Keifer's POV
By the time we left Wagah Border, everyone had reached the same conclusion.
We were hungry.
Very hungry.
Keiren was the first to announce it.
"Kuya Keifer, I need food."
"You had snacks before we left."
"That was before the ceremony."
"It was an hour ago."
"That was a different lifetime."
I laughed.
Even Krish shook his head from the front seat.
"There's a café a little farther ahead," he said. "We'll stop there."
That single sentence restored everyone's energy.
A few minutes later, the convoy turned toward a lively café not far from the main road.
Warm yellow lights glowed through the windows, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee, grilled sandwiches, spices, and baked food reached us before we even stepped inside.
Honey took one breath.
"I approve."
Percy nodded seriously.
"I approve of your approval."
"You weren't asked."
"I never need to be."
The rest of us laughed as we entered.
The café had a relaxed atmosphere, with wooden tables, comfortable chairs, warm lighting, and large windows overlooking the evening streets.
We took over several tables almost immediately.
Of course.
There was no other possible outcome.
Jay sat beside me.
She looked tired after the long day, but the moment she saw the menu, her expression brightened.
"You're hungry."
"No."
I looked at her.
She smiled.
"Okay, yes."
"I knew it."
She leaned closer.
"Don't tell anyone."
"Too late."
I raised my hand.
"Everyone, Jay is hungry."
She lightly slapped my arm.
"Keifer!"
The entire table laughed.
"You betrayed me."
"I married you. That's different."
"That does not make sense."
"It makes perfect sense to me."
She shook her head, smiling.
The waiter arrived with notepads.
And chaos began.
"Coffee."
"Cold coffee."
"Masala chai."
"Sandwich."
"Pasta."
"Fries."
"Burger."
"Cake."
"Something spicy."
"Something sweet."
Keiren raised his hand.
"Everything."
The waiter blinked.
I covered my face.
"Don't encourage him."
"He's hungry," Eces said calmly from across the table.
Keiren immediately pointed at her.
"Ate Eces understands me."
Jay laughed.
"You two are dangerous together."
"I know," Eces replied.
The first plates arrived quickly.
Hot sandwiches.
Grilled paneer wraps.
French fries.
Pasta.
Chilli potatoes.
Samosas.
Pakoras.
Masala chai.
Coffee.
Milkshakes.
And a plate of assorted desserts.
The table practically disappeared under the food.
Blaster stared at it.
"This is heaven."
"Eat before you start crying," Mayo told him.
Jay picked up a samosa.
I watched her take the first bite.
She immediately smiled.
"Good?"
She nodded.
"Very."
I reached over and took a small piece from her plate.
She stared at me.
"That was mine."
"You said it was good."
"That doesn't mean you can steal it."
"You're married to me."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Again with that excuse."
"It works."
She tried to hide her smile.
She failed.
Across the table, Keiren was already dipping fries into ketchup.
Ci-n stared at him.
"That's disgusting."
"No, it's brilliant."
"That's what you said about mango chutney and fries."
"And I was right."
Rakki laughed.
"Let him experiment."
"Thank you!"
"Just don't make me try it."
Grace sat with Grazel beside her, while Denzel carefully cut some food into smaller portions for Grace so she could eat without having to juggle everything.
The baby was awake now, watching the lights above the table.
Jay immediately noticed.
"She woke up."
Grace smiled.
"She slept through almost the whole ceremony."
Denzel looked at Grazel.
"She has better travel stamina than most of us."
Keiren looked offended.
"I have excellent stamina."
"You slept through half the journey," Keigan reminded him.
"That was strategic resting."
Everyone laughed.
Eces was quieter than usual, listening to everyone while sipping her tea.
Keigan sat a few seats away.
Every now and then, I noticed his attention drift toward her.
Tiny looks.
Nothing dramatic.
A glance when she laughed.
Another when she answered Keiren.
Another when she reached for her cup.
He never interrupted.
Never tried to pull her attention.
He was simply...
Watching.
And somehow, that was becoming his new normal.
Krish noticed too.
But he didn't react.
He simply continued his conversation with Aries.
There was no tension.
No rivalry.
Just time.
Dessert arrived toward the end.
Brownies.
Cheesecake.
Gulab jamun.
And a large chocolate cake that Percy immediately claimed.
"That's mine."
Honey pulled the plate away.
"We're sharing."
"No."
"Yes."
"Absolutely not."
"You already ate three pieces."
"That's irrelevant."
Jay leaned toward me.
"Should we help?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I want to watch."
She laughed.
Eventually, we all leaned back in our chairs, completely stuffed.
Keiren looked exhausted.
Percy was staring at the empty dessert plate like he had suffered a personal loss.
Honey was drinking coffee.
Grace was rocking Grazel gently.
The evening outside had become darker, the café lights reflecting against the windows.
