A six and a four.
‘India is not done with you yet, apparently!’ Kushal cheered. ‘Go again: let’s see where you end up!’
Though he normally undertook this activity by himself, Jacob found he was quite enjoying sharing the magic of his weird and wonderful world with someone.
‘All right, let me get the list ready.’ He flipped through his tattered notebook until he found the India page. ‘OK … come on, Universe, take me somewhere good, please!’
Another shake, another roll, another prayer to the gods of fate, and then he released them.
‘It’s six,’ Kushal announced. ‘Two threes is six!’ He practically grabbed the book from under Jacob’s nose. ‘What’s six?’
But Jacob had already seen it. His mind was piecing together the hundreds of thoughts that were racing through his sluggish brain. His heart was pounding and his breath was growing shallow. Olivia’s face, which had thrown him so off kilter when it appeared yesterday, now flooded him with elation.
‘It’s Udaipur. I’m going to Udaipur!’
Olivia
Olivia had nearly dropped the phone on the floor when his email came through. She was fresh out of the shower after a brutal day of sightseeing, ready to settle into bed and FaceTime Kate when she saw it. Waiting for her, as innocent as anything. She wasn’t even going to open it straight away – nobody could craft a witty and interesting reply when half-comatose – but thankfully she did. It didn’t bear thinking about if she hadn’t.
From:[email protected]
Subject:…
Guess where the universe is sending me next? If you fancy doing the honours of tour guide, I’ll be outside the station at 9 a.m. Udaipur, here I come …
Her first thought was that it had to be a joke.
Surely it was a joke?
What were the odds that out of everywhere in India – everywhere in theworld– Jacob would end up in the same city as her?Andon her final day as well.
What kind of almighty universal force did that to someone?
One that doesn’t exist!
Olivia had read the email repeatedly, each time swinging between excitement at the possibility of seeing him again and scorning herself for even believing it was true.
And yet, despite her continued scepticism, she still woke the next day full of nervous energy. She still showered extra thoroughly, making sure that every strand of her now much lighter hair was cleaned and conditioned, and she still dressed with more care than she’d ever done in the past month.
Just in case.
Luckily, her homestay wasn’t far from the station – a comforting thought, she told herself, because if all else failed and he didn’t show, then at least the walk of shame wouldn’t take too long.
Way to go on the positive thinking.
Olivia fiddled with the hem of her top, pulling the already sticky T-shirt away from her skin. It was only 8.55 a.m. and yet the sun felt as though it was beaming down on her through a magnifying glass, focusing all of its power and attention on the very top of her head.
She looked around, scanning the crowds for a hint of a bleached curl or a pair of raven eyes. It was getting busier by the second. The area outside the station was swollen with people. Claustrophobia began to creep in, a tightness coiling around her throat, closing it off so that she could only take tiny sips of air. People pushed and jostled past her; a thousand faces belonging to a thousand strangers blurred before her eyes.
He’s not coming.
You’re a totally foolish idiot. He’s not co—
‘Olivia!’
The sound of her name was like a bullet through her thoughts. Every cell in her body stood to attention, waiting to hear it again.
‘Olivia, over here!’
