"There he is!" Jessica said and called Rhea at the entrance of the house. She hurried downstairs with her suitcase as Noor ran after her.

"Why are you so early?" Rhea asked, catching her breath.

"Why are you so late?" Said Loraine, standing behind Ember.

"We're going to miss the flight. Come on."

Rhea put on her shoes, kept an extra pair and set out, waving at her cousin and brother.

"Take care of my sister!" Noor said.

"As if you care about her while she's around you," Jessica joked as they watched the car they were in drive away.

Ember sat close to her on the private jet when she slept and put on a blanket on her.

"Oh Rhea, why did you agree to come with me? Was it only because of yourself?" He whispered to her. "Or was it for me? Be honest." He smiled as her sleepy fingers made their way to find his hand and intertwined with each other.

Maple passed by smirking at them and a pair of hands pulled him away.

"What?"

"Why do you disturb people?"

"Well, Mr. Green-Eyes, you're disturbing ME! I was having a nice little walk around in the airplane." Maple complained.

"And you Hazel eyes kiddo, you're disturbing their privacy," Loraine laughed.

"There are so many seats in here yet they're sharing one. What does it mean?" Maple scaned the two of them sitting close.

"They...are best friends," he coughed.

"Two best friends in a room, they might kiss," He grinned.

"No, they won't?"

"Well, they might."

Rhea's eyes opened and the first thing she witnessed was a locket hanging out of the shirt as Ember tried to close the window beside her. Their eyes met as he settled down in his seat. He acted nervous when she kept staring at him.

"Are you...still sleepy?"

As she nodded her head to say yes, she lost the balance of her head and was about to collide with Ember's.

"THEY MIGHT KISS!" Maple shouted and threw an empty plastic bottle at Loraine.

"NO THEY WON'T!" Loraine aggressively grabbed the bottle and tore it apart with bare hands.

Both Rhea and Ember got startled watching them throwing stuff at each other and uttering weird words. Like, what? Kiss? What's that?

Rhea called Ember near, looked up to his eyes and said, "are your brothers...?" And pointed at the side of her head with her index finger and rolled it in the air(sign language for saying 'mentally disabled')

He chuckled. "No, but they're actually crazy." They laughed.

"THEY MIGHT KISS!!!" Maple said while Loraine had taped his mouth with his hand.

* * * * *

It was a long flight of 16 hours, or even more. Arorhea was ready for the challenges along the way. Or at least Ember tried to make her believe about that. No one had any clue about their next step.

"Let's go, Rhea." Ember smiled as they alighted from the jet.

Loraine & Maple got down first to make way for the two of them. And as they walked out of the airport, they received the news that Charles had already called a ride from Nason. The driver left the car to Charles. Ember, Rhea & Maple sat in the back, passengers' seat while Loraine sat beside Charles in the front.

"What are we gonna do? We don't even have a plan."

"Just trust the process."

"Can I, by any chance go and meet my friend for once?" Rhea asked.

"Nikita? Sure. Let's go."

"Not in the car, though." She moved away from it and started crossing the road. He followed her.

* * * *

"NIKKI!"

"RHEA!" They hugged. She opened her eyes for another visitor. "The prince of Brit High?!"

Ember chuckled. "Hello!"

"Can I use the washroom?!" Rhea whisper shouted in her ear and rushed inside.

Nikki welcomed them in. "Thank you for bringing my best friend back." She cried. "How'd you do that?"

"I have reach." They laughed.

"And your girlfriend."

"Ah-!" He looked at her with surprise as they sat on the couch together. She turned on the TV for him. "You knew about it?"

"Your action speak more than words, mister. I might not ever have a boyfriend back then, but I saw a possibility between you two. Plus your efforts. Damn, how did she not notice that."

"She still doesn't. But I'm glad she trusts me enough for me to bring her back here. And hey! You have a boyfriend? I never knew."

"We met last year online and finally met each other in person last month."

"How does he looks?"

"Just fine." Nikki smiled. "But I'm not sure. He's nice but...our nationality isn't the same, I'm just worried about our future."

"Don't be, just take me and Rhea for an example."

"Hahaha." She laughed. "You guys will go through much more than us since your father is so damn strict."

"Wai-" He paused. "You have met him?"

"No, I just heard about him."

"From Rhea?"

"Actually....not....um.." She said nervously. "Yes, it's from Rhea."

"Are you hiding something?" He grabbed the remote control and switched the TV back off.

"Uh, well. It's true that Rhea told me about it. But just not in the last few years." She laid back and turned towards the window behind the television. "You might not believe me if I tell you."

"Try me."

"What if I say that she told me about you in our past lives?"

He looked shocked. But only for a second. That expression soon turned into a smirk and he started staring at the same spot as her. Now she was surprised. She turned her head towards him with concern.

"Are you not shocked?"

