Natasha

It was late evening when I departed from Mumbai, India. Oddly enough, it was still evening when I reached Boston. One would perceive this to be a three hour flight, when in fact, it was an eighteen hour excruciating long air trip.

At least, one could give the benefit of the doubt for being an international flight with a layover stop. That too, at Istanbul of all places. The Turkish airport was a modern spectacle. I didn't waste time in exploring the majestic airport and the area outside. The city was a blend of modern and traditional Islamic buildings having beautiful arches. Such a shame I couldn't explore the crux of it as I returned to the airport within three hours.

By the time, I reached Boston Logan International Airport, I was crapped out of my body, mind and ringing ears. Not to mention slightly chilly. I quickly took a taxi to the designated guest house granted by my company. Thankfully, it was only half an hour away.

It was when the cab started wheeling towards the destination, did I truly open my eyes.

I was transported to a new world.

A world where thousands of stars fell on earth in the form of lights. They were everywhere. A world built on flashy skyscrapers as well as old European cobblestone buildings. A perfect blend of traditional European and contemporary architecture. As if I was living in the present and the past at the same time. I think I even saw Old State House on the way. I turned to the other side of the window. A steamer boat floated along the Charles river, illuminated by the reflection of the city. It was ethereal.

There weren't many people but I saw what I expected. Most were white while few were Asian and black people. A range of diversity I didn't see in Mumbai often. Still, like Mumbai, the city hardly looked like it was ready to sleep tonight.

I leaned further on the seat, exhaling a happy sigh. Emotions overwhelmed me. I was giddy, excited, nervous, and lonely all the same. I guess traveling continents away from home could do that to you.

"Your first time, Ma'am?" A gruff voice from the front seat asked, while looking at me from the rear view mirror. Guess I was too obvious.

"Um, yes, first time..."

"Hispanic? Latin?"

"Indian."

"Ah!" He replied, his voice thick. The driver appeared to be a half, bald English man in his fifties. Out of curiosity, I asked if Indian people resided here to which he laughed. "Yea, yea, you'll find a bunch of 'em here and there. Especially in the States."

The conversation continued on where he recited the pros and cons of Boston. You could tell the man loved the city and had been around for as long as he could remember. I wanted to listen to it all, but my body was on the verge of a power cut. I simply wanted to crawl into bed and sleep.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait to access my guestroom. It was a small one room apartment with basic amenities. I refreshed myself, pranced around the room for a while, messaged my homies and let my ass kiss the bed.

I managed to wake up six hours later.

Managed because it wasn't a good night's sleep. I kept tossing and turning on the bed until I picked my phone to watch reels. Thanks to my jetlag, I felt drowsy and annoyed. Regardless, I got ready to commute to what would be my office for the next fifteen months.

I reached my office fifty minutes later. And that was too, when I took a cab.

What was my company thinking, providing me a guest house that far away from office? I thought of calling them but then remembered the time zone. Great, just great! Regardless, I walked on my heels to enter the glass building when I was denied entry to the departmental office. Apparently, my offer letter wasn't enough to convince them, as they needed me to have an ID.

I was pissed as fuck and it was only my first day.

I checked my WhatsApp message from my manager in India who had thankfully given me few contact numbers to save me from this plight. I called someone by the name of Richard Clarke without thinking twice. Richard who was supposed to be my upcoming manager. The call went on voicemail. Fuck him, too.

The security guard definitely wasn't helping. His voice was starting to prick my ears. Eventually, he told me to wait by the longue. I couldn't help it this time. "Abbey chal ja na, bhosadike! Chup chaap apna kaam kar." (Just get off, you cunt! Shut your mouth and do your work).

The guard shot a suspicious glance at me. I took a deep breath to calm myself. Perhaps I should see myself out before I do something regrettable.

"Are you sure you should be cussing like that in public?" A male voice spoke, making the hair at the back of my neck stand. I whirled around to see a young fair man in an olive shirt and black pants. His lips twitched a bit though his gaze was serious. "One might understand the language and launch a complaint against you."

