Edited.                                                           

Cold winds blew the fatigue from their faces. Jamie and Ayu were walking down a long empty road with the buzzing sound of crickets and fireflies engulfing them. Jamie continued to walk, having no clue where Ayu was taking him, and wondered why he was tagging along when he wasn't in the mood to.

"Can we please go back now?" Jamie said, getting grumpy.

"Stop complaining. It's only been five minutes, for God's sake." Ayu rolled her eyes.

Jamie sighed. They walked past the fields, the ruffling of the grass ringing in their ears. Just then, the sound became louder and more noticeable, almost like something was there behind Jamie. It can't be Ayu because she is walking ahead of me, he thought. He stood in place, numb.

"What happened?" Ayu asked him, and her eyes grew wide as she looked at something behind him. He looked at her, getting frightened already. It was wrong to come here after all.

"Jamie," She whispered. "Don't move an inch, and when I say, you will run away as fast as you can." 

His face grew white. "B-but, what the hell is it?" He gulped, trying to look back.

"Don't look behind, idiot! It's a boar. Oh, shit! RUN." She yelled, already running away. Chanting a silent prayer in his mind, Jamie took a huge leap and ran for his dear life.

"Is it... chasing us? I hope not." He panted after stopping somewhere to catch his breath, while Ayu was covering her mouth with her hands.

"Are you okay?" He asked when he realizes she still hadn't said anything.

Ayu looked at him with a strange look on her face like she can't hold it anymore. For a moment, Jamie thought that she was going to vomit, but then she burst out laughing. "Oh, my God. You really," She tried to put into words and continued to laugh until she was out of breath.

At first, Jamie stared at her blankly, not being able to understand her reaction, and then he felt like the biggest fool ever. "You- you fooled me." He said, trying to control his anger and embarrassment at the same time. 

"You should have looked at yourself in the mirror. 'B-but, what the hell is it?'" She tried to imitate him, making a pitiful face.

"You bitch," Jamie held back a grin and hit her lightly on her shoulder. He looked around, wondering how far they ran.

"We are almost there." Ayu smiled.

"But I don't see anything around except a small cliff a few meters ahead of us." He said but Ayu didn't reply. They walked until she stopped right in front of a haphazard stairway that led to the cliff and gave Jamie a weird grin.

"Absolutely not." He protested. "There's no way we are going up there. I mean, just look at the stairs, and there are no lights! And you even-"

"Ugh! Are you done complaining?" Ayu cut him off. He gave her a cold glare.

"Look, Ayu, we can do this some other time, but right now, I'm not in the mood to play your games." Jamie said, being honest.

"I know that. You've been like that ever since you came here." Ayu complained. She brought him here in hopes of cheering him up a bit and she was determined to do it. "Okay, then off we go." She said, already marching forward.

Even after many 'why's and 'won't's from Jamie, they ended up going on the cliff anyway. It was pitch-dark, but with the help of the flashlights in their mobile phones, they were able to get past the uneven, rocky stairs. When they reached the top, Jamie stopped, observing the view around him.

One could view the whole town from there, including Ayu's house, as she pointed out to him. On the left side of the cliff was a small wooden house surrounded by a garden of white flowering plants. Ayu mentioned that this place was owned by her family and was their own little house where they stored all the equipment for farming purposes.

"I used to often sneak out with Raghav like this before, and also got a good dose from our parents later on." She chuckled.

"Raghav? Oh, that childhood friend of yours." He remembered her mentioning about him earlier. "Is he here in this town?" Jamie asked.

"Not yet. He's having his exams right now. My father says he'll probably come the day after tomorrow."

"Hmm." Jamie hummed in a low voice and sat on the open area near the edge of the cliff. Ayu joined in, too. They sat there silently for a while, watching the view. Jamie looked up at the sky, filled with countless stars. He laid down comfortably to take a better look.

"They are beautiful," He said in a soft voice.

"Yeah. Too bad that we never get to see them in the city," Ayu said nostalgically.

"Ah! Do you know which constellation that is?" He asked, trailing its shape with his finger.

"I don't know much about them. Do you?" She shrugged.

"Yeah," his face brightened up. "This one is the Big Dipper and the one right next to the Big Dipper is Ursa Minor. Oh, and the one over there, that's Orion."

"But how can you see it? There are so many stars." Ayu looked at the direction where his finger was pointing, getting confused.

"Look, that one goes like this." He began explaining to her by raising his hand to trace the constellation, but she still didn't get it. "Argh!"He groaned and held her hand up, tracing it for her. She glanced at him for a split second when he did that before looking up again. Jamie hid a smirk. He liked that look on her face whenever he managed to surprise her.

