5. Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Alisha
Y ikes, I thought as I watched yet again another ski video. These people were professionals and looked like they were having a lot of fun. A few days had passed and it was now Wednesday evening. Tomorrow morning, Ophelia and I would be catching our plane to Innsbruck, before getting a private taxi to our final destination, Ischgl.
I was currently eating a bowl of yoghurt and muesli, which wasn’t my dinner but I was hungry, as well as pacing the kitchen floor for the fifth time.
“Stop fretting, pyari,” my dad said to me. He and my mother had decided to come and visit. My sister Kiya was currently playing with Chou and had brought round her two large suitcases since she was staying in the apartment for the two weeks I was away. My other brother, Aadi, had called me earlier in the day to wish me luck and that he had wanted to come and see me but he was currently working overtime at the hospital. He was training to be a doctor and at the age of twenty-three, he was now starting to settle having moved out of our parents’ home and into his own flat. He was often quite reserved, similar to me but he made the effort to see us every now and then. Zane had also stopped by earlier in the day with a basket of savoury and sweet muffins, claiming that he had made them or in other words, our mum had. My brother didn’t cook often and loved to visit his local bakery to get some sweet treats.
“Your beautiful face doesn’t need any more worry lines.” My mum gently tapped my forehead and then pulled me into an almost smothering hug.
“Hmphf,” was all I could respond, scraping the last of my food from the bowl and then placing it into the sink. Ophelia would meet me at the airport at nine tomorrow morning, and our flight would be at 11:10 am.
“Seriously, didi. You’ll wafting all your worry fumes my way. Being positive is key!” Kiya wrapped her arms from behind me. If only I believed that, if I could have my younger sister’s optimism.
“I suppose I should take a leaf out of your book, baby sis.” I walked to take a seat on the sofa, with Kiya still wrapped around me until I almost sat on top of her. She quickly scarpered and giggled doing so.
Mum had decided to make us malai kofta, one of my favourites so she knew how to cheer me up. I was going to miss her cooking so much as well as her hugs.
“Are you all packed? Passport? ID?” my dad asked. He was more worrisome than my mum and often relied on her to keep things in check. The two of them were very sweet and I hoped one day I could maintain a happy marriage such as theirs.
No, I would not wallow in self-pity again.
“Food is ready, mere bachche!” Mum called out, and an array of delicious food was awaiting us on the kitchen counter. Aside from the kofta, she had made saag chana masala with pilau rice. It consisted of chickpeas, chillies and tomatoes. We were served some Navajo fry bread too. My mind drifted off to what Austrian food would be like and, overall, the locals. I knew I needed to start learning German but of course, I wasn’t going to be an expert in the space of a week.
We washed our hands before sitting down to eat our dinner. I immediately went for the bread, shaping it into a boat so that I could add some masala within it. As always, the food was divine.
“Thank you, Maa,” Kiya exclaimed between mouthfuls of food, but was quickly scolded. I was grateful for the company this evening, it would keep me grounded for the next few hours. I knew tomorrow morning, I’d be a big bag of nerves. My boss had texted me to see if I was alright and had double-checked I had all the information I needed. Where we’d be lodging was a cosy chalet, not too far from the town centre and the ski school. There were plenty of restaurants to try as well and bratwursts were very popular there.
My parents had kindly given me some extra spending money, to which I had politely refused at first but they had insisted. I would convert this into euros tomorrow and I had set up an international debit card as well. Ophelia had encouraged me to get one so it would be easier to make transactions without extra fees, so I was all set. Everything was ticked off the list. The only thing left was to actually touch Austrian soil.
With our stomachs full, I proceeded to wash up the dishes with the help of my sister. I had bought a pack of strawberries earlier and dipped them in chocolate to which they were probably set now in the fridge. I needed something sweet.
Everything was finally tidied and put away, so I joined my parents back in the lounge to watch some TV. Kiya had started to fall asleep next to me and her head drooped until it was resting on my shoulder. The two of us had always remained close, sharing our secrets with one another and whenever our brothers had annoyed us, we teamed up together to get back at them.
“We shall head home now. You need you to rest, Ali,” Mum said, pressing a kiss on my forehead. Dad followed suit, once again reminding me that I would be going on an adventure and that there was nothing to fear.