"No?" He turned his head towards her with the same smirk from before. "I never met you, we only talked over texts. I wonder if you were the same back then as you are now."

"I-" She was as stunned as she thought he would be. "I can't believe-"

Ember started laughing. "I'm glad to meet you in this one."

She relaxed. "And that's another reason why I know about you two." Said Nikki with a smile. "I tried bringing you together in this life unconsciously. I think I did a good job."

"A great one, thank you."

Rhea walked out of the hallway, swinging her hand, splashing all the drops of water here and there. "Dude- it took me so long to find the bathroom!"

"Does she-?" Nikki looked at Ember.

"I don't think so."

* * * * *

"Thank you for coming, visit again. It's your home too." Said the host at the door.

"I don't think so, but we'll meet once you visit me in India." Rhea said.

"I will!"

She closed the door as they reached the stairs of the building and opened again.

"All the best, you guys," she whispered.

* * * * *

They walked on the sidewalk, Ember kicked the dry leaves as he walked. Rhea observed his movements and tried synchronizing with him. He smiled.

"I wish we would always be happy."

"Me too."

* * * * *

Noor went to school after a lot of days of staying at home. He kind of missed his friends but he wouldn't admit that. He reached school and sat at his usual spot—the last bench beside the window. The teacher came in with a smile, with a new student who had taken late admission.

She coughed, "students, we have a new student with us," she smiled, "please introduce yourself, beta."

The new student bowed first and then said, "hello, I'm Ayesha Reddy from ADC Public High School and I'll be your new classmate. I hope to get along with you."

Noor didn't bother until Mrs. Rashmi, their class teacher noticed him, "Noor Laghari!" He stood up in shock, "do you think it's your home? That you will come whenever you want?"

"School is actually a second home," Ayesha whispered to herself and Noor read her lips.

"Ma'am school is actually a second home," he repeated her words while Ayesha stared at him. She thought that they had the same thoughts at the same time. Mrs. Rashmi fumed with anger.

"GET OUT OF MY CLASS!" She yelled, "and after this period, I'll make you sit in the front bench of girls' row." Upon hearing that, the whole class laughed.

"MA'AM NOOOOOO!"

"YES."

Noor walked with his head down and exited the class from the door beside the teacher's table and received a slap on his back by his class teacher. Ayesha eyed him as he walked out.

"Sit in the first bench," she whispered to her.

* * * * *

"Bring an application tomorrow with your parents' signature," said Mrs. Rashmi as the bell rang and she moved out of the classroom. Noor was standing beside the door.

"But my parents are not at home!"

"Then your grandparents."

"They don't live with us!"

She sighed and turned to him completely, "DO YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE LIVING ALONE?!"

"My cousin is staying over with me for a few days until my parents return."

"How old is she?"

"26."

"Tell your parents to call me," she said and walked away.

"MA'AM NOOOOOOOO!" He cried.

"Get in, loser," said the class monitor and Noor stepped on his foot intentionally. He punched Noor and Noor grabbed his hair. He pulled it, "what the hell, dude!"

Ayesha, who was surrounded by a crowd around her, got out of it and separated Noor and the class monitor. "Monitor," she smiled, "remember ma'am told you to collect the English copies?"

"Ohh yes, right," he laughed nervously and left. "My name is Mrinal, by the way."

"Collect mine from under the desk," she shouted to him as he proceeded to collect the English notebooks from his classmates. Then she looked at Noor as he was already staring at her. She placed her elbow on his shoulder, "come on, bench mate," she smiled.

* * * * *

"So you're from ACD Public High School?" Noor asked Ayesha as they sat in the front bench of the girls' row. The maths teacher entered the class to take the mathematics students with him

"You don't have maths?"

"No way," Noor said.

"Haha, same." Ayesha said.

As soon as the teacher stepped out of the classroom, a huge crowd of boys surrounded Ayesha's bench.

"Hey, Ayesha." Said one of them.

"You're pretty," said another.

"Thank you guys," she smiled, "but get back to your seats, I'm talking to Noor right now," upon hearing that, everyone whistled and applauded for him, who stared blankly at her, resting his head on his arm. The others left them.

"Uh...everyone's too annoying," said Noor with no facial expression.

"You don't get along, huh?" She asked, looking at her feet and he nodded. "Me neither. My previous school friends were too cruel to me. And...I didn't take late admission. Actually I dropped out of that school."

"Why?"

"It got too violent. It's nothing like here. It's peaceful as compared to that school's environment," she looked sad, "I had no real friends there. But you seem nice. Can we be friends?" She reached her hand forward and Noor gently held it. It felt soft.

"Of course," he smiled and she did too, "but can we become something more than just-"

"I guess we'll just need to trust the process," she poked his cheek gently and smiled.

-to be continued...

* * *

Ayesha & Noor