"First chess, now this. It seems I've underestimated you, Mr. James." She poked him on his forehead.

"You never realized it. I was born with many talents." He said, getting cocky. "Especially scoring girls, like you." He added in a flirty tone.

"I wonder what will happen if I tell your girlfriend about this? It won't be pretty, that's for sure." She challenged.

"About that... Well, we broke up." Jamie sulked.

"No way! Are you serious?" She gasped. Now, that was sudden. She was sure that everything was going well between them. She was starting to think that maybe that was the reason why he was upset.

"But, how?"She asked, curious.

Jamie began to tell her about Sarah discovering about the chats and how from then on, their relationship starts to crumble. It was already reaching the breaking point when they were avoiding each other. Jamie couldn't take it anymore, and eventually called her one day to meet her during the evening. She agreed and they tried to talk, but it ended in an argument again. Jamie realized that their way of thinking didn't match at all, which was why neither of them were ready to agree on anything. It was pointless. There was an awkward silence, and then finally he gathered up his courage and asked her to break up, and she agreed, unexpectedly. He still remembered her face back then. It was hard to watch her like that. She broke down in tears and he just stood there, trying to calm her down while also trying to compose himself.

"Sorry to hear that. Is that why you've been upset all this time?" Ayu asked, feeling sorry for them.

"Yeah, that was one reason." He said, his voice low and serious.

"And the other reason. Was it that phone call, then?" She blurted out of nowhere, making him open up his eyes in surprise. "Oops! I'm sorry," She said, putting her hand in her mouth. "I overheard it." She apologized.

"Doesn't matter," Jamie said irritably. Just thinking about it made his blood boil.

"Who was it?" 

"You don't need to know."

"C'mon, I'm curious. You sounded really angry back then."

"It was my father. Don't ask any further." He scowled and turned his face away from her.

"Well, these fights happen, right? I, too, fight with my parents sometimes. It's normal." She said, trying to reassure him.

Ayu sat up and lay her hands behind her body, touching the ground while Jamie just stared at the dark blue sky, trying to trace more constellations. 

"Um, can I ask you something? I wanted to ask you this for a while." Ayu said, tugging a strand of hair behind her ear. He motioned her to continue.

"What is your family like?" She asked hesitantly. Jamie widened his eyes at her. "What? You're acting as if I asked your most embarrassing moment," She frowned.

Because it is, Jamie thought. Besides, what's with her asking one thing after another? Did she intend to know about his life right this instant? Now he was the one feeling uncomfortable.

"Come on, I've asked you such a simple question. You've seen my family, right? Now, tell me something about yours." She said, getting impatient.

"Alright, take a guess." Jamie finally said, looking down.

"Hmm...with the way you are, I think your family is very carefree and independent. I imagine a very outgoing and modern family. Am I close enough?" She guessed.

"You might say that, but it's not completely true. I do have some issues." He said, forcing a smile.

A strong gust of wind passed right through them and calmed down immediately, the air around growing completely still. For a while, Jamie just stared into the space, saying nothing. It was weird talking about things like this. He usually tried to avoid it. Funny, he thought while looking in Ayu's direction. She wasn't saying anything when she was so curious a while ago.

"Continue, I'm listening." Ayu finally said in a small voice, looking at the ground. She really wanted Jamie to answer this time, to open up even if it was just a little. She recalled how she had tried asking him about his life and family before, but he would either change the topic or just shrug it off. He never really bothered to talk much about himself until now, which was why she was letting him take his time to speak up.

I guess it's no big deal,  Jamie thought. He let out a small breath before opening his mouth.

"My parents are both working people. My father is a businessman, so he is busy with his customers and their dealings, while my mother is a reporter. You know how hectic a news reporter's life can be. She often has to go out of town for her work. Due to their super-busy jobs, they are rarely home. It's only me and Andrew most of the time. It's been like that for a long while, so we are used to it."

"You must feel lonely without them," Ayu said, stating the obvious.

"I do, but it feels normal now. Andrew and I would end up staying at a friend's house or partying until late at night anyway. Although, we would feel a bit happy when everyone would turn up at the dinner table together sometimes, especially Andrew. He would do anything to make that happen."

"Oh," She said, and he continued.

"They were busy and hardworking parents, so we compromised with the situation. Well, that's what I thought at first, until I began to realize that they actually did this on purpose."

"What do you mean?" Ayu asked, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"It was our summer vacation. We requested our family go on a vacation together somewhere far away, and surprisingly, they agreed. It didn't last long, though. My parents got into a bad argument and we had to return after two days. I overheard them talking about how they had to stay together just because we requested them to. I could see that it was a hassle for them. After we returned home, their fights only got worse and both of them ended up running away from the house for a while, leaving me Andrew and me alone."

