BEYOND THE CLOUDS (Completed)

Chapter 2

"Kartik" her sweet husky called out for her best friend while she waited at the bar.

An enigmatic fragrance hit her, and she inhaled a little more deeper, taking in as much of the scent as she could.

She dared not turn round but the man behind her definitely had a great taste in perfumes at least.

"Yes my love" Kartik responded while striding towards her, breaking her chain of thoughts involving an intriguing scent of a man.

"M bored being your sidekick Caruuu" she whined, pulling on the lapels of his jacket.

"Aww my baby, you wanna go home? Should I come to drop you?" Kartik downed his scotch and placed it with a thud on the bar, looking ready to go

"Nooo, these are your friends, and you guys haven't met for like an eternity, u stay, let me go" She reasoned.

"Promise me u will be fine" Kartik touched her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Yes Sir" she giggled "and I am taking the car, you can take a cab back home, already tera chautha peg chal raha hai" she chastised, making him smile sheepishly

" Text me soon as u reach home and lock the doors okay baby??" She nodded a yes and he kissed her forehead before she left.

Captain Malhotra was one of Freddy's best friend and Freddy was important to Kartik, so hanging out with his friends was inevitable.

She saw her Carruu was having a ball after a long time and didn't want to come in the way.

He deserved every bit of the Me time.

She revved up their modest Skoda Octavia and began her homeward journey.

She had barely covered any distance when a heavily drunk man dressed in an expensive suit, stumbled ahead of her car.

Thank goodness the car was just at a 20 or else she would have hit him bad.

She halted with a jerk, pulling the passenger pane down to give him a earful and had just about started rambling when he royally opened the car door and passed out on the passenger seat.

Jaw popped open, eyes widened with shock and brain still trying to register what just happened, this was her state at the moment.

"Did a random guy just pass out on the passenger seat of my car?" her bewildered face kept staring at him, with a myriad of thoughts running in her head, when she was disturbed by the constant honking from the cars behind.

"Fuckkkk" she cussed loudly and put her car in motion only to steer it to the side of the road, making way for the others to pass and was back at staring the mysterious but a very handsome stranger dozing off on her side.

"who the hell are you?" she barked at the stranger, fully aware that he was probably in a happy high land and couldn't even hear her.

Shehnaaz Gill had started working with Quantum Airways when she was 22 and at 25 she had already travelled half the globe thanks to her literally hi flying work profile.

She loved her job from day one for two reasons, one it paid for the better upkeep and safety of her mom and two because all the bad memories from her past had been wiped off in the past three years and replenished her life with happier, peaceful ones.

Her constant, through her bad and good days was Kartik. Her best friend, companion, confidante and her twin soul.

They had both been 15 when they first met at in the bylanes of a Mumbai slum when Shehnaaz was trying to beg for two rotis from a rather pesky roadside vendor who was eyeing her lecherously.