I swallowed. The morning kept getting worse and worse, despite the picturesque scenery of the metropolitan city in the morning. I didn't want to lose that right yet. It's obvious the man knew Hindi. Fair skinned, short solder cut hair and pristine outlook made him look more intimidating right now. I crossed my hands, my head downcast. "I'm sorry for my misconduct, sir. It's my first time here and I was supposed to reach the office by 10. It's 10:45 now so I'm in a bit of a bind here. Sorry once again."

"What's your name?" He asked, totally unaffected by my heartfelt apology.

My heart thudded in my chest. "Na- Natasha Patil, sir."

"Natasha, huh?" He repeated thoughtfully, his mind seeming miles away before facing me. "Just wait for a minute and give me your offer letter."

I did just that and watched in anticipation as the young man took my letter to the security guard and talked him out. Was he helping or complaining about me? I couldn't tell. A minute later, the young man ushered me to come to the checking booth. The security guard punched his ID, opening the flaps to the inner departmental office. "Apologies for the inconvenience, ma'am. You can go in."

"Oh... okay," I replied, surprised. I let out a sigh of relief once we were inside the office that looked no less than a prestigious hotel. I turned to the man in olive suit. "Thank you so much, Mister...?"

"Irfan Ahmed." He completed my sentence and we shook hands. "You are here for Project Natick, if I'm correct. We are in the same team then."

"Oh, I see," I added after a pause as Irfan continued to lead me through the corridor. "Indian?"

"No, Pakistani."

"Sorry."

Irfan stopped walking, making me stop as well. His serious demeanor changed as he chuckled at my face. "No need to look so frightened, Natasha. It will be fine. Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell anyone."

Okay, that slightly cracked me up as my lips pressed together. Perhaps this wasn't as nerve racking as I thought. I playfully thanked him and asked about his profile. Turns out he was part of the core team of Brooks Architecture & Design. He had been working as a designer for the past two and a half years. It was nice to talk to someone in Hindi.

The day went smoothly after that. I got to meet Richard Clarke- A blonde man in his late forties. He quickly apologized for not picking my call earlier as he was in a meeting. An assistant manager briefed us about the company and the goals of the project through an eye-catching presentation. Project Natick had several employees working for it from outer & interior designing to execution, finance and management. Our team consisted of engineers & architects that covered a certain area and Richard was at the helm of it, having eleven years of experience behind his back. A ten minute interaction was enough to let me know what a cool and laid back boss he was. Hope he remained that way throughout the course.

I swiveled my gaze across the board room consisting of few people. "Sir, you said there would be ten people. There's only four. Where are the rest?"

Richard gave a smile. "The project will officially commence two weeks from now. The rest of the team will gather then. Meanwhile, you and Paul will be training under Mister Ahmed. That's what both of our companies agreed upon."

"Oh, alright. No problem."

I was dismissed earlier than expected. Richard and Irfan told me to reach out to them in case I had problems. Not just work- related but for settling in, too. Both seemed like kind hearted people so far. I was relieved.

But now it was time to unwind. By unwind, I meant Boston.

I wanted to explore the shit out of it.

I put my big girl panties on and went on to the T subway for the first time. I already enquired about the route details with Irfan and places I could visit. I even marked the route to my guest house.

I took my sweet time eye-fucking the city through the subway window. I became an observer, viewing my surroundings during daylight while hearing foreign people converse in between. A few even passed a smile and greeted me. I greeted them back.

Boston was known for its rich historical tapestry. I visited the Museum of Science first. I didn't miss an opportunity to click selfies of me with the dinosaur skeleton. Then I found a Chinese restaurant nearby and had some refreshment.

I roamed around downtown to God knows where. For some reason, my legs weren't stopping. They wanted to go on and on without looking back. Within an hour, I passed by a market place, an old chapel, steel duck statues, a vintage looking mini library, and a bunch of sappy hippies giving a musical performance. I settled down on a flight of stairs along with other strangers, listening to their indie music.

