"Can I ever convey how much all this matters to me in words?"

"You, " all of them screamed together still gaping. They just couldn't believe their eyes.

"Yes, me" a feminine giggle echoed in the whole compartment.

"And me," another female said waving shyly.

"And the best surprise, " a male yelled dramatically doing a little happy dance.

The four still continued gaping at the newcomers. Well, did they jump in the moving train or what?? They couldn't help but wonder.

"Come on, don't look like someone just died" The boy complained as he walked and tried to sit beside Viaan.

But Savvy stuck to Vi like a leech. Refusing to give away his space to him. His bestie was his, no annoying cousin allowed in between. Ansh sighed and stomped on Savvy's feet as he turned to Aaina.

"Oye, Nani Ji shift upar. Make space for others, " Ansh demanded from a still gaping Aaina.

"Well uncle Ji, I didn't know your eyesight has gone so weak. Look behind you there are empty seats, " Aaina pointed out to Ansh in her sharp yet sweet way as she got back her bearings. She wasn't giving away her seat without tormenting Ansh. She kind of liked squabbling with Ansh.

It's like they can't stay in the same room without insulting each other.

"Well, I want to sit beside my Vi. So, off you go Nani Ji, " Ansh pinpoints his logic to Aaina as he tried to make space for himself between Vi & Aaina.

"Not happening, dear uncle Ji. You know fiance before you, " Aaina boasted clinging to Viaan's other arm quite like Savvy.

Ansh huffed and turned to Vi for help.

Savvy and Aaina hi-fied.

Viaan didn't know whether to laugh or groan. Again, what he did to bear with all these cartoons??

While all this drama was going on-one side. Ro ignored them with expertise when this is a kind of daily occurrence in your life, you learn to put up with them. He instead turned to the girls enjoying the free comedy show and greeted them warmly.

"So, how long do you think they'll take to let go of their Tom n jerry avatar," Panchi asked Ro and Danika munching on imaginary popcorns while watching her fav show.

"5 minutes," Danika said unsurely

"Naah, 2 minutes," Ro spoke shrugging as he pondered whether he should pick up a book for reading or not? Well, the question should be whether these cartoons will let him read or not? he guess not when Ansh fell on his lap with a startled yelp.

An advice from him to the world "Don't stand on a moving train or you'll fall down on someone quite like Ansh,"

"Get off," Ro said pushing away Ansh from him as the other people in the cabin laughed their heads off.

"It wasn't funny at all, " Ro thought very surely. He was just tormented. "What was Ansh eating anyway? He had gained weight" He thought grumbling as he watched Viaan, Aaina and Savvy finally greeting Ansh properly with hugs. Didn't he mention that their drama will end in 2 minutes?

"How come you're suddenly here. Didn't you have a shoot??" Aaina asked Ansh settling back in her seat while Ansh settled himself beside Ro.

"Well, surprise, surprise. You're not the only one who gives surprises madam, " Ansh retorted smirking at Aaina. Totally, trying to rile Aaina up, by mocking her in his always cheery avatar.

Aaina rolled her eyes. Ignored him and turned to Danika.

"I'm so sorry Dani. I signed such a boss for you. Didn't even give you holidays." Aaina spoke to Danika acting as if she was feeling really very sorry for her.

Well, she was actually. She didn't interact much with Danika when they were in school but when Danika appeared in their company for a job. She couldn't send her away. The girl really needed the job and her resume was good too.

So, Danika had worked as her PA first before Ranvit entered the picture. Ranvi as her PA was a necessity and so, She promoted Danika as a manager, more precisely Ansh's manager because Ansh was grumbling about the last one very much.

"Well, at least I brought her with me. You left your PA with a ton of work. Poor Ranvi and Dani, oye, show some loyalty say I'm the best boss, " Ansh demanded support from Danika as he competed with Aaina on who is the best boss, literally.

Danika ignored Ansh royally.

"Why isn't Ranvi bhai here??" Dani asked Aaina instead, ignoring her boss who was behaving like a toddler as usual.

"He had some emergency," Both Viaan and Aaina at the same time.

Panchi couldn't help but comment in total awe of her fav pair in the whole world " bhabi and Bhai, you guys are just so cute." She loved how they complemented each other. Finished each other's statements. Fought and insulted each other like best friends and loved each other like.... she can't even find words to describe what kind of love they have. Maybe like penguins.

Savvy lit up like a tube light hearing her words and hi-fied her exclaiming "they're the cutest, aren't they??"

He spoke gushing like some teenage girls talking about their favorite celeb couples and one true pairing.

