Chapter 2. The Cozy Flight
2038 Words
Jiya was just looking at him and didn’t respond. He then shook her and repeated again.
“Hello..Hi ..I am JUAN” and snapped at her.
“Oh! Hi! I am Jiya.” She said
“Well it’s a beautiful name Jiya’’ he smiled and looked into her eyes . He felt the pain in her. He understood she was disturbed.
“I am really very sorry.”
“Sorry for what oh Jiya”
“I ..didn't ..you are hurt”
“ Jiya is relaxed and I am good. This is a small scratch. That's it, so leave it.”
“ What can I do? I mean how can I compensate”. Jiya's upset words brought a smile to Juan. He pressed the on-call button. The hostress came and he then ordered
“An orange juice for the lady and a glass of champagne .”
“ I am sorry sir, now it's time to take off. I will serve you soon after the take off. Please fasten your seat belt, sir . Ma'am you too”, saying this, she leaves.
Juan and Jiya made themselves comfortable with talking small and talking to each other.
“ So Jiya, you are from Delhi.”
“ Yes..and I guess you are Chinese.”
She asked in a low tone. He smiled and nodded no.
“ Then are you Japanese?”
“ No… I am not. Try again Jiya. Let me see if you can guess it correctly.”
“ OK, I guess you are Korean..am I right?”
Juan shook his head with laughter.
“Yes..yes””
“ I am very good, aren’t I ?” she asked him .
“Well, to be honest, I am Korean by birth but was brought up in the U.S, so you say .Korean American.”
She smiled. This smile was from a deep heart. He knew that she was now more relaxed .
Soon the flight took off and was now flying to its destination. As soon as the Unfasten the belt sign appeared, the hostess brought their drinks and complimentary snacks.
“Cheers”
“Cheers”
Both were going thru the menu.
“Actually we are even. “
“Even?? In what?”
“Actually, this is the third time I have seen you.”
“ Third time ??” Jiya wondered.
“ Yes, today it was me you were about to fall at the airport’”
“ Oh I am really,but I didn't … someone helped me.”
“ Well, that’s me again.”
As he said, Jiya gave him a stare but both of them started laughing.
“ So Jiya… are you on your vacation or work?”
“ I am not doing it. I am escaping prison beak "then she laughs on seeing his confused face.
“ Actually I am going to meet my cousin. He is now in Bangkok.”
But soon after she said that, lie Juan understood she was lying . he didn’t further ask her about that. Their food was served . While eating he chocked. So Jiya gave him water and softly rubbed his chest.
" That was close," he said.
“Are u ok. Guan?”
He was again shocked after hearing her tell him say his name was wrong.
“Jiya, it is JUAN. Not GUAN. J for Juan.”
“ For Jiya”. Jiya teased him.
After they had dinner, the hostess came by.
“ Maam, we are extremely so we couldn’t get u seat change that you asked us ealier ..we are sorry” she sid
“ No .. it's OK . I am comfortable now. It's OK to leave it” jiyaa said with a smile.
Juan gaszed at her. She pat him with a smile.
“ Actually I said that before you came ,but now I am relaxed, so, I am OK.”
“ OK, OK believe…so what do you do” he questioned.
“Well, I am one of the directors of …”she paused suddenly, then told him.
“Hmm, director of no job ...I have got to find something that I am not interested in now, but maybe soon”. She soon covers up with a lie.
“ But you seem familiar. I mean I travel to Delhi quite often on business. You look familiar”, as he says, he notices the discomfort in her face. He soon changed the topic, snapping his fingers.
“Jiya! So you cousin, what does he do ?”
“ He owns an advertising company. So now he is on some advertising photoshoot in Bangkok.”
“ Oh, an advertising company in Bangkok or Delhi.”
“Well, to be honest, he ran away from home at the age of eighteen. There, he studied and got settled in Australia. So I think it's an Australian-based company.”
“Wow!”
“Why? Wow?”
“ I just asked you a simple question, say a one-mark question, but you gave me a long-lengthy answer…a biography," he giggles.
Jiya pats his shoulders. He too pats back. They spend time like long-term friends meeting up recently.
As they were talking, one by one the cabin lights went out .
“ So, it's time to sleep, I guess.” He tells her in a low voice. Jiya nods. He then gets up, telling
“ I will go and freshen up”, he walked off .
Jiya is not now as stressed as earlier. The hostess came up to her and asked if she was comfortable . She just smiled OK.
Soon Juan returned to his seat. He saw Jiya working on her laptop and reclined his seat to a sleeping position. Jiya knew that he was trying to talk to her but avoided him but acting busy working on her laptop. He understood her ,he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. He took a sticky note from his bag and wrote
“GOODNIGHT JIYA.SLEEP TIGHT ”
Then he stacks it on his laptop so that she sees it . She read and smiled back at him. Jiya was now again lost in her thoughts and opened her gallery. There were many good memories. She deleted them one by one . She didn’t keep any of her past memories, which gave her pain and sorrow. As time passed, Jiya felt sleepy. But she didn’t want to sleep so she ordered a cup of coffee.
