Of Friendships, Love and Travels

Imagine a place where everyone brings positive vibes,smiles,laughter,genuiness,passion and dedication. The Phoenix LTD office was one such place and working there was a delight and also a privilege for everyone. More so for Misha Arora, who loved her job more than anything. She had joined this startup during its initial phase just last year and in just a year the company was climbing the ladders of success swiftly. The credit for that went to the hardworking team which had now evolved into a family. Everyone was now a dear friend and looked out for each other. She smiled at them now,seated at her desk,watching them hard at work. Just then,her senior colleague Nishant Mehra snapped his fingers in front of her eyes. 'Lost? ' he asked with a grin. She  laughed. If someone had told her a year back that she would be so comfortable,friendly,compatible and such great friends with Nishant Mehra she wouldn't have believed them. Of course not. It was hard to believe that someone so distinguished and successful would have no airs around them, but Nishant was one such person. It had taken a while before the ice broke between them completely,although they had alwaus been cordial. This was because they both were selective about the ppl they hung out with. But once it did, they got along like a house on fire and most of their time together was spent laughing. They also made a beautiful team who worked together like a dream. She was glad to have made a genuine friend in Nishant,who always looked out for her and infact everyone. Gradually they had introduced each other to their respective better halves/boyfriends and even gone on double dates,which turned out to be a whole lot of more fun as even their partners clicked. It happens. With some ppl, u just click and form an easy friendship. This was one such case and Misha was glad. She absolutely adored Sia,Nishant's wife who was a beautiful,free spirited girl and also an uber cool wife who gave him complete freedom. Nishant also got along quite well with Raghav, her boyfriend. And so all in all,between a loving family,friends,caring boyfriend and a great job and coworkers like family,her life was happy.

But what she was missing was a vacation. She absolutely and completely loved to travel but work pressures had prevented a holiday since a long time. Maybe becoz she didn't plan her holidays smartly. Nishant,on the other hand was also an avid traveller and planned his holidays quite smartly. End result -He had had a vacation just two months ago and was going on another tomorrow to Italy,for more than 8 days whereas her holidays couldn't extend beyond 5 days anytime. She sighed. ' U get lost. U have come here to mock me haven't you. ' she muttered. Nishant chuckled. 'No yar. I came to say bye.. And I hope u hv a good time here. I will keep updating u about my travel thru insta. ' He said with a wicked grin. She glared at him. 'Devil. I'm gonna mute u on instagram. U travel less and flaunt to make people jealous more. ' Nishant laughed. 'I do it to share the magic of my experiences! Jiski jaisi soch! Now I'm leaving for the day and I won't be here from tmrw. Do u want to say goodbye with an argument?' he smiled,making it difficult not to smile back. He pulled her in his arms for a warm, tight, secure, firm and friendly hug before pulling back and waving a cheery goodbye as they both left work and went their ways.
As she reached home,she felt self sympathy. Another few days of wishing for vacation and feeling jealous. Oh well.
As her door opened, she found her parents and Raghav standing there with grins etched on their faces. She was bewildered. 'Errm..whats up guys?Why are u all smiling like that' she asked,a bit creeped out.Raghav grinned at her. ' What do u have to say about travel, if I may ask u? ' Misha glared at him. 'U also teasing me!? I hv to say that im too unlucky with regard to travel and vacations! ' Raghav laughed. 'That's too bad.. And here I thought you would appreciate the fortnight Greece and Switzerland trip to Athens, Santorini and Paxos,Zurich,Geneva and Bern I booked starting tmrw. ' Misha gasped, about ready to faint. 'What.. What!?? Seriously? This isn't a joke right.. How!!?? And my work leave? Travel Documents? 'All ready, just be ready to travel and enjoy honey. U r too overworked. U deserve this vacay.'Her parents waved her  leave grant letter and documents at her. She gasped with happiness and then hugged them all tight. 'I LOVE u guys. This is the best surprise ever. BTW, HOW? '  she asked. 'Smart planning, you know. Planning really is necessary. ' Raghav winked at her and she laughed.

2 days laughter,seated in a bench in the beautiful town of Santorini,watching the pink sunset, beautiful beach and waves and the charm of the European white buildings, Raghav and Misha smiled at each other. This was heaven,bliss. This moment meant the world. Just at that moment, she got an Instagram ping. It was Nishant's story of travels through Italy,mainly of Rome and Milan. She grinned and showed it to Raghav who smiled back at her. 'Nishant looks like he is having fun.. With travels.. And insta' they both chuckled. Just then, she got a request for a video call on whatsapp from Nishant. She glanced at Raghav who gave her a thumbs up,indicating he was ready. So she picked up.

'Hello! Nishant! Sia! Lovely to see u guys. Having a good time? ' She smiled and greeted Nishant and his wife. They both smiled back. 'Heyy Mishu!! It's going great. We r having so much fun. How r u? ' they chorused. 'I'm good guys. Glad to know u r enjoying yourself.' Suddenly, Nishant noticed something amiss. 'Where are you!? Which part of Bombay is this beautiful Mish? When we come back we need to hang out there. '  Misha barely controlled her laughter, looking at Raghav. 'Who r u looking at? Is Raghav there too? ' They asked her. She smiled and nodded. Raghav at that moment promptly entered the frame. 'Hi guys! ' they both said hi. 'But where r u!!?? Tell me!!' Nishant was impatient,which made Sia chuckle. 'Arre Nish.. Mumbai ke pass ek jagah hai na.. Greece mei.. Santorini.. Bus Wahi hai hum log. ' Misha quipped. While the look on Sia 's face was one of a pleasant shock, Nishant 's reaction was PRICELESS. JUST PRICELESS. He opened and closed his mouth like a gaping fish,resembling the comical expression of a shocked cartoon character.
Sia, Misha and Raghav all laughed heartily at him.
'What even!? How is that possible!? ' He sputtered. Misha laughed. 'Why? U r the only one who can travel to exotic places? Sometimes, it's OK not to hv plans dude. Especially when u hv someone else to make them for u. ' she replied, gazing lovingly at Raghav who winked at her. 'Ughh guys get a room. ' Sia and Nishant chorused. 'Same to u! 'Raghav and Misha retorted referring to the couple who were much in love themselves. 'So what's ur further plan? Just Santorini? ' Nishant asked them curiously. 'Hah. U wish my travel is shorter than urs,dont u Mehra? Well we r traveling to Paxos and then Athens followed by a flight to Switzerland.' Misha winked. 'That's great guys, I'm happy for u as much as I'm jealous ' Nishant quipped. 'We as u know r gonna explore Rome and Milan before heading to France. ' He added. They nodded. ' Have fun u both. ' Raghav said sincerely. For some reason,he really liked the pair. They were friendly,unpretentious and warm and had managed to win even him over, who was reserved and didn't interact with too many people. But Nishant and Sia were different. Nishant was a great friend to Misha,aside from being funny, knowledgeable,sensitve,respectful and sincere. He really liked the man and his wife who had similar qualities.
Hence, there they sat, 4 wonderful people, chilling and hanging out in the most uncanny and unconventional way possible, laughing together,sharing experiences, anecdotes and a beautiful time in general. Just at that time, the sun set behind Nishant and Sia in Rome while a beautiful white seagull soared through the sky behind Misha and Raghav. The chatter quitened for a moment as they took in both the views smiling at their luck and the universe, before resuming in full force,with renewed energy, more intense talks and funnier quips.
So let's leave these 4 friends to it, who are having a moment so priceless and precious that they will cherish and hold dear for the rest of their life. Always. Meanwhile, I hope u take YOUR next vacation soon, to the most exquisite place possible 😊❤