Sahil raises his hand.“I will leave at three in the morning.Should reach on time for his train.”
“Great.Only two rounds of drinks for you.Curfew time starts in an hour.Kenny, you are accompanying him, so the same restrictions for you.”
“Okay, Dad.”Sahil and Kenny scoff together, rolling their eyes at Brian's edict.
My heart warms at the sight of all of us gathered in one place.I can’t wait for Jimmy to complete my found family.
***
JIMMY
“You guys did not needto bother.I would have taken the bus or hitched a ride on a truck.”I place my bag on the back seat and get in.Kenny takes the wheel while Sahil rides shotgun.
“No way, mate.We won't allow our local celebrity to travel on public transport.”Kenny manoeuvres the white Maruti Dzire out of the station parking lot.Besides, we cherish our pretty faces.We can't have Aditya clobber them.”He chuckles.
“No, he wouldn't.”I hide my smile by running my fingers through my hair.
“Oh yeah.Aditya did not sleep the whole night, worried we would not wake up on time.”Kenny winks at me from the front mirror.
“Here, something for you.”Sahil hands me a to-go cup of tea and pours one for himself.He places the cup for Kenny in the cup holder beside the gear.White wisps rise from the cups, spreading the aroma of ginger and cardamom.
“Mmmh, Aditya's special brew.”I take a sniff before sipping the delicious hot concoction.
“There's more.”Sahil hands me a foil wrap.“To add to what Kenny said, Aditya made this while we were getting ready.If that's not an indication, we all must be blind.”He wiggles his eyebrows.
“Nah, Aditya would do this for any one of us.”I downplay the small acts in front of my friends, but my heart soars every time Aditya does them.I rub my palm over my flat stomach.Aditya's indulgence with his packed lunches forces me to put in an extra hour at the gym.
“Keep fooling yourself, mate.But from where we are seated, things are moving in the right direction between you two,” Kenny mumbles, as he munches on the sandwich held by Sahil.
“Do you think we can be?”I bite my lip and leave the question hanging.
“Be what?”Kenny latches on.The mirth carries in his voice.
“Umm, be something for each other.Like you guys.”The trip to Delhi turned into one hell of a revelation.I missed Aditya so much.His smile, his warmth, the banter between us, even though we spoke for hours each night after I returned from my shoot.Yet, each moment without hearing his voice pushed me into a void.The cold, empty bed I slept on drove home the point.I missed the warmth of Aditya's presence next to me when I turned to say something but found the space on the mattress vacant.
“Aditya is a swell guy.I would say go tie him up, mate.Life is too unpredictable to wait.”Kenny shares his wisdom.
“Even if I am only twenty-two.Would Aditya want to be tied down to me?”I voice my fear.Aditya smothers all my protests with his kisses during our lust-filled moments, but I worry he may find me immature in the long run.Besides, the difference in our education levels still prickles.
“Jimmy, mate, Aditya is so into you.I swear he swoons at the mere mention of your name.His maturity is a perfect balance to your youth.You two will fit like puzzle pieces.The age difference is not an issue.You have Kiron and me as living proof.”
“You are cute as a couple.I can't wait to watch you get married.”Sahil raises his empty teacup.
“Shut up.No one is getting married.”I clip Sahil's head.Marriage is out of the question.Aditya and I haven't even shared what we are for each other.“Same-sex marriages are not legal in India.”
“Marriage is in the mind and heart, mate.”Kenny covers his chest.The car swerves with only one hand on the steering wheel.
“Hey, what are you doing?We are too young to die.”Sahil admonishes Kenny, who mouths an apology.
“Guys, I am taking a nap.”I excuse myself and shut my eyes to avoid any further discussion on my matrimonial prospects.I also don't want to distract Kenny.We still have an hour to reach Almora.Laying my head on my bag, I close my eyes.But the mind, excited by possibilities, is not ready to rest.Things I never considered would materialise in my life – a modelling career, possible acting assignments if Priya is to be trusted, and most significant of all, a life filled with a loving partner – are all happening at the same time.
A series of message alerts make me reach for the phone in my jeans.“Who is in such a talkative mood so early in the morning?”
“Must be Aditya or one of the guys checking on our status,” Sahil surmises from the front.
“No.The messages are from Priya.Why is she sending me emails at this hour?”I swipe to check my email account.I read the latest one twice, followed by the rest.My fingers are shaking by the time I finish viewing the attachments.Sweat beads trickle down my forehead, and the veins in my temples throb.This can't be true, but the documents say otherwise, and so does the email trail.
“What's wrong, Jimmy?Why are you sweating and—?”Sahil points to the rasps emanating from my mouth.
