Sanjana stared at the ceiling, blankly. She knew that she needed to get some sleep. It was an early takeoff tomorrow. But she was too excited. She tossed and turned, trying to find a more comfortable position.
"Ugh, I hate this," she thought to herself. It was just a few more hours and she would be alone with him. She had to tone down her excitement for the past few weeks, so that she didn't weird everybody else out. Yet, she let her parents and her brother know how much this trip meant to her.
Sanjana and her brother Akash were headed to Shimla, a beautiful hill station which served as the capital of Himachal Pradesh. This trip was a graduation present for the two of them. Akash had finished a bachelor's degree and was set to join a reputed bank as a financial analyst, and Sanjana had just finished school, and was a month away from starting her own degree in psychology. This trip was a way of celebrating a milestone in their family, and their parents were all too happy to send their children by themselves.
The following morning, Akash and Sanjana were dropped off at the airport by their father. After completing the check in formalities, the siblings decided to grab breakfast.
"I'm so glad we're doing this. I don't really know how much time we'll get with each other once I move to Mumbai, and you head off to college," said Akash.
"What? You're gonna visit me every chance you get!"
"I wish, but mum and dad will expect me home when I avail my leaves. Maybe I could plan it such a way that I come home when you have holidays too."
"That's a thought. But I was hoping we can do a yearly trip, just the two of us."
"Let's have fun on this one, before we plan on making it a tradition."
"Always cautious! Fun isn't far away when Sanjana is around!"
- - -
They got on their flight, and reached Shimla a few hours later. Akash had a booked a cozy hotel at the base of a hill.
"Hello sir, and welcome to Kalibari Resorts."
"Hi, I have a room for the two of us under my name," said Akash, handing the receptionist his ID.
"I'm sorry sir, hotel policy dictates that we refuse unmarried couples."
"Ah, India," thought Akash to himself. All these years of progress, and certain parts of the country were deeply conservative.
"That shouldn't be a problem. We're brother and sister."
"I'm sorry for my assumption, sir. Let me get you checked in."
- - -
Akash and Sanjana then set off on two days of sight seeing. Shimla was a cold town, even in early June, it would feel like the entire city was being chilled by an air conditioner. Akash and Sanjana did a fair bit of trekking. There were many scenic routes nearby. One evening, they walked the entire stretch of Mall Road, the main street of the city. They visited Scandal Point, named after a story of a Maharajah and a British Woman who eloped. They were also able to see the Town Hall and Gaiety Theatre. Mall Road was scattered showrooms and roadside vendors. They munched on street food and shopped and had fun.
Sanjana was head over heels. Here she was with her dear brother, in one of the most romantic scenarios possible. To her, it sort of felt like a honeymoon without the wedding preceding it. Sanjana adored the company of her brother, and made it very clear to him that she did. Her bubbly demeanor was being amplified by these feelings.
Akash, on the other hand, was much more stoic. But under the stoic demeanor, he nursed a massive soft spot for his sister that he couldn't quite make sense of. Akash had dated a bit in his four years of college, but was never fulfilled by any of his relationships. One of his exes, Sneha, outright told him that he had no place for another woman in his life, and she couldn't possibly compete with Sanjana. Akash's wisdom eluded him at that moment, and he never figured out what she meant.
After graduating, Akash had moved back with his parents while he figured out his job offers. This allowed him to spend more time with Sanjana. They had always been inseparable since childhood, but with Akash going away for college, some distance had come between them. And when Akash returned, they both started seeing each other differently. They became aware that they were both young, attractive people who may want to mate with each other. Akash spent his ruminating on Sneha's thoughts. Did he really have feelings for his sister? Or was it just inappropriate infatuation? In many ways, this trip was a culmination of feelings that were cooking under the surface.
- - -
Mall Road had tired them both. They skipped dinner, they felt full after all the street food. They were both lazing around on the bed, fiddling with their phones, unable to talk to each other.
Sanjana broke the silence.
"Oh, this is shit. I'm so bored!"
"We had an entire day of activities and sight seeing. How are you bored?"
"Well that was then. You need to entertain me now."
"Just go to sleep," Akash said, throwing Sanjana's pillow on her face.
"Ow. No fair!"
Sanjana's mischievous impulses kicked into overdrive. How dare her brother do that to her? But this presented an opportunity to get physical with him. She got back at him by punching him in the arm.
