It was like any other Saturday afternoon. Soon after she had returned from her internship at a school in Ladakh, she was all set to get back to her city life in monsoon. It had been raining throughout the morning and going on her bike was not quite an option. She decided to take her car and on her way due to the rain she asked if anyone wanted to carpool with her. Saurabh was a new addition to the group and it turned out he stayed pretty close to her place. She agreed to pick him up and another girl who requested the same.

Anamika was indeed very excited to resume her city life after a yearlong internship and virtually been cut off from the world, which had started to seem like an eternity towards the end. She had many stories to share. Saurabh being the new addition to the group, she felt a little skeptical to have him alone in the car. She felt relieved when Riya also asked to join in.

Anamika had to flaunt her new traditional turquoise and silver earring that she got made from a local lady at the village where she was working in. She made sure to carry tiny prayer flags for her close friends in the group. By then she could speak some basic but fluent Ladakhi language and funnily used the words while conversing. Probably that is what happens when you get affected at an altitude with some inhuman weather conditions that most often remain subzero. But this cheerful architect had sustained the cold and it was safe to say that she remained rather sane. She had enjoyed the short spring of the cherry, apricot and apple blossoms amidst the mountains surrounded by the winds and fluttering colourful prayer flags.

Anamika was sure no one was going to recognize her excessive tanned face and miraculously skinny body which sure had sustained the freezing cold. She already loved the horror on the faces of her friends at the meet. She wore a new dress that she had purchased from the local market of the city of Leh. It had a delicate embroidery that perfectly matched her silver dangling earrings. Her long hair added to the grace that she always had and the warmth of her smile felt all the more glowing on her tanned face. She was beaming with joy, love and laughter. The mountains seemed to have traveled back along with her. Just like a secret source of her undying happiness and joy.

She got ready well before time and called up Saurabh and Riya to check with them if they too were ready to go. Saurabh seemed relatively laid back yet charming from his smart talk. His baritone was very hard to miss over the phone call. Anamika felt giddy after hanging up and wondered what the short conversation on the call was like. He surely sounded more than just ready from his talk, as if he was anticipating her call. Next in line was Riya. Somehow unknowingly, Anamika kicked herself for asking someone to join them. She secretly hoped Riya would drop out at the last minute.

Before even finishing the string of thoughts that were going on in her mind, as Anamika pulled out her phone to call up Riya, it beeped. In absolutely disbelief, she read the message that she received. It was Riya’s, on the main group saying it was difficult for her to attend the meet that day and apologized for the same. It was eerie, as if Riya telepathically heard Anamika asking her to drop out. She almost jumped with joy, to be able to be with the baritone guy while the rain poured outside. Probably some romantic song playing on the radio. She also managed to rain dance with him in her mind.

Soon, she gather herself and her thoughts and felt ridiculous for her charades inspired from the excessive indulging in binge watching Rom-Com movies all throughout the year at some remote corner into the mountain. She felt like a child alive in the very much grown up life.

Saurabh was already waiting outside the main gate of his house when Anamika arrived. He had smoothly scored yet another ten in the punctuality department. She earnestly observed every tiny detail of his behaviour and overall appearance. He sure was a smart and well-built man. Must have been a part of a sports team of some sorts. He had a little grown stubble and wore a white linen well fit shirt. Well-groomed and smartly parted hair. Aviators on his eyes. A wide theethy smile. He sure had a military vibe about him, which surely had another ten in his appearance and overall whereabouts.

As if she had already seen it from a distance, he opened the door of the passenger seat and flashed the most blinding smile and his perfect set of teeth visible. Before he’d say anything further the fragrance of his cologne filled the car and reached her oh-so-sensitive olfactory senses. Anamika almost fainted for a fraction of a second as she went crazy for identifying her favourite cologne. She felt like sniffing it some more. But with all the gathered grit, she managed to gain back her senses and managed to put forth one of her prettiest smile right back at him. Her kohl lined eyes twinkled as they met his, while he removed his aviators to say a very polite ‘hello’. By then she was already floating in air. There sure was some charm about him. He wasn’t someone who would particularly be qualified as drop-dead-gorgeous but he sure carried perfection well about him. The hour long drive to the venue sure was going to be a lovely one. She jumped with joy with the mere thought of being able to spend an entire hour with him, talking endlessly.

Saurabh felt quite at home with her in her car. The rain outside was a constant companion and the romantic songs that kept playing on the radio were surely doing their job well. Anamika felt like a little girl at her favourite stationery shop allowed to buy everything that she desired.

Saurabh on the other hand had already looked her up on the internet before stepping into the car. Somewhere her omnipresence around the virtual world let him seamlessly into her life and now her car. He loved her carefree nature that was hard to miss. Her Tweets spoke loudly of her love for life and love in general. He felt more than eager to get to know her more. On having thought over how to appear before her, he had finally decided to be as himself as possible and wait what was coming next.

The first few long minutes went in the conversation they had in their mind. When finally Saurabh spoke and broke the silence. The music on the radio lulled in the background and they continued to exchange some formal lines trying to gauge the depth of the deep waters they were stepping into.

Within a few minutes they were talking as if long lost friends and seemed to pick up strings from the most random places imaginable. They sure had ample common topics to talk about and an hour surely was insufficient to catch up with the lost time with each other.

They reached the venue well before time and as they sipped their favourite ginger tea at the local tea shop, somewhere deep down they both knew that the die has been cast.