Jamie paused for a moment to glance at Ayu, who was listening without saying anything. He shifted his gaze towards the starry sky again.

"It was hard to understand them. They would be perfectly fine whenever we used to have dinner together. They even acted romantically sometimes. Exactly one year later, they filed a divorce. Mom told me that Dad was having an affair and she absolutely couldn't stand seeing him now. I was afraid because I didn't want to be separated from Andrew after their divorce. He is the only family I have. I tried to convince them, but nothing changed. I couldn't do anything. It was hopeless from the very start. It was suffocating being in my own house, and in the end, when nothing could be resolved; I grew hysterical and ran away from home."

"Where?" Her question came almost immediately.

"No idea. I was just running away. I couldn't bear it anymore. Can't blame me, I was only twelve at that time. Now that I think about it that was one stupid move. You won't believe it. In those eleven days, I stumbled across all kinds of crazy people, like gangsters and drug addicts." He let out a small laugh. "They even made me try some drug. It was a strange one. One thing happened after another, and the next thing I knew, I was in the hospital with my parents and Andrew sitting next to me. I guess my wish came true, in an odd way." He joked.

"That's no laughing matter, Jamie. It could have been worse." Ayu said with a serious face.

"I know, I know. I'm just saying. Besides, it was something in the past." Jamie said, trying to act cool.

"I'm sorry," Ayu apologized, and reached over to hold his palm between her hands, showing concern. He didn't even realize that he was fidgeting with his fingers earlier. It must have been a traumatic experience for him as a child, thought Ayu, still holding on to his hand. It was hard to believe that he had a rough childhood. No wonder he found it strange being around her family, who was the complete opposite of his.

"It's fine. You don't have to pity me." Jamie said, jerking his hand away from her hold uncomfortably.

"I do not pity you, Jamie. It's called caring." Ayu pointed her finger, explaining it to him like a child.

"Whatever." He mumbled.

Ayu sighed. "So, are your parents, I mean-"

"Nah, they dissolved the divorce" Jamie cut her off in the middle "To make sure I won't run off again, they even put up an act, saying there's nothing wrong with them. Strange, isn't it? I can't tell if things happened for the good or for worse, but in the end, everyone got used to it. No complaints, no arguments, nothing at all." He said with a cold face. Ayu looked at him, unable to say anything, and endured the long silence after that.

The sky changed its colors as the night darkened and the cold breeze continued to blow. 

"Can I ask you something?" Jamie asked out of nowhere, startling Ayu.

"Sure, anything."She replied politely.

"Should I go home or not?"Jamie asked in a low voice. 

"Do you want to?"

"Kind of."

"Well, you've got nothing better to do anyway."

"Yeah, but..." Jamie said, coming a little closer to her. "I might never come back, you know." He gave her a faint smile.

"But, why? Don't you like this place?" She asked, surprised by his strange answer, and then took a moment to think. The reason he was in the bad mood for the past few days and that phone call she overheard made it possible that his father was asking him to come back against his will for some unknown reasons. 

"Then, make sure you come back. Things might be difficult for you, but I'm sure you would like to go. After all, you lived there all your life. Don't you miss your brother and your friends?" She asked him worryingly.

"Yeah, I do miss them a lot, and I want to see them. But, watching you and the others..." He trailed off, looking away from her. "It makes me wish for a sweet home, too." He said almost in a whisper.

Ayu could sense the pain in his voice as he said those words. She really wished she could do something. At first, she only wanted to know what was wrong and cheer him up, but now, when she knew how deep his problem really was, she had no idea about what to say exactly.

"Ah, look at me, getting all gloomy like that." He laughed. "Whoa, look at the time! It's past 2 AM. I think we should head back." He yawned and began to walk away when Ayu called him.

"So, are you going?" She asked.

"Will you miss me if I go, and never come back? Aww, that's so sweet." He chuckled.

"Jamie," Ayu glared at him.

"Yeah, I'm going." He said in a bored voice.

"Good," She said and walked towards him, closing the distance between them as Jamie watched her with curiosity.

"Just remember this. There will be people waiting for you here, so make sure you come back, okay?" Ayu ruffled his hairs a little and smiled.

"Oh-kay,"Jamie replied hesitantly.

"Good. Now, let me show you something," She said while walking towards the storehouse.

"Wait. Aren't we heading back? It's already two." He shouted behind her, but she just looked back at him and showed her tongue playfully. Jamie couldn't help but smile back at her. He quietly followed her lead as she showed the way inside the store house.

