“Jes … Jes come on wake up… Cathy, its 2:30 already get up …” Poor Elisha was trying hard to wake up the girls. Eli pulled the blanket from both  as a next step to wake them up.

“Eli…. My blanket … 5 more minutes please…. “ Jes pleaded for a short nap.

“No, no more sleep come on get up . We can’t miss this flight by any cost so better you girls wake up before I throw ice cold water on your face” Elisha replied.

With a lot of laziness and murmur they both woke up and sat on the bed looking at Elisha who have already started her activities to get ready.

“How come its 2:30 already I didn’t even sleep well. Are you sure the alarm timing was correct? “ Cathy asked Elisha scratching her head half sleepy.

“Cathy are you sure you didn’t sleep well? I heard you snoring as soon as I asked you girls to sleep” Elisha answered smiling thinking about Cathy’s snoring. “Wake up both of you its time already. Joel and Matt will be here on time we can’t be late “ Eli said

“He he I knew it , see last time when I told you that you were snoring what did you tell me Cathy ? I might have dreamt , you didn’t right? And what now” Jes kept teasing Cathy while giggling. Cathy rolled over the bed and gave her a kick.. “Ouch… it hurts” Jes yelled in pain

“Girlssssssss… do you want me to come there or are you gonna start getting ready? “ a warning from Eli came from the kitchen.

“Nooooo we are already up…..” came a reply from both and they rushed to get ready.

 

                                                               ******

 15 minutes later Elisha’s phone started ringing. “Eli you are getting a callll…. “ Cathy screamed while doing her make up. Jes was checking her luggage if she had packed all the required stuffs.

“Jes can you get me my phone please, it might be Joel or Matt to tell us that they are on the way. Am preparing coffee..” Elisha asked Jes .

Jes took the call and said “Yoo bro wassup..”

On the other end Joel “ Hey Jes.. are you girls done. We’ll reach within 5 miutes”

Jes : “ Yeah we are all set . I’ll pass the phone to Eli” and Elisha took over.

“Joel we are done you guys come “ she disconnected the call after confirming.

Five minutes later Joel & Matt entered the room.

Eli : “ Guys have some coffee and then we’ll start” and she passed the coffee to all

Joel : “ Eli you are the best its cold outside and your coffee is the best for it. And make sure that you don’t forget to take the passport and I have the tickets in my mail I will forward it to you.”

They noded and cheked their luggages again.

Joel continued “ And also take your winter coats and umbrellas too its forecasted to rain on Sunday. So…”

They all sipped their coffee and took their bags.

Joel : “So guys lets start. Our memorable trip to the City of Love Paris…”

Others : “Yayyyy”

Jes : “ Awww am so excited…”

Cathy : “ Me too..”

Joel : “ Lets make this trip fun and a memorable one”

They all agreed and closed the door and started from the apartment. It was cold outside. The roads were empty as it was too early in the morning . They had to walk for a while to catch the bus to airport. The nights in Milan was beautiful always. They kept talking about their itinerary while walking. Finally they reached the Milan Centrale stop where the buses to Airport starts.

Elisha : “It seems we are a bit early, there are no buses yet”

Matt : “ We still have a few minutes to 3. Maybe they will come when its time.”

Joel : “ So guys we have around 45 minutes to airport so if you wanna take a nap you can while we are on the way. Did you guys sleep well? “

Cathy : “ Well me & Jes slept for an hour but I don’t think Eli slept. It seems she was excited “

They started smiling.

Joel : “ Eli you didn’t sleep? Why ? It might be tiresome if you don’t sleep. You know our itinerary right we have a lot to walk and explore.. You better take a nap in the bus”

Elisha : “ No its not that I didn’t sleep . I tried but for some reason I couldn’t . Maybe I’ll try to sleep in the bus”

By the time the talk ended the first bus to Malpensa Airport arrived. The driver stopped the bus and came out . There were a few more people other than them to airport.They stood in a line and purchased the bus tickets from the driver and got into the bus. They kept their luggages in the upper deck of the bus and sat. It was comfy inside the bus compared to the chill night outside. Everyone closed their eyes for a quick nap if possible before they reach airport. Elisha was on the window seat. She leaned towards the window and stared at the city lights outside.The bus started and was on its way . Elisha’s was so tired that her eyes closed slowly and she dozed off.

 

After  a while somehow Eli woke up slowly and saw that they are about to reach the airport. She straightened her seat and checked on others. Everyone was in a sound sleep . She checked her time and it was around 3:40. They will be reaching the destination in 5 minutes. Suddenly the announcement came up. 

“Passengers your attention please. We will be reaching airport in 5 minutes . Please be ready with your luggages”

Everyone in the bus woke up hearing the announcement and started to get ready taking their luggages.

Elisha : “Joe its terminal 2 for us right? I guess the bus goes to Terminal 2 first if am not wrong”

Joel : “ Yes Eli its terminal 2. Guys get ready its time for us to get down”. He confirmed everyone took their luggages. The bus stopped at terminal 2 and all the respective passengers got down. They walked past the Departure entrance and went inside. The airport was silent compared to the usual crowd. Maybe very less people prefer to catch an early morning flight unless its something urgent. They took few deviations and finally reached the main area where the gates are displayed.

Matt : “oh wait the gate is not assigned yet. I guess we are early guys” He turned back looking at them with an expression like what next.

Cathy : “Urghh nooo..”

Joel : “ It might be assigned withing 15 to 20 minutes we will have to spend that 20 minutes somehow”

Elisha : “