02~SURPRISE

"Aaru, I have a surprise for you," Kriti said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I looked at her curiously. "What surprise?"

She handed me an envelope, and I took it, feeling a sense of trepidation. I opened it and pulled out the contents. As I read through the papers, my eyes widened in shock, and I felt like I was going to pass out.

My dad noticed my reaction and asked, "What happened, bete? Is everything okay?"

I stuttered, trying to process the news. "D-dad... I-I did it!"

My dad looked at me, confused. "What are you saying, princess?"

I took a deep breath and announced, "Dad, I finally got admission to my dream university!"

The room erupted in cheers and hugs. I hugged Kriti tightly, tears of joy streaming down my face. "Girl, you did it!" she exclaimed, hugging me back.

Next, I hugged my dad, who beamed with pride. "I'm proud of you, my princess."

My mom joined in, her eyes shining with happiness. "Haaye meri beti ko kisi ki nazar na lage" (May my daughter always be protected from evil eyes).

Even my brother chimed in, "I don't want to say it, but sister, you nailed it."

Just as I was about to hug my brother, Kriti interrupted, "Girl, I have one more surprise."

She handed me another envelope, and I looked at her blankly. This one had her name on it.

"What is this?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

Kriti grinned mischievously. "Open it, dumbo."

As I opened the envelope and read the contents, I felt a rush of emotions. Tears of joy pricked at the corners of my eyes, and I hugged Kriti tightly, almost choking her.

My brother joked, "Chhod de usko, mar jayegi wo" (Leave her, she's going to die).

I shot back, "You shut up."

I hugged Kriti again, tears streaming down my face. "I'm so happy, darling. Finally, we're going to stay together again."

I turned to my parents and announced, "Abbu and Ammi, Kriti also got admission to the same university! We're going to stay together again."

My parents exchanged a warm smile, and my dad said, "That's great, congratulations, bete."

My mom hugged Kriti warmly. "Congratulations to both of you. Now, tell me, when are you leaving for London?"

Kriti replied, "Tomorrow at 5 am."

I nodded enthusiastically. "Did you do your packing?" I asked Kriti.

"Yeah, my workers have already packed everything, and they'll deliver it here soon," she replied.

As we chatted excitedly, I couldn't help but think about Kriti's secret. She was the princess of Jaipur, but she had kept her identity hidden from the world. She would reveal it when she turned 25, so she could live a normal life, free from the pressures of royal life.

Her parents had agreed to this decision, wanting to protect her from enemies and give her a chance to experience life like a normal person. The whole of India knew that the Malhotras had a little princess, but no one knew who she was.

Kriti's dreams were similar to mine – she wanted to study at her dream college in London and become a fashion designer. She hoped to start her own company one day.

As we sat together, excitedly chattering about our future plans, I felt grateful for our friendship and the adventures that lay ahead.

"Okay, then we should finish packing," I said, and Kriti nodded in agreement.

I took her to my room, and we spent the next few hours packing the remaining items. After that, we watched some movies together, laughing and chatting until sleep took over us.

The sound of my alarm jolted me awake. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and checked the time – 3:00 AM. Panic set in as I realized our flight was soon.

"3 AM! What the hell? Our flight!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Kriti was still sleeping peacefully beside me. I shook her awake. "Abbe kuttiya, uth! Hum late ho rahe hain" (Bitch, wake up! We're getting late).

Kriti groggily opened her eyes. "Huh? What time is it?" she asked, yawning.

"It's 3 AM," I replied.

Kriti's eyes widened in alarm. "What the fuck!" she exclaimed, jumping out of bed and rushing to the bathroom.

I shouted after her, "Hey, it's cheating! I was going first."

Kriti yelled back, "Everything is fair in friendship."

I sighed and headed to another washroom to freshen up. After a quick shower, I got dressed in a long pink kurti and jeans, did minimal makeup, and left my hair open. I accessorized with silver jewelry, white heels, and my favorite white handbag.

Once I was ready, I twirled in front of the mirror, feeling confident and excited for our adventure. I headed downstairs, eager to start our journey.

( Sarah's outfit )

(Kritika 's outfit )

I went to bid farewell to my parents, hugging them tightly. As usual, they got emotional.

"Beta, please take care of yourself and eat properly there," my mom said, tears welling up in her eyes.

I reassured her, "Arey meri pyaari ammi, I'll take care of myself and eat properly. Don't worry."

My dad added, "Beta, if you need anything there, just call me. I'll manage everything."

I nodded, hugging him. "Ji, abbu" (Yes, dad).

My brother, who had been quiet until then, chimed in, "Chal, ab tu nikal. Ab main yahaan aram se rahunga" (Now you get lost. Now I'll live peacefully here).

