The Journey (2016)

The Friends

Girte sambhalte chalte ladkhadaaye
Haan, magar ye hausla na dagmagaaye
Armaanon ki patang ko udaayein
Udaayein..
- Meethi Boliyan, Kai Po Chhe
[Trans: "Falling, getting up, we trip while walking. But yeah, this determination doesn't shake. We fly the kites of desires."]

The Friends

"Alright, forewarning." Nikhil said nervously, "My best friends aren't the most civilized people on earth." They were standing on the twenty-sixth floor again, but instead of taking her to the room where they were staying (which Radhika found out was Villa number six), Nikhil had steered her in opposite direction towards Villa number 2. Only now did Radhika realize that they were meeting his best friends. She found the idea really funny for some reason. She had never had even a good friend, let alone a best friend and now she was meeting someone else's best friends as if she was important enough to be introduced. She already knew it was a bizarre thought as soon as it occured.

"Then why are they your best friends?" She asked without thinking. Which didn't matter because Nikhil seemed to be a very thoughtful person. His forehead creased in concentration as he really thought about the questions.

"I don't know!" He said then. "We just became friends over time."

He knocked on the door and when there was no answer for a few seconds, Nikhil pulled out a key and opened the door. Radhika raised her eyebrows as they entered, stupefied by the scene unfolding before her. Two people were on the floor, entangled in a mess. The boy was saving himself on the floor while the girl hovered over him, ready to attack. Radhika opened her mouth but couldn't say anything so she glanced at Nikhil who was staring at them in shock as well. Radhika noticed the girl holding glittering golden heels in her hand, ready to puncture the boy's heart out. She seemed to have frozen when they entered because now she was staring at her. The boy on the floor slowly peeked through his arms and relaxed when he realized his saviors had arrived.

"What in the world are you two doing?" Nikhil asked in a reprimanding tone. He sounded like a father scolding his children fighting over a television remote.

"Do you see this, dude? She has lost it! She has bloody lost it!" the boy said as he scrambled to his feet. He was tall, probably equal to or taller than Nikhil. He was wearing the kind of outfit Nikhil wore last night, except his shirt was dark purple, his tie black and his hair a mess that he tried to fix with his hands. He didn't have an Astral accent, she noticed. His English was more New Yorker.

The girl seemed to snap out of her new-girl-stare because she immediately turned to the boy and threw the heel at him. He ducked but it still got his shoulder. He hissed painfully and rubbed it with his palm. "Aisha, it hurts woman!"

"Good! That might teach you to stay out of my business!" She replied, glaring at him. Radhika could only stare in awe as Aisha flipped her curls behind and walked up to Radhika. Aisha was clad in a beautiful blue dress, shimmering under the fluorescent light. Her brown hair was in soft beach waves, a striking blue stripe taking all the attention near her right ear. Radhika was still admiring her stunning eyes that were standing out due to the smoky-eye styled make-up when Aisha smiled at her, "Hi, I am Aisha Raichand."

"Radhika Shah, nice to meet you!"

Aisha's eyebrows rose slightly and made Radhika wonder what she was thinking about. Her polite expressions were in complete contrast to her anger they had witness when Nikhil and Radhika first entered. Aisha glanced at Nikhil who was looking at them and he shrugged in reply. "Nice to meet you too, Radhika!"

Aisha had a Astral accent and her the kind of deep voice that reminded her of Hollywood movies with badass female characters. They had always been her favorite and Radhika felt like she was about to find her next favorite character in person.