Thank you for all the love on the previous chapter! I have added a few pictures in this chapter because I always wanted to try out this Wattpad feature at least once and also because I did a lot of research  on private jets for this one LOL. Please bear with me. This is not proof read so apologies for that as well. 

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"This is your first time."

"Yes."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"As in the first-''

"I've not been on a plane before Khanna." I snapped, my anxiety getting the best of me although I was trying very hard to not let the extent of my inner panic show on my face. I was certainly not doing a good job of it since the pilot was looking at me like I had descended from another planet.

"How come you never-''

'

Aaiyappa I didn't!" Why was he finding it so hard to believe me? Like I said before, I was NOT a bird and had no business in flying in my entire life before. I wasn't interested in starting now either but my darling boyfriend had gone behind my back and had already pulled this wonderful stunt.

"Wow." Wow? Serioulsy? But he at least finally looked like this piece of information had got through him and I heaved a sigh of relief, tired of explaining myself anymore.

We were standing just outside the cockpit, after I had sought him out at 6 minutes left to board and 10 minutes for takeoff. I had thought that I would be able to get through this entire thing just fine but that was just me foolishly self-motivating while I stood on safe ground outside the imperial aircraft. The moment I had finally ascended and set foot inside The Hawk, all of my already dwindling courage had deserted me.

"Hey Nandini, its okay." Khanna gave me a reassuring smile, his brown eyes twinkling kindly, "The worst thing that can happen is we'll crash and die." He shrugged matter of factly and I groaned.

Ugh! That was so motivating to hear! And here I was thinking that this guy hadn't lost it like most of the others on this plane!

'Seriously!" I snarled at him, clutching my temples, the pulse of fear in my heart only increasing with every second that passed and I was already starting to feel dizzy on my feet.

He laughed, absolutely unapologetic and I was driven to an extent where I was indeed hoping all of us would crash. I won't have to deal with such epic problematic people anymore.

"You're so cute!" He chuckled and I felt the back of my neck burn with mortification as annoyance settled in. I could already feel a high intensity panic attack fast approaching me and I was extremely close to a nervous breakdown, this wasn't the moment to mess with me.

"Does he know?" He leaned down and whispered in my ear conspiratorially and I did a double take, staring up at him in shock before I realized that this wasn't unexpected. He knew. Of course he hadn't missed the dramatic display of the Hulk and a part of me was glad because this meant he was just harmlessly flirting while the other half of me groaned under the pressure of this added tension.

I didn't want him to know and I didn't need any of his help or comfort, I decided firmly, though somewhere I felt my heart splinter a little bit. What won't I give to be safely wrapped in the warmth of his arms?

Nandini focus. He didn't ask you before doing this did he? So you don't need to be so needy.

"He doesn't need to know!" I replied in a voice that left no room for argument, fixing him with a violent glare and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Fine! Fine!" He shook his head exasperatedly, "I was just trying to help. Why are you guys fighting anyway? Manik can be a jerk sometimes but I've never seen him like this with a girl befo-"

"Wait, you know him?" This was astounding news. I had thought that he was just our pilot for the day but the way he talked about Manik like an old friend had my curiosity tingling and I couldn't resist asking that question before it was already out.

"Not very well," He admitted, rubbing the back of his head shyly, "My dad is friends with his father and we used to meet sometimes whenever he came to Pune."

His father.

An indescribable feeling washed over me as I very acutely registered for the first time that there were still many facets of Manik's life that I hadn't yet seen, that I wasn't yet a part of. I wasn't sure where destiny had been aiming to take us after everything that had happened, but one thing was for sure, I had now entered into the real world of Manik Malhotra. The one that went beyond Fab5, beyond S.P.A.C.E, into an uncharted territory that was riddled with as many murky secrets as it was adorned with lavish riches.

And his father was the epicenter of this universe.

"Oh hello," Khanna clicked his fingers in front of my eyes and I blinked, startled out of my thoughts.

