•

I woke up with a start, as I was gasping for air, with sweat beads running down my forehead.

Nightmares.

My sleep schedule hasn't been so messed up ever since this guy decided to ruin my dreams by entering my life, which is definitely not in a good way.

Taking a deep breath, I reached out to my phone beside to check the time.

It was 4am, I remember staying up awake until 1am, waiting for Vikram. I must have dozed off somehow, I muttered to myself.

My heartbeat couldn't slow down, after the dream I just had. Where did he even go?

Why am I even waiting for him? I sighed.

What if he had met with an accident? The other part of me panicked.

Huh, he must have found it difficult to stay here so must have returned home, my intellect answered.

Wait, what if he was caught by a bunch of bandits on the way back? My instinct came up with the weirdest of stuff, to make me restless.

Vexed, I stomped on the ground, as I put on my slippers.

All the conflicting thoughts were definitely driving me crazy. Like real crazy.

Where am I even walking out now? I mentally slapped my head as I carefully walked out my tent.

It was still dark outside but with some lamps on, I could find my way out.

If alone Vikram appears back, I would pull every strand of hair from his head and make him kneel on the floor and make him apologise, for not letting me sleep peacefully.

"Why do you even care? Go and sleep " My 152 IQ slammed back at me.

Yeah, blame me for not having an answer now.

"Is sleepwalking your new thing?" A familiar, yet a sharp voice from a distance grabbed my attention.

I turned my head around, but couldn't spot anyone, as it was covered with darkness everywhere.

Am I now also hearing voices? Should I also take a general checkup tomorrow? I mumbled as my eyeballs were wavering all around the place.

Wait--is this place haunted? My eyes grew wide, as the wind blew away the flame in the small lamp I was carrying around.

"Are you looking out for Ghosts?" I turned to the extreme left, as I heard the voice.

100 meters away I could figure out a silhouette, against the grayish blue sky.

I rubbed my eyes to get a clear view and make sure I wasn't hallucinating a ghost now.

I slowly moved in the direction towards the silhouette. With the distance between silhouette and me decreasing, I could figure out whom I was walking to. Vikram.

"So sleepwalking is now under your 'The-crazy-stuff-I-do?' list?" He ran his fingers through his dark luscious hair, as I kept walking towards him, with my mouth tightly zipped.

With only two steps left between us, I paced forward and closed the distance between us, as I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him from front.

'What on holy earth are you doing?' My internal voice screamed.

Why am I doing this now? Well, don't ask me, I don't know.

I intertwined my fingers behind his shoulder, as I moved closer against his chest.

But at the same time, I was glad he was here, and was not frozen to death without his coat, or decided to bury himself under a truck, and swimming in a pool of blood.

I dug my nose in his shirt, inhaling his cologne. The same cologne which he was wearing on the day when I involuntarily hugged him in the middle of the road.

'That's what you are doing even now!!" My brain cells were sending judgemental messages every second.

I could feel his hands stay still facing down against the ground. Obviously, he must be cursing me in his mind.

My eyes grew wide when I realised that we were in this position for a long time.

As realization finally hit me, I withdrew my arms from him, and slowly took a step backwards, with my eyes fixed on the ground and mentally contemplating all my life decisions.

"*Ahem*" I heard him clear his throat as he remained silent as well.

"Where did you go?" I asked calmly, trying hell bent not to sound desperate, at the same time trying to erase everything that happened a few minutes ago.

"Ahem-Just had some work to do...so went to the city nearby for network " He replied politely, confusing my already not-so-stable mental health.

Idiot, can't you inform and go?

Stupid, duffer, senseless narcissistic donkey.

"Ohh-Rohit and Anika were really worried, you should have at least informed us before you..." I shrugged my shoulders.

Ugh, I felt like conducting my funeral, right here this very minute.

"Yeah, I should have,but....Sorry" His voice was deep, faint, and soothing in this quiet environment.

Wait, why is he apologising to me? I never said I was worried. Shouldn't he be apologising to Anika and Rohit.

"Is something bothering you?" I looked up at him, with his face carrying a gentle smile, with his eyes tired yet gleaming against the moonlight, but still gloomy.

