Every minute felt like ages to her. Restless within she again started fiddling with her entertainment unit. She flipped through all the movies but didn't like any. She moved to the TV show section. She didn't even feel like watching her favorite sitcom Friends now. Her mood was sour enough. She tossed and turned in her seat from time to time. She tried hard to fall asleep but all her attempts were unsuccessful.

She then glanced at the passenger to her side. He was sleeping at his seat. He looked super peaceful and composed while he was asleep. She kept on admiring him. His long sharp nose, fierce eyebrows were the stark features of his face. She hadn't blinked even once and suddenly she felt he was returning her gaze. His eyes were open, his brows twitched a bit as if trying to form a question mark. She was thoroughly embarrassed. She looked away instantly and then again looked at him again like he was pulling her towards him. His lips curved a bit for a gentle smile and then he looked at his watch and sighed.

"Time for lunch. I am hungry. Are you?" Raymond asked. He knew that she was hungry before from the way she had gobbled her chocolates and his share too,

She replied with a wobbly nod.

"Pick up what you like first and I will call the attendant." He said.

"Pick up? What do you mean by pick up?" She asked a bit surprised, Raymond was a bit surprised by her question. He paused a bit and took out a menu card from the side pocket of his seat and then passed it to her. "Pick up what you want to eat from the menu".

She looked at all the items listed in the menu starting from Steak to Risotto and chuckled. Raymond heard her and turned towards her. "Something wrong?" he asked. "No, just that when I usually travel, I either pack my food from home in Tupperware or eat what the airline has to offer. Never got an option to choose. Feels like royalty for a change", she said and continued flipping through the menu.

Raymond was taken aback by her frankness and simplicity. He then said - "Try mushroom risotto. It's nice". "Mmm..." she just nodded politely. Raymond called the attendant and gave order for a steak and salad for himself and a mushroom risotto for her. Then he paused and turned towards her - "Would you like anything to drink?" "Oh, yes, please. I need two boxes of apple juice...Umm, wait. Three please". Raymond smiled inside his head - " What is this girl? One moment a damsel in distress and in the next a kid throwing tantrum". Then he turned towards the attendant and said - "One JD on the rocks and three apple juice box for the lady."

He turned to look towards her again. Her head was hung low and she was drawing random shapes with her slippers with a shade of embarrassment on her face. Then she said at a very low register - "I really really like apple juice you know" and shot an innocent look at him. It was like as if she was trying to explain to him that she wasn't greedy. He paused for a while like he was registering what she just said and said - "Noted !!!"

After that, they didn't talk a single sentence with each other. He didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable. When the food arrived, she devoured on it as if her life depended on it. Raymond just kept looking at her from time to time. After finishing her food she had one apple juice pack and put the remaining two into her purse. Now that she was full she felt so much better. Then she took out her notepad and pen and started writing.

It was a letter addressed to Anthony. She poured her heart out but she didn't flinch or shed a single tear this time. She was in a way more resolved and settled state of mind. She finished her letter and put it inside her passport. Then she plugged into a music channel and started listening to Pink.

She was pure bliss to watch. Somehow her presence made his heart ten times lighter. His contract went into the drain yesterday but he felt like he found something much more precious. They both had encountered major setbacks in their life on the same day. But right now they were way more resolved and determined than before. Without saying much they had become silent companions of each other in this journey.

Isn't this what we call as "FATE?"