Vrishali was popularly known as the life of the party. She had a natural ability to make friends with anyone she met. Everyone adored her, and she had yet to find her perfect match amidst all the chaos of her college parties. However, she was not in...
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Padmanabh groaned softly as he adjusted his neck, cracking it to ease the discomfort. Slowly, he opened his eyes and blinked twice, the light taking a moment to register in his mind. It dawned on him that his bottom and thighs were numb, a persistent ache hinting at the awkward position he had adopted.
Curiously, he glanced down at his lap and found Vrishali's serene face nestled there, her head resting gently against his thighs. Strands of her hair tumbled across his legs, creating a tousled halo that framed her features. Her hair was affectionately holding on to his thigh, holding him close in an unspoken promise of warmth and comfort.
He froze, feeling her hot breath against his thigh. He could feel the nervousness sipping in. He gulped down the lump and looked at her. It was the first time that a woman had slept in his lap. He could hear the noises coming from outside. He looked out the window to find people standing near the edge and sipping tea.
He sighed before shifting gently in his place. Vrishali mumbled something in her sleep before grabbing his knee. He closed his eyes in pain. There was a stabbing back pain, and he could not move or stretch his legs.
He tried to move, but Vrishali groaned. Vrishali tried not to wake up from her sleep even though her back was paining weirdly. She was getting good sleep, minus the pain in the back and ribcage. The moving beneath her head didn't stop, and she had to wake up.
Groaning, she opened her eyes to see the front seat. Her gaze went to the pillow underneath her head. She was taken aback when she saw the black pants and thigh. Gasping— She sat up, in the process cracking her back and pressing her hand at his private region. She hissed in pain before she looked at a stunned Padmanabh. His cheeks have turned red.
They stared at each other in horror. They looked away, trying to process how they ended up in that position. They remember sitting in the back seat while Vijay took the passenger seat with the driver.
They were going to Chennai to catch their flight back home. "Hmm— Did you sleep well?" Padmanabh asked. Vrishali's cheeks turned pink. "Ye— Yeah. . ."
Vrishali looked out the window. "Where are we?"
"Hmm— The police must've stopped everyone at the toll gate," Padmanabh called the driver, who wasn't in the car. Vrishali waited as he spoke on the phone.
Padmanabh ended the call. "There was an accident. We were stopped as they were clearing everything."
"Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah. . . They were taken to the nearby hospital." Vrishali nodded. "Do you want to step out?"
"Yes." they both got out of the cars. There were about seven cars and two trucks waiting for the clearance. They went to the other car where Bhawani Singh and Falguni Devi were. "We were thinking of going to the nearby restaurant to have something."
"That's a good plan. It might take an hour or so," Padmanabh replied.
*
Tea and snacks were passed into the cars. Bhawani Singh and Narendra were standing outside. As it was a very remote area, finding a decent restaurant or something was difficult. They had to stop at a local highway hotel.
Everyone decided it would be better to stay in the cars while tea and snacks were brought. Vrishali breathed heavily, and Padmanabh noticed the discomfort on Vrishali's face. "Is everything okay? Do you need something else?"
"Hmm. . . I— I need to use the washroom. It's urgent." Her cheeks were pink, and Padmanabh immediately placed the cup down and asked her to go down. They both started walking towards the hotel. Vrishali was thankful that Padmanabh had decided to follow her.
Padmanabh stopped a few feet away from the restrooms while Vrishali went in. Padmanabh wanted patiently outside while Vrishali did her business. Thankfully, the restrooms were clean.
Once Vrishali came out, they went back to the cars. Vijay had woken up and had his tea and snacks. "Harika reached her home in London."
"Okay." Vijay looked at Vrishali. "Have you been to London?"
"Yeah, I went to London with my friends for Christmas. It was beautiful." Vijay nodded. "Do you know that Padmanabh, Harika and I studied in London?"
"I know, but not the details."
"Well, we did our bachelor's and master's in London. Harika and I stayed in dorms, but your husband had an apartment." Vrishali glanced at Padmanabh. "I like my privacy."
"Privacy? You had nothing to do and didn't want to be a part of the dorm life and parties." Vijay turned to Vrishali. "So, he found a place and moved in soon after finding it. He didn't even give his dorm room a chance."
'I can imagine.' Vrishali thought. Vijay leaned against the car. "You have never stayed in a dormitory, right?" Vrishali shook her head. "No, but I had a lot of ha— Sleepovers at my friend's dormitories." She was going to say hangover parties, but she stopped herself.
She had gone to numerous college parties and often woke up with a hangover in her friends' dorms. She wasn't planning to mention that to them—perhaps she would confide in Padmanabh later when they grew closer.
"Everyone, get in the cars. We are leaving," Bhawani Singh announced. Padmanabh opened the car door for Vrishali. "Thank you." Vrishali settled, and Padmanabh got inside. "Vijay, please buckle your seatbelt."
"Sure. . . Sure. . ." Padmanabh looked at Vrishali. "I have packed some snacks for you. If you are hungry, you can eat from this." He handed the brown cover to her. "That's so thoughtful, thank you."
"When do you think we will be reaching Chennai airport?" Vijay asked. "Two hours." The rest of the ride was joyful, with Vijay telling Vrishali stories from his childhood and teenage years with Padmanabh.
there were times she heard Padmanabh groaning when Vijay shared about their college parties. Vrishali couldn't help but laugh at times.