Gosh, what is even wrong with my eyes.

"Hmm, nothing!" He shrugged as I nodded.

"Oh okay, then let me...go back and sleep" My brain cells were finally dancing inside my head getting ready for a good night's sleep.

I shrugged, as I turned back and took a stepforward, when I felt a firm grip around my wrist, making me halt on my track.

I slowly turned back and looked at Vikram, clueless.

By any chance, is he drunk? I wondered, considering the look on his face.

The face men usually have after getting dumped.

"Are you sleepy? " He asked in a low, deep voice sending chills down my spine.

Should I start wearing glasses? Is this really Vikram? Or Am I seeing stuff, which I shouldnt be witnessing? Wait- is this Vikram's ghost? Or--Is this how he usually sounds?

"Sleepy...?" No, I shook my head from left to right, confused.

"Then let me take you somewhere" He replied, with his eyes fixed on me, still waiting for an answer, as I nodded my head slowly approving, at the same time having a hard time trying to figure out what's up with him.

••••

"Where are we going?" I asked him gently, as he was walking forward, probably planning to ignore for the billionth time in this lifetime.

"You will know when we reach there" He mumbled in a low voice, making me stop in my tracks.

He speaks. He replies to the questions, I ask once. This is definitely not Vikram.

I paused on my tracks with my eyes wide, staring at him, as he turned back confused.

"Come fast. It won't wait for you" He spoke casually, as he took a step backwards and grabbed my wrist and paced forward.

It won't wait? Who? What?

Is he summoning demons? Am I the human sacrifice?

"Watch your steps" He mumbled, as we climbed up somewhere, which was dangerous of course.

It looked like a cliff, though I couldn't see anything despite the phone torchlight.

"You really aren't...going to push me off this cliff right?" I asked him confused, as he turned back and stopped on his trails.

"Wait..How did you find out?" He replied coolly, as I detached my hand from his and almost stumbled upon a huge rock and escalated to heaven.

"Tch, you really have a dramatic mind. Don't watch too many daily soaps" He mocked as he grabbed my hand again and started walking.

As we reached the top of the small cliff, he slowly dropped my wrist as I sat down on the ground, exhausted.

Before I could even catch my breath properly, Vikram sat on the ground next to me.

Should I ask him what we are doing here?

Or should I wait until he summons the demons from hell.

With all this unnecessary stuff, I was thinking suddenly my mind moved back to what happened a while ago.

Why did I even hug him?

"Hmm...Don't mind anything that happened down there" I pointed in the direction where the crime scene took place.

"I just thought you were a ghost at first...but then when I walked towards you, I was glad it wasn't a ghost but a human being and so I hugged you. In Fact I didn't even know that it was you, I just though it was someone else and randomly hugged--" I said everything in a go, after memorising it in my head, and stopped midway as he interrupted me.

"So now, you even throw yourself upon random people like a koala now?"

"No no I don't hug random--" I stopped with my mouth wide open, confused and worried about my own mental state.

It's better if I keep my mouth shut for the next few hours--no no next few days.

We sat like that silently being ourselves for sometime, not bothering to open my mouth and getting trapped in my own words.

"Why are you silent now?" I turned to my left and saw Vikram gazing at the sky.

"Why? I thought you despised me being a Chatterbox " I emphasized the last word.

"But now, it feels like sitting next to an Introverted raccoon" He replied as I stared at him.

Somewhat he still looked gloomy for some reason.

'LOL, Why would he even talk to you, if he is gloomy? He would rather stay a kilometer away from you to save his sanity!' My brain slammed a comeback at me.

Point taken.

"Look over there" He pointed at the sky, as a deep red hue started to appear in the bottom end of the sky.

"The sunrise view from here is phenomenal." Vikram said as I remained silent awestruck for the next few minutes.

It's not that I have never seen a sunrise before.

But watching it from here....It hit different.

For the next few minutes we both remained silent watching the sun slowly rise from the bottom, slowly moving upwards, filling up the entire sky with hues of red and orange, leaving me awestruck.

"How did you know about this?" I turned to my left and asked Vikram, as he finally decided to remove his eyes from the sky and turned towards me.

