Every minute felt like ages to her . Restless within she again started fiddling with her entertainment unit . She flipped through all the movies but didn't like any . She moved to the TV show section . She didn't even feel like watching her favorite sitcom Friends now . Her mood was sour enough . She tossed and turned in her seat from time to time . She tried hard to fall asleep but all her attempts were unsuccessful .

She then glanced at the pa.s.senger to her side . He was sleeping at his seat . He looked super peaceful and composed while he was asleep . She kept on admiring him . His long sharp nose, fierce eyebrows were the stark features of his face . She hadn't blinked even once and suddenly she felt he was returning her gaze . His eyes were open, his brows twitched a bit as if trying to form a question mark . She was thoroughly embarra.s.sed . She looked away instantly and then again looked at him again like he was pulling her towards him . His lips curved a bit for a gentle smile and then he looked at his watch and sighed .

"Time for lunch . I am hungry . Are you?" Raymond asked . He knew that she was hungry before from the way she had gobbled her chocolates and his share too,

She replied with a wobbly nod .

"Pick up what you like first and I will call the attendant . " He said .

"Pick up? What do you mean by pick up?" She asked a bit surprised, Raymond was a bit surprised by her question . He paused a bit and took out a menu card from the side pocket of his seat and then pa.s.sed it to her . "Pick up what you want to eat from the menu" .

She looked at all the items listed in the menu starting from Steak to Risotto and chuckled . Raymond heard her and turned towards her . "Something wrong?" he asked . "No, just that when I usually travel, I either pack my food from home in Tupperware or eat what the airline has to offer . Never got an option to choose . Feels like royalty for a change", she said and continued flipping through the menu .

Raymond was taken aback by her frankness and simplicity . He then said - "Try mushroom risotto . It's nice" . "Mmm . . . " she just nodded politely . Raymond called the attendant and gave order for a steak and salad for himself and a mushroom risotto for her . Then he paused and turned towards her - "Would you like anything to drink?" "Oh, yes, please . I need two boxes of apple juice . . . Umm, wait . Three please" . Raymond smiled inside his head - " What is this girl? One moment a damsel in distress and in the next a kid throwing tantrum" . Then he turned towards the attendant and said - "One JD on the rocks and three apple juice box for the lady . "

He turned to look towards her again . Her head was hung low and she was drawing random shapes with her slippers with a shade of embarra.s.sment on her face . Then she said at a very low register - "I really really like apple juice you know" and shot an innocent look at him . It was like as if she was trying to explain to him that she wasn't greedy . He paused for a while like he was registering what she just said and said - "Noted !!!"

After that, they didn't talk a single sentence with each other . He didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable . When the food arrived, she devoured on it as if her life depended on it . Raymond just kept looking at her from time to time . After finis.h.i.+ng her food she had one apple juice pack and put the remaining two into her purse . Now that she was full she felt so much better . Then she took out her notepad and pen and started writing .

It was a letter addressed to Anthony . She poured her heart out but she didn't flinch or shed a single tear this time . She was in a way more resolved and settled state of mind . She finished her letter and put it inside her pa.s.sport . Then she plugged into a music channel and started listening to Pink .

She was pure bliss to watch . Somehow her presence made his heart ten times lighter . His contract went into the drain yesterday but he felt like he found something much more precious . They both had encountered major setbacks in their life on the same day . But right now they were way more resolved and determined than before . Without saying much they had become silent companions of each other in this journey .

Isn't this what we call as "FATE?"

Every minute felt like ages to her . Restless within she again started fiddling with her entertainment unit . She flipped through all the movies but didn't like any . She moved to the TV show section . She didn't even feel like watching her favorite sitcom Friends now . Her mood was sour enough . She tossed and turned in her seat from time to time . She tried hard to fall asleep but all her attempts were unsuccessful

.

.

She then glanced at the pa.s.senger to her side . He was sleeping at his seat . He looked super peaceful and composed while he was asleep . She kept on admiring him . His long sharp nose, fierce eyebrows were the stark features of his face . She hadn't blinked even once and suddenly she felt he was returning her gaze . His eyes were open, his brows twitched a bit as if trying to form a question mark . She was thoroughly embarra.s.sed . She looked away instantly and then again looked at him again like he was pulling her towards him . His lips curved a bit for a gentle smile and then he looked at his watch and sighed

.

.

"Time for lunch . I am hungry . Are you?" Raymond asked . He knew that she was hungry before from the way she had gobbled her chocolates and his share too, .

.

She replied with a wobbly nod

.

.

"Pick up what you like first and I will call the attendant . " He said

.

.

"Pick up? What do you mean by pick up?" She asked a bit surprised, Raymond was a bit surprised by her question . He paused a bit and took out a menu card from the side pocket of his seat and then pa.s.sed it to her . "Pick up what you want to eat from the menu"

.

.

She looked at all the items listed in the menu starting from Steak to Risotto and chuckled . Raymond heard her and turned towards her . "Something wrong?" he asked . "No, just that when I usually travel, I either pack my food from home in Tupperware or eat what the airline has to offer . Never got an option to choose . Feels like royalty for a change", she said and continued flipping through the menu

.

.

Raymond was taken aback by her frankness and simplicity . He then said - "Try mushroom risotto . It's nice" . "Mmm . " she just nodded politely . Raymond called the attendant and gave order for a steak and salad for himself and a mushroom risotto for her . Then he paused and turned towards her - "Would you like anything to drink?" "Oh, yes, please . I need two boxes of apple juice . Umm, wait . Three please" . Raymond smiled inside his head - " What is this girl? One moment a damsel in distress and in the next a kid throwing tantrum" . Then he turned towards the attendant and said - "One JD on the rocks and three apple juice box for the lady . " .

.

.

He turned to look towards her again . Her head was hung low and she was drawing random shapes with her slippers with a shade of embarra.s.sment on her face . Then she said at a very low register - "I really really like apple juice you know" and shot an innocent look at him . It was like as if she was trying to explain to him that she wasn't greedy . He paused for a while like he was registering what she just said and said - "Noted !!!" .

.

.

After that, they didn't talk a single sentence with each other . He didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable . When the food arrived, she devoured on it as if her life depended on it . Raymond just kept looking at her from time to time . After finis.h.i.+ng her food she had one apple juice pack and put the remaining two into her purse . Now that she was full she felt so much better . Then she took out her notepad and pen and started writing

.

.

It was a letter addressed to Anthony . She poured her heart out but she didn't flinch or shed a single tear this time . She was in a way more resolved and settled state of mind . She finished her letter and put it inside her pa.s.sport . Then she plugged into a music channel and started listening to Pink

.

.

She was pure bliss to watch . Somehow her presence made his heart ten times lighter . His contract went into the drain yesterday but he felt like he found something much more precious . They both had encountered major setbacks in their life on the same day . But right now they were way more resolved and determined than before . Without saying much they had become silent companions of each other in this journey

.

Isn't this what we call as "FATE?".