PART :23

("Journey of Memories")



"Beep! Beep! Beep,"Beep! Beep! Beep," the alarm rings. Her heart beats rapidly, her heavy eyes open slowly. She checks her phone and calls Arshana. Arshana says she is preparing the food. Seza goes to freshen up and then to the kitchen to prepare the food. As she walks in, she sees her mother preparing for her. Emotionally, she watches her mother sacrificing her sleep for her. She goes inside and helps her. After a few minutes, she gets a call from Artav saying he is coming to pick her up. She rushes into her room to get ready. She gets another call from Artav, who tells her to get down, but Seza's mother calls Artav upstairs as she has prepared tea for both of them. As he comes upstairs, Seza gives him tea, and meanwhile, Seza's dad comes inside and tells Artav, "Take care of her. She is very excited. Don't let her take her hand out of the window. Don't let her go alone to the riverside. We are entrusting her to you. Please be careful."

Artav: "Don't worry, uncle! She is fully under my care. I will take care of her."
They plan to go after finishing the tea, and again, her parents tell Artav to take care of Seza as well as himself. They both get into the car and head towards the bus stand. As they reach, Artav hands her a big pouch full of chips and cold drinks.
Seza asks him, "This is not the bag we packed yesterday!"

Artav: "No, that bag I already handed to Arshana. This one is for you."
Seza punches him and says, "I knew you would do these kinds of things. Anyway, I will share these with the monkeys along the way."

Artav: "Is it too much?"

Seza: "Do you think I can eat all of these?"

Artav: "Okay, just carry it. We will share it with others." They both head towards the bus. It is almost 3 in the morning, and they start their journey
. Everyone was excited, singing, and dancing, enjoying it to the fullest. They almost reach halfway to their destination. Everyone was still full of energy, dancing and singing.
Seza and Artav were sitting together, enjoying the trip. Artav's phone rings, and he starts talking on the phone. Seza asks him about the call, and he says it was her dad who called him. She is surprised, as she hasn't received any calls from her parents, but they were calling Artav frequently to ask about her. The trip was enjoyable
It was almost 1 am when they return to the place where they started their journey (the bus stand). Everyone is tired and low on energy and falls asleep. Seza is sleeping on Artav's shoulder, holding him tight. Artav looks at her sleeping for a moment, clicks her picture, kisses her forehead, murmuring, "She still looks cute,"
and taps her cheeks, waking her up. It is the best moment for everyone, and they enjoy it a lot. They created huge memories. Everyone says goodbye and goes home. Artav drops some friends nearby and takes Seza home. She is fully asleep. Artav tells her to wake up as they have already reached home. Seza is deeply asleep, and Artav fears she might fall down, so he holds her and takes her inside. Artav tells her dad, "Uncle, I have brought your daughter safely. Now I am handing her over to you," and they laugh. Meanwhile, Seza's dad laughs too and says, "It's your responsibility too," and they continue laughing. Seza's dad serves dinner for them, and they eat. After dinner, Artav says goodnight. Seza's dad stops him and asks him to stay, but he declines and says he can go,
he leaves.
It is the best day for Seza, and those memories and pictures, she will cherish forever.
Thinking about all the happiness she gets from Artav and all the love, she feels very lucky•
Next day at school, everyone was talking about the trip and those moments, seeing the pictures. It was blissful.
The day passes by, and sadness spreads slowly, thinking about departure, along with the pressure of exams steeping in. Finally, it was the last day of their school. Everyone was crying, hugging each other, and writing on shirts. They plan for a huge party after the exams. Everyone was sad,
wishing good luck to each other for their upcoming exams, and they went home. Artav, Seza, Arshana, and Parav stay the whole day in the school compound, cherishing the moments they shared in the classroom, library, canteen, lab, etc. It was a heartbreaking moment bidding goodbye to the school and the uniform. They hugged each other and went home, taking huge memories from there.

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