Chaos before the cruise

7:03 PM | The Group Chat That Should Never Have Existed

Kai created the group “CRUISE SHIP SURVIVORS 🚢💀”
Kai added Shreya, Dimple, and Somesh.
Kai: Good evening, idiots. Our cruise trip is tomorrow. Please behave like normal human beings for at least the next twenty-four hours.
Somesh: First of all, remove the word idiots. We are educated individuals.
Shreya: Says the guy who got lost inside a shopping mall last month and called us because he couldn't find the exit. 😭
Dimple: HE DID WHAT? 💀💀
Somesh: EXCUSE ME. THAT MALL HAD TERRIBLE SIGNBOARDS.
Shreya: Bro, you were standing directly under a sign that said EXIT.
Kai: I'm already regretting inviting all of you.
Somesh: Nobody invited you to be dramatic, doctor saab.
Kai: I'm not a doctor yet.
Shreya: Don't worry, Somesh isn't a functioning adult yet either.
Dimple: Guys, serious question. Has everyone packed?
Three seconds of silence.
Then—
Shreya: Obviously.
Kai: No.
Somesh: Define packed.
Dimple: OH MY GOD.
Shreya: Why are you all looking at me? I said obviously!
Dimple: Shreya, last time we went out of town, you packed three tops, two pairs of jeans, and absolutely no toothbrush.
Shreya: That was ONE TIME.
Somesh: And she borrowed mine.
Shreya: BECAUSE YOU HAD AN EXTRA!
Somesh: It was my only toothbrush.
Kai: I'm leaving this group.
Dimple: You created it.
Kai: My biggest mistake.

7:15 PM | The Packing Crisis

Across Chennai, four different bedrooms were hosting four very different disasters.
In Shreya's room, the suitcase lay open on her bed like a patient waiting for emergency surgery.
Clothes covered almost every available surface. A pair of jeans hung from the back of her chair, three tops were scattered across the floor, and a small collection of earrings sat beside a half-packed toiletry bag.
Outside her window, the evening sky had turned a dusty blue-grey. Thick clouds gathered above the buildings, threatening rain, while the distant rumble of traffic drifted through the humid air.
Shreya stood in the middle of the mess wearing an oversized lavender T-shirt and black shorts. Her dark hair was twisted into a messy bun, with loose strands falling around her face.
She held two dresses in front of the mirror.
"Blue or black?"
She tilted her head.
"Black or blue?"
She looked at the dresses again, as if one of them might suddenly reveal the correct answer.
Her phone vibrated.
Dimple: Send a picture of your suitcase.
Shreya immediately took a picture of the ceiling.
Shreya: Here.
Dimple: VERY FUNNY. SHOW ME THE SUITCASE.
Shreya: Why are you so controlling?
Dimple: BECAUSE I KNOW YOU.
Shreya sighed, took another picture, and sent it.
Dimple's reply arrived almost instantly.
Dimple: SHREYA GUPTA, IS THAT YOUR ENTIRE WARDROBE?
Shreya: It's called being prepared.
Dimple: YOU HAVE ENOUGH CLOTHES FOR A THREE-MONTH VOYAGE.
Shreya: What if I don't like my outfits?
Dimple: YOU'RE GOING ON A CRUISE, NOT ATTENDING THE MET GALA.
Shreya burst out laughing.
She threw one dress into the suitcase, removed it two seconds later, and replaced it with another.
Then she sat down on the bed.
Then she lay down.
Then she looked at the ceiling.
"Packing is exhausting."
Her phone buzzed again.
Kai: Everyone be ready by the agreed time tomorrow. Nobody is making us miss anything.
Somesh: Define agreed time.
Kai: 7:00 AM.
Somesh: That's practically the middle of the night.
Dimple: SUNRISE IS GOING TO HAPPEN WHETHER YOU APPROVE OF IT OR NOT.
Somesh: I don't remember voting for sunrise.
Shreya: I'll bring a pillow for him.
Kai: I'll bring a stretcher. We can carry him to the ship.
Somesh: Wonderful. Friendship is alive.
For the next ten minutes, the group chat descended into complete madness.
They argued about luggage limits, snacks, chargers, who would sit beside the window, and whether Somesh should be allowed anywhere near the buffet without adult supervision.
Eventually, Dimple sent a voice message.
"Listen to me carefully. Pack your clothes, your toiletries, your chargers, your documents, and whatever else you need. And for heaven's sake, check everything before sleeping!"
Somesh: Yes, mother.
Dimple: SOMESH.
Somesh: Sorry, mother.
Shreya: GOOD NIGHT, MOTHER DIMPLE. ❤️
Kai: I'm muting this group.
Dimple: Nobody is sleeping until you all confirm you've packed.
Somesh: I have packed.
Dimple: Send proof.
Somesh sent a photograph of his suitcase.
It contained four T-shirts, two pairs of shorts, one pair of jeans, a packet of chips, and a large bag of biscuits.
Dimple stared at the image.
Dimple: WHERE ARE YOUR TOILETRIES?
Somesh: At home.
Dimple: WHY?
Somesh: Because that's where I keep them.
Shreya: I CAN'T BREATHE. 😭😭😭
Kai: This trip is going to end in a police investigation.
Somesh: At least I'll have snacks.

