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Layla stepped out of the plane, her long legs moving swiftly as she walked through Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

A few bodyguards surrounded her, and the paparazzi, who had managed to follow her all the way from Chicago, fired off questions.

"Layla! How long are you here for?" one called out.

"What’s your next project?" asked another.

Layla, smiling brightly, answered casually. “Just taking some time off, relaxing. No work for now, just sunshine and good vibes!”

She was buzzing with excitement, her heart racing as she finally stepped into the tropical paradise she had been dreaming of for weeks.

Hawaii.

The place she knew would give her the peace she desperately needed.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the airport, Shubman walked through the crowds with his mask on, trying to stay as low-key as possible.

Dressed in casual clothes with a cap pulled low, he blended in.

No one recognized him, and that was exactly how he wanted it. This trip was about escape, not cricket.

Layla, now traveling alone after sending her bodyguards ahead, felt a sudden pull.

As she walked through the terminal, a strong, musky cologne hit her senses.

It was intriguing—so familiar yet completely new.

She looked around, her eyes scanning the crowd, and then she saw him.

He was tall, wearing a cap and mask, but it was his eyes that caught her attention.

His eyes were so deep, so intense. She felt her face flush as she stared at him, mesmerized.

For a moment, she forgot where she was. She couldn’t stop looking at those eyes.

Shubman, completely unaware of the girl staring at him from across the terminal, kept walking.

His mind was somewhere else—he was too busy thinking something.

On the other side, Layla’s heart raced. "Who was that man?"

She had never felt such a pull before. She watched him walk away, unable to shake the feeling that something had just shifted.

She sat in the backseat of her cab, gazing out the window, but her mind wasn’t on the beautiful Hawaiian scenery.

It was on those eyes.

"Those eyes," she whispered to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.

She hadn’t even seen the rest of his face, but something about him was captivating.

"𝓜𝔂 𝓮𝔂𝓮𝓼 𝓶𝓮𝓽 𝓶𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝓮𝔂𝓮𝓼, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓲𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼"

"I’m in Hawaii, for God’s sake," she muttered, trying to focus on relaxing, but no matter how hard she tried, the image of those deep, beautiful eyes stayed with her.

It was ridiculous, she didn’t even know him, yet he was all she could think about.

Meanwhile, in another car heading toward his hotel, Shubman was on the phone with Ishan.

"Yaar, I’m finally here," he said, his voice muffled through the mask he still hadn’t removed.

"Good, you need this break," Ishan said. "Just relax, recharge. And hey, who knows, maybe you’ll have a surprise."

Shubman raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, surprise?"

Ishan chuckled. "Layla’s in Hawaii too, man."

Shubman’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of her name.

"Wait, what? Layla? Meri Layla?" he asked, his voice suddenly more alert.

"Yep," Ishan confirmed. "Swati and I know she’s there. Maybe fate is giving you a second chance. Who knows? Maybe you two will run into each other."

Shubman let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Yeah, right. Hawaii’s huge, bro. How can I meet her here?"

But as Shubman looked out the window, he couldn’t help but wonder. Maybe Ishan was right.

As the car pulled up to the hotel, Shubman couldn’t shake the strange sense of anticipation building inside him.

And little did he know, Layla had already seen him—and had been just as captivated by him as he was by the idea of her.

After a few hours of settling in, Layla was finally soaking in the Hawaiian sun.

She took a quick selfie—her cheeky smile framed by her long, dark hair, her white sleeveless shirt and jeans making her look effortlessly stunning.

Laylaa_Lulu has posted:

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Laylaa_lulu: Finally, some relaxation! 🌊 #HawaiiVibes #MuchNeeded

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Meanwhile, across the town, Shubman was lying on his hotel bed, chilling with his phone in hand.

As he scrolled through Instagram, Layla’s post popped up.

He smiled to himself, seeing how happy and relaxed she looked. Without thinking twice, he liked the picture.

But just as he was about to put his phone away, it buzzed with an incoming call. The name on the screen made him roll his eyes.

Sara Tendulkar

He reluctantly answered, “Hello?”

“Hey, Shubman!” Sara’s voice chirped on the other end. “I just heard you’re in Hawaii! How’s it going?”

“Yeah, I’m here for a break,” he replied, his voice neutral. “What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing much,” She said casually. “Just wanted to check in. Haven’t spoken in a while.”

Shubman rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, it’s been a while. But look, Sara, I’m kind of relaxing here.”

Sara chuckled softly. “I get it, no worries. I know we barely dated, but I hope we can still be cool, you know?”

He sighed, softening a bit. “Of course. No hard feelings, Sara. We’re good.”

“Good,” Shw said, her tone light and easy. “Alright, I’ll let you relax then. Take care, Shubman.”

“You too,” he said, hanging up and tossing his phone on the bed.

That part of his life felt like it was far behind him, and he was grateful they both seemed to have moved on.

Meanwhile...

Layla was in her hotel room, changing into a white and blue spaghetti strap dress, her hair loose and wavy.

She admired herself in the mirror when her phone rang. It was Swati.

"Hey, supermodel!" Swati's voice rang through the phone.

"Mishtiiiii!" Layla chirped back. "What’s up? You’re not gonna believe how amazing Hawaii is!"

