From:[email protected]
Re:Hello
There it sat, as inconspicuous as all the other messages, yet the sight of it sent her nervous system sparking. She clicked on it, her heart in her mouth.
Surprise … it’s me! I know you probably thought I’d disappeared off the face of the earth, but no. I’m here. Just extremely bad at replying to people (it’s not personal, I promise). I’m still very much in Delhi, enjoying revisiting my favourite places, and putting the world to rights with my friend Kushal. He works behind reception at my hostel, is always miserable and always eating chocolate bars. What can you expect from a teenage boy?
How was the Taj? As magical as you thought? I’m guessing you’ve left Agra now and are on to Jaipur (I think!). If so, justFYIthere are some amazing places to get stuffed paratha from, if one so desires.
For now, I’ll stop rambling and say goodbye.
Yours, ever so apologetically for taking ages to reply, Jacob x
She had to read it three times for the words to properly sink in. Olivia’s eyes were darting back and forth so quickly that she kept skipping parts and missing sentences. It was as if someone had injected a high dose of energy directly into her veins, her body fizzing with excitement.
There was so much she wanted to say back, so many stories to tell and questions to ask, but from somewhere deep within she managed to find the restraint to hold off replying. She did not want to become the kind of girl who loses her head over a boy, especially one she barely knew. He’d taken his time to respond to her, so why shouldn’t she do the same to him? Wasn’t it enough that she’d got a response?
FYI there are some amazing places to get stuffed paratha from, if one so desires.
His words triggered a rumbling from deep within her stomach. It was getting late and she was hungry.
Since her arrival in Jaipur, Olivia had taken to eating dinner at her homestay; a clean, spacious and comfortable place that might not have been a patch on Suki’s multicoloured masterpiece but gave Olivia no reason to complain. Tonight, however, whether it was the thrill of Jacob’s message or simply the mention of a stuffed paratha, Olivia found she was tempted by something different. There was an unfamiliar urge to explore outside her comfort zone, to go a little further afield and take a walk beyond her four walls. And so, with the voice of Jacob cheering her on in her head, she grabbed her bag and left the room.
Besides, she thought to herself as she hurried down the stairs towards the front door, how hard could it be to find a decent plate of food?
*
Forty minutes of wandering and Olivia still couldn’t decide where to go. It wasn’t for the lack of options; in fact, there were far too many for her brain to handle. Down every street she walked, she passed restaurant after restaurant, cafe after cafe, and handfuls of market stalls, to boot. There was an endless supply of fried, spiced and deliciously scented food, all of whichlookedgood enough to eat – but looks, as Olivia was well aware, could be deceiving.
The city itself didn’t help matters, with its writhing crowds and glaring lights. The cacophony of noises, which by day felt overwhelming, was even more of an assault at night. It was as though the darkness brought everything closer, made it more oppressive and harder to escape.
She turned down another street, which frustratingly looked exactly the same as the one before, and the one before that. Her hunger and impatience were now joined by a jolt of panic. The longer she walked for, the further she was from home. And the further she was from home, the greater the chances of her getting lost.
Should she call Tracey?
And say what?
Hi, I’m by myself and can’t even find a place to have dinner, please save me.
The thought alone made her cringe with shame.
No.
She could do this.
She was a capable young woman, who simply needed to make a decision.
‘Excuse me.’
Olivia stopped abruptly as a man appeared out of thin air in front of her. For someone so large he seemed to havemoved with surprising ease, his protruding stomach almost closing the gap between them. ‘You look a little lost.’
‘Erm … notlostper se. Just …’ Olivia took a step back, introducing some space between her and the man’s pot belly. ‘Just looking for somewhere good to eat.’
At her words the man jumped into the air, his entire body quivering in the aftermath.
‘Oh wow, do I have the place for you! My restaurant here does the best curry in Jaipur.’ He nodded towards a white-painted building to his left. It was brightly lit, and the interior was simple but modern-looking. ‘Come, you look starving.’
Olivia peered through the window; there were only two men sitting inside, neither of whom had any food in front of them yet for her to inspect. It did look clean, she supposed – empty, but at least clean.
