. I heaved a sigh of relief and thanked the distraction.

The music kept playing and the choice of songs seemed familiar. It is definitely what I used to listen to when I was young. No. This is not what I think it is, right?

It can't possibly be the playlist  I made 13 years ago, right? I used to listen to it all the time and these are all my tastes.

When I made Aditya listen to it for the first time, he said it was too girly for his taste but it looks like he kept the playlist after all.

Our eyes met because he realised it was my playlist he was playing in the car. We looked at each other in shock and embarrassment.

My favourite song 'The Perfect Harmony' from the show Julie and the Phantoms was playing. I forgot how much I loved this show and this song has been my absolute favourite even after all these years.

We say we're friends
We play pretend
You're more to me
We're everything.

As soon as we heard these lines Aditya frantically tried to switch the playlist off but the song just kept playing.

He was finally able to get it to turn off and if our ride before this tiny music experience
was awkward, this, right now, is the level one million of awkwardness.

We quickly broke eye contact and focused on our activities( him driving and me looking out the window or at my phone).

We finally reached the hotel after almost an hour. Ugh, I hate traffic.

We got out of the car and went to the car trunk to take out my suitcases.

He took out my stuff from the trunk and I began taking it. Our fingers brushed while we were exchanging the suitcases and when we realised what was happening, we jerked our hands back.

Why does this need to be more awkward than it already is??

A bellboy came and took my suitcases to the reception and we just stared at each other until he commenced to guide me to the reception area where I would get my room key card.

"Follow me, I'll take you to the reception area," Aditya said in a cold voice.

My heart sank. Of course, he hates me. He is mad. I shouldn't expect any softness from him. I gave a sad smile and nodded in return.

As we turned to leave, we were welcomed by a lot of, precisely, 12 pairs of eyes staring at me in shock. My eyes widened and sadness and guilt took over them.

My 6 closest friends were looking at me with surprise and shock with their significant others.

Well, this is going to be hard.

It will be awkward. I was sure of it.