I raised my head to the clear blue sky. It didn't look too different from India. Except that, everything else was different. The environment, the vibe, the energy- It was all new and exotic. However, nothing could surpass the feeling of independence. The feeling of being all by yourself in a place where nothing or no one could pull you back. I closed my eyes, smiling away.

I wanted to get lost in this wonderland.

"Look here, Mitali!" I squealed, moving the mobile camera to the Medieval-looking stony streets, surrounded by Oak trees.

"Are you purposefully trying to combust me with envy?" Mitali glared at me, but then her expression changed. "What's that long hat you're wearing?"

"This? I bought it from a store nearby." I replied, holding the flap of the beige hat and winking at her. "I'll bring one for you too, if you like."

"Of course! That's the least you could do as my sister."

We took our sweet time with our face call while I shamelessly showed her around. In the midst, I stopped by a small outdoor cafe to have cannoli-- a famous roll type sweet dish in Boston.

"By the way, your hotshot boyfriend called. He was upset. You seriously broke up with him over a letter? That's new." She chuckled.

I stopped eating, looking at Mitali deadpanned. "Way to rain over my parade. So, he called you, too. I don't want to talk about him or anything serious right now." I whined.

"Fine, but you need to talk to him eventually. You can't block him out forever," She said, making a face. "He was such a good boyfriend, too. Maybe I'll pay a visit. If you don't want him, I'll have him instead."

My gaze burnt through the other side of the screen. "Don't you dare!"

She only laughed harder. "That's the jealousy I wanted to see. That's exactly how I've been feeling for the past fifteen minutes."

I scowled. "You're free to cut the call if you like. No one's stopping you, darling."

The back and forth banter-like conversation went on for a while. At the end of the conversation however, Mitali flashed a smile.

"You've been shooting that creepy smile for a while now." I narrowed my gaze.

She rested her chin on her palms resting on the table. "Seeing you like this brings me joy. You look happy, di."

"Very happy!" I grinned

"Then I hope you remain that way."

"You too, Mitali. Bye." We shared a blissful smile before ending the call.

Now what next? I thought. I wasn't ready to end my solo adventure yet.

* * *

It was nine by the time I returned to my apartment. Alas, my body gave up before my will. I loved my time today, but it would have been perfect with dinner at an Indian restaurant. I made a point to ask Irfan on Monday.

After refreshing myself, I settled down on a mat at the balcony with a cup of tea. My apartment was on the sixth floor so one could get a view of the nearby area from above. Cars swooshed by the city lights, bringing a sense of melancholy to the night. Funny, the view seemed eerily similar to Mumbai, yet my feelings couldn't be more different. They didn't instill a sense of dread within me. Neither burdened me with the weight of life. Nor feared me for another day.

Those dark, hopeless nights of despair.

Tears resurfaced out of my own accord. I didn't care to wipe them away. My mind reeled back to the unfortunate younger me-- during the chaos surrounding Tejas, the constant abuse from the family and social shut down. When her life wasn't in her hands. When she felt the only way to escape her vicious whirlpool was death. When she looked out of the window and all she could think about was to jump over. Above everything else, she wanted was to run far away from the city. I had the same feeling last month when life became overbearing. Boston was the perfect escape. The thought of not going back home for a year was immensely gratifying.

I want peace, Doctor Thapa. I want to live away from my parents as far as possible. Perhaps in another city or country...

"I did it, Thapa... I did it!" I sobbed hard with my face touching the floor as I crouched down. Something seemed to have forced open the dam of my heart and it couldn't stop flooding now. I fisted my palm to my top, my chest tightening. No one would know what it meant for me to reach here. No one. I agonized over this scene for years. If it meant I could live another day. If it meant I could keep chasing for the light at the end of the tunnel. I wanted to hug my scarred sixteen year old tight. I wanted to assure she did right to hang on to another day. That she didn't jump out of the window.

I was out of the cage for good this time.