"Where were you lost? Anyway," He continued, "See I was just kidding before okay? It's going to be fine. I fly this plane and I do it very well."

He smirked arrogantly as he finished that sentence and I wished that I could share his faith in himself. Situation was such that I was lacking conviction in science at the moment, so trusting him was quite a stretch. But what other option did I have?

"All passengers are requested to occupy their seats. Please be seated for takeoff."

The impeccably polite yet subtly assertive voice of the flight attendant boomed through the aircraft and I startled, clenching my fingers into a tight fist to brace myself as it literally felt like the apocalypse itself was about to descend.

"Hey come on Nandini!" Khanna grasped my shoulder comfortingly and never had I felt as vulnerable and scared before as I looked up at the friendly pilot who was doing his best to put me at ease, "Sit at the back." He advised, "If you feel sick, still stay put in your seat, don't move during takeoff get it?"

I nodded meekly, not trusting myself to speak. I sincerely prayed that I won't get sick. That was the last thing I needed.

"Other instructions are there in the guide. I've to go. Take care. See you in Goa!" With that he gave me one final reassuring smile and then he was off, leaving me alone to navigate through this challenge.

I took deep breaths to calm myself, repeating his instructions in my head again and again till I felt some semblance of soothing calm over my raging fears. It won't be that bad.

I walked beyond the cockpit, through a wooden paneled main entrance and my jaw dropped as I stepped foot in the lounge.

        (in pic)

It didn't seem like this was an aircraft. Not at all. It was wide, spacious and basically screamed money. Lit softly in mellow hues, the lounge was neatly furnished, with the plush leather recliners in dark colors that contrasted heavily against the stark white and cream interiors and divided the seating area in convenient and cozy places, all complete with a rich walnut flooring. It didn't look anything less than a luxury hotel and and I was 100% sure that the only amenities that could not be availed on the jet were those banned by basic physics.

Wow.

When I entered, Alya, Mukti and Navya were already seated around a coffee table in one of the sections, all decorated by crystal accents  and a bottle of champagne in and ice bucket and I didn't know whether to be impressed or absolutely appalled by the show of wealth.

"Where were you?" Navya called the moment she saw me and I just shook my head at her, avoiding the eyes of Mukti and Alya who had immediately stopped chatting as I approached.

I couldn't see anyone else around, weren't just a few minutes left for takeoff? I pondered over their absence for a while before I realized that I had an urgent emergency to deal with and that was me.

Directed by a flight attendant who came to help me out, I chose a place at the extreme rear end, partially cordoned off by a wooden decorative panel. Through the glass window, I could see the tarmac baking under the harsh sun and I willed my brain to adjust to the idea that before long, I would be seeing clouds there.

The seat beside me was empty and I hoped that it would remain as such.

Minutes passed by and I didn't know how many. I had shut my eyes close, breathing evenly to calm my mind down and block out any negative thoughts. I was about to experience something I had never done in my life before, that thought was uplifting and brought a slight smile on my face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard The Hawk BBJ2 in service from Pune to Goa. We are currently in line for take-off and are expected to be in the air in approximately four minutes time. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure all baggage underneath your seat or in the overhead compartments."

Oh my god. It was happening.

If I wasn't so petrified, my first instinct was to bolt up from my seat and run for my life. Instead, I sat there frozen as the large video screen mounted at the very front that I hadn't noticed before, blazed to life with instructions and emergency procedures.

I read it all but couldn't register a single thing.

"When the seat belt sign illuminates, you must fasten your seat belt. Insert the metal fittings one into the other, and tighten by pulling on the loose end of the strap. Direct your attention to the television monitor for the demonstration."

Damn it.

The voice was loud, precise and clear but through the blood ringing in my ears, and the loud thudding of my heart, I couldn't comprehend a single syllable. Through the haze clouding over my mind, I fumbled with the seat belt, the buckles slipping through my sweaty, trembling fingers.