Jay rested her head lightly against my shoulder.
"Tired?"
"Very."
I wrapped an arm around her.
"Good day?"
She nodded.
"Really good."
I looked around the café.
The people around us.
The laughter.
The tired faces.
The half-empty plates.
The ridiculous arguments.
The memories we'd collected since morning.
Golden Temple.
Langar.
Jallianwala Bagh.
Wagah Border.
And now this.
Just a crowded café at the end of a long day.
But somehow, those ordinary moments were becoming my favorite ones.
Jay squeezed my hand.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're smiling."
"Maybe."
She smiled too.
Then Keiren suddenly looked toward us.
"Kuya Keifer."
"Yes?"
"Can we order dessert again?"
I stared at him.
"We just finished."
He thought about it.
"…Tomorrow?"
I laughed.
"Tomorrow."
Keiren grinned.
Satisfied.
And as we finally stood to leave, I realized something.
The day had started with history.
It had ended with laughter.
And somewhere between the two...
We had simply been together.
That was enough.
Third Person POV
The café had barely emptied before the convoy was moving again.
The moment everyone settled into the cars, the energy from dinner seemed to disappear.
Exhaustion had finally won.
The long day at the Golden Temple.
Jallianwala Bagh.
Wagah Border.
The café.
It had all caught up with them.
Within minutes, the cars became unusually quiet.
In the first car, Keifer sat beside Jay, who was already asleep against the window.
Her head slowly slipped toward his shoulder.
Keifer carefully adjusted her position, letting her rest comfortably against him.
Across the back seat, Keigan had fallen asleep too, his head tilted against the window.
In other cars, the same scene repeated.
Honey was asleep.
Percy had finally stopped talking.
Aries and Ella were resting.
Freya had curled up against the seat beside Edrix.
Rakki and Ci-n were both asleep.
Grace was sleeping while Denzel kept Grazel safely settled against him, the baby barely stirring.
Even the usually energetic members of Section E had surrendered.
The convoy moved through the night with only the occasional glow of headlights passing across the windows.
But in one car, two people remained awake.
Eces sat quietly in the front.
Krish was beside her.
Neither looked tired enough to sleep.
For several minutes, they simply watched the road.
Then Krish broke the silence.
"Everyone's asleep."
Eces glanced toward the rearview mirror.
She could see Keifer sitting quietly with Jay resting against him.
Keigan was completely asleep.
"Good," she replied.
Krish lowered his voice.
"Everything is ready?"
Eces didn't answer immediately.
She checked the road ahead, then glanced at him.
"Everything."
"The house?"
"Ready."
"The security team?"
"Already there."
"The tickets?"
"Handled."
Krish nodded slowly.
"And the schedule?"
Eces looked down at the phone in her hand.
"Adjusted."
A faint smile appeared on Krish's face.
"You really planned all of this while everyone thought we were just going from one city to another."
"That's because they were supposed to think that."
He looked at her for a moment.
"New Chandigarh."
Eces nodded.
"The next stop."
Krish leaned back slightly.
"And no one knows?"
"No one."
He glanced toward the sleeping passengers behind them.
"Not even Keifer?"
"No."
"Jay?"
"No."
"Keigan?"
Eces shook her head.
"Nobody."
Krish was quiet for a few seconds.
Then he asked,
"Are you sure they'll agree?"
Eces gave him a small, knowing look.
"They won't have much time to argue."
Krish smiled.
"That's reassuring."
Neither of them said anything else.
The road stretched endlessly ahead.
Outside, the darkness had swallowed the cities behind them.
Inside the car, the secret remained between them.
New Chandigarh.
A different city.
A different atmosphere.
And, more importantly, something waiting there that none of the others had been told about.
The IPL season had brought a completely different energy to the region, and Eces had quietly arranged for their next stop to coincide with it.
Tickets.
Accommodation.
Security.
Transportation.
Everything had already been handled.
The others thought they were simply continuing their holiday.
They had no idea what was waiting.
Krish looked at Eces again.
"Do you think they'll figure it out?"
She looked toward the sleeping group.
Keifer's arm was still wrapped protectively around Jay.
Keigan remained asleep against the window.
No one had heard a word.
"Not tonight," she replied.
Krish smiled faintly.
"Good."
Several cars behind them, the entire world seemed to be asleep.
No jokes.
No arguments.
No questions about the next destination.
Only the steady hum of engines and the occasional movement of someone shifting beneath a blanket.
In Keifer's car, Jay stirred slightly.
Her fingers unconsciously caught the fabric of his shirt.
He looked down at her.
Still asleep.
He gently adjusted the blanket over her shoulders.
Then leaned his head back against the seat.
Completely unaware that the journey ahead wasn't going exactly the way everyone thought.
The convoy continued through the night.
