Brandon

The wind plays catch with her beautiful, black hair as Sanjana shuts her gorgeous brown eyes and rests her head tiredly on the headrest of her seat. Her lips curve into a tiny smile as she hums along with the Soft Bollywood music playing over radio in the car. Her sky-blue dress complements her flawless, wheatish skin, and the strings of diamonds dangling from her ears disperse light into tiny rainbows every time she moves. The sunlight casts a halo over her silhouette, as it peeks from the tainted window beside her seat. The sun is just inches above the horizon, ready to paint strokes of crimson hues on the canvas of the blue evening sky.

It's a breathtaking sight - so much beauty in one frame that my hands itch to sketch it on paper.

Sadly, I don't have any, so I decide to etch it to my memory for later, observing every feature, every edge and every curve of the Indian beauty resting in the car as we ride to Jaipur. Her driver navigates the highway expertly, ensuring the ride is smooth enough for us to rest after the hectic day.

The graduation ceremony was boring as hell, but attending it was totally worth the smile Sanjana gave me as she waved back from the podium. She's a sweetheart really - so beautiful, so kind, so brave, so confident and yet so tender and fragile - sometimes I get an overwhelming urge to hug her tight and melt away her worries and pain.

I've so many friends back home, yet the kind of bond we've built in a day feels stronger than most of those friendships. There's a mutual understanding and respect we share, especially after she entrusted me with her fears yesterday.

My heart sunk in my chest when I heard her painful sobs from across the corridor and hurried inside her room to see tears in her beautiful eyes yesterday. She looked inconsolable and my heart clenched at the thought of having to endure such suffering alone. I have a whole family and huge circle of friends, yet I feel misunderstood and lonely sometimes. It's so much worse for her. I did what felt right for her in that moment, what I'd have done for Ells, or would've wanted  someone to do for me. I felt truly elated when she smiled later, even though it didn't quite reach her honey eyes.

Those deep orbs look sad and hollow all the time, almost lifeless, and I wonder how they would light up when she smiles a happy, genuine smile. It pains me to think how she has to live on her own, despite being so young. Life's unfair to some people like that, but there's nothing I can really do about it, no matter how terrible I feel for her.

I shut my eyes with a heavy sigh, and wish her happiness, as I let myself be pulled deep into blissful sleep.

_______

"I thought you mentioned an office guest house. This is more like a lavish villa!"

Sanjana giggles at my surprise and shrugs. I gawk at the beautiful fountain in the middle of the huge garden that precedes the entrance to our temporary home for next few days, the pink and red flower shrubs adorning the entrance to the white marbled building with grace.

"This is for our staff and their family's personal five-star experience. You didn't think I'd take you to some old, shabby office quarters, did you?"

I shake my head in amusement and she giggles some more. I quite enjoy the sound of it.

"By the way, there's also a pool at the back." She adds in mirth and my eyes bulge out at the revelation.

"Wow. Good luck pulling me out of that."

I hear her chuckling at my excitement from behind me, as I dash towards the entrance, ditching my suitcase at the mercy of the driver. Don't blame me, blame the hot weather in India. I'd kill for a good dip in the pool right now.

__________

"We just have one hour for a quick stroll, the fort will start closing around 9:15 pm", Sanjana mentions as we finally arrive at the stunning Amer Palace that spreads for acres and acres of land atop the hill across us.

It feels surreal to finally see the palace of my dreams in reality - the same sandstone exteriors, same beautiful orange glow illuminating the whole complex - with fairy lights instead of earthen lamps. There's a lot more hustle and bustle though, no horseback, no khaki clad guards, no surge of power flowing through my veins - just anxiety, and perhaps curiosity.

I turn to look at Sanjana, dressed in a long flowy orange dressed, opposed to my casual t-shirt and joggers, and I notice that she's observing the fortress with a similar awed expression.

"Ready to go?" I ask tentatively, and she looks at me with a warm smile.

She doesn't say anything though, just observes me curiously, like she's trying to search for something in my eyes. It doesn't feel awkward or violating like it should, it feels welcoming.

"Do you want to talk about it first? How do you feel?" She whispers gently as she turns back towards the fort, her voice soft like a caress that calms my raging heartbeat. I find myself at a sudden loss of words as I gulp and look ahead as well.