But instead of paying attention to whatever she was showing, he was simply staring at her. The way her eyes shone whenever she showed something interesting, the pleasant smile she would give him from time to time. That unique hairstyle and the traditional dress really suited her. She looked simple, yet so beautiful and carefree, and somewhat different from before. He couldn't help but be intrigued by her.

"Is it that weird for me to wear a traditional dress? You were glaring at me yesterday morning, too." She complained when she caught him looking at her intensely for quite sometime.

"I wasn't glaring at you, idiot." He averted his gaze from her.

"Really? Yes, I finally found them!" Ayu's face lit up when she stumbled across some photo albums that were kept in a corner of the shelf. She wiped off the dust from them and handed them over to Jamie. They sat on the porch outside the storehouse to take a better look at the albums. Time passed by as they happily looked over the photos and chatted for a long time. They never realized when they fell asleep, and when Jamie woke up, it was already five in the morning. Panicking, he woke Ayu up immediately and they hurried over to her place to unlock the front door. Luckily, no one was awake then, so they quickly slipped into their respective rooms and fell asleep once again.

Their train was scheduled to travel to Delhi that day at 2 PM. Ayu's mother made some sweets and cookies beforehand, enough for each one of them.

"Do come again next time," She said to everyone, giving her best regards.

"We will, Aunty." Said Ashima, waving goodbye to her.

"Take care, everyone. It was nice to have you all."

Ayu's father smiled. "And I'll beat you the next time we meet for sure." He pointed his finger at Jamie.

"Looking forward to it, sir." Jamie said, forcing a smile.

"No, say 'uncle'." Ayu's father commanded him. 

"Come on, Papa. You don't have to be so pushy." Ayu whispered, standing behind her father.

"I won't let him go until he says that." 

"Uh, okay Un-uncle." Jamie stuttered out while everyone clapped.

"Our boy has grown so much. God bless him." Zen mocked at him and Jamie punched him on his shoulder.

"We should go." Announced Lynda, and the group walked toward the train while Ayu's family headed back to their car. Jamie looked back at Ayu, who was busy talking to her sister. They hadn't really talked ever since this morning. Disappointed, Jamie turned around and walked, convincing himself that this wasn't some Bollywood movie where the girl would look back.

"Jamie," Ayu called out to him and his heart skipped a beat.

"W-what happened?" He asked nervously. What the hell is wrong with me? He wondered.

"Why are you so shocked?" Ayu said, slowly walking towards him. Zen and the others were already seated inside the train, so it was just him standing outside.

"It's nothing."

"Here, take this." She said, her lips turning into a playful smile while taking out something from the small purse that she was carrying. It was a pack of home-made sweets.

"But, your mother already gave them to me." He explained. 

"I know. Is it wrong to give some extras? Share it with your friends in Australia. Now, hide it inside your bag before anyone else notices it." She said in a low voice.

"Thank you," Jamie said with emotion.

"Was last night fun?" Ayu asked.

"Yeah, it was. I give it six out of ten." He smirked.

"No way, that less?!" She joked and they laughed.

Jamie tilted his head, looking at something behind Ayu.

"What are you looking at?" Ayu asked while following his gaze.

"Just wondering where your family was." Jamie said, looking back at her. "Your parents are nice people. Cherish them." He smiled.

"I'm already aware of that, but thank you anyway." Ayu smiled back.

 Just then, they heard the horn from the train that was signaling the final call. "Dude, hurry up." Zen called out to him from the train window where he was seated.

"Alright then. Bye, see ya." He said in a hurry and turned around.

"You forgot this, idiot." She said, giving the small bag to him. When Jamie took it, their fingers intertwined for a second as their eyes travelled from their hands and back to their faces.

"Do message me, okay?" Ayu requested while looking him in the eye.

"Okay," Jamie said slowly, his eyes on her. They stood there in silence for a short moment until he turned around and ran inside the train.

Ayu waved everyone goodbye till the train departed from the station. Minutes after the train departed from the station, Jamie received a message from Ayu.

I still think you should have given more points lol! ;) Anyway, take care and enjoy your vacation.

Pls: Don't forget your promise."

"What are you smiling about?" Zen asked, startling Jamie.

"Ah, nothing in particular." He said while typing a quick reply. He slid his phone inside his pocket and looked at Zen. "Zen, I'm going to Australia." He said with determination.

"Hmm, I see. Say 'hi' to Neal for me." Zen grinned and they smiled, since there was nothing else to be said.

                                                  ................................................................................

Sorry for the late update. I was busy with my exams. I hope you didn't find this boring since this chapter is so long. As you can see things will start to progress from this point on. In the next chapter you'll see some new characters.

Comments and votes are very much appreciated.

Take care. ^ ^ and Enjoy your summer vacation.