8:42 PM | The One Person Kai Couldn't Stop Thinking About

While the group continued arguing, Kai was sitting alone in his bedroom.
The rain had finally started outside, tapping softly against the window. The streetlights reflected on the wet road below, and the distant sound of passing vehicles blended with the steady patter of the drizzle.
Kai had just returned from the hospital after a tiring day of medical duties.
He had showered and changed into a dark-grey T-shirt and black joggers. His damp hair fell messily over his forehead, and his phone lay beside him on the bed.
He should have been thinking about tomorrow's cruise.
He should have been checking his bag, confirming the departure details, or perhaps telling Somesh for the hundredth time not to forget his toothbrush.
Instead, he was thinking about Lara.
Again.
It had started earlier that evening at the hospital.
Kai had been walking towards the entrance when he saw her standing near the corridor, talking to a colleague.
She was wearing a peach-coloured kurti with white trousers. Her long, dark hair fell over her shoulders, and a delicate bracelet glimmered around her wrist as she moved her hand while speaking.
There was nothing extraordinary about the moment.
No dramatic music.
No slow-motion scene.
No sudden change in the weather.
And yet, the moment Kai saw her, everything else seemed to fade into the background.
He stopped walking.
Lara noticed him and smiled.
"Hey, Kai!"
He blinked.
"Hey."
She began telling him something about her day, explaining how busy things had been and asking whether he had finished his duties.
Kai heard her voice.
He noticed the way she smiled.
He watched the way she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
But the actual words?
Completely lost.
"Kai?"
He straightened immediately.
"Hmm?"
"Are you even listening to me?"
His heart skipped.
"Yes! Of course."
Lara raised an eyebrow.
"Okay. What did I just say?"
He stared at her.
For one terrible second, his brain offered him absolutely nothing.
Not a word.
Not a sentence.
Not even a helpful lie.
"You were saying..." He paused. "Something important?"
Lara burst out laughing.
"Oh, my God! You're impossible."
"I'm sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Long day."
"Then go home, eat something, and get some rest. You look exhausted."
"I will."
"And don't skip dinner again."
He smiled.
"I won't."
"Good. See you later, Kai."
"See you, Lara."
She walked away.
And Kai remained standing there for a few seconds longer than necessary, watching her disappear down the corridor.
She has my heart.
The thought had come so naturally that it frightened him.
Because it wasn't just a passing crush anymore.
It was the way he remembered the smallest things she said. The way one message from her could improve an entire day. The way he found himself looking for her whenever he entered the hospital.
And the worst part?
She had absolutely no idea.
9:26 PM | One Call. That's All He Wanted.
Back in his bedroom, Kai picked up his phone.
He opened Lara's contact.
Lara ❤️
He had saved her name like that months ago.
Of course, she didn't know about the heart.
He had considered removing it several times, but every time he tried, he found an excuse to leave it there.
It's just a contact name, he told himself.
A completely innocent contact name.
A very normal contact name that would destroy his peace of mind if anyone ever saw it.
He tapped her profile picture.
There she was, smiling at the camera.
Kai smiled too.
Then he immediately shook his head.
"Get a grip, man."
He locked his phone.