“Dont you dare tease me,” Swati laughed. “I’m stuck here in Mumbai with deadlines.”

Layla laughed. “Come visit me! We can ditch everything and sip coconut water by the beach.”

“Oh, if only,” Swati sighed. “accha sun?”

“What?” Layla asked, adjusting her dress in the mirror.

“Shubman’s in Hawaii too!”

“Who?” Layla said absentmindedly, still focused on how her dress looked.

“Shubman. You know, Ishan’s best friend,” Swati said, a little amused at her friend’s lack of attention.

“Ohh, right,” Layla replied, barely registering the name. “sahi hai.”

Swati laughed, knowing Layla wasn’t paying attention. “You’re hopeless. Anyway, how’s the trip so far?”

“Perfect!” Layla said. “Just what I needed. I feel like I’m finally breathing again.”

As she adjusted her white and blue spaghetti dress, she twirled in front of the mirror, smiling at her reflection.

The sound of Swati's voice on the other end of the call brought her back from her daydreaming.

"Tu sunn rahi hai ki nai?" Swati teased, clearly amused.

Layla laughed, holding her phone to her ear. "Sorry, sorry! Kya bol rahi thi tu?"

"I said that Shubman—Shubman Gill—is also in Hawaii. Helloooo?" Swati repeated, emphasizing his name like it was a big deal.

"Oh yeah, right," Layla replied absentmindedly as she fixed her hair.

"You mentioned him before. Isn’t he Jiju’s friend?"

Swati groaned dramatically. "Lulu! He’s not just Ishan’s friend. He's like his husband okay? Seeta aur Geeta jese hai dono!"

She continued, " I'm going off the topic, but yeah, Shubman's like, a star cricketer. He practically carried half of India's World Cup dreams! Until he got sick because of dengue."

Layla chuckled. "Swati, you know I don’t follow cricket. All I know is that he’s good at batting or bowling or... whatever."

Swati sighed. “Tu gadhi thi aur hamesha rahegi. Every girl in India practically has a crush on Shubman. You’re in the same town as him, and you don’t even care!”

Layla smirked. "Mujhe kyu farak padega yaar? I’m here to relax, not chase cricketers around."

"Okay, fine, Miss supermodel," Swati said, playfully sarcastic.

"But just wait. You’ll probably run into him without even realizing it. Then you’ll understand what I mean."

Layla rolled her eyes, plopping down onto the hotel bed.

"Sure, Ms Professor. The universe is just going to magically throw me into the arms of some cricketer."

Swati burst into laughter. "It happens in all those Karan Johar Movies! You never know."

Layla laughed too, finding the whole thing amusing. "If that happens, I’ll let you know, I promise."

“mujhe hi sab se pehle phone karna!” Swati teased. “But honestly, how are you feeling? You sounded so stressed before your trip.”

Layla took a deep breath, letting the tropical air in through the open window.

“I’m feeling better, Mishti. This trip is exactly what I needed. I haven’t felt this relaxed in months. I can’t tell you how good it feels to just be... here. No pressure, no cameras—just me.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Swati said, her voice softening.

“You work so hard, Lulu. I just want, ki tu apna khayad rakhe, you know?”

“I know,” Layla replied, smiling at the thought of her best friend always looking out for her. “I needed this escape, and Hawaii is perfect.”

“Good,” Swati said. “Just promise me you’ll take it easy, okay? No running  to a last-minute fashion show or anything.”

Layla laughed. “I promise! No work, just relaxation.”

“And who knows,” Swati added, her teasing tone back. “Maybe you’ll run into Shubman and have your own romantic Hawaiian story.”

Layla laughed again. “You and your wild imagination!”

“I can’t help it. I’m just waiting for you to call me one day and say, ‘Mishti, you won’t believe what happened...’” Swati said, giggling.

“okay okay” Layla said, still smiling. “If something stupid like that happens, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Good,” Swati said. “Now go enjoy the beach, relax, and please take a million pictures for me.”

“You got it,” Layla replied. “Talk soon, Mishti. Love you!”

“Love you too, Lulu. Have fun!” Swati said before hanging up.

As Layla set her phone down, she shook her head, still chuckling at Swati’s teasing.

She didn’t believe in fate or random encounters.

Maybe Swati was right—maybe she was in for more surprises than she thought.

For now, though, all she wanted was to feel the sand between her toes and enjoy the Hawaiian sun.

Layla’s outfit reference:

(Author: itna khoobsurat hona ek crime hai, Diana Ma'am!🤌)

Hellooooo babies.
So this was the fifth chapter of the book.

Also, first of all, NO HATE towards Sara, okay? Kindly remember this is fiction and I don't hate her IRL.

Don't troll me for showing her character like mentioned above, in this book!

Sooooooo, Layla indirectly met Shubman? She be like "Aankhein Teri, kitni haseen!"

I understand it's a bit dramatic, but Shubman’s best features are his Eyes, his smile and his cute dimples!

Back to the topic!
How was it?

Please comment your thoughts and suggestions. They matter a lot and motivate me as well <3

Any guesses for the next one? Its a major chapter!

Till then,
With well wishes,
Yours author 💕