"Absolutely, " both Danika and Panchi were fully in support of Savvy's this statement. They kind of love to gush over them when together.

And they also kind of ignore the blushing and totally uncomfortable looking couple with them and Ansh who was making gagging sounds watching the blushing couple. Panchi punched her brother for behaving like a total git.

With that being done, easy conversation started flowing in the cabin. The girls moved to a single birth happily discussing about Haridwar's and Rishikesh's markets and the varieties of mouth-watering food found there. 

The boys couldn't help but feel highly betrayed by the girls. Even when they knew that they were on a strict diet and couldn't eat anything of that kind. But did the care about this and how they were emotionally abusing them at that moment? Absolutely not.

Ansh complained loudly about this and earned several glares from the girls. The rest of the boys were wiser than him and kept their complaints and agony to themselves. And again comfortable chatter was freely flowing in the cabin. They discussed the places they'll travel and the places they can convince their parents to let them go.

Yes, they were grown up adults asking for parental permission. And, no it wasn't wrong in any way their parents were just over-protective about them.

"Hey guys, let's take a train selfie and I'll post it," Ansh suddenly announced feeling very happy as he pulled out his phone to take a pic on the train with his fav people.

"Don't you dare post it now, Ansh, if you posted it and ruined this trip anyway. I swear, I'll tie you up and put stones around your ankle and drop you in Ganga," Aaina threatened very-very seriously glaring at Ansh.

No one was ruining her perfect trip.

"Viaan! She is bullying me help," Ansh instantly asked Viaan to intervene in his stead. What kind of cousin he'll be if he didn't help him during need.

"Say anything and you're going down with him," Aaina stated with her eyes fixed on Viaan.

Viaan gulped. Why was he being threatened by Aaina? And why Is he actually feeling his heart do salsa when she looked at him like that??

"where is Chachu and Ishu?" Viaan changed the topic promptly. He isn't interested in getting killed like that and what better question is out there than asking about his aunt and uncle. They were supposed to come with Ansh and Panchi.

"In their cabin. We settled them first," Ansh informed Viaan giving him a look that screamed, "What did you think about me??"

"Oh!" Viaan expressed as if that cleared everything. He still kind of have a million and one things he will like to ask from Ansh but he is kind of delaying that for now.

"Umm...I think I should go and greet them," Aaina mumbled getting up. She kind of shouldn't forget she is the daughter-in-law of the house. So, she thought she should at least go and meet them. After the death of Saumya Ma, Ishana Chachi was the elder and the one responsible for all the procedure of their wedding and fulfilling Saumya Ma's last wish. Even though she knows they won't mind if she didn't. But still, it's better to be safe than sorry.

"You know mom-dad, won't mind right," Ansh protested watching Aaina get up from her place to go out. Ansh like Aaina loves to fight and irritate her. He doesn't know why but it's kind of fun. It's like they will fight the most and care for each other the most too.

"cabin," Aaina asked shrugging carelessly. She has kind of made up her mind.

"Second last," Panchi pointed out to Aaina.

Aaina left the cabin nodding. She likes the air-conditioned long-passageway and the windows showing the running outside world. Fields. Villages. People. All vanishing in the blink of an eye and long stretched scenery.

Slowly, with spring in her steps, she made her way to the second last cabin. She liked the sound of the moving train and passing things. It kind of made her believe that every phase in life will pass quite like that in a blink on an eye or maybe after a long nap.

And god will kind of sprinkle chilies, oregano, sweets and all kinds of other flavors in life from time to time. Just to make it seem more delicious. Well, it's kind of her new funda now. She was thinking all this when she suddenly stopped, freezing on her steps watching a man enter the compartment. 

Talking on the phone. He looked quite agitated to her. She didn't like it when he was agitated yet she couldn't move. She stood frozen in her place. Feeling quite like an Ice sculpture. An ice sculpture who could see yet not move.

She continued watching him with a million emotions dancing in her eyes. She quite literally didn't know what to do, it's felt like even her mind froze with her body.

It wasn't until the man's eyes fell on her that she heard her heart drum again. His wide-eyed surprised gaze seem to melt the ice around her.

The man had an exactly similar reaction to her. He stopped on his tracks like time froze for him too. His phone slipping from his grip and falling on the floor with a "thud" and he didn't pay any mind to the falling phone.

All that mattered at that moment was she. 

Neither she nor he could take their eyes off each other. Their surprise-filled enlarged eyes. There were a million things running through her mind, many emotions bustling through her veins and  all she could muster up was an emotional "Bapi!!"

_To be continued_