Meeting Planned
THE atmosphere in the room at the moment was so tensed as Prisha watched Raghav, her eyes widened in shock.
“Amaya?” She questioned, her eyelids flickering.
“I suspect him”, he repeated walking towards the window.
Prisha gasped, if really he was right, then she couldn’t believe it, Amaya was their cousin, son of their late aunt, their mom’s only sister. Why would he want to harm her?
“But why would Amaya want to abduct me? For what?” She asked rhetorically.
“You never can tell Prisha”, he turned, “Amaya isn’t the person you think he is, I have been trying to tell mom this but she never would listen”.
Prisha sighed, that was true. She could vividly remember years ago when she was little, her brother and cousin never got along, big brother was always suspecting him, but mother never does, she so much loves her nephew… and niece, Amaya’s sister.
“Big bro, you still… have this kinda feelings towards him?” She asked.
“Always”, he folded his arms and leaned on the wall.
“It is strange”, she used her hands to close her eyes.
“With time lil sister, I will prove myself right. So…”, he stood straight and began walking towards her, “how about the lady who saved you?”
“Well mom and dad wanted to find her you know, make a royal announcement or something like that, but I refused…”.
“Because she might be targeted and attacked?” He interrupted.
“Exactly”, she nodded. “The abductor must have really been looking out for her, so I told them to keep it lying low for now, I’m gonna find her myself”.
He chuckled.
“How you gonna do that? When you virtually stay home all day, for fear of being abducted again”, he laughed.
She pouted.
“I would still find her my Prince, and don’t mock me”, she rolled her eyes.
“Wait, does that mean you don’t go to school as well?”
“I now attend school online, I just can’t step out of this palace again”, she looked down on her books.
“Hmm”, he mouthed much like in a whisper.
*
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*
The students under the almond tree laughed, chatting away. They were all munching on one thing or the other as it was the lunch break hour.
“Jeez! You have finished it Zaina”, Rina said and Zaina laughed. They were both eating fries from same packet. Rina grabbed the packet from her.
“I got the cookies”, she flashed the packet of cookies before her and began loosening it.
Vidya watched her and laughed out, she was munching on her snacks as well.
“Zaina, you foodie”, she said.
“Don’t mind her”, Rina shouted and made for the cookies.
“The Prince is finally back girls, and guess what? My invitation to the palace would take place in no time”, she chuckled.
They sighed, making a face.
“We know the Prince is back miss”, Zaina replied, scoffing.
“I really can’t wait to visit the palace, it’s really gonna be exciting”, she waved her left hand over her shoulder.
They snorted, giving her no reply.
“Ahh, you girls shouldn’t tell me you are actually jealous, you all supposed to be rejoicing with me”, she stressed.
“Of course we are, or do we show signs of jealousy?” Rina replied turning to Zaina.
“I’m too busy with my cookies, I will give you reply when I’m done”, Zaina replied looking intently at her food.
They laughed.
“Foodie”, Vidya blurted.
Zaina nodded.
“Oh yeah”, she said.
They ate in silence for a while, then Vidya spoke up.
“Gosh girls tomorrow is weekend, I think we should go sightseeing, hiking, or bike racing, what do you girls think?” She looked at them.
They shrugged.
“Whatever you guys decide on, just be rest assured I’m not joining”, Zaina said.
They turned to look at her.
“Why?” Vidya asked.
“My dad’s a hindrance, Rina knows that”, she replied.
“Oh yeah”, Rina nodded.
She knew Zaina’s dad so much as to let her out of the house, he never would allow her.
“She is right”, she continued, “Her coming out is a probability”, she added.
Vidya shrugged.
“What about you? You can come right?”
She nodded, why not?
“Of course I can, so where we going?”
Mm, they racked their brains for a moment.
“What about the tourist site?” Zaina said, “I mean it’s free to all, a pleasurable place for sight seeing”.
“Absolutely, you are right”, Vidya shouted, clapping her hands. “What do you think Rina?”
Rina nodded.
“It’s really a good idea”, she licked her lips.
“Woah, thanks Zaina, your brain always works”, Vidya said.
“Yep I know yours doesn’t”, she said looked away.
They bursted into laughter.
“So you get ready Rina, 2:30 in the afternoon, at the tourist site”, she said.
She nodded.
“Yeah, in as much as I know it won’t be possible, I will still so appreciate it if you come Zaina”, she said.
“Yeah me too”, Vidya joined, her eyes pleading.
Zaina laughed.
“You girls are wasting your precious time pleading, but well, will see if I can, I’m not promising though”.
“No qualms, a classmate would be joining us”, she licked her lips as she looked from Rina to Zaina.
“Who?” They both asked in unison.
She flinched, visibly shaken by the attack of question.
“Oh, don’t eat me, it’s someone you all know. It’s Roshni”.
“Ohh! Rosh… ni”, Rina stuttered, making a face.
“Yeah”, she nodded, flashing her thirty two.
Roshni was the only other friend aside from them whom Vidya moved with, they had never talked though, Vidya was the one bringing them together.
“Well, good luck to you guys, have fun and be safe”, Zaina said shrugging.
Rina laughed and ruffled her hair.
*
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*
Raghav stood by the little fountain in the middle of the large garden, his left hand in his trouser pocket, while the right held a tumbler of wine.
He watched as the waters gushed out, falling into the small pool built around it.
He stood still watching and his eyes caught something, he thrust his head forward to be sure of what he was seeing, and oh yeah, there were tiny little fishes happily swimming around.
He sipped some wine.
Then he heard footsteps coming from behind, he didn’t turn, he stood still watching and sipping.
The footsteps walked towards him and halted.
“My Prince”, came the voice. It was Zoya.
“How was it?” He asked still staring into the waters.
“As expected, nothing yet was found”, Zoya replied.
Raghav sipped, and then turned to look at him. He and Zoya had now grown to understand each other well, they were now more of friends, though with Zoya knowing his limits and boundaries.
“Nothing at all?” He asked.
“With all due respect Your Highness, nothing”, he slowly shook his head.
Raghav kept mute for a while, thinking.
“Did you envisage he suspected you guys or something?” He asked, shaking the tumbler.
“There was actually guilt in his eyes my Prince, he was suspicious”.
Raghav nodded, smirking.
“I see”, he finished off the wine and Zoya took the tumbler, then made to refill it.
“I’m okay”, Raghav said.
Zoya nodded and beckoned on one of the many maids walking about the palace, then handed the tumbler to her.
“Is there no place for sight seeing here Zoya? No clubbing nothing?” He asked, already missing Terry and their many clubbing.
He had actually been indoors since he returned, except for the few royal functions he has attended with his father.
Zoya smiled.
“Of course my Prince, there is”.
“Wonderful, so which?” He folded his arms.
“The tourist site, it’s obviously the first choice and a good place for hanging out”.
“What is it like?”
“As the name implies my Prince, it’s a tourist site virtually for our arts and culture, a place for sight seeing, a place where virtually everything about our kingdom and its traditions are embedded in, anything at all you want to see, arts and crafts, sculptures, you know… there are all there”, he explained.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
“Mm”, he licked his lips, “an open environment or?”
“It’s both open and close”.
“I see, we will be going there tomorrow, just the both of us”.
Zoya nodded.