[PART 1] The night sky was clear, luminated with the presense of stars that shone exceptionally bright on this warm July night. No one could guess that this was the calm stillness before a violent storm. Everyone was living their normal life. Well, almost everyone...
"Miss Kripa Sharma, your party is waiting for you at the North wing," a nasel voice announced over the speakers at the Nainital International Airport. In the midst of the rush at the airport, a girl froze as this announcement echoed across the airport. With her delicate hands she scanned through her purse, grabbing a few papers before tossing the bag over her shoulder, and grasped her Starbucks coffee in the other hand. Ab toh tum gayi Kripa, she thought to herself. She paused to take a sip of her coffee before she began her sprint to the North wing of the airport.
"Slow down yaar! Ye koi race nahiin hai," a worried voice shouted. The owner of this voice was firmly holding on to his seatbelt as he watched his friend drive down the highway as if they were the only car there. "Maybe you don't realize, but there are other cars here too! I don't know about you, but I value my life. Dheere yaar, dheere!" the man complained. The driver of the car smirked as he pushed down further on the accelerator. His friend's grasp on the seatbelt tightened instantly. "Shabbir! Take it easy yaar! Don't strangle the poor seatbelt. Uska kya kasoor hai," his deep voice boomed throughout the car as he laughed. Shabbir irritatedly responded, "You're right. Sara kasoor tumhara hai Angad! Maybe I should be strangling you instead!" Angad removed his hands from the steering wheel and put them up in mock terror. "Mommy bachaoo! Ye adhmi mujhe mardaale ga!" Shabbir grabbed the steering wheel. "Grow up Angad! When will you learn that life isn't just fun and games?" "As soon as the referee pulls me out of the game," Angad responded. "Lighten up Shabbir! It's not my fault we're running late." Shabbir's face was turning red with anger at this point. "It's not your fault?! Are you crazy Angad? Maybe if you didn't take as long as a girl does to get ready, then we wouldn't be late for our flight in the first place! We're going to miss our flight! Do you even realize how important this trip is? Ye koi vacation nahiin hai. If boss finds out that we missed our appointment, we're screwed!" Angad just blasted the radio at this point. "We're not going to miss our flight," he shouted over the radio. "Not with my driving we won't!"
Pulling into the airport, Angad didn't even pause to wait for Shabbir. He grabbed his luggage and began running into the airport. "Shabbir!" he shouted over his shoulder. "I'll see you on the flight! I have to make a phone call home real quick before we go, and my phone battery is dead. I'm going to use a pay phone before the flight!" Shabbir stood by the car in disbelief. "Why am I his friend again?" he questioned himself.
Angad ran around scanning the airport for a phone to use. He soon saw a sign with a telephone symbol on it. Angad glanced down at his watch. Shit! Angad, ab toh tum gaye. Flight ka waqt bhi hogaya aur abhi tak maa se baat bhi nahiin ki. Angad instantly began to run faster. He kept his eyes on the target: the telephone that no one was using at the moment. Bhaagam Bhaag! Bhaagam Bhaag! Angad sang in his head. Lost in his own world, he was totally unaware of the oncoming traffic. BAM!!!! Angad ran into someone with full force, landing right on top of a petite girl. Angad lifted his head a little to see that the girl's hair had fallen over her face, hiding it so that he could not see her properly. Acting on impulse, Angad brushed the hair out of the girl's face. At that moment, it seemed as if time had stood still. He completely forgot that we was on the floor of a crowded airport. He forgot that he had to call his mom. He forgot that he had a flight to catch. He even forgot to breath. Realizing his last mistake, Angad gasped for air without looking away from this stranger's face. She was staring back at him with eyes filled with fear. Her rosy cheeks complimented the lush color of her soft, trembling lips. Angad had been in many relationships before, but never had he seen a girl with such beauty. Their faces were so close to each other that they could taste each other's breath. Neither one of them dared to move in the fear that they would destroy this beautiful moment. The weather, however, was oblivious to this. Just then thunder shook the whole airport and a flash of lightening shone through the windows, signaling the beginning of a terrible storm. The lights in the airport flicked before the power went out. In the dim light that shone through the windows of the airport, Angad watched as the fear in the girl's eyes grew stronger. "Kya hua?" he whispered. His sweet breath washed across her face, mesmerizing her instantly. He had to nudge her slightly before she remembered that he was waiting for a response. "I'm scared of thunderstorms... and of the dark," she responded in a melodic voice. Angad brought his face closer to hers, their lips almost touching as he responded, "Don't be scared. I'm right here with you." The two laid there, gazing into each other's eyes through the dim lighting. Neither one realized when the lights came back on until an old lady's wheelchair ran over the girl's finger. "Ouch!" she cried out in pain. Angad tenderly grabbed her hand as he sat up, placing her finger in his mouth in order to stop the bleeding. "Are you okay?" he asked in a paniced tone. When he didn't hear a response, he looked up to meet her gaze. Tears were rolling down her soft cheeks. Angad felt like he had been punched in the gut when he saw this sight. Unable to watch her in pain, he wiped away her tears. He still had his hand on her face when an announcement rang across the airport's speaker system. "Miss Kripa Sharma, this is your final call to meet your party at the North wing. Miss Kripa Sharma to the North wing!" The girl jumped to her feet, grabbing her purse and papers. She looked down at her once white dress. It was now covered in a huge coffee stain. Angad also felt the moisture and heat from the stain on his shirt. The two were so lost in the moment that they didn't even realize that Kripa's coffee had spilled on them during their fall, but now that moment was gone. Kripa was ready to leave, but Angad wasn't ready to let her go. "Ek minute," he said. "Proper introduction toh ho jaye! My name is Angad Khanna," he said as he extended his hand. Kripa slid her hand into his in order to meet his hand shake. "Kripa Sharma. It was very nice meeting you. Thank you for staying with me when I was scared, but I really have to go now." And before Angad could resond, she was gone. He watched her from the behind as she ran towards the North wing. What a beauty! he thought to himself. Just then Angad noticed a paper on the floor. Kripa must have dropped this, he reasoned. He opened it up to find the receipt of a flight to Sydney, Australia. The ticket was under Kripa's name. Angad pulled out his ticket to Mexico City from his pocket and tore it up. Sydney, Australia, here I come!
Bollywood
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai
