Take Me Away

Chapter 9

As the car took off for the journey, Heer felt odd again. It was a strange worry. It was almost like she was leaving something behind. She bit her lip and stared at her hands for a bit. She then dug out some earphones and plugged them to her phone to listen to some songs. She was well into her second song and her worry was starting to reduce when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked around to see Ishaan looking at her. She pulled out her earphones and asked, "Yeah?"

Ishaan leaned back in his seat. He smiled and said, "I asked what you were listening to."

Heer's eyebrow shot up. She had not usually encountered someone who asked questions like that mid-music. She thought the whole point of plugging earphones into one's ears was the new-age way of saying "Don't bother me!" But she had to spend the next ten days with this guy. It wasn't wise to be rude so early on so she replied, "Oh...um...just some old Hindi songs."

His eyes brightened and a smile started to appear. He turned around in his seat and faced her. He said, "Ooooo! Is there a singer you are partial to?"

"No. Well...Maybe Kishore Kumar?"

He nodded sagely and said, "Of course. I'd be disappointed if he weren't on your list. Anyone else? Like what are you listening to right now?"

She frowned. Why did he have to pick up a conversation right now? She then glanced at her screen and said, "Oh um...Deewana hua badal?"

He closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

"Ah...Rafisaab. Another golden artist. I don't know what it is about those songs but they just get it right every time, right?"

She nodded. He then bent and dug around his own bag. He pulled out a dual earphone jack. He asked very politely, "May I listen to songs on your phone as well? Mine's dead."

Heer looked down at her phone and then back at him. Wasn't that something friends did? They barely knew each other. She took a deep breath and said, "You know what? I'd prefer listening to music by myself. Sorry."

He blinked and nodded, returning the device back to his backpack. She shrugged and went back to her music, not wanting to interact with anyone. She caught Rina's expression in the rear-view mirror. It was one of those only she could decode. A sort of that-wasn't-such-a-bad-request look.

A little while later, she heard something over her songs. She paused her music and listened. It was someone humming. Rather pleasantly. She turned her head slightly and opened her eyes slightly to see Ishaan humming as he looked out the window.

A smile crept up on her face without her knowing. She felt a sense of warmth as she heard him carry the tune further. It felt like walking on grass. Healing. Comforting. She nodded off to sleep with that tune in her mind. In that voice.

Author's Note: This chapter was originally written differently. After a month of deliberation, it appeared as this. And I quite like how it's turned out. What about you? I'm going to publish another one so keep reading!

S.