TOGETHER

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

As I sat in the airport, waiting for my flight to India, I could barely contain my excitement. October 31st—the day I'd been counting down to for weeks. In just a few hours, I'd be home, standing in front of my parents, surprising the hell out of them. I couldn't stop grinning at the thought of their shocked faces. *They're going to flip*. But the real surprise? I hadn't told Ashutosh either. Only Anoushka knew, and she'd promised to pick me up from the airport. The best part? I was going to blow Ashutosh's mind when he found out I was back.

But of course, life always had a way of twisting my plans.

I had some time to kill at the airport, so naturally, I decided to hop on a video call with Ashutosh. No harm in chatting with him for a bit before my flight, right? I hit the call button, and his face popped up on the screen, his usual smirk already in place.

"Well, look who it is!" he said, lounging back in his chair. "The *fashionista* herself, calling from Paris. What's the occasion, Miss Singh? Or should I say 'Madame' now that you've gone all Parisian on us?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're hilarious. Really. And no, it's just me, your same old Ahana, still desperately trying to figure out why I bother talking to you."

Ashutosh grinned. "Because you love me, duh. So, did you buy me anything, or are you still pretending to forget your oldest friend?"

I bit back a laugh. "Oh, totally forgot. Not a single thing for you. Nothing at all."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? *Nothing*? Not even a keychain? A postcard? Wow.
When do we see you live Madame?"

I grinned at the camera, leaning in conspiratorially. "I I couldn't find anything for an idiot like you."

He groaned. "Lesser idiot than you Ahana. You *better* have gotten me something."

I couldn't hold back my laughter. "Of course I did! What do you take me for? As if I could leave Paris without grabbing something for my favorite idiot."

His eyes lit up, and I could see him trying to hide his excitement behind a sarcastic front. "Oh, good. I was about to block you. But now, I'll wait until I see what you've gotten me before making any rash decisions."

I laughed again. "Please, like you could ever block me. You'd miss me too much."

"Debatable." he shot back, but there was a warmth in his voice that told me otherwise.

Before I could banter with him any further, my boarding announcement echoed through the airport speakers. I quickly said goodbye, promising I'd talk to him later. What he didn't know was that *when* I landed, I'd be a few miles away from his house, not in Paris.

---

The flight to Delhi felt endless. I watched a couple of movies, tried to nap, but my mind kept racing with thoughts of what was coming next. I was almost home. I kept refreshing the mental image of surprising my parents and Ashutosh. They had no clue. *This is going to be epic.*

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we touched down in Delhi. As I grabbed my bags and made my way through the terminal, I spotted Anoushka standing there, grinning from ear to ear. But right next to her, of course, was Ashutosh.

*Seriously, Anoushka?* I shot her a side-eye as I approached. She just shrugged innocently, pretending she hadn't just ruined my perfectly laid surprise plan.

"You were supposed to come *alone*," I muttered, giving her a playful glare.

Anoushka smirked. "Whoops, must've slipped my mind."

Ashutosh noticed my expression and looked between us. "What's going on? Am I missing something?"

I just sighed dramatically. "Nothing. *Nothing* at all. I was just planning on surprising you, but apparently, that's not happening anymore."

Ashutosh blinked, then his face broke into a wide smile. "Wait, *you* were planning to surprise *me*? I would've loved to see that! But now that I'm here, I get to laugh about it instead."

I shook my head, trying to hide my own grin. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"I aim to please." he replied smugly.

Before I could respond with another sarcastic comment, I found myself staring at him, suddenly hit with a wave of emotion. I hadn't seen Ashutosh in months, and standing there, I realized just how much I'd missed him. More than I could put into words. And as if he could read my mind, he pulled me into a hug—tight, warm, and exactly what I needed.

"Missed you!" he murmured into my hair, and I couldn't help but hug him back just as fiercely.

"Missed you too." I whispered, my voice catching just a little.

Anoushka coughed pulling us apart.

"I'll leave you two for a date." She says winking at me while I roll my eyes for being such a cool cousin of Ashutosh.

Ashutosh hands her the bags and gives her a slight side hug before pulling me towards his car.

Just like a gentlemen, he opens the door for me and gets then seats himself on the driver seat.

---

Later that day, after grabbing coffee and wandering around Delhi like we were some teen. Ashutosh and I sat by the India Gate, soaking in the early evening breeze. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over everything, and for a moment, it felt like time had slowed down.

"Feels good to be home, doesn't it?" Ashutosh asked, leaning back and looking at me with a soft smile.

"Yeah," I said quietly, glancing at him. "It really does."

But I knew I couldn't put it off any longer. I had to tell him. My heart raced as I turned to him, bracing myself for what I was about to say.

"Ashutosh, I have something to tell you."

He raised an eyebrow, his usual teasing expression replaced by something more serious. "Go on."

I took a deep breath. "The job I got... it's not in India. It's in Paris. I'm... I'm not coming back after this trip. I'm staying there."

For a moment, he didn't say anything. Just an "Oh." Simple, quiet, almost too calm. I expected him to react more, to push back, to ask me to stay. Part of me *wanted* him to ask me to stay. But he didn't.

Instead, he just nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. "Well, I guess I should've known. You've always been destined for bigger things."

I blinked, feeling my throat tighten. "You're not mad?"

Ashutosh smiled softly, though there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I could never be mad at you for following your dreams, Ahana. And honestly, I've never been the kind of person to hold you back. You were always meant to fly."

His words hit me hard. He was letting me go—again. Just like he always had. And that hurt in a way I hadn't expected.

"I just..." I trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence.

He looked at me for a long moment, then reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair from my face. "Hey, don't get all emotional on me now. We'll always be in touch. Paris is just a plane ride away."

I laughed softly, blinking back the tears that were threatening to spill. "Yeah. Just a plane ride."

But it felt like so much more than that.