Her soft, warm hand finds mine and she squeezes it reassuringly.

"I'm here if it gets overwhelming." She whispers again and I find myself feeling grateful that she isn't pressing for a response, just comforting me with her calm presence and gentle words.

Am I that easy for her to read?

"Thanks", I whisper back. I take a deep breath and pour out all my feelings, because I know they will be welcomed and understood, not judged.

"The palace looks exactly like the dream. I'm definitely excited to go in, but I'm also nervous about what we'll find in there. Does that make sense? I mean, I have always wanted to find out what the dreams are about, but now that I'm so close, I'm not sure if I'm ready. It's like diving headfirst into the unknown. It's kind of scary."

She squeezes my hand again as her thumb rubs the inside of my wrist soothingly.

"It's okay to be scared, Brandon, and it makes perfect sense. I feel the same way, even though this is perhaps totally unrelated to my own dreams. Just remember that whatever happens and whatever you find out, we'll deal with it together."

I smile at her sincerity and nod in agreement.

"Are you ready to go in tonight or should we come back tomorrow?" She asks in unmasked concern.

"Let's go in and look around as much as we can. Want to race me to the top?" I ask with a sly smirk.

She raises her brow at my offer, and a slow teasing smile appears on her face. Before I can even react, she leaves my hand and dashes towards the sea of people walking towards the slope leading to the fort entrance.

I chuckle at her antics and run behind her, narrowly dodging other tourists who are looking at the two of us like we're some maniacs.

By the time we ascend the slope that ends at the familiar entrance with engraved sun emblems, we're both laughing hysterically and heaving breathlessly.

"That was fun", she says through shaky breaths and I nod in agreement, a huge grin from ear to ear plastered on my face. She obviously won the race, but we both know it's because she cheated by running off first.

"Lead the way", she says with a smile and I nod as I walk inside.

I tell her about the dream in detail as we walk, showing where the horse stopped and where I saw the women dancing to folk tunes. Everything is eerily same as the dream. I lead her through the same corridors I visit lucidly every night. The interiors are exactly same, not an inch of engravings or murals are out of place. There are no lavish carpets or flower vases, or fire torches or lanterns though. The chandeliers are also different in designs and sizes. Perhaps due to some sort of renovation?

The bubbling question that I've been pushing away ever since I entered the palace resurfaces with a vengeance - how do I know this place so well?

I find myself voicing my thoughts immediately, "I have never visited India in my lifetime, yet I seem to know this palace like the back of my hand. How?"

"I was thinking about it too", she says, her face scrunched adorably in thought. "The only explanation is that these dreams are not our brain's imagination, but some sort of suppressed memories. How else can you tell where do these corridors lead? Your brain somehow knows this place subconsciously."

"But that's impossible. How can my brain know all this when it's the first time I'm here?"

She sighs and presses her lips in a thin line as she contemplates whether or not to say what she wants to.

"If you have an explanation, spill it. I'm not judging you, we're a team in this, aren't we?"

She nods but looks away as she says the words I could've never imagined.

"Do you believe in reincarnation?"

My feet stop on their own accord and my eyes widen at her words.

"You mean rebirth?"

She rolls her eyes teasingly at my reaction.

"Yes, it's the only explanation I can think of. At least for your case since I've found any place similar to my own dreams yet. You're free to suggest something else that makes sense."

"You're saying I know this place from a past life experience? That's-"

"Crazy. And impossible. I know."

We both walk silently in the spacious corridors as we ponder over the possibilities. It's obnoxious, and scientifically impossible. Or at least impossible to prove. But is there any alternative explanation?

The corridor ends in a wooden door that should open into the hall where the party occurs in my dream. But, it's locked.

Sanjana looks at her watch, "It's nine."

"Let's come back tomorrow then."

She nods in response and we turn around to leave.

"I've booked a guide for tomorrow. He'll show us around and tell us about the history of this palace. We can visit this hall with him too. It's a good place to start."

I nod and sigh heavily, the revelation weighing heavy on my mind. Do I really know this place from a previous life? Why would this past life experience still haunt my dreams? What is my relationship with this place?

Her soft hand finds mine again, squeezing reassuringly. "We'll figure it out, Brandon. Don't stress, we have time."

A small smile finds its way to my lips. "Thanks, princess."

________