What are you doing!

Now wasn't the time to scold myself. I felt dread wash over me in waves and yes, the panic attack had officially hit. I wasn't sure if I was breathing as I tried with the seat belt for the umpteenth time and failed.

I was going to be sick.

What if we take off and I don't have my seat belt on? That was a horrific visual, produced by the darkest, most pessimistic part of my mind that had decided to rear its ugly head in this terrible moment and render me doused in hopelessness.

Ugh, just call the flight attendant you idiot. Thankfully, the saner, more rational part of my mind argued back and I engulfed a lungful of air, all prepared to scream out loud if that's what it took.

"Relax."

I jumped at the voice, shrinking in on myself and I could swear my heart stopped beating for a second before it started racing even faster as he slipped in the seat beside me. Before I could react, scream or shout, his fingers gently wove through mine, releasing the straps from them and he easily snapped and locked the metal into place, firmly securing me and I gasped.

"Calm down." He whispered in my ear and I couldn't wrap my mind around anything that was happening, it all went black and I shut my eyes, giving it all up to god.

'It's okay Nandini. I'm here." He continued to say sweet nothings in my ear that barely broke through the shell of my mind or made any sense at all but my body instantly responded to him, the blood rushed slower in my veins, my heart beat calmer and I breathed easy for what felt like the first time.

I felt his fingers lock together with mine in a strong, secure grasp and in an instinctive reaction; I clutched his hand tighter, like it was the only thing tethering me to the edge of the earth.

It was a pandemonium. Loud whirring, banging, roaring noises echoed through that I had never heard in my life before, mixed with a string of other shrill announcements that made my head throb and I only ended up gripping his hand tighter, all our ego and fights forgotten. I needed him.

I felt him chuckle beside me, 'Nothing's going to happen to you. You think I'll let it?"

I caught his words, held them close to me and I was glad I did for the next second; I felt my stomach drop, a sinking feeling like I was strapped on to a roller coaster that was fast accelerating and I felt myself being pushed back in my seat, the action so sudden that my eyes shot open and I did the mistake of looking out of the window.

The ground was falling away.

Oh god.

I bit my lip to stop the scream that ripped through me and closed my eyes just as fast, blanking out all of my thoughts to the point that nothing remained, only the warmth of him beside me and that's how I had successfully suspended myself into a limbo.

How much time had passed?

Why the silence?

Were we dead?

"It's over." His voice pierced through, "Now open your eyes before I laugh." I could already hear the repressed laughter in his words and as the cloud of fear slowly evaporated away, a fresh wave of horror at my own antics crashed through me and I felt the back of my neck burn with mortification.

My eyes first laid on the large display screen at the front that currently showcased an aerial view of the vast expanses of land that we had left behind.

We were flying. It was a mix of disbelief and wonder and the excitement that I had buried under debris of irrational fear broke through the surface and the urge to look through the window was unbearable.

We were really flying.

"No." He said, distracting me and I groaned, had I said that aloud? "We crashed and died. This is heaven." He informed me nonchalantly, with a look of grave seriousness on his face and I stared at him in mute shock.

Was he serious?

I pinched myself to check and never had I felt as stupid as I did at this very second as he legit burst out laughing in front of me and I wished that the window was open so I could jump out and die instead of facing the humiliating teasing that I knew was to come.

"Manik go away!" I screamed, wrenching my hand free from his grip and covering my face with it. Oh god! This was so cruelly unfair. I was scared in the first place and the monster that he was, he was getting kicks out of it.

"Are you sure?" He asked back innocently, "There's still an hour to go and nobody else on this plane would voluntarily let you murder their hand." He held up his hand like a wounded victim and I recoiled when I saw the red nail marks on his skin from where I was holding on to his hand for dear life.

Well he was lucky I hadn't murdered him yet.

If it wasn't for him I won't have been in this bloody situation!

