Love Takes Time {Completed} {#Wattys2017}

19. All That Happened

 Flashback           

            Yash asked Abhimanyu to join him and Shilpa on a trip to Vagamon and Kumararkom the next morning. He said Jyoti who was also interested in the trip could ride on his motorcycle. It would be fun to go motorbiking together on hilly terrain. Yash asked Ram if he should arrange a bike for him to which he said he would rather study for pretests. Abhimanyu immediately agreed as he loved mountains. He was all for adventure trips. Yash told Abhimanyu not to worry about hotel bookings and that he will take care of it. He said his night stay was on him and it was a surprise. Abhimanyu never jumped to pay for anything. He always liked to underplay when it came to money matters. He knew Yash came from a rich family, and he thought it was okay if he paid for him as a friend.

               Saturday morning, they waited for girls in canteen with borrowed helmets for them. When they arrived in tiny shorts, Yash told them that they were going motorbiking to a hill station first and then to backwaters in Kumarakom where they checked in late afternoon. He has checked the weather forecast for Vagamon and it showed low temperatures with wind but luckily no rain. He said although he loved them in shorts, they will have to go back to change into full length jeans and get warm hoodies. Also they wouldn't like to get scratches on their legs from the rocks on mountains and stones that often rolled down the hills.

               Girls returned to canteen after changing. Yash hanged Abhimanyu's and his backpack from the hooks on his bike. The girls sat with their backpacks on them. Vagamon was approximately 100 km from their college. They took SH40 to Vagamon village. It took them three hours to reach there with coffee/tea, water, rest and restroom breaks. They went exploring the hilly terrain after lunch at a roadside restaurant. The hill station was breathtaking with tea gardens and deep valleys. They enjoyed the cool breeze carrying the aroma of spices as they drove along the winding roads. The road was metaled in most places but it was muddy at many others. Riding motorbikes on lots of curves, hilly inclines, tight corners and winding corners felt like one hella roller coaster ride. They throttled from time to time to enjoy the mountain curves. They couldn't get enough of the scenic beauty and stunning landscapes. They got down at the viewpoint on top of the mountain to watch mist clad mountains that looked gorgeous. They clicked a lot of pictures and had some refreshments there before heading to Kumarakom.

              By the time they hit relatively less hilly region of the beautiful valley it was already 5 pm. Kumarakom backwaters was more than two and a half hours drive from there. Yash had plans to enjoy the evening in hotel as they had to check out at 11 am next day. Now, they were going to reach a lot later than he wanted, but he thought that biking in hills was worth the time it took. On way to Kumarakom, they met with a huge traffic jam. They learnt that an accident had taken place and work to clear the road was taking long as the roads were narrow. They had to shut down their engines and relax by the road side to wait for the traffic to start moving again. It was 8:30 in the clock when they reached the gates of the hotel where Yash had booked rooms for them.

              All had their mouth hung open in surprise except Yash when they entered the five star Kumarakom Lake Paradise. It was the finest luxury heritage resort in India, nestled on the serene banks of the Vembanad lake. It was a big pristine colonial property that looked amazingly beautiful and tranquil with coconut groves and beautiful villas overlooking the fresh water lake. They all couldn't stop admiring the beautiful resort and looked forward to see it in daylight.

Abhimanyu: This is a huge surprise. You must have shelled out a lot of money for us to stay here.

Yash: Anything for friends. He said with all the modesty.

Jyoti: Oh My God! This is so beautiful!

Shilpa: I can't wait to see the rooms! She said excitedly.