On May 18th, Jaimi reaches her apartment around 9 at night. She unlocks her apartment with her keys and steps in. She throws her bag on the floor and plops down on the couch.

Ayesha: Jay, fresh hoja.

Jaimi: Thodi der baad. I'm exhausted!

Ayesha: FYI, we are hosting a movie night for Summer and Kay(Caysen)!

Jaimi whines like a little child before getting up and moving toward the one and only bedroom in their apartment. She strips off her clothes and stands under the shower. She lets the hot water relax her fatigued muscles. She changes into her pajama that is an oversized shirt that functions as a dress.

Ayesha and her tidy up the apartment afterward.

Summer and Caysen join them after a while. They munch on varieties of food as they enjoy horror movies. 

They are halfway into the movies when Jaimi speaks. 

Jaimi: Guys?

The three divert their attention to Jaimi.

Jaimi: I just wanted you guys to know that Ayesha and I will be leaving the USA in fifteen days.

Summer/Caysen: What?

Summer: I thought it was only Ayesha leaving.

Jaimi: It was, but now I have to return.

Caysen: Why? Can't you stay back with us?

Summer: Yes! My parents legit told me the other day that they cleaned up the spare room back home, so you can stay with us over the summer when Ayesha leaves.

Caysen: You can stay with me as well. My mom will love it if you stay with us.

Jaimi: Thank you very much, but I have to go to finish up some legal work. I'm going to be 25 so...

Summer: But that's like 3 months away.

Jaimi: I know, but I'm planning to do my internship there. Don't worry I'll come back after I finish the internship and legal work.

Caysen: You two will have to keep visiting us.

Jaimi/Ayesha: Done!

They enjoy the rest of the night with horror movies and telling their own paranormal experiences. They fall asleep around 2 in the morning.

Jaimi wakes up at dawn. She grabs her phone and steps onto the balcony attached to the living room. The gold and orange light of dawn visible in the sky. She looks ahead at the calm ocean. Her phone rings and she answers the call.

Person: Tum aa rahi ho?

Jaimi: Mein meeting ke din aa jaungee.

Person: Woh sab tum se milna chahte hain. Hume phone kar ke pareshaan kar diya hain.

Jaimi: Mein kisi se nahi milna chahti! And, I apologize for any inconvenience you all have and had.

Person: Bye!

Jaimi: Bye.

Jaimi hangs up the call. She cranes her neck to find Ayesha standing beside her. Their hair is pushed back as the cool morning breeze hits their skin.

Ayesha: Tumne phaisala kar diya hain?

Jaimi: Mere paas choice nahi hain!

Ayesha: Ek aur baar soch le! Tujhe pata haina ki waha kya aur kaun tera intezaar kar raha hain?

Jaimi: Pata hain par yeh mera aakhri option hain to escape all the mess which I'm the center of.

Ayesha: I know, but I'm just scared of what happened in the past. The past will repeat itself!

Jaimi: Mein waha sirf do mahine ke liye hi hoon. Mein apni internship finish karungi aur phir, woh meeting. Uske baad waha se humesha ke liye chali jaaungi.

Ayesha: Yeh koi solution nahi hain! Tum un logo ko aise kaise chod sakhti ho?

Jaimi: Un sab se mera koi lena dena nahi hain. Koi rishta nahi hain including nafrat ka. Mein sab kuch past mein chod ke sab se durr jaana chahti jaha koi mera naam bhi naa jaanta ho.

Ayesha: You know that I'm always there by your side no matter what!

Jaimi: I know!

They watch the sunrise and then, doze off in their bedroom.

The next fifteen days are spent packing up their apartment and their graduation. They make the most of their time with friends.

On June 1st, Jaimi and Ayesha board on their flight for Mumbai. Jaimi's stomach twists in knots as her gut feelings are warning of the storm coming.

One hour before they will land in Mumbai, Jaimi's heart rate increases. She breathes in and breathes out for the next hour trying to slow her anxiety. She turns to her side to Ayesha sleeping peacefully.

Jaimi: Jay, everything will be just fine. Calm down! You cannot have an episode here. It's only two months before you go away. Stay positive and keep your calm!

Jaimi tries to assure herself. The flight lands in Mumbai. She wears her mask before stepping off the flight.