One city behind them.
Another waiting ahead.
And somewhere between sleep and silence, a secret destination was quietly getting closer.
New Chandigarh.
Nobody knew.
Not yet.
The steady rhythm of the engines had become almost soothing.
Morning sunlight filtered through the windows one by one, painting golden streaks across the sleeping passengers.
The first to stir was Keiren.
He stretched dramatically before blinking around in confusion.
"...Huh?"
He rubbed his eyes and looked out of the window.
"This... doesn't look familiar."
Beside him, Keigan slowly woke up, still half-asleep.
"What time is it?"
"No idea," Keiren muttered. "But we're definitely not where I thought we'd be."
One after another, the others began waking.
Honey yawned loudly.
Percy stretched until something in his shoulder popped.
Aries blinked at the scenery outside.
Ella looked around sleepily.
Grace carefully checked on Grazel, who had just started rubbing her tiny eyes.
The baby let out a soft yawn before settling comfortably in her mother's arms again.
In another car, Keifer opened his eyes and immediately looked beside him.
Jay was still asleep, her head resting against his shoulder.
A few moments later, she stirred.
"...Are we there?" she mumbled sleepily.
"Looks like we've stopped somewhere," Keifer replied softly.
Jay blinked several times before sitting up and looking outside.
The roads were wider.
The surroundings looked completely unfamiliar.
"This isn't Amritsar."
Keifer frowned slightly.
"I was thinking the same thing."
They stepped out of the car along with everyone else.
The convoy had stopped in front of a large gated property surrounded by neatly maintained trees and landscaped gardens.
No one recognized it.
Keiren looked around dramatically.
"Did we accidentally cross into another country while sleeping?"
Percy laughed.
"If we did, you slept through immigration."
"I absolutely would."
Honey folded her arms.
"So..."
She slowly turned in a circle.
"...where exactly are we?"
Nobody answered.
David scratched the back of his neck.
"I don't remember this place being part of the plan."
"Neither do I," Drew admitted.
Even Aries looked confused.
"Did anyone actually check where we were going?"
Silence.
Everyone slowly looked at one another.
Then, almost at the same time...
"Where's Eces?"
Jay looked around quickly.
"Ate isn't here..."
Keiren added immediately.
"And Kuya Krish too."
Now everyone noticed it.
Their car was gone.
Keigan looked around the parking area twice before speaking.
"They're not here."
"They left?" Freya asked.
"Without telling us?" Honey frowned.
Ci-n crossed his arms.
"That doesn't sound like Eces."
"No," Jay agreed quietly.
"If she left, she had a reason."
Keifer narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Or... she expected us to wake up here."
Rory looked toward the security guards standing near the entrance.
"They don't seem surprised."
Krish's security team stood calmly by the gates, as if everything was unfolding exactly according to schedule.
Not a single one of them looked worried.
That only made the mystery deeper.
Keiren leaned toward Keigan and whispered dramatically,
"I think we've been kidnapped."
Keigan sighed.
"You voluntarily got into the car."
"Still counts."
Rakki laughed.
"You watch too many movies."
Grace gently rocked Grazel as the baby looked around curiously, fascinated by the unfamiliar surroundings.
Denzel picked up the diaper bag before glancing toward the entrance.
"There has to be someone inside."
Just then...
The large front doors opened.
One of the house staff stepped outside with a polite smile.
"Good morning, everyone."
The group immediately turned toward him.
"Breakfast has been prepared."
Percy blinked.
"...Breakfast?"
"Yes, sir."
Honey frowned.
"Who prepared it?"
"The arrangements were made in advance."
Jay exchanged a look with Keifer.
"In advance..."
Keifer smiled faintly.
"That definitely sounds like Eces."
Aries laughed.
"So she disappeared... but still remembered to feed us."
"Very on brand," Ella agreed.
Keiren folded his arms dramatically.
"Ate Eces has abandoned us..."
Ci-n corrected him.
"No."
He looked toward the open doors.
"She left us clues."
Everyone stared at him.
"...You've definitely been watching detective shows," Percy said.
Before anyone could continue guessing, another member of the staff approached.
"Mr. Krish asked us to inform everyone that he and Miss Eces will be back shortly."
That only created more questions.
Jay looked toward Keifer.
"They planned something."
"I know."
"And they didn't tell anyone."
He chuckled.
"They've managed to surprise all of us."
Around them, the group slowly gathered their bags and began walking toward the house, curiosity replacing their earlier sleepiness.
Behind every conversation floated the same unanswered question.
Where exactly had Eces and Krish gone...
...and what were they planning for everyone?
+++++++++++++++
Are you guys ready to see Keifer jealous from our great cricketers...
Well let's see if someone from you can guess all three of those..
And let's have a deal, the target completion means 2 more chapters..
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