FF - The Promise - Thread I - Chapter 1 to 68 - Page 80

Thanks ya!!! I wanted to awaken certain issues that are normally put at the back burner... Just to give people some food for thought...

Everyone has an inner child in them, which comes into the forefront when we are with friends and loved ones... when we can be free and basically be ourselves...

The age they are at topics such as these come up... future is discussed... life and its many facets too...

As far as i go... I believe that as long as you are not harming another (physically) everyone has a right to live the life they chose to and be happy...

Marriage could be bliss for some and hell for others.. Joint effort is what makes it successful...

Well the talk is sensitive in nature and for Adam to talk about it, he would have to be comfortable with the lot... Now that he has spent considerable time with Rishab and Akash and can trust their sensibilities, he can be more open ...

I wanted to talk about live in relationships and homosexuality but found that one topic might overlap the other so decided marriage is a topic that can be spoken of instead of live in relationships... Lets see how the story goes, might talk about live in relationships some other time when appropriate...

I just like to make my stories more meaningful by bringing up topics that make you stop to think... kinda like a PSA (Public Service Announcement) ... But for now rest assured, the story is far cry from over... I have a whole different pitch which I am kinda excited about for when they get back...

Marriage is a commitment... For some this commitment is looked upon as a glorious beginning to a beautiful new world... But for others it is fear of the unknown... and this fear puts added pressure on the individuals... Expectations increase... and in the end results in bitterness...

Having a marriage is so much more than just having a relationship...

We are born in our family... but we choose our friends...

Yes it is a sensitive topic. But before we go about asking others to accept it, we have to ask ourselves are we actually able to accept it ourselves? When we think about it, we always associate the situation in regards to others, but what if the situation arises in our homes, will we be able to accept it then?

Chapter 59

Madhu chuckled and hugged her friend. "You can only solve this one on your own, Abby. Maybe you shouldn't think about it so much and just do what your feelings are telling you to do."


"This's such new territory for me, Madhu. I don't know how to be in a serious relationship for any length of time." She snorted and shook her head. "I mean, how can I not get bored after so long together, you know?"


"It's just about being together with the right person, Abby. I could never have ever imagined being in a relationship. But with Rishab, it's all different. When we are together it just feels right."


Madhu shook her head. "But we were talking about you and Akash. So tell me how it was to hear the truth from him? Did he try to kiss you?"


"Um, well... it was kind of a shock. I mean, I was still trying to adjust to him liking me, so... saying he loves me was... I'm not sure what it was. And no, he didn't try to kiss me, he kissed me."


Madhu's eyes widened in surprise. "And? This little detail you're hiding from me?"


Abby looked at Madhu. "Which one?"


"The kiss! Share!"


"It was hot," she admitted. "If he had kept kissing me I don't think we would've stopped there." "So he stopped?"


Abby smirked. "I was really getting into it and I think he knew where it was going."


"But that's good, right? You felt something'"


"Yeah, I definitely felt something." She smirked and winked at Madhu. "He must definitely wear a pretty big cup for protection when he plays football."


Madhu laughed. "Not bigger than Rishab... Who says size doesn't matter?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "Well it doesn't if they know just how to use it. Keyword is foreplay girl." Madhu chuckled.

"By the way, don't know if I told you, but the kiss out there would have been totally hot had I not known you two. I was not the only one grossed out by it. I get the feeling that Rishab's a very possessive guy by the 'im going to kill you' look he kept giving Adam."

"Yeah," she grinned, "I have been warned - I'm not allowed to kiss anyone else."

"Uh-huh, like you wouldn't give him the same warning if he was in your shoes."

Madhu sighed. "Probably. I have no clue what I'm gonna do with him, but, he is mine and I've never liked to share what belongs to me."

"Ouuuhhh...Possessive much?" Abby nudged Madhu on her side. "Think they're wondering where we are?"


"Yeah, they probably already miss us," Madhu joked. "Wanna head back?"


The girls stood up and walked back to the others, taking their seats next to Rishab and Akash.


"What's for dinner?" Abby asked, getting hungry.


"Hearty beef stew," Akash answered, holding the pouch up and showing off the appetizing picture on the front. Abby wrinkled her nose. "It really doesn't look anything like the pic."


He laughed. "It's tasty," Akash took a bite from his own meal. "Tastes much better than it looks at least."

Rishab shook hisr head at him. "Don't listen to him, Abby. He eats everything. The lasagna's better."


Madhu glanced up. "Lasagna? Didn't know this was available."


"Akash's got a stash of them."


She glanced at him and pouted sweetly.


Akash turned to look at Rishab. "We agreed that you would never share that information. I am not the provider of Italian cuisine on these trips."


Rishab rolled his eyes. "No one said anything about the lasagna falling into the category of Italian cuisine; I just said it was better than the stew."


