‘I don’t know what you mean.’ I stand up and Salman takes my place on the ladder, his height doing what I couldn’t, and within minutes the fairy lights are wrapped around the wooden beams. He presses the button on the battery pack. Instantly the lights add a gentle glow to the room: they bring the cabin together in a way it wasn’t before. I’m so chuffed at the sight that I clap my hands in glee.
‘Perfection,’ I whisper, excitement running through me as I think about how, in less than two hours, Akash and Samira will be here making their meal. The idea of having a hand in their story, helping to put the pieces in place for their perfect first date, makes me feel dizzy.
We spend the next half hour arranging the nibbles and drinks. When we’re done, we sit on the steps of the cabin and look out at the lake, waiting for Akash and Samira. We attempt to scroll on our phones but the signal isn’t fantastic so there’s not much to do apart from stare ahead at what’s in front of us. Well,Istare ahead while Salman snaps pictures of the view on his camera.
The water has an earthy hue to it, but even so it’s much clearer than most lakes I’ve seen. It’s beautifully picturesque: trees and woodland surround the water. But what I like most about the location, even though I’m an adamant city girl, is the tranquillity. With nothing else but the view to feast my eyes upon, I feel at peace.
‘You know,’ Salman says, breaking the silence and loweringhis camera, ‘it reminds me of when we went camping in the Czech Republic two years ago. Remember that?’
I snort. ‘I’d like to forget, more like.’
‘Come on, you had a great time.’ He playfully nudges my shoulder with his.
‘Absolutely not.’ I shudder. I swore that I would never camp again, scarred by the experience. I can’t believe that Ma went along with it in the first place. Never in my lifetime had I heard of desis camping before, but the aunties and uncles were on one and decided that our annual trip abroad was going to be a camping holiday.
‘It was stupidly hot in the morning and ridiculously cold in the nights, I kept getting bit by mosquitos, we never stayed at one campsite for more than a day because we were canoeing and had to get to the next place, and –’
‘– there were also the stars,’ he butts in, knocking the breath out of me.
Because he’s right.
There were the stars.
Every night, we would sit by the river and look up at the night sky, amazed by the number of stars we could see, with no pollution to interfere with their visibility. Shirin, Lipi, Raju and Amit were much more interested in playing cards inside the tents while our parents sat around the campfire, trading stories and gossip, so it was always Salman and me by ourselves. We’d sit in our fleeces on the most uncomfortable camping chairs known to man, waiting with bated breath for something to cut the sky open.
And when they finally did, it felt like a dream.
Shooting stars are so sudden and temporary – a blink-and-you-miss-it experience. You could be staring at the sky for hours and not see a single one, but then one would blaze across the sky. A streak of light appearing in front of you for a millisecondbefore it’s gone, leaving you wondering if it was even real. It was like the universe sharing a little secret with you.
Maybe that’s why I liked them so much. They were quiet in a world that was loud and called for constant attention. They were silently lurking behind the scenes, only appearing once everyone else had gone.
I inhale deeply before whispering in agreement, ‘There were the stars.’
Even though we weren’t even dating at that point, there is a twinge in my chest.
Because we will never have a holiday like that again.
‘Hey, Po—’ Salman starts, but is interrupted by two cars appearing in front of us.
Akash and Samira.
We rise to our feet and greet our clients, who suddenly don’t seem real at all. For weeks, I’ve just stared at their pictures, reading about them like they were fictional characters, not actual people.
‘Hi, I’m Poppy and this is Salman. We’re from Eternally Yours and will be coordinating your date,’ I say, feeling my voice rise with nerves. I introduce them to each other and they shake hands nervously, but they both have a giddy, excited look in their eyes. I can feel sparks flying already. I explain what their date will be. ‘Today, you’ll be exploring your connection on a nature walk followed by a romantic dinner you’ll cook together. After, there will be a campfire and some live music and then .?.?. it’s up to you what happens next.’
With that, they shrink back into their nerves, the silence making me feel uneasy, as if there’s something I’ve missed telling them. Though what that is I’m not sure, so I turn to Salman, pleading for help with my eyes.
‘We’ll get you the itinerary, some drinks and a picnic basket with nibbles to snack on while you walk the trail. We’ve also got alittle game for you to play as you go, to help you get to know one another better. Does that sound good?’
‘Perfect,’ Akash says, and his voice is a lot lighter than I thought it would be. I presumed from his questionnaire answers that he’d have a deeper voice, but I suppose there’s only so much you can learn from paper.
Salman and I head towards the cabin to fetch their drinks and snacks for the road. I assemble the picnic basket as if on autopilot, preoccupied by my thoughts, and when I turn towards the fridge to grab some yogurt I walk straight into Salman’s chest and drop the basket.
‘Shit,’ I say as fruit goes rolling in every direction. I drop to my knees with a heavy sigh.
‘Poppy,’ Salman says, joining me on the floor to collect the fruit. From the way my name leaves his mouth, I know what he’s about to say before he says it. ‘You need to re—’
‘I’ll relax later. Let’s get them on their date first, OK?’ I grab as much as I can and rinse the fruit quickly, my head feeling like a scrambled puzzle as I search for something to dry the fruit with.
