Wanderlust // z.m. [au]

One

//Eight years ago//

It was a scorching day in Mumbai and if you looked close enough, you could see heat waves.

Diya was sitting behind the cash register, occasionally glancing up from her textbook to stare through the window at the chaos of traffic.

Although she was in school, she worked at this store part time to make her own money and to not be fully dependent on her parents. It wasn't the ideal job she wanted. But since internships at the nearest hospital didn't accept applications any time soon, this would have to suffice.

Diya had an exam coming up and all of her free time would be filled with studying. She was deep in thought as she read her textbook that she didn't hear the the bell signaling that a customer had walked in.

________

Zayn ran the back of his hand across his forehead, letting out a breath of relief having stepped out of the heat.

"What exactly are we getting?" He asked his childhood friend, Kiara.

She looked down at the list in her hands. "Batteries, flashlights, food... Let's just split up. I'll get the food, you get the batteries and flashlights."

Zayn gave her a thumbs up as he began walking around the store. It occurred to him that he needed more tape for his scrapbook. Yes, he had a scrapbook. It was more of a dream journal to be honest and there was no way to make that sound less feminine.

If there was one thing Zayn loved the most, it was traveling. He wanted to meet new people, learn new languages, see new places. It was like a drug to him. He was addicted to it. Nothing or no one could ever make him stop. Asking him to stop would be like asking him to stop living.

His mother strongly despised the idea of it all while his father didn't mind it one bit. It was an ongoing debate honestly. One that Zayn had stopped paying attention to.

Zayn whistled to himself, walking through the aisles in search of the items needed for the trip him and his friends were going on. They were going trekking which was basically a very long journey up a mountain and they'd stop along the way to set up camp. He'd done it many times but he still got the same thrill each time.

Once he'd gotten the items, he began to search for some spray paint which he couldn't seem to find. With a sigh, he made his way to the checkout.

He noticed a girl sitting behind the cash register, her attention focused on a book. Her long hair was concealing most of her face.

"Hey," Zayn said, trying to get her attention.

Her head flew up, her brown eyes widening behind large glasses. Her eyebrows furrowed and she seemed embarrassed for some reason.

"You work here, yeah?" He asked.

She nodded and Zayn wondered if she couldn't speak or if she was just shy.

"Do you guys have spray paint?"

"Um... It should be in aisle 9. Is it not there?" She replied softly.

She speaks and God her voice was magnificent.

"Ah, the one place I didn't check. Can I leave these here?" He was referring to the basket of items.