Where My Heart Belongs

1. A New Life, Or Is It? : Antara

"You will never escape what you've left behind."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"I told you, Antara, I will forever haunt your memories. You should have never left."

"NO, STOP, STOP, STOP. I TOLD YOU TO GO AWAY."

I felt someone shaking my shoulders. Panic gripped me. My heart pounded in my chest, each thud echoing the chaos in my mind. My breaths came in sharp, erratic gasps. I pressed a hand to my forehead, damp with sweat. The cold air hit my flushed face, creating a sharp, chilly sensation. I blinked, my surroundings slowly coming into focus—the dim cabin lights, the low hum of the plane's engines. I'm on a flight. Right. I was on my way to Boston. Are we already there?

"Ma'am, do you feel well?" the air hostess asked, her voice tight. I thought they were supposed to be calm and composed, yet she looked... scared. Her hands were clasped nervously in front of her; brows furrowed as if she expected me to collapse any second.

I nodded, still dazed, but the flashes of the nightmare lingered in the corners of my mind. He's gone... but not really. He never really is.

I unclasped my seatbelt and sat up straighter, trying to shake the remnants of the dream that clung to my consciousness like cobwebs. It wasn't just a nightmare—it never is. It's the same one, over and over, pulling me back to that day. I left, but somehow it feels like I'm the one still stuck there, drowning in memories I've fought so hard to escape.

I wiped my clammy hands on my trousers and glanced out the window. Darkness stretched below, endless and vast, the lights of the city blinking far beneath us.

A crackling sound broke the silence, and the captain's voice filled the cabin. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're beginning our descent into Boston. Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing."

Boston. A fresh start. I repeated those words in my head like a mantra, hoping they would silence the voice from my dream. This was my chance to rebuild, to finally break free from everything I left behind in Delhi. Yet, the closer we got, the tighter the knot in my chest became.

I'm not sure if it's excitement or dread.

The wheels touched the ground with a soft thud, and my heart skipped a beat. It's real. I'm really here. The city that will change everything. Or so I hope.

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"OH MY GOD, TRU, YOU'RE HERE!" Kiara jumped onto me, latching onto me like a little child meeting her mom after getting lost in a fair. Kiara Arora, my best friend, well, more like my sister, is the reason I accepted the offer in Boston. I've known her since we were four, and if it weren't for her, I'm not sure I'd have made it through everything life has thrown at me. 

I shook my head and squeezed her back, feeling her warmth seep into me like sunlight after a long winter. I can breathe again. 

"Kiruuuuuu! How much I missed you! I told you to not bother with the entire picking me up from the airport thing."

"Tru, ek aur baar bola to phir mai thappad maardungi." 

(Translation: Tru, if you say that one more time, I'll slap you.)

Seeing her mock frustration and threat to slap me, I couldn't help but laugh. Same old Kiara. 

"Ok, ok, we can catch up once we reach my apartment. It's getting late, and I do not intend on freezing to death tonight", and she dragged my suitcases away. Classic Kiara, not even waiting for me to respond. I looked around the bustling atmosphere in this foreign country. It's a scary thing, being so far away from home.