"You deserve it." I snarled back, all my initial anger at him resurfacing and I worked hard to put it bay. I was already stressed and the last thing that I needed was him.

Nope. The first thing you need is him.

Why was my brain so honest?

'Oh shut up," He drawled back, his features twisted in an adorable scowl, "This is cool and you know it. Look out of the window and thank me later." He ordered with supreme arrogance.

"Awww," I pinched his cheek and he glared at me, "Are you upset because I don't appreciate the ride on your toy?"

I should have realized what I just said and didn't at all mean a little bit sooner but it was too late because his face had already split into a wide grin as my eyes widened in shock at the unintended meaning and I burned a crimson red, really wishing that I could jump out of the window straight into hell.

"I DIDN'T MEAN-"

"Awwww." He smirked, pinching my cheek right back and I swatted his arm away, and of course; of course he was enjoying embarrassing me! "You're cute when you lie but I've firsthand experience of how much you enjoy the ride on all my toys."

"Manik! Enough!" Don't blush. Don't blush. Don't you dare to blush.

I was pretty sure my entire body was flaming red, as I remembered exactly which firsthand experience he was talking about...ugh so many freaking double meanings! What's wrong with you Nandini Murthy! I would have died of embarrassment by now if this was me a year ago. What the hell had happened to my innocent self?

I knew exactly what had happened; I had given it all up to the boy I loved more than I loved my own being and I didn't regret a single thing.

"You're so mean!" I cribbed like a child knowing too well that it would have zero effect on him; he won't stop teasing me till I cried.

What was wrong with us? We could fight as violently as a clash of fire and fire one day and go back to bickering like little school kids on the next day.

He snickered, 'And you're a chicken." There you go. Was I ever going to hear the end of this? Probably not. But I was definitely not getting on another flight with him! He could take his Hawk and...

'Will you please stop?"

"Look out of the window then."

"Manik, I'm scared!"

Oh wow, I was definitely a chicken and I just scored a self goal. I gritted my teeth; I really, really needed to get my act together.

"Where's the lie then? Chicken."

He was doing this on purpose! I narrowed my eyes at him savagely, my temper flaring at the unapologetically mean teasing. How I hated Monster Manik! He always brought out the worst in me and I wasn't having anymore of it.

"Watch me." This was a challenge and I was so going to prove him wrong.

He looked at me, one eyebrow raised in amusement as I took a deep breath to calm down my nerves. Looking out of the window would be like being face front hit with the fact that I was actually more than a hundred miles up in the air and I cringed, the thought itself giving me painful jitters. How would it look like? I just knew that I didn't want to instantly throw up. Already that horrible view of the disappearing tarmac was stuck in my mind.

God save me.

I glowered at him blackly for making me do this and with apprehension settled like a stone in my stomach, tentatively turned my head to the side, bracing myself for the worst. 

(In pic)

I gasped, my eyes widening in shock at the stunning vista presented to me, a feast of beauty for my eyes. It was high, too damn high, to the point that everything looked so tiny, like shapeless little dots of colour on a gigantic canvas, a unique amalgamation of the vast and insignificant that together was so astonishing yet magnificent. It seemed like I had clasped the portrait of the world in my hand and it fell away below my feet and I couldn't look away, mesmerized and spellbound.

"I told you thank me later." I heard him whisper too close to my ear and I was reminded of the other stunning beauty of a man that existed in my life.

"It's so beautiful." This was an understatement but I was speechless in describing it any better. How had I gone this long without witnessing this? And what had I been so scared of?

"There are many first times in life and I want all of yours to be with me."

I turned around to look at him, words failing me once again at the sight of the reverent sincerity and unfathomable love in his eyes and before I could catch myself, I didn't want to anyway; I threw my arms around him, pulling him closer to me as I buried my face in the crook of his neck, "Thank you," I breathed, these little words, these small gestures, these were all the means that I had to convey my love to him.

