The Road Trip

"Oh, the car broke down and it's raining!" Elena exclaimed.

They got stranded in the middle of nowhere. It was raining and they were driving for a while. Both of them were hungry. So, the car breaking down that too in a secluded place did them no good. 

Both of them got out of the car and started walking in hopes of finding a place to rest and eat- a shelter for a few hours. 

Few Months Earlier

Elena didn't know much about this guy. This was their first real date after hanging out virtually for a while. Well, the thing about Elena is, she's an introvert with high social anxiety or as most people would say- Weirdo!

But, the people who really know her, know she is a lovable person. Although, she's one of the strongest people you will ever come across. Umm, to put it right, we can say Elena is a toughie but a goofball full of love and practicality. 

She's a hopeless romantic with trust issues so she's too scared of falling in love. She believes in the concept of soulmates but she has given up on finding her soulmate or a partner. Well, to be honest, she has had her heart broken into pieces and she gave up on finding love.

Ever since then she just focused on healing and working. A lot happened in between but one fine Saturday afternoon, while she was scrolling mindlessly through the pointless reels on Instagram and fangirling over her favorite music group, she got a notification that somebody followed her.

Since it was the weekend and she had nothing to do, she decided to stalk this follower. He was a good-looking guy, some kind of entrepreneur, loves music, has a dog, and surprisingly is also into classic literature and fiction. 

She didn't believe it at first and thought that the entire feed was made up to attract people. She decided to play the game and hit 'follow back'. That's how it began. It took him ages to convince her that he is real and he is not trying to fool her. 

Well, it was not love. They just clicked pretty well. Elena values friendship more than anything else and they became very good friends. 

Never, in the whole relationship, or whatever they had going, he forced her to meet or do anything. It was all moving at a pace they were comfortable with. 

One day, while face-timing, he blurted out without thinking much "you know it's high time, we should meet". 

He was just pulling her leg and he knew the obvious response. But, to this surprise, Elena said "okay, let's do it".

The Current Chapter 

Finally, they met, he picked her up and they planned to go for a drive and food. 

This is when the car broke down and they had to find shelter somewhere for a few hours. 

After walking for a while, they found many cars parked in front of what looked like a cottage. 

They went to it and it was crowded with people. It was a beautiful cabin in the woods. 

Unfortunately, the rooms were full and they were escorted into the dining hall where they barely had any place to sit. It was chaotic and loud. 

Elena hates chaos and he knows that. She started complaining about how poor the management is, and how unorganized everything is. 

While this went on, they ordered food and the food turned out to be horrible as well. 

Elena: "ugh, I'm so sorry for today. This is why I told you meeting me ain't a good idea. I'm sure, this is not the date you expected". 

He just smiled. They sat there observing the surroundings and everyone around was complaining about how poor the management is. 

Time went by, and a staff member soon came in and informed them that their car was repaired followed by the manager, who saw him and got shocked. 

He stood in front of the room and asked everyone what their complaints are. He asked the manager to fix things as soon as possible and he'll come back soon. The manager shook his hands and showed them the way out. 

Elena asked, "hmm, that was weird. Why was the manager obliging to your questions? You looked like you know him". 

He smiled and asked her to come outside. They came out and he said "look up" pointing at the name board.

He owned the damn thing and he promised that he'll take care of things to make it better. 

They sat in the car and it started shaking. 

"Elena, Elena wake up, we have to leave" exclaimed her mom. 

Golly gosh, it was just one of her silly dreams again. Elena smiled and proceeded with her day. 

It was trip day for her family and that's why her mom woke her up at dawn. 

The whole family was supposed to go on a road trip to the beach out of town. 

They got ready and left for the trip. Everyone was having fun and the atmosphere of the car was lit. 

A few hours into the trip, the car broke down. 

"Okay, while this gets fixed, let's take a pit stop here. Let us find something, have some food and relax for while" said Elena's fun uncle.

They started walking and her brother said, "look there's a cabin ". 

Elena stood outside the cabin, shocked and surprised. She murmured, "How is this even possible?" 

She looked up at the board and it said "Elena's Castle". 

"Hey, look it's your castle, Elena," said her dad. 

Everyone laughed and went inside. 

Elena was taken aback by what she saw. It was the same cabin, the same interiors, only better, that she saw in her dreams. 

Everyone seemed to recognize Elena and welcomed the whole family. 

"Look, you're famous here. Maybe, they had nothing to do and read your crappy books or blogs" her brother teased. 

She was quiet and she still couldn't believe where she was. How could this happen? She never knew of this place, she has never been here before.

While everyone was relaxing and having a good time, she went out to take a look at the surroundings. She clicked a few pictures and wandered around for a while, sipping coffee and reminiscing about the dream.

They had their food and it was time to leave. The car was also repaired. 

Elena walked out with her family. Her heart was full. One last time, she looked back at the cabin, and the name board and smiled. 

"Elle, come on. It's getting late" 

She went inside the car and embarked on the rest of the journey with a happy heart.

Artwork By Aishani- my little niece

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Characters, businesses, events, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.