"So shall we go?"
Maaya asked and the other three girls along with the two boys nodded.

Sameera was the first one to stand up and start moving. She was dying to see what the roads of Mumbai looked like. Last time she was not able to see properly.

"Oi Sameera. You coming like that only?"
Maaya yelled causing the girl at the front to turn around and give her a confused expression.

"Like what?"

"Like that."
Maaya said pointing at Sameera's clothes. She looked down at herself. She wore a plain grey t-shirt probably of Shrithik's size and a pair of black track bottoms.

"What's wrong with my outfit? I wear this all the time. And I'm not changing it."

Shristi laughed.
"She's talking about your bottoms which you have rolled up."

Sameera once again looked down to find that one leg of the track bottom was folded an inch above the knee while the other one was folded to her knee.

She smiled sheepishly.
"Oops. Didn't see it."

Saying this she lifted her leg and started to unroll her track bottoms. As she was not able to maintain her balance she was hopping and jumping forward.
And then she bumped. Bumped into Jay. He held both of her hands and if we see properly then there were merely some inches between their bodies and there faces.

Sameera breathed hard. She has never been this close to someone before. Well, except Shrithik and her family.
But Jay was neither of them.

Hell, he was her friend's brother whome she has known for four days.

"What are you doing here?"
Pihu's voice asked and they both seperated. Sameera looked down and this time sat and unfolded her lower.

"I left my phone in my room. So I was just going to take it."
Maaya nodded.

"You all can go down."

"Okay. Who's taking us? I don't want to go with Shyam. That guy has a really bad music taste."
Pihu said and Jay tried to hide his smile when she shivered.

"I'm driving you. So go downstairs to Madhu."

"You? If I can remember correctly than you actually never drive. Right?"
Pihu spoke and Jay glared at her.

"Madhu is waiting Pihu."
Saying this with a threatening smile he walked past them.
Pihu giggled and lead her friends to where Madhu was.

Raj and Shivam went to their ride leaving the five girls waiting for Jay. He came soon after and sat in the driver seat of the car. And before Sameera could climb in the backseat Madhu, Maaya, Shrishti and Pihu already sat there. Leaving her the passenger seat.

Already she was feeling really awkward around Jay and now she has to sit with him? She sighed and sat in the passenger seat.

Jay was changing the radio channel when Sameera saw his hand. Covered in colorful Rakhis.

"When was Rakshabandhan?"
She asked causing Jay to look at her weirdly.

"It was on 22nd. A week has passed Sameera."
Madhu spoke and Sameera hit her head.
"Goddamit. I totally forgot."

"It was national holiday on Rakshabandhan. How can you not know? We even got a message informing us that we were also have a holiday."
Pihu asked and Sameera rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah. I got that message. But I never read anything else other than that tomorrow is a holiday. Ugh....how can I forget something so important?"

"Why are you panicking this much. It's over now. And you cannot do anything about it."
Jay spoke calmly and she looked at Jay.

"Yeah. I know. But my brother. Rakshabandhan is a festival of brother and sister. And can you believe it I've not talked to him in what? Two weeks. I didn't even send him a message.
Goddamit! I've not talked to him in two weeks. Neither has he called me. Shit!"
As she explained, reality hit her that his brother was probably angry. Afterall she has not called him on that auspicious occasion. And the fact that she also didn't pick his call when he called her.

Without realising Sameera was giving a comedy show to the people sitting in the car. A panicked Sameera was rare and was something to watch.

Fumbling in her backpack she took Shrithik's phone out and called him quickly.

Jay glanced at her, finding it amusing that she was panicked. And if what he observed was correct than Sameera was a calm crackhead. Not the panicking one.

Shrithik picked up at eleventh ring.

"Hello?"

"Old man."
Sameera growled hearing his sleepy voice. He quickly sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Hey Sweetheart. Something wrong?"
He asked sounding like a baby trying to act innocent.

"Were you sleeping?"

Shrithik looked down at the bed and nodded a yes. Then spoke
"No. I was not."

"Don't lie to me. And who the hell sleeps till 12:30 pm?"

"I told you I was not sleeping."
He said sounding really innocent and like he was telling the truth. But Sameera knew better than to think that. Afterall she herself did the same thing when her father called while she was sleeping.

"Don't lie."
She roared.
Turning her head she found that everyone was looking at her and the car was absolutely silent.

She mouthed a sorry to them and then heard him speaking.

"Oh my god. I'm scared."
He spoke dryly causing her to roll her eyes.

"Listen. Can you please call my brother and add me on the conference call?"

"Why should I? I'm not calling anyone."

"Please. Please old man. I'll bring you every sweet of this world. Please."

"We'll, that's a good deal."

She smiled victoriously and then spoke quietly
"And can you please not listen to our talk. I'm going to get really scolded."

