Nevertheless

Chapter 8 - Butterfly

Why in the world is he here? Dhanush! Oh my god. Was that weirdness in school not enough that he's here also? It feels so weird when we appear in front of each other that I just turn my face and walk away. And before he sees me now, I should go back to my seat. I let Karan run away and I came back. Manya said that she would give her explanation but I hindered her before she proceeded. I insisted that we should have our lunch as it already 3 pm. We had our lunch and the train journey ended about an hour after lunch. We got down and we boarded the tempotraveller which my dad had arranged. It is evening now and the sky is turning red. It feels so good to watch a warm sunset. I slowly leaned towards the window and put my hands on it. I peeped outside and could feel the warmth of the sunlight on my skin. In the chaotic life of Delhi, we forget to enjoy small things like this. This is making me feel so happy. Happy in the sense , from inside.

Did you ever hear about the butterfly effect? It says when a butterfly flaps it's wings at the right time in the right place then , it can cause a hurricane miles away. Many scientists concluded it to be true. What makes this theory unique is it shows that something very small could affect the whole system. This shows that a butterfly being so insignificant can still cause great affects. See how a sunset made me happy when nothing is able to. We all should remember that small things can still cause great changes. Let the small thing be another human , our own self or any other phenomenon. Everything has potential in it.

"Arav is calling you , Maya. Come out of your LOST MAYA mode.", says Shanaya.

"What the hell dude, don't make me feel like a douche.", I said.

" No , I didn't mean to say that.", says Shanaya apologetically.

" Alright, what's the matter." , I ask Arav.

He silently handed over a piece of paper to me. It says,

OUR DAYWISE SCHEDULE

Wow! Does Arav think that he has an exam next week that, he made up a timetable? But it's not a bad idea too. Let's go through it.

DAY 1 ( Tuesday) : Get up late and local sightseeing in Manali.

DAY 2 (Wednesday): Maya's birthday, Go to Rohtang pass and celebration in the evening.

DAY 3 ( Thursday) : Rest ,rafting and shopping.

DAY 4 (Friday) : Go to Solang valley.

DAY 5 – 7: I have no idea.

What! He has no idea? I started laughing. What else can I expect from this lazy guy. He never completes anything. Not to disappoint him, I said " Okay ! This seems pretty good and we can follow it till Day 4. We can figure out something for the other days later."

He seemed so happy. Why won't he be ! For the first time in life , I appreciated him. Actually seeing him happy makes me also happy. There's happiness in appreciating others also. Positive side. Great , good going Maya , I congratulated myself. I feel so tired right now. Ah! I feel something on my shoulder. I turn towards right. Shanaya is sleeping on my shoulder. HAHA. She dozed off. I understand , It's really tiring. I looked at her. She looks so cute when she's sleeping. Not irritating people and shutting her mouth off. Just kidding. But she really looks cute right now. She became my sister in these few years.

It's been 2 hours since she dozed off. And it's dinner time. I passed my time with music. It is really a good companion. It's dinner time too. I better wake her up.

" Guys! It's 9. We better stop somewhere and have food. We are on a highway and the restaurants might get closed, if we delay it." , I said.

Everyone agreed. We told the driver to stop the vehicle. He halted at a Dhaba. The typical Indian roadside restaurant on the highway side. We got down and had food. Late at night , we reached Manali. We booked a cottage. It's basically like a group of cottages around with a common lobby. I was damn sleepy. I got down like a zombie and went to the reception. They always have slow processes. We had to wait for another 30 minutes before we came here into the cottage. The time is like 2 am now. We just entered the cottage and it blew our minds. Wow , It's a two storied cottage with a big living room in the ground floor. There's a bonfire area and a fireplace in this floor. Three bed rooms in the first floor and two in the second. The second floor has a terrace like area where there's a swimming pool and a sitout. And wait, it's not yet over. In the ground floor there are steps towards down. It's basically an underground kitchen. This is a perfect holiday house. I and Manya take the rooms in the second floor and the others in first floor. The bed is so cozy and warm. Manali is cold as hell at nights. The blanket gives me a sense of relief. I better sleep now.

I woke up to freezing cold weather. It's lunch time now. HAHA. We slept late at night so... We decided to go out and have lunch . We would buy some stuff that we can cook in the cottage from tonight. I casually walked into the lobby. And life gave a shock to me for one more time. Again unexpected! Dhanush is here with his family. Why did he have to take a cottage only here! No! I'm freaking out. What will I do now? Okay! Calm down. I cannot control everything that's happening. Do what you can , I told myself. Before I slipped out of the lobby , he saw me.

" Hey ! Maya.." , he said.

WHAT THE HELL! What should I do now ?