I hoped he understood.

He did. His arm wound around my waist, grasping me firmly and with his other hand he effortlessly unclasped my seatbelt, my breath catching in my throat as he pulled me up and I blushed pink when he properly settled me on his lap.

"Manik..." I whispered shyly, my inborn instincts clicking in as I remembered that we weren't entirely alone on the plane. Panicking, I turned around to see, only to have my heart soothed when I saw that the wooden partition concealed us in the corner and from what I barely saw, our present company was engrossed in themselves.

A tug on my waist brought me crashing on to his chest and I clung to his shirt, bunching the fabric under my fingers as I gazed into the chocolate brown depths of his eyes. He had always been outrageously handsome but now his beauty almost seemed painful for I had been denied of it for two whole months.

All mine.

His fingers traced the contours of my face, trailing up agonizingly slow as he ever so gently and slowly tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and it wasn't hard to guess that this was just an excuse to touch ,me more, to feel me more and I didn't mind it, my skin practically burned for him.

Was love always so selfish? So brazen? That even in a room full of people we could wantonly carve out our own world, even through the unyielding clutches of time, we could shamelessly steal our own fleeting moments.

"So the toy," He rolled that word on his tongue and I groaned mentally, he was never going to let me live this down, "Finally impressed you."

Not so fast Malhotra.

"Last I checked, you don't own the sky." I reminded him smartly as I tried to ignore the way I was almost straddling him and how that was causing heat to rush in my blood, "I just like the view. It's so beautiful." I said wistfully, gazing out out of the window again. I had decided that this was what I was going to do for the rest of the journey.

"I like the view too." I heard him say and I could swear he was smirking. Why exactly did that sentence sound so...?

I looked down to see what he was looking at.

"MANIK MALHOTRA!" I screeched my entire face flaming a bright shade of tomato red as I scrambled to pull up the neck of my top. Damn it! I was going to kill him with my bare hands today, "EYES ON MY FACE!"

I was breathing in short gasps, never had I been so damn flustered before and he was laughing. Men! Ugh! I clenched my hands into fists and shoved at his chest with all my might, positively outraged at his audacity. How dare he! I could feel myself burning up and I mentally screamed at how I was my own traitor.

He was still chuckling when he caught my wrists in his grasp with one hand, restraining me easily "I'm done with seeing your face every day." He informed me callously and my eyes widened in disbelief, my temper flaring up, 'There should be some variety no?

He looked up at me innocently, the nerve of him, and I had officially lost count of the number of times I had plotted his death today. I was fuming, literally steam coming out of my ears and maybe because I wanted to get back at him for being such a merciless fiend, the next set of words I uttered were out before I could think over them,

"Why? Your Sara isn't giving you enough variety?"

I shouldn't have.

I wished I could take it back the moment I said it as I watched his expression shift from playful to furiously mad in a nanosecond and the grip on my wrist tightened almost cruelly, his eyes spitting fire,

"You had to ruin it right?" He spoke through clenched teeth and I felt a sharp, piercing pain in my heart, like I had been stabbed with a white hot knife, not by the fact that I had ruined our moment but because I had come to a conclusion that was as mentally shattering as it was disgracefully humiliating to admit.

I was insecure.

There was no other way to put it and I should quit lying to myself now. I had never known when I had started feeling this way. Now that I thought about it, it had always been at the back of my mind, this feeling of not being worthy enough for him, this feeling of not being good enough for him. 2 months ago, it hadn't mattered for he was as consumed in me as I was in him, I had seen it in his eyes, heard it in his words and felt it in his touch. I was the one he knelt for, the Queen to his King and together we were unbreakable, unstoppable, united for eternity and beyond.

Now, after everything, a huge void of 2 months lay suspended between us. 2 months, in which he had changed, I had changed. Apart, both of us had created our own worlds and while he refused to accept mine, I had been thrust into his, where everything new cast a shroud of doubt over me, where every secret was a blow at what I had believed in and every new girl took a hit at my self esteem.