As I laid down to bed, I raised my head to the ceiling. My eyes were getting heavy from the amount of ugly tears I shed. I thought about all I did today and what tomorrow would bring. The thought alone made me smile.

For probably the first time in my life, I was glad to be alive.

* * *

The next day, I received a message from Ayesha, enquiring if I met with her Hispanic friend. She also caught on the weird silence between Khushboo and me from our group chats, no surprises there. Things have been awkward since that WTF farewell kiss. Atleast Ayesha's intervention got us to start talking in the group chat. I realized I needed to check with Khushboo at some point. Same with Rithik. I didn't want to though. I knew I was being an ass, but I wanted to live away from drama for a while.

I hit Chanel Quinn on call shortly after. She sounded eccentric and friendly though her thick accent often made it confusing to grasp her words. If only their speech came with subtitles. In the end, she invited me to meet at a complex over the weekend.

On Saturday.

By the time I got ready in a one piece dress, sunglasses and hat, I became nervous. It seemed like I was more comfortable meeting guy strangers rather than girls. Strange. Regardless, I trusted Ayesha's judgement. She had a selective friend circle. If Chanel was her good friend, then she must be something.

The sun was too bright in the city today. Good thing I had my sunglasses on. I walked down the back alley, following the destination on Google Maps. The place seemed sketchy with less people around. Just where was this bar?

Ten minutes later, I found a fancy building with the words 'Spirit Land Bar & Restaurant' in it. Finafuckingly! Towards the entrance I spotted a young woman in a beige one piece dress. Her light blonde hair fell straight on her shoulders. She had blue eyes, white porcelain skin with slight blush on her cheeks. Who was this angel? She seemed familiar. She didn't sense my presence from her right side, even though I was ten feet away. She failed to sense a ragged man from her left side, too. She was too busy pressing her temple, perhaps nursing her headache.

Just then, the ragged man quickened his steps. Before I could make sense of what was happening, he snatched her hand bag in one swift motion and dashed away.

"Stop!" The light blonde shrieked out. She tried to go for it, but he slipped out of her hair.

My heart was in my mouth. The thief was running away from her, heading my way. Should I try to stop him? What if he knocked me over? My adrenaline was pumping. I swiveled my head around for something. Anything. Luckily there was a cycle nearby. I managed to hold it with both arms and knocked it over his body. He toppled over and fell flat on his face. I squeezed my eyes shut on reflex, almost feeling guilty of hurting someone. Nonetheless, I braced myself and ran over to snatch the handbag from his clutch.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I cussed as I dashed off to give the bag to its owner.

"Quick, this way!" The blonde said her face pale. We entered the bar, knowing fully well the thief wouldn't be able to do anything in a public place. We settled down at the bar table, right where the bartender was, just in the case. When there was no sign of the thief, we let out a sigh of relief. My heartbeat was back to normal.

"I'm so sorry for my carelessness. I hate that you had to put your life on the line for me, but thank you so much. I'll never forget this," The girl said frantically with her head hung low. Her voice was soft and gentle. However, she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Um, calm down. I don't think my life was on the line."

"Oh no, you are calming me down when I should be doing that. You're not hurt, are you?" She asked, doing a once over at me and even took my hands. Her face fell. "Oh no, there's a cut on your right hand. Gosh, I'm so, so sorry."

Heh, when did this happen? Perhaps when I picked up the damn cycle. "It's okay, really. It's a very minute cut." I said, staring at the small reddish cut on my pinky finger.

The girl quickly took out a band aid and applied it to the wound, mumbling apologies in between. It was amusing to see her overreact to the whole situation. Though my smile died when I noticed her eyes glisten with tears.

"I was having a terrible headache. Was feeling tired. I told Chan I wouldn't come, but she insisted and looked what happened..."

I scoffed. "You need to chill, babe. Are you obsessed with being miss perfect or what? There are plenty of people who get pickpocketed. The robber is the bloody culprit, not you. Be grateful you weren't hurt and you got your pretty bag back. Do that and move on."