"I was strolling around yesterday morning....and somehow landed up here" He smiled with his eyes, as I chuckled.

"So you aren't mad anymore?" He peered at me, waiting for a reply.

Mad at him? For what? Well, I am always mad at him, so which one is he referring to?

"For the other day.....for venting out my anger on you. I shouldn't have..." He replied, looking at the sky.

The word "Sorry" never came from his mouth. But yet, I could figure out he felt sorry.

"It's okay, I forgot about that" I mumbled, to clear the awkwardness that was slowly building up.

"Well now that everything's clear between us...Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?" I folded my legs and sat comfortably facing him waiting for an answer.

"There is nothing to--"

"Yeah, yeah why would you even share it with me." I nagged at him,"Okay, what about this.." I straight up sat with an idea and a broad smile.

"About what?" He asked, confused.

"Let's start anew. Not as legal partners but as....hmm..Friends" I raised my eyebrows, gaping at him.

"Huh?"

"Tch, come on, we have no other choice but to see each other's face, for God knows how long. Maybe until Megha and Rohit get married? So until then, why do we always have to argue and fight?"

"Let's share just talk with each other like Friends. No commitment but just friends" I tapped on his shoulder as he was gaping at me, as if I was a chimpanzee, in a circus, showing magic tricks to him.

"Come on, what are you thinking? No loss or gain just Friends! Okay?"

"I have enough trouble already with the existing ones, and heck sure don't wanna add you to that list and make my life more miserable"

"Miserable? Nice joke, well tell me your troublesome friends list, let me hear their names" I faked a smile.

"Anika"

"Yeah, of course I know Anika is your friend, tell me those I don't know" I rolled my eyes .

"Anika!! Isn't she enough trouble already?" Vikram emphasized.

"Duh, I know she is...Wait, is she your only friend?" I moved back, baffled, as he remained silent.

"Huh, excuse me sir, then it's not "my Friends list", you can just say "my only friend." " I mocked him.

"Well, well anyways more reason for you to consider my deal and accept me as a friend" I laughed out still not able to digest his expression he gave a few seconds back.

Swallowing a few seconds for himself, and starring me for another few seconds, he finally replied, "Whatever"

"What really? You're okay with it so soon?" I laughed out loud and continued, " Someone said, 'This is the book of rules, from now on Your problem is your problem, my problem is my problem.' " I imitated it in his voice, mocking him.

"Fine forget it" Vikram stood up from the ground, probably pissed off.

"Fine!! fine!! I was kidding" I stood up and ran behind him. "Looks like you were dying to be my friend all this while" I laughed as I casually hit his shoulder.

•••

In another 20 minutes, we found our way back down the cliff to our campsite.

"You are going to go to the medical camp today?" Vikram asked, as I almost reached my tent.

"Yeah obviously "

"Well...here" He said casually as he picked up a small bag near his tent and handed it over to me.

"What's this?" I gaped at him, as I peeked inside.

"Did you buy this...for me?" I gazed at him, puzzled.

"Nope, I bought this for the monkeys that reside here" He gave an immediate comeback as I was staring at the camel brown trench coat that was inside the bag.

"It was on 90% discount, otherwise I wouldn't have bought it" He sighed.

"So sweet, Thank you Viku" I bit my inner cheeks trying not to laugh out loud.

"Viku? What?"

"Come on that's how friends call each other! By nicknames. Well anyways how would you know? You barely had one friend" I sneered at him, as I started walking away towards my tent with the bag.

"You better return my coat" He replied from behind while I was conducting a secret laughing concert with my last 2 brain cells.

Idiot, he could have got a coat for himself in the same shop, instead of being stingy with me.

"Wait, who is staying here?" I turned back as I saw him pointing his finger towards the tent exactly opposite to mine.

"Oh, this one? Rohit and Harshad is staying here. Why do you ask?" I raised my eyebrows, while he was staring at the tent.

"Huh nothing, just planning to change my tent" He replied coolly.

••••

Happy Birthday !!! ❤

Thanks for sharing the same crazy braincells as mine! Let's destroy the world ;)

See you in online classes tomorrow 🥲