The Journey

Chapter 16.

Aarav's POV-

"Aarav, give it to me!" Ishitha shouted.

"Stop shouting, Ishitha, you'll wake people up." I told her.

"Well, if you give my bucket list book back, I'll stop shouting." She retorted.

"Ooooh. Bucket list book?" I teased her.

"Aarav, give it back!" She shouted. Very loudly if I might add.

I caught her waist and pulled her towards me.

"Shh." I hushed her, while keeping my index finger on her lips.

Honestly, shocked would be an understatement for her right now. Her eyes were now huge and she looked really cute.

"It's 6:10 in the morning. People would be sleeping, unlike us, awake at this time just to watch the sun rise." I said.

"Right?" I asked her.

She nodded her head, still shocked to say anything.

"Yeah, so wouldn't it be better if we keep quiet and let them sleep while we enjoy the sun rise?" I asked her again, to which she nodded again.

"Good." I smiled and left her waist before taking a step back.

"And, here." I said, taking my own bucket list book out of my bag and handing it to her.

"This is my bucket li-"

She didn't let me complete my sentence and snatched the book from my hand.

"Now we're even. If I get to read this, then you get to read that." She said, pointing at her own bucket list book.

"That is why I gave it to you."

"Cool. But remember, you do not judge me after reading it. Okay?" She asked, now pointing her finger at me and giving me an aggressive look.

"Calm down, babydoll." I said, winking at her.

Surprisingly she didn't make a fuss about me calling her babydoll this time, instead just rolled her eyes with a smile on her face.

*

"You've completed almost every other thing on your bucket list, Aarav!" Ishitha exclaimed.

"Yeah, almost everything is done. Almost." I said.

"Yeah, there are just two things left.... one is buying a private jet, the other is... are you serious, Aarav?" She giggled, looking at me.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"You want to have an underwater kiss. Wow." She laughed, shaking her head.

"So fancy." She added.

"I mean, it's better than wanting to get proposed in Jaipur while the sun sets." I said, reading her bucket list.

"Shut up." She mumbled, blushing.

"You want to start an orphanage?" I asked, looking at her.

"Yup."

"And I want to name it after mom." She added, smiling.

I smiled back at her before continuing to read her bucket list.

"A kiss on the Eiffel Tower? Now if this isn't clichè, Ishitha Sahni, I don't what is." I said, smirking at her.

"I mean, that's so much more better than an underwater kiss, which may or may not be the cause of someone's death due to lack of oxygen, and that too underwater!" She exclaimed.

"You make it sound like it's a murder plan or something." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Might be. You never know." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, if that was the case, then I'd love to kiss you underwater."

"Face it Aarav, you've started liking me and just want a chance to kiss me." She joked.

The first half of it is absolutely true, and well, the second half is also, kind of true.

"Are you having a debate inside your mind on whether you want to kiss me or not?" She asked, clutching her stomach and laughing.

"You wish, Ishitha." I said, acting cool and as if I wasn't actually thinking about kissing her.

"Oh god, I'm going to miss you so much." She stated, still laughing.

"Tomorrow the journey is going to come to an end, and we go seperate ways." She added, now with a sad smile on her face.

"That is only if we let it." I stated.

"What?" She whispered, her face giving away that she was way too surprised with what I said.

"Nothing." I smiled, looking down.

Somewhere in my heart I hoped she got what I actually meant. And if she didn't, I'm just going to leave it on fate.

"Aarav."

"Hmm?" I looked up at her.

"Do you believe in fate?" She questioned.

I looked surprised for a second, but quickly changed my expression to that of a normal one and answered her, "Yeah, I do."

"Me too." She smiled.