I glared at him, smiling. "Kutta, kamina" (You're such a bad boy).

After our goodbyes, Kriti, my brother, and I left for the airport. The drive took 45 minutes. As we were about to enter the airport, my brother yelled, "Baji!" and ran towards me.

I smiled and hugged him tightly. He said, his voice heavy with emotion, "Me kah na toh nahi chahta, par me apko bohot yaad karunga. Aap mujhse dur ja rahe ho. Please apna khyal rakhna aur vada kijiye aap chuttiyon mein milne aayengi" (I don't want to say it, but I'll miss you so much, baji. You're going away, and I'll miss fighting with you. Please take care of yourself and promise me you'll come back during vacations).

I patted his back, feeling a lump form in my throat. "I'll miss you too. Don't worry, I'll take care of myself. I promise I'll come back during vacations, and don't worry, brother, I'll always be there to fight with you."

He chuckled, and I kissed his forehead before heading towards the check-in area. Kriti and I got seated in our respective seats, and I took some pictures with her, uploading them to my Instagram stories. Someone liked the post, and I realized it was the same ID that always liked my stories and posts. A shiver ran down my spine as I wondered if someone was stalking me, but I shrugged it off.

As the flight took off, Kriti fell asleep on my shoulder. I started reading my novel, finding solace in the words. Reading was my haven, my escape from reality.

After the long 8-hour journey, we finally landed in London.

As soon as I stepped out of the cab, I felt a chill and quickly put on my long white coat. Since our cars were parked at our penthouse and I was in no mood to drive, Kriti and I took a cab to our place.

Once we arrived, I unlocked the door, and we entered. I suggested, "Kriti, let's freshen up and take a nap. We can eat something later when the maids and workers arrive."

Kriti nodded, and we headed to our respective rooms to freshen up. Afterward, I lay down on my bed, and before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep.

Later, I woke up and went downstairs to the kitchen, feeling a sudden craving to cook. However, I soon realized I hadn't bought groceries yet, so I abandoned the idea and went to Kriti's room instead. We ordered food and spent the evening watching Netflix and informing our parents about our safe arrival.

The next day, we visited a nearby store to buy groceries. As I stood at the supermarket entrance, someone bumped into me, and I fell to the ground. Before I could react, the person snatched my handbag and started running. I quickly got up and chased after him, managing to grab his collar and retrieve my bag.

In the chaos, I jerked my hand free, and the thief ran away. In a split second, I took off my shoe and threw it in his direction. Unfortunately, it hit someone else – a person wearing a mask and cap, who was not the thief.

The man was furious, and I rushed to apologize. "I'm so sorry; I was trying to hit the guy who snatched my bag, but I accidentally hit you instead. Please accept my apology."

The man was livid. "Enough! Are you crazy? You talk too much!"

I tried to explain, but he cut me off. "Not a single word! How dare you hit me with your shoe and then claim it's not your fault?"

I stood my ground. "Listen, Mr. Whatever-you-are, I apologized for my mistake. Why are you shouting at me?"

The man sneered, "You're a chipkali-type girl. Just apologize properly, or face the consequences."

I shot back, "You're a cockroach-type face. I won't apologize again."

Just as the argument was escalating, the man's phone rang. He groaned, answered the call, and quickly left.

Kriti returned with the car and asked, "What happened?"

"Where were you? Didn't you think you took too much time just coming from parking?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

Kriti explained, "Aree, what happened was that someone parked their car in the wrong way, so it took me a while to get back."

I filled her in on the incident with the stranger, and she burst out laughing. "Are you mad?" I asked, amused.

She giggled. "No, no, it's just so funny. You got a headshot on a stranger and still argued with him."

I couldn't help but laugh too. We headed back to our penthouse, put away the groceries, and I cooked spaghetti for dinner. We enjoyed our meal while watching TV and then went to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to sunlight streaming into my room. I got up, went for a jog in the nearby park, and then worked out in my personal gym. As a fitness enthusiast, I loved starting my day with exercise. However, I couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching me. I brushed it off as mere paranoia.

After my workout, I took a hot, relaxing shower and put on my pajamas. I headed to the kitchen to whip up some breakfast. Just as I was cooking, someone crept up behind me and pressed a knife to my throat...

That's all for today, hope you all liked it!

Who is stalking her?

Who was the mysterious figure that held a knife to her throat?

Is she in danger?

And who was that boy she accidentally hit with her shoe?

That's all for today. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, despite its slow pace. Trust me, my story is just getting started, and things will heat up in the chapters to come.

Stay Safe

Love You All❤️