I needed to remind myself of his words before going to bed tonight. As soon as our parents left, Kiya had woken up and was keen to have a movie night with pear flavoured popcorn drizzled in chocolate.
“Right, little one. I’m off to bed,” I told her after we finished the movie.
“Alright, didi, night,” Kiya said, letting out a small yawn. She pulled the blanket closer around her and rested her head on a cushion. I pressed a kiss to her forehead as she muttered something incoherent.
I went back to my room and started to get ready for bed. My suitcase was tucked away in the corner, along with my backpack. The good thing about the chalet was that we could wash our own clothes and not have to worry about a huge pile up over the two weeks.
Much to my disdain, I received a text from my ex and I sighed, unlocking my phone to see what the idiot wanted. My heart had already started to race and I needed to remind myself that I was in control, that this man had no hold over me anymore.
Caden: I heard you were going to Austria, good job. I still think about you.
I wondered how the fuck he had found out and by who too. Most likely, someone at work.
I grimaced at his words but decided it was perfectly okay to ignore him. Better yet, delete his damn number. It was time. I needed to leave the memories of the past behind and focus on what was ahead of me.
***
I hadn’t managed to get much sleep during the night but as soon as my alarm went off, I’d shot up out of bed and made a beeline for the bathroom. The bags were evident under my eyes but there was not much to be done about that. There wasn’t anyone to impress anyway. Kiya was asleep on the sofa, which was actually a sofa bed now, and Chou was curled up next to her. I smiled at the adorable sight and made sure to be extra quiet, tiptoeing back to the bathroom to finish my routine.
I brushed my teeth after taking a quick shower, then checked the time. I’d take a taxi to the airport, the journey would be about forty-five minutes if traffic was good. I’d made sure to pre-book it and would claim this back on the expenses form with work later. Grayson wanted to ensure I didn’t spend a fortune on transport but if I had to, he would cover it. He was a good boss who cared about his employees. I was quite happy at my job and also glad he could see something in me, to ask me to write a lengthy article was a sign that he appreciated my work so far. I wouldn’t let him or the company down. I certainly didn’t want to let Ophelia down and I owed her a lot, since she was coming along to support me.
“Bye apartment. Bye, Chou and Kiya,” I said quietly as I pulled the front door closed. I had bundled myself up in warm clothing, a red bobble hat on my head as well as a thick beige scarf. Colour coordination was out the window but I didn’t care. I wanted to be ready for the cold weather. The taxi was already waiting for me when I got outside and the driver helped me with my luggage, placing it in the car boot.
Time sped by in a blur and I couldn’t get rid of the jittering nerves, no matter what song I listened to with my headphones. They also didn’t disappear when I met Ophelia inside the airport and we were due to check in.
“You need some good sleep later. ” Ophelia scanned my face. She looked fresh and alert, the complete opposite of me. She handed me a cup of coffee, with a sympathetic look. Thank you Ophelia. Thank you coffee beans. It tasted amazing and I almost shivered as the hot liquid ran down my throat.
“Yeah, you’re right. I kept overthinking last night.” I licked my lips, otherwise the sugar would stick to them. I tried to focus on my breathing but I couldn’t ignore the anxiety I was feeling right now.
You’ll be alright.
“I can tell. But don’t worry, you’ve got me.” Ophelia was bouncing on the balls of her feet and we set off to check in, which was the easy part. The treacherous part was going through security, as it would take an age and even if you were sure you wouldn’t set the alarm off, sometimes you would. I wasn’t wearing anything with metal anyway, as far as I was aware.
Thankfully, it didn’t take more than fifteen minutes and we were now waiting at gate two for boarding.
“I just want to be there already.” Ophelia paced back and forth, clearly very impatient. I was in my zen mode, blanking out everyone around us.
“Not long, Lia,” I said to her, before finally we were called to board. She linked her arm through mine, sensing that I definitely needed someone to lean on right now. The next few hours sped quicker than expected and it wasn’t long before we were in Austria, surrounded by snowy mountains. It looked picturesque, and I knew my family would be jealous.
“First photo in Austria.” Ophelia took a photo of us as we entered the terminal, to which I couldn’t manage to protest. I let it slide as I needed to let myself loose now that I was in a different country. After picking up our luggage, we were on our way to Ischgl. Our home for the next two weeks.