"Man, you'll kill us! Slow down!" Parth yelled and grasped the support tightly.

"Don't act like a girl, dude!" I shouted back.

"Slow down, will you?!" He ordered me. "These seatbelts will rip my chest apart!"

I rolled my eyes and slowed down the engine. My friend is such a pussy!

"What's wrong with you, man?" Parth questioned. What's wrong?! Everything is fucking wrong with me! I wanted to shout that out to the world. I think I am overreacting but could you do better?

"What?" I frowned. "Nothing is wrong with me?" I tried to ignore my best friend's intense look.

"That is why you're frowning, drinking like a pig and driving like your ass is on fire."

"Dad told me to start a new business." I replied with a least interested face.

"You work under him already." He pointed out something that he thought maybe I didn't know already. Of course, I work under him but my dad's mind is in a different track, no scratch that, his mind is totally out of track.

"Yes, but he wants me to start up my own business." I told Parth as I wanted to pull all my hair out of my skull.

He looked confused and I thought of clearing his confusion. My friend may be an intelligent advocate but he was always the one to understand late.

Flashback...

Mom sat on the sofa which was placed in our elegant library. I walked over and greeted her with a kiss on her cheeks. My mother was blessed with flawless skin, it was unusual to see dark circles under her eyes but she covered them with her perfect make up skill. She looks stressed out.

The successful businessman, my dad stood near the window, facing the lawn outside, watching the well manicured trees in the garden with a cup of coffee in his hand.

His gray hair was shining under the rays of the sun and his beard was unshaved. That's strange.

"Hey dad!" I greeted and seated myself in the sofa.

When no one answered, I sensed tension in the air. So i asked, "Why so serious?"

My parents were the happy-go-lucky people. I've not seen them being angry or serious about anything before. Due to the aura of the room, I could sense they have some bad news to break and that is not a regular thing with my parents.

Okay, this is new to me.

"Nick, get me the briefcase." My dad called out Nick, who looked after our business finance. This is really something serious. Now I was getting a bad feeling about all this.

Nick came in with a briefcase and opened it in front of me. There were thick bundles of dollars in it.

"You may leave, Nick." Dad ordered.

"What's going on here?" I asked, out of curiosity. Curiosity killed the cat, but I'm not a cat. Stupid random thoughts.

"Before that keep all your credit cards on the table." Dad commanded, like a boss. Mom sipped on her green tea. I don't want to admit this but my parents are making me nervous.

"What? Why?" I asked, confused. I was getting really worried now. My own parents were making me bankrupt. Not exactly, but they were taking away my cards like taking away my freedom. What about all my parties and clubs and foreign trips? What about the woman I date? This is ridiculous!

"No questions son. Just do what is said."

Really? Is this my own father? I frowned, but I did what I was told to do. I may be the son of a billionaire but I was taught to respect my parents.

As I kept the cards in the table, dad came and sat beside mom. He looked very tired. Maybe he was overworking again.

"Fifteen thousand dollars and 2 months..." dad spoke in a voice that was not known to me, until now. "... you have to prove yourself worthy of being my heir."

"W-what?" I stuttered. Is he even serious about this? Who else will be his heir except me? Oh wait, this is my dad we are talking about, he can actually pick up a person from streets and make him the heir to his empire.

"You heard him right, son." Mom spoke this time, with the same stern voice.

"But why do I need to do this? I already work under you dad." I tried to make a point there. But I didn't seem to progress.

"Yes you work under me, just like any other employee in my company." Dad said in a casual tone. Just like the boss he is in his company. I was the owner's son but I was treated like any other employee and my salary was given accordingly.

"You must be kidding me!" I let out a nervous laugh. This is truly a very bad joke!

"No we are not!" Mom said, looking straight into my eyes. That is when I knew this is not just a bad joke but reality. Reality is worst than watching a romantic movie with a girl. Not that I ever wanted to watch a romantic movie with a girl, it was only with Ashu. She was obssessed with the movie Notebook and A walk to remember.