Messed up? Yes. Did I want an assurance? Yes. Had his reply given it? No.

"Why? Aren't you two like the best of friends these days?" I had never thought I would be one of those girlfriends. I hadn't even thought about what kind of girlfriend I wanted to be before the intensity of me feelings for him had overwhelmed me and I had fallen down the sharp precipice of love. He had been there to catch me and I had thought that ours was a fairytale, unaffected and untouched by the practical realities of life.

I was wrong.

"What's wrong with you?!" He demanded, angry and that stoked the flames of my own temper. Why so defensive? If there was nothing then why didn't he act like it!

His arrival with her was still stinging.

"She is nothing to me dammit!" He spat, "Stop being so jealous and insecure for godsake!"

Jealous? Insecure? Yes. Definitely. At least I was admitting it and not throwing it back on his face like an insult! I could very well do the same to him; after all, his highness was the one who spied on me! Double standards and much wow.

"Fine then, she's nothing!" I conceded bitterly, my fingers curled in a fist, even I could bring out my claws, "Then what's she doing on this plane, right here, right now?!"

That was a trick question. I didn't know if she was on the plane or not. I had just seen her with him but his response would answer more questions than I had asked.

"You don't need to now." He said remorselessly, jaw clenched, eyes blazing.

He had one chance and he killed it.

"You can't decide what I need to know." I challenged, my heart thudding in my chest as I desperately tried to read the impenetrable mask that was his face. One step forward and two steps back that is how we were playing this game of our relationship.

Say something. Prove me wrong.

His brown eyes bore into mine, searing and deep and I wished I could look away but I was caught in their spell, looking for answers that I couldn't find.

"Manik!"

I looked up in a flash, almost causing a crick in my neck and what I saw caused bile to rise up in my throat and I wished I could have been anyone or anywhere else in this world but not in this position.

Speak of the devil and the devil is here.

"Manik, there are a thousand other things you could be doing." Sara rolled her eyes as she said that sentence, staring at us nonchalantly, arms crossed across her chest, not at all perturbed or embarrassed. Not at all seeming like she had just seen something that she shouldn't see but that didn't mean that I wasn't feeling like never showing my face to anyone ever again.

Absolutely mortified, I scrambled to move away but I gasped in shock when his hold just tightened around my waist and he held me closer to him, plastered across his body. Oh god. Not knowing what else to do, I hid my face in his shoulder, hoping and praying that this would be over faster than I could blink.

What the hell was he doing! And what was she doing here! I wanted to scream.

"Sara," That tone in his voice, I had never heard him use it before, so cold yet so alluring, 'Did I ask? Do I care? Should you go? Answers are, no, no and yes."

So rude.

That wasn't unexpected, I had heard him talk to her like this before but what completely caught me off guard was the way I heard her laugh. Not bothered. Not offended. I looked up in astonishment and dared to meet her eyes, only to see pure amusement reflected in them.

"It's not like your tongue will fall off if you're nice to me." She asserted with another eye roll and I wondered what she was made of. I had seen this side of him, this ruthless, callously rude side of him a countless times before. But no one he had verbally assaulted had talked back to him like this.

"You know me." He shrugged, as unaffected as her and I gaped at him, only to see him smiling, smiling. What was happening here?! Whatever it was, I couldn't help but feel like an outsider, like I didn't belong here, in this place, in this conversation, even though I sat in his lap.

Was this how the two months in the mansion like?

I was suddenly so repulsed, I wanted to curl up in a shell over myself and just sort through the excruciatingly nasty and torturous mess that were the thoughts in my mind and the feelings of my heart. The mess that was making me feel so vulnerable and exposed at the moment. The mess that just wanted me to take him by the collar and shake him till he gave me all the answers and assurances that I needed.

