Amor Fati - Our Love, Our Fates [COMPLETE]

Part 2 - Inheritance

Part 2

Ullal, In Karnataka - Six Months Later, Early June

Nikhil glanced at his watch impatiently. So typical of Roshan to be late ... he thought as he drummed his fingers on the table.

Nikhil was now seated inside a local tea shack, the rain beating down mercilessly all around. It seemed as if the roof of the shack would cave in any moment, but the owner and the two servers moved about nonchalant. That gave Nikhil a fraction of hope.

He peered out in the distance, but the sheets of rainfall hindered vision. It was only 10 in the morning and yet the gloomy, rain laden sky had transformed the place into a ... he struggled for the word.

He checked his mobile. There were no messages either. Nikhil was now pissed off. He hated being outdoors, being away from work for so long.

He thought for a moment before flipping open his iPad. He swore under his breath. There was no connectivity.

A couple of lightning strikes flashed across the sky, and Nikhil looked up to see the sky darkening further. His eyes swept around the area ... the trees all around suddenly seemed more dense and mysterious; the leaves swaying whenever the wind picked up.

Another lightning zig zagged across the sky.

Suddenly, he could see his black Mercedes enter his vision in slow motion, like some sort of beast,ready to lunge.

Phantasmagoria ... Nikhil found the word, as he stared fascinated at his car, now halting in front of the shack, totally out of place, completely irrelevant.

The eyes of the few people inside the shack now rested on the car, almost as if it had appeared by magic. And they were expecting more magic to happen.

Phantasmagoria ... everything seemed like a dream and nightmare to Nikhil at the same time, all rolled into one.

He shifted his focus to the cigarette dangling from his fingers and brought it up to his lips. A deep draught later, he watched his best friend slide out of the driver seat and run towards the shack, covering his head with his hands en route.

Roshan ... his best friend, his buddy, his brother from another Mother!

The same Roshan who had pulled his sorry ass back from Switzerland to India some months before, back to his Grandfather and to their family businesses.

Roshan ... the only one who gave a damn to any boundaries Nikhil had set around him. He had offered no respect either to any of those walls that Nikhil had religiously tried building around him, since the catastrophe.

Nikhil looked down at the screen of his iPad. And suddenly he felt overwhelmed, too tired, and old. The past still haunted him and there was no respite.

Not that he cared anymore.

"Two cups of tea please" Roshan hollered at the owner, smiling genially, as he slid down into the chair opposite his friend.

Nikhil nodded his head in negation, indicating the beer can on the table.

Roshan's eyes were now serious even though the smile remained.

"Bro, it's 10 in the morning. This is no time for beer. You will drink and smoke yourself to death. A hot, piping cup of tea is what you need right now to wipe the chill off your mind, heart and body"

The tea stall owner appeared like magic with two steaming cups of tea and Roshan thanked him effusively, while brushing the raindrops away from his hair and clothes. The deluge had taken them all by surprise.