"And what will prove me worthy?" I ask, almost sweating while sitting in a well air conditioned room.

"In my time, I started with selling newspapers then opened my own printing press," he laughed, probably thinking about old times. "...and now I'm a businessman."

Reality struck like a thunder.

End of flashback.**

"I see." Parth understood, finally. "But he only mentioned that he started business, he didn't tell you to start one, did he?"

"No." I replied, my brows knitting.

I wonder what was going on in Parth's intelligent brain. I hate to say this but Parth was always the intelligent one, unlike me. On the other hand, I was always with my camera, my baby and clicked random pictures and nothing else could occupy my mind except capturing memories into stillness. Maybe this is the reason why dad offered him to be his corporate lawyer. Other than that, this idiot was stuck with me for the entire life, solving my problems.

"So that means you don't have to start up a business to prove yourself worthy." He shrugged. Well, how intelligent! Didn't he know that a businessman always will want his only son to start up another business. It was the most common thing.

"What do you mean? What should I do then?" I asked for some advice. I knew he will have some solution to my problem, he always does. He is my saviour! Though, I had a 5% doubt this time he could help.

"For now, just relax." He smiled, while I drove the car to a Chinese take-away. "Lets go for an outing! Your father hasn't appointed me any work so lets go and have fun." He almost jumped in my car.

Now that was a solution to my problem from my intelligent best friend. But a holiday wouldn't be that bad. I will get time to think about my problem and relax a bit with Parth. Have some guy time and beer and no woman to hang around my shoulders.

"Darjeeling?" I ask about the place.

"Darjeeling!" Parth became a 5 year old kid again and squealed. I laughed.

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We were at the Chinese take away. Parth and I were standing in the que to take our order. Since it was already after midnight the que wasn't that long.

Being a rich man's son I never liked to eat in those posh restaurants with a waiter serving us and soft music playing in the background, as we are expected to do and like. That's just not my type of place. No offence to anyone. People have their own likes and dislikes.

I would rather choose some Chinese prawn fries or chicken Manchurian and definitely beer. In the beach, sitting on the hood of my car with my best friend-- that was my type.

After paying for our food, Parth walked behind me with the food packets and I was keeping the change money in my wallet, when something like a white paper fell down. Parth picked it up and looked at it.

His facial expression changed and I immediately snatched back the paper.

He smirked at me. I glared at him.

"So, you're going to tell me about it?" Parth asked, still smirking.

"What?" I asked, as I walked out.

"Who is she?" He asked again.

"No one!" I replied sternly.

"Fine." Finally, he will not ask anymore questions. "I will find out." He laughed. And I thought he gave up already.

This guy can seriously give me some tension and I know what he says, he does. He has connections all over the globe and he will get his answers anyhow.

"Okay, I'll tell you. She was once my girlfriend, the only one with whom I stayed for 3 months. That's it." I said.

"If that is it, then why do you have her picture still in your wallet?" Parth asked, incredulity written all over his ugly face.

I didn't want to answer him and I think he understands that because he seems to concentrate on food now.

After sometime. "She was very lucky." He commented.

"No. I was lucky and stupid." I said sadly.

This girl, I never knew her full name, but there was something about her, something that I don't know but I feel like we had something and yet something was missing. It was more than just a time pass, I felt something for her but never could I understand what I felt for her. I wanted to make her smile and hear her laugh, I bought her gifts like wind chimes, lanterns and a single rose sometimes, other girls in school loved to shop and spent huge amount on their shopping but Ashu never like to shop. I don't know but she was just different.

It was 18th October, the last time I ever saw her. Ever heard from her. She was like the wind after that, she could be felt but never could be seen.

Her last words always ring in my ears. "I promise you, one day you'll regret letting me go." Somehow, those words got implanted in my brain, all these years passed and I have never seen her and never stopped thinking about her.

"What was her name?" Parth asked.

"Ashu."

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