Picked it up again.
Unlocked it.
Opened their chat.
Their last conversation was from earlier that afternoon.
Lara: Don't forget to eat after your duty!
Kai: Yes, ma'am. 🫡
Lara: Good boy 😂
Kai had stared at those two words for an embarrassing amount of time.
Good boy.
He knew she had probably typed them without a second thought.
But his heart?
His heart had apparently decided to make them a permanent memory.
He scrolled through their conversation, reading old messages that he already knew by heart.
A picture she had sent of her coffee.
A complaint about a tiring shift.
A silly joke.
A simple Take care.
Ordinary things.
Except nothing felt ordinary when it came from her.
He opened the call screen.
Her name appeared at the top.
His thumb hovered over the call button.
He imagined what would happen if she answered.
"Hey, Kai?"
He would say, "Hey, Lara. Just wanted to talk."
And she would ask, "About what?"
And he would have no answer.
Because how could he explain that he didn't need a reason to hear her voice?
That he wanted to know whether she'd had dinner, whether she was tired, whether she was smiling at that very moment.
That even after an exhausting day, talking to her sounded like the most peaceful thing in the world.
He lowered the phone.
"She'll think I'm weird."
He tossed it onto the bed.
Three seconds later, he grabbed it again.
"Maybe she's still awake."
He checked the time.
9:29 PM.
Too late?
No. Not really.
Too early?
Definitely not.
A perfectly reasonable time for a completely unreasonable boy to lose his mind over a phone call.
He opened their chat and typed:
Kai: Hey, are you awake?
He stared at the message.
Then deleted it.
He typed again.
Kai: How was your day?
Deleted.
Kai: Did you have dinner?
Deleted.
He groaned and buried his face in a pillow.
"Why am I like this?"
His phone vibrated.
For one glorious second, his heart leapt.
He snatched it up.
A message from Somesh.
Somesh: Bro, do cruise ships have unlimited ice cream?
Kai stared at the screen.
Then he threw his head back against the pillow.
"I hate everyone."
He typed a reply.
Kai: Yes, Somesh. The ship has unlimited ice cream, unlimited stupidity, and apparently unlimited reasons for me to regret this trip.
Somesh: Knew you'd understand me. ❤️
Kai muted the group chat.
He returned to Lara's contact.
His thumb hovered over the call button again.
He wanted to call her.
Not text.
Not send a silly meme.
Not wait for some random excuse to speak to her the next day.
He wanted to hear her voice.
Just for five minutes.
Maybe ten.
Maybe until she got sleepy and told him to stop talking.
He wanted to ask about her day and listen properly this time. He wanted to hear her laugh, even if it was at one of his terrible jokes.
Most of all, he wanted to tell her that he missed her.
Which was ridiculous.
He had seen her only a few hours ago.
But his heart had never been particularly interested in logic.
Kai took a deep breath.
"Just call her," he whispered to himself.
His thumb moved towards the screen.
Stopped.
Moved again.
Stopped.
He laughed at himself, though there was nothing particularly funny about the way his heart was racing.
For someone who could remain calm in a hospital during a difficult shift, he was embarrassingly helpless when it came to one girl.
One girl with a peach kurti, a beautiful smile, and absolutely no idea that she had turned him into this version of himself.
Kai stared at her name for another moment.
Then he whispered, almost pleading with himself—
"Please, just let me hear your voice once."
His thumb hovered over the call button