"You implied that I was willing to share."


Madhu rolled her eyes at Akash. "Just keep it for yourself, you skinflint. I'll order a much better one down at the lodge when we get back."


Rishab laughed at her response. "And that's what you get for being stingy, Akash."


She searched around the meals in the bag near the fire and decided to go with one she hadn't had yet.


Abby leaned over to look at Madhu's selection. "Patak's chicken with rice... I haven't tried that one yet, is it any good?"


"I don't know. Did you pick this out Adam?"

"Nope Deepali picked that one out. She left some of her stuff here. Anyway that's one smart thing I've seen her do," Akash muttered. "Well, next to injuring herself and going away."


Abby leaned back in her chair and reached out to Akash so she could pinch his side painfully.


"Hey, hey, hey!" he yelped as he tried to get away without spilling the steaming pouch in his hands all over himself. "Don't pinch the guy holding a bag of scalding hot water!"


Abby shook her head at him. "It is not that hot, you big baby."


"Yeah Akash, don't be an ass and we'll let you eat in peace," Madhu said and stuck her tongue out at him.


"Better be careful where you stick that tongue," Akash warned with a laugh. "Adam might get ideas."


Madhu shot a warning glare at Akash.


Adam better not get any ideas, Rishab thought as he stared at the dark-haired guy who was bantering back and forth with Madhu.


"So, tomorrow we'll finally reach our goal, huh?" Abby asked excitedly.


"Tomorrow's the big day," Akash said as he glanced toward the path they would take the next morning.


"I can't wait," Abby admitted, her eyes glistening.


"It's gonna be cool, standing on top of this mountain." Akash smiled at her. "It's been quite a week," he said, his eyes telling her what he knew she wasn't ready to acknowledge verbally.


A very crazy week, Madhu thought and shot a glance at Rishab.


"Will we go down the same way we came up?" Adam asked.


"Unless you opted for a chopper descent, the climb down is pretty much the same," Akash answered.


Madhu snorted. "Adam has got aviophobia."


"Dude, you're scared of flying?" Rishab asked.

"I hate it when you have to put your life in a stranger's hands, man."


Akash snorted and shook his head. "Now see? This man has a brain."


Rishab kicked his friend with his right foot. "You're just glad that you've finally found someone who agrees with you." He looked around at their group. "Akash chickened out when we went skydiving a while back."


Abby glanced at her maybe serious boyfriend. "Really?" She hadn't known that he had anything against flying.


"Two days earlier some guy went skydiving and his landing was all wrong and he shattered one of his legs, so... no. I like both of my legs in working order."


"So you didn't do it?" Abby asked in surprise.


"Do you see that both of my legs are in one piece? Hell no, I didn't do it!"


"Weird... this coming from someone who faces danger almost everyday of their life on these mountains. Anyway what happened?"


"Oh, we got him as far as the airport," Rishab laughed. "But while we were waiting one of the planes had engine trouble and had to make an unscheduled landing... there was smoke and fire coming out of one of the engines... Akash refused to even walk out on the tarmac."


Madhu grinned at that. "Adam, Abby and I went skydiving together, actually Abby took us skydiving forcefully, after we got to know each other and became good buds. It was totally scary."


"It's an awesome feeling though!" Abby enthused.


"Do you remember when Adam screamed like hell when he thought his parachute wasn't opening?" Madhu giggled.


"First off," Adam countered, looking offended, "I did not scream. And second? That 'chute wasn't opening at first and I could've ended up as nothing more than a big dot on the ground. And you know Madhu I don't look good in polka dots."


Everyone laughed. "You were just panicked." Madhu denied laughingly. "The thing was opening just as it was supposed to be."


"I was not panicked." He glanced around at everyone. "I was NOT panicked."


"Whatever," Madhu mumbled, finally ready with preparing her own dinner and her stomach grumbled loudly in response.


"Could be worse, man," Rishab said. "They could've said you screamed like a big girl."


Abby tapped Adam's thigh sympathetically. "We won't tell anyone."


"It's okay, tell anyone you want. I can deny it... you have no proof."


Madhu rolled her eyes at her friend. "I think I'll get another tea bag," Madhu said and stood up to go back to her tent.


"She okay?" Akash asked Abby, keeping his voice low.


"Yeah, sure, why wouldn't she be?"


"What about you?" "I'm okay, too." "You're sure? 'Cause the two of you were gone for a while."


"We just needed a little girl talk."


"Okay," he said slowly, his eyes taking in her expression and looking for any signs of discomfort. He saw a slight confusion in her eyes and decided to give her space to sought things out in her mind. He trusted her enough to know that once she was sure about things and had made up her mind, nothing and no one would get in her way to reach her goal. Patience. Yes that is what he needed. Patience.