Drinking coffee, she saw Juan sleeping calmly. She saw a baby smile on his face which made her smile. Looking at him sleeping, she felt her mind relaxed and felt comfortable too. Later, after an over, she dozed off on her laptop.
When Juan got up in the middle of his sleep, he saw her sleeping over her laptop . He went onto her side,held her slowly and reclined her seat and made her sleep comfortably. The hostess bought the quilt. He laid it over her and went back to his seat .
“ This now looks like a couple sleeping together”, he said to himself.
In her sleep he saw her weeping. He tried to wake her from sleep but she held his hand tight and went back to sleep.
Two hours ago, Jiya got up. She saw him working on his laptop and there was a lady standing besides him. She wondered who she was?
“”Good morning Ms.Jiya “,he greeted her.
“ Good morning” she said in a husky tone.
“ I am really so sorry my voice must have disturbed your sound sleep. I am sorry work matters sorry Jiya. “
“ No, it's OK, actually I was not disturbed.”
“ Thank god Ms Jiya .otherwise Mr Juan should have fired me by now” says the lady standing beside her.
Jiya looks at her confusingly,then looks at Juan for an answer.
“ By the way, this Mrs Lee is my secretary.”
“Hello ms Jiya. Nice to meet you” Mrs Lee greeted her .
“ Hello Mrs Lee” Jiyaa is now actually confused,but she walks to the restroom and soon she freshens up and returns back to her seat.
“ Your coffee latte, Ma'am”, the hosts served her.
Jiyaa looks at Juan, he smiles at her and asks her to drink coffee. She understood Juan was the one who ordered a coffee lattee for her.
Soon breakfast was served. Though they spoke, it seemed Juan was busy with work, he was often disturbed by Mrs Lee while eating with Jiya. This made Jiya uncomfortable. But she knew he was just a co-passenger on board.
Soon came the announcement for landing and within minutes they landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok. As Taxing Jiyaa looked out through the window ,it was raining.
“ It's raining heavily” Juan told her. Ashe faced toward him, the gap between them seemed little. He looked deep into her eyes without the blink of an eye. She too looked at him deep. Words were striking to both but their eyes spoke a lot. Someone passing by unintentionally pushed Juan , and he accidently kissed her lips. Jiyaa was taken back .
“ I am sorry " the passer- by passenger said .
This brought back both of them to sense. Jiya and Juan struggled to look at each other.
“ I am sorry .” Juan told her as they got up from the seats. Jiya just nods and takes her bag to leave without a word to Juan. As she left, Juan felt his heart beat racing. He had never had such a feeling before. He took his bag and then ran behind her but he was stopped by Mrs Lee as their car was already wating for them at the airport.
“ We must rush, Sir, our ride is already here” Mrs Lee tells Juan.
“ The meeting is in an hour from now. We must rush,”she adds.
But Juan did not hear his eyes were searching for her at the airport. He couldn’t find her,as he was covered by his team members and associates at the airport.
On the other hand, Jiya’s heart too raced but she had no time for her feelings. She hides it and walks off .
“Jiya darling”
A loud voice shouted from behind. Jiya turns back and sees her cousin robin with fresh Lillys in hand.
" Beautiful flowers for my beautiful sister”, he said, hugging her.
“ Robin, thank you dear. Did you wait long” she asks?
“ Well, no sis just came, then saw you and rushed to you “ he, held her luggue.
But he saw Jiya was not listening to him but saw her looking for someone.
“Jiya, whom are you looking for” he asks.
“No one, nothing. Just look, that’s it.”
“ So let's move then”, he then walks with her to his car. Jiya turned back at times. She felt her heart heavy . While in the car again, Robin saw her upset. Just then, Robin's phone rings but he disconnects it.
“Jiya, let the bygones be bygones . Don’t think that has ended . Now you are here with me, I strongly say you must move on, OK”, he comforts her.
On hearing him, she bursts into tears and cries out loud on his shoulder for the first time after the divorce with Raj.After a while she felt easy and relaxed. As Robin drove she looked out and took a deep breath. Robin's phone rings again and again, but he ignores it. He seemed irritated. Jiya notices this.
"Why don't you answer the call Robin", Jiya questions him.
Robin smiled at her and put the phone into silent mode.
“ Mr Juan, are you OK” Mrs Lee asks while in the car.
“I am ok "
But Juan was not OK, he was feeling stressed and uncomfortable. . He closed his back. He saw her only as he closed his eyes.
“Will I meet her again ? When ? Where?” his mind quested.
- Writer