Jaimi gives Ayesha a bear hug and assures her that she'll be fine alone at the hotel. Ayesha boards on her flight to Ahmedabad and Jaimi hails a cab to her hotel. She picks up pizza on her way.

She checks into her hotel avoiding everyone's gaze. She freshens up and has dinner. She pulls out a small white bottle from her purse and takes out a white capsule. She swallows it down with water.

The next three days are spent in the hotel room. Jaimi keeps herself isolated from the outside world. She calls housekeeping only for cleaning and food. She occupies herself with Netflix and drawing.

On June 5th, Jaimi changes into jean shorts and a white tank top at little over midnight. She grabs her phone and slides her id and money into the case. She steps out of her room after putting on her mask.

She walks on a deserted street a good five minutes walk away from the hotel. She is walking on the sidewalk. She halts in her steps suddenly hearing laughter booming through the air. She turns on her heels to see the source of laughter. She sees a group of boys standing by a lamppost.

One of them looks in her direction and motion towards Jaimi. She turns on her heels and starts speed walking in the opposite direction. She attempts to call the police for help, but there is no network in the area to her luck. The shuffling of the feet follows her closely. She takes a turn and hides behind the table of a tea stall.

After a few minutes, she sees the boys returning towards the direction from which they ran from. She takes it as her opportunity and runs towards the sea bridge she sees. She hopes to find help or network to call the cops because the boys can easily find her in this area. She runs for ten minutes. She stops and holds the lamppost for support. She catches her breath and moves towards a white car parked a few steps away from her. She sees a man standing on the railing of a bridge.

Jaimi: Hello?

She gets no response.

Jaimi: Excuse me, sir?

Again, no response.

Jaimi: Yeh insaan hi haina? Koi insaan aise bridge ki railing pe kaise khada the sakhta hain? Kya soch rahi hain? Ask for help! To whom? A ghost! Shut up, idiot! Bhagwan, aapki hi bacchi hoon.

Jaimi taps his hand slightly not wanting to shock him. This does the job as he looks down at her. He gets down from the railing and stands in front of her. Jaimi takes a few steps back and hits the railing of the bridge.

He is looking back at her with a blank expression and calculative gaze. She can feel him scanning her from head to toe.

Jaimi: Yeh mujhe aise kyu dekh raha hain? Probably because you are looking like a ghost yourself with messy hair and all the sweating you did after running. Pagal ladki iss insaan maybe bhoot se help maang.

She opens her mouth to say something, but she spots a white car moving towards them from a distance. She recognizes one of the boys that is pointing towards her from inside the car. She instantly hugs the man in front of her without giving it much thought.

Jaimi: Jay, yeh kya kiya? Hug, my idiot self! Why? Wait... why did I hug this person if he even is a person. Yeh bhoot hua toh? Bhagwan, I love you par mujhe abhi aap se nahi milna!

Jaimi instantly steps away from him once the boys are out of sight. She meets his eyes to see anger blazing in them like wildfire.

Jaimi: Look, I can explain! Kuch ladke mera piccha kar rahe the. I'm sorry! I shouldn't have hugged you without asking.

He looks down at her petite figure, scanning her from head to toe. Jaimi takes a step back absentmindedly as she fears under his scrutinizing gaze. He takes a step towards her and she takes one back. One more step and she hits the tall white pillar behind her.

Jaimi: W-w-what a-are y-you d-doing?

He shushes her with his finger on her lips. He closes the small distance between them and presses his lips on hers. She gasps in surprise. He snakes his arm around her waist and pulls her closer. She tries to push him away, but he is still like a rock. He takes a hold of her wrists and pins them above her onto the pillar.

After a few seconds, he abruptly pulls away from her. Jaimi places her hand on her chest trying to calm her racing heart. She looks up to see him staring down at her with no expression. In a matter of seconds, her palm connects with his left cheek. It leaves a stinging sensation. He is still in a daze from the slap. She starts to walk away from him as tears start to pool in her eyes. He is snapped out of his daze from the sound of his ringtone.

Jaimi's head starts spinning as she tries to walk away. She holds the car for support as everything becomes blurry in her vision. Her vision becomes black before she feels herself floating in the air.

**********