I hissed inaudibly as I stepped out of the plane. The day definitely hadn't gone smoothly and my patience was running thin.

First, the taxi driver showed up late and things just went downhill from there. I'd forgotten that my job as a model made me recognisable and I'd left my guise like an idiot and walked into the airport.

I was recognised immediately. How could I not be, with my picture plastered on the walls. So after the twentieth person came to ask me for a picture, I ditched the queue for the Security Check and ran to the restrooms.

I had quickly plaited my hair into a fish tail and put on my large fake glasses. I finished my look with the ridiculous red wig I possessed and stepped out of the restrooms as a new person.

My day progressively got worse when I realised that arriving late and putting up my disguise had taken up too much of my time. The airport officials had begun to give me grumpy looks of disgust as I begged them to let me pass through.

Finally, one of the nicer officials had listened to my pleas and let me through begrudgingly. I rushed towards the gate, forgetting all about my hand bag.

I had boarded already. I only realised that I'd left my bag when I began searching for my earphones.

And that was right after the plane had rolled out.

I made a quick list of all the things that were kept in that bag and realised that I'd do okay without it, but I called up one of my friends for good measure and told him to pick it up as fast as possible.

Finally, hoping for some peace and quiet, I closed my eyes and snapped my seatbelt. But obviously my day wouldn't go as smoothly as that.

We hit a patch of turbulence just when I was drinking my coffee. My eyes had widened in horror as the cup slipped from my hands and the hot coffee fell all over my top.

A few snickers had broke out from around me and I had ignored them, choosing instead to stare ahead impassively.

I spent the rest of my flight soaked in coffee that soon dried up. The sugar had made it sticky and it clung to my skin.

So naturally I'd be pissed at the humid weather of Goa. I boarded the airport bus that would take us to the gates and sighed in relief once I felt the cool air of the AC hit me.

I was the first one to rush out the moment we got to the gates. Briskly, I walked forward towards the baggage claim and tapped my feet impatiently as I waited. Finally, the bags began to slide in and I sighed in relief. Luckily, my luggage was one of the first to arrive so I grabbed the haversack and rushed out.

Coffee stained top or not, I just wanted to get to the hotel.

Humidity hit me hard as I stepped out and scanned the crowds of people.

I headed over to the middle-aged man holding a placard with my name scribbled on it. "Sara Goenka?" he asked.

I nodded and he gave me a smile.

He took my bags and led me towards the car. He opened the door to the backseat and closed it behind me once I got in.

The drive to the hotel was long and uneventful. The driver dropped off my bags in the lobby and left. After filling in some paperwork, I finally headed to my room.

The room was clean with a single bed and a large window. I didn't bother changing. I just pulled off my clothes and jumped onto the bed in nothing but my underwear.

~

The restaurant was crowded and the usual thrum Of conversation filled my ears as I entered. Two of my friends would be meeting me here and I couldn't wait. I hadn't seen them in way too long.

"Only you, Maam?" A smartly dressed waiter asked me.

"No, I'd like a table for three," I replied.

He nodded and asked me to follow him. He lead me towards the back of the restaurant. A large sliding door separated the tables laid outside by the beach and the ones inside.

"Do you have one there?" I asked, pointing towards the tables.

"Yes." He said, sliding the doors open.

It was warmer outside, without the aid of air conditioners but the occasional breeze made up for the pent-up humidity. The sea roiled at a distance, waking to the calls of the moon.

I took a seat and watched the beach and a calmness seeped into me. The half-moon hung low in the sky and the stars glittered at a distance away.

"Sara?" A voice asked from behind me.

I turned back to face a short woman. Her round face lit up with excitement as her eyes met mine and she rushed to my side as I stood up. She held me in a tight grip and pulled back laughing.

"It really is you!" she exclaimed.

I smiled.

"We weren't expecting you to show up, to be honest," she admitted—shame coating her features.

I frowned and asked, "Why?"

"Seriously? You disappeared without a trace and a few months later, there you are. A famous model. Aren't you like busy all the time?" she inquired curiously.

I sighed. On one hand, she was one of my closest friends, and on the other, I didn't want to actually admit that I'd been kicked out rather ungraciously. I could have stayed behind and I definitely would have found another campaign. But...

I decided to run away.

Again.

"Hey! Where the hell are you?" Mitali waved a hand in front of my face—effectively cutting off my inner pity-party.

"Ah, nothing. For—" I had just begun speaking when—

"It really is you!"

I turned. My gaze met those of my other friend: Rakhi. Mitali and I stood up whilst Rakhi scanned my figure.

"Damn girl. You're making me self-conscious." She whistled.

"Right!" Mitali cut in.

Mitali had always been short and plump. But she was confident with her body. Despite the teasing she received over her size, she never let it get to her and always indulged her taste buds.

Whereas Rakhi was athletic. She was lean with long legs and the fittest body I'd ever seen. And clearly, that hadn't changed over the years.

I'd met them in my first year of college when Naira had ditched me for her new friends. The three of us did everything together and the two of them had managed to seal the gaping hole that Naira had left in my life.

We settled down and talked just like old times. I steered away from any conversation that strayed close to my job. I would tell them... eventually. I was only just grasping it myself.

The waiter swooped by, taking in our orders and soon we were settled in. The food was light but great and the wine was divine. Around us, the clutter of cutlery and the murmur Of conversation followed by the occasional laughter flowed. The wind had grown chillier and I pulled my jacket closer to my body.

I was seated facing the sea and I watched as the black water roiled under the moonlit sky. My vantage offered me a limited view of the horizon. There was nothing but darkness and the serenity of the ocean that stretched on for thousands of miles.

"Do you know him?" Rakhi nudged me. I turned my gaze to meet hers. She looked pointedly at something behind me and I turned back to see what she was referring to.

At first I couldn't grasp at what—rather who I was supposed to look at. The lights were dim and there were too many people seated at the table she had indicated.

But when my eyes finally settled on the lean and dark-haired man—well the one I knew anyway because everyone had dark hair—my eyes widened. I don't know why I was surprised. After all, I'd come here only because he'd asked me to. I didn't know what had compelled me to agree.

But here I was, seated in a beachside restaurant with the humid wind sifting through my hair and my gaze locked in those deep black pools belonging to Akash.