The blonde looked at me like I grew another head. Guess I spoke too much too soon. But then, she sobered. She sniffed and wiped her eyes away. "You're right."

"Are you Chanel's friend?" I wanted to confirm.

"Yes, I'm Kylie Walker. Wait, are you-?"

"Natasha!" A shrill voice called my name, snapping our attention to the brunette lass trotting our way. Something about her screamed loud and eccentric from a mile away. Especially her leopard print dress, her smoky eyes and her loud voice. She instantly grabbed eyeballs from onlookers. "I see you've already acquainted with my friend here. Yo, Kylie."

"Oh, no, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were Natasha. Gosh, I'm such an airhead," Kylie went on with her guilt trip once again as she lowered her head in shame.

"Ignore her. She's a worrywart. Some people are just designed that way." Chanel spoke happily while patting Kylie's head.

"Hey, rude! And you're late." Kylie slapped Chanel's hand away.

"So you get angry, too," I blurted out then stopped when I noticed Kylie's surprised face. Chanel burst out laughing.

The three of us settled down on a special table reserved for us. Chanel preferred this bar since she personally knew it's owner and hence won the right to get everything on a discount. Meanwhile Kylie filled in about the pickpocketing incident, exaggerating on how heroically I saved her assets in a pink bag. Chanel clapped in awe.

Five minutes later, another woman arrived. She was a pretty black woman with brown bob hair and was wearing high waist pants & a crop top. It seemed like I was sitting in a group of color as everyone seemed different from each other.

"Natasha, meet Sandra and Sandra this is Natasha- the friend of my Indian friend I told you about. Now that the gang has gathered, I have an important announcement to make--" Chanel said, clinking her glass with her spoon, grabbing everyone's attention. She recited the same pickpocketing incident to Sandra while I covered my face in embarrassment. "Seeing how she saved Kylie's ass, automatically puts her in my good books. You are officially a part of our kitty gang from today, Natasha. Welcome to our fam!"

"Welcome!" Kylie and Sandra cheered while clinking glasses with me.

What was this? A frat group. I forced a smile. "Um, thanks..."

Soon Chanel got to know me better by asking about my likes and dislikes. She did that for other girls too, so that I got familiar with them. I went along with their shenanigans, feeling restless inside. Perhaps I'd secretly seek myself out after this crazy lunch and never see them again.

"It's okay," Kylie placed a hand on my shoulder, as if she read my mind. The other two were too invested in their conversation to care. "I was feeling out of place too when I first met them, just like you. It's easy to get lost in a big city. You need people by your side. And they are good people, trust me."

Somehow Kylie's words offered solace I was searching all along. She was a clever observer. "That's reassuring. Thank you."

"You're welcome, dearie."

Needless to say, I was able to relax a bit more under their company after that. After a hefty yet delicious lunch, these bimbos decided to visit the market place. We hung out till evening. I just wanted to crash into my bed now.

"Natasha!" Kylie called while I was waiting for the cab. She fidgeted with her fingers. "Um, thanks for everything, especially for my bag. I had my debit card in there, you know. Did you enjoy today?"

"I did... thanks to you," I whispered the last part and we shared a laugh. Perhaps that was why I couldn't help but blurt the following. "Can we exchange numbers?"

Kylie blinked in surprise until her lips curled to a bright, angelic smile. "Sure. I'd love to."

Thus, we exchanged numbers. Perhaps it was too early to speculate but maybe, just maybe, I found my first companion at Boston.

And this was just the beginning.

* * * *

Here it is- A new chapter of a new arc. What are your thoughts? About Natasha's experiences and the people she met. Do comment.

Next chapter will be posted on 2025. Thank you to those who are supporting this 온라인카지노게임. Hope you'll enjoy this arc. 😁 I plan to finish this book by the first half of 2025 so I can move on with the next 온라인카지노게임 which I'm eager to write.

May we all have a wonderful year ahead. Happy new year, everyone! 🎊 ❤️