I struggled to move away once again and failed miserably because he won't let me and in some dark corner of my mind, that unconditionally and irrationally belonged to him, this was enough proof, this was comfort.

But when I looked down to meet his eyes, he wasn't looking at me.

"Relax." I heard Sara say and it was directed at me, 'I'm not seeing something I haven't done."

My ears weren't deceiving me, I had certainly heard her right and I felt my blood boil as her sentence resonated in my brain repeatedly and I attached more meanings to it than what I should have. What was she trying to imply! This. This was where all those doubts and insecurities came from. Sara and her instigation!

"Sara." Manik's voice sharply sliced through the tension thrumming between all of us, 'What do you want? Make it fast and get out of my face." He grit his teeth in supreme annoyance and anger and that was it. I knew it! I knew it and though it was extremely petty of me, my heart was surging with joy!

He wasn't immune. He wasn't blind. He knew exactly what she was trying to do and as I felt his fingers dig into the skin of my waist, I was sure that he won't let her succeed.

For now.

In that one second I was secure in the heat of his unyielding hold on my body, in the venom against her in his voice. The primal part of me suddenly overpowered any sense of propriety and I reveled in this brazen, besotted display of possession.

She was the outsider.

I looked at her squarely in the eye, mocking her as I wound my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in the roots of his hair and if I was a little less unabashed I would have smirked for extra effect.

It wasn't required. Her shoulders drooped and her nostrils flared as she glared at me with wide eyes, chagrined disbelief and fury clear in her so called stunning features and I had to remind myself from laughing out loud.

"Come up to the meeting room. He wants to see you." Her voice had lost all its edge as she informed him coldly, not meeting either of our eyes and that was such a good riddance but the jubilation started to wear off as I registered her words.

Who wanted to see him?

Confusion stirred within me and I glanced at him, wondering if he would ask a question but one look in his eyes froze me. He didn't imitate my emotion at all; in fact, he looked like he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Why?" He asked in a clipped tone, trying to give nothing away and I felt my suspicion rise and an uncomfortable feeling settled in my stomach. Was that anxiety in his voice? And who was this 'he'?

There was something he wasn't telling me.

'It's about Goa." She answered equally short and cryptic, "It's important." She gave him a long pointed look before she turned on her heel and walked away through a passage at the back of the lounge that I hadn't seen before.

What more was there to this jet? But that was a question for another time.

Right now, realization had hit me with a crushing force and the moment it did, I moved away from him and scrambled into my own seat as fast as I could and this time he did let me go.

Silence blanketed us under its heavy weight and I was left wondering how everything had gone downhill so fast and we were back to the same point on the circle that we had left from. Round and round, push and pull, back and forth, this was going to be endless unless we did something stop it before we both dragged each other down all the places we didn't want to see.

The consequences were too much to bear.

I looked up at him with the intention of saying something, anything but he had already gotten up from his seat, running his hand through his hair as he turned around to leave and my jaw dropped as it all sunk in.

He was seriously going.

'You're going?!" I hadn't meant to sound so incredulous but I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he was actually listening to Sara and going away to meet whoever this person was.

What was this about? Why didn't I know about it and Sara did? Worst of all, why wasn't he telling me?

"Yes." He answered simply and that one word brutally wounded me. I couldn't deny the hurt as much as I couldn't deny the raging tornado of questions within me, stemming from every bit of the doubts and apprehensions that clouded my mind.

The worst sting came from the fact that I knew him enough to know that he won't tell me.

And I had enough self respect to not ask. I won't have him playing around with me. If he wanted to come clean, he would do it himself.

Instead, I asked, 'Will you come back?"

His eyes bore into mine, the eye lock lasting for infinity and more, churning with all the things said and unsaid as both of our hearts waited with baited breath, hoping, yearning, believing and promising that at least one day both of us would cross that bridge of dubious actions and conflicting emotions, to meet on the other side, in that selfish slice of heaven where everything apart from us could burn.

That was enough. For now.

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