Chapter XL
Unexpected: The Lunch Box Journal

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Story so far: Did Akhil finally go in the second time? What happened after the coffee shop debacle? And how was Akhil holding up all of it? How far along was Madhav?
Read on…

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Akhil was almost ready to travel and this time there were no complications whatsoever. While there were people who wished that he not go, like his parents for one who was on the impression that if he goes too far away, he will settle himself there and seeing him will be more of a complication. While Likitha can’t stay away from him for such a long time. Her (every) 5-minute status updates would be much harder this time and on top of it, she was in love with him, apparently. Akhil might have known about that all along and yet didn’t reciprocate the same, nor did he reject her. Perhaps there was a deal in place, that they remain as friends and have no complications at all. It might seem like a pretty good deal, but the heart wants what it wants and there was not much the other can do about it.

Until a week before his travel, Akhil had been distant from Srestha and that was bothering with her mind. She also couldn’t stand him leaving and also his distance was killing her in the inside. But a week before he did connect with her over Facebook on which he had unfriended and she was more than happy to see his message. He had to tell her that he was travelling and that it was his last week before he travels abroad and that he wanted to meet her atleast once before he left. She also wanted to meet him and she even wanted to go to the Airport to see him off. While Akhil insisted that her coming to Airport wasn’t such a good idea, for obvious reasons, the reasons being “Likhita”, he said that it was early in the morning and a girl traveling so early in the morning wasn’t such a good idea.

Meanwhile, Neil’s marriage was almost underway and when asked to invite Srestha to Neil’s marriage, Akhil cleverly changed the topic to something else and never brought that topic again. Because Likhita would be there at the marriage and he didn’t want any sort of scene there at the marriage. Because if he had asked Srestha she would definitely come. And one reason among many was to burn Likhita. Likhita was already so burned up with the whole canteen and midnight affair, she was doing everything in her power to keep them apart with a nice leash of hers, and it was apparently working, so far. Neil’s marriage was over and Akhil’s travel date were finally out. He was busy learning for the new work since they expect him to start the work right away as soon as he lands over there. Akhil could go to office just one day before his actual travel date and he clubbed everything in that. The basic tradition was that anyone who was travelling had to give a treat. Gautham had a treat to his friends and the office guys in two different occasions, while Akhil ran around learning the new technology, he barely had time for anyone. So, the last day he squeezed some time to meet his love interest Srestha and even have a farewell party in the 30 minutes that he was at office. In that 5 minutes that he had spared for Srestha, she got him a gift and when they were leaving, Akhil held her hand wasn’t letting it go. The phone in his phone was ringing since he was needed elsewhere at the same time. All the while while that Akhil held on to her, she sensed that he didn’t want to let it got while she insisted him to stay back and not travel. But the phone ringing in his pocket meant that he had to.

Aryan accompanied him to the parking lot. He didn’t have much things to do that night, so he said he would come to the Airport to send him off. His idea was to take his camera and capture some take offs or landings, or may be the sunrise while Akhil insisted that he not come since it was way too early in the morning and it wasn’t near either. Akhil had his whole family back at his home waiting for him to pack the last few remaining things before his actual journey. While Akhil left for his home to get the last minute things done like clear out his house and sell off the bike and all that jazz, Aryan got an unusual text from Srestha, unusual since it was after a very long while. She was inquiring whether he was going to send Akhil off at the airport, because she also wanted to go. What Aryan presumed was despite all the differences and the distance that Likhita had been creating, they both were good friends because that was what they had been projecting at everyone and even when asked about the relationship that was going on, this was the response from both of them. Little did Aryan knew what had in store for him later that night.

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(To be Continued …)

What did Aryan have in store for? How was Neil after marriage? Did Srestha finally go to the airport?
– Check out for new updates –

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The Lunch Box Journal

ak, mmxviii