He laughed evilly.
"No!!"
Saying this he hung up. She just chuckled at his childishness. She was more than sure that he will not listen to their call even if she told him to.

"Who was it?"
Madhu asked really confused by the term 'old man' and it's not really respectful for her to use it on her father.

"Just a friend. I exchanged my phone with his so I'm not having any of my contacts."
She explained and Madhu nodded, then hesitantly spoke

"If I am not prying can you tell me your friend's age? I've not really heard anyone exclaiming an old man by the term old man. You know old people get really agitated when you call them old. "

Sameera along with Jay laughed.
"Of course not. He's seve......um...24 years old guy. I call him an old man because he is....older than me. But believe me he doesn't look like one, he's a handsome young guy. I just tease him."

"Hm...that's a really an offensive term if he is actually attractive."
Pihu muttered and Sameera laughed. She glanced at Jay to find his face emotionless and his jaw clenched.

Jay was trying to control his irritation without it being visible. Afterall the girl he likes was just telling that she finds a guy really handsome.

The car stopped in the front of a big mall. Getting out of the car the girls bid goodbye to Jay and he sped off.

The girls followed Madhu to the top floor to be greeted by a old lady. She was the famous makeup artist and skincare specialist. While Madhu talked to her Sameera just looked around the surroundings. It was nothing special, just how a normal parlour looks.

Maaya and Pihu were also standing with Sameera doing the same thing.

Soon after Sameera's friends forced her to get the facial at least and her face was covered in face mask.
She chose the most simple, inexpensive facial and it was actually done pretty quickly. But she has to admit that she felt good afterwards.

She sat on the sofa and was reading a newspaper when she heard Pihu speaking

"I'll get a haircut."

"And I wanna colour my hair. In violet colour."

"And I just need some trimming."
Maaya and Shrishti also spoke respectively.

Then Madhu asked
"Sameera, you getting something done with your hair?"

She looked up at Madhu and shook her head in no. Madhu nodded and she lowered her head once again thinking that was Madhu an exception or all the friends of a cousin get the same treatment from all the people?

It took three hours for them to get done. The things Shrishti forced Sameera into, were that things that she didn't knew even existed. But nobody could deny the fact that all the girls glowed afterwards.

When they were done Madhu dialed Jay. He ordered her to not call anyone to pick them up but him.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jay, can you pick us up?"

"No!"
And he hung up. And due to Madhu's luck her phone was dead before she can call him the second time.

"Hey Pihu. Can you please call Jay for me? My phone is dead."

Pihu nodded and fumbled in her purse for her phone but couldn't find it. She looked up at Madhu and shook her head in no.

Sameera looked at them thinking if she could just leave. Already she was in the middle of existential crises. Literally.

Madhu was treating her and her friends as if they have been friends for a long time. She asked them to pick her bridal dress, she is going to take them for shopping. Here they were sitting in an expensive parlour getting themselves their hair and nails done.
Compared to Madhu, Sameera is a demon. God knows that even her friends don't know the actual length of her hair. They have never seen her long hair open.

And there is Madhu. Sameera was now literally wanting Jay to come. First Jay was very easy to talk to and he gave her that good friend vibe. And second, if he will not pick them up then how will they get out of that extra expensive place? Madhu was ordered not to ask for anyone to pick them up and now that her phone was dead, Sameera doubted that she had remembered any driver's number.

"You remember his number? Give it to me. I'll call him."
Sameera finally said.

"I hope you remember it?"
She continued and raised her eyebrows at Madhu and she nodded.
She recited the number and Sameera dialed it.

He picked up the call at second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hello Jay? This is Sameera."

"Sameera? You gave me some other number, right?"

"Yes. I told you that I've exchanged my phone right?"

"Oh yeah. Are you lost or something? Why did you call me?"
He asked sounding very confused.
Sameera released a breathy laugh.

"No no. Not at all. I called you to ask you if you are free so you can pick us up? It's fine if you are not. I'll book an OLA."
She said and Jay shook his head vigorously.

"No! No need. I'll be there in just....five minutes. Don't book a cab or anything. I'm coming. Okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."
With this he hung up. Sameera looked up at the girls and said

"He's coming in five minutes."

Madhu smiled to herself. Jay has not even heard properly what she said and hung up. But now he is coming in five minutes. Somebody likes someone.

_______________________________

RAKSHABANDHAN

Rakshabandhan, is a popular, traditionally Hindu, annual rite, or ceremony, which is central to a festival of the same name, celebrated in South Asia, and among people around the world influenced by Hindu culture. On this day, sisters of all ages tie a talisman, or amulet, called the rakhi, around the wrists of their brothers, symbolically protecting them, receiving a gift in return, and traditionally investing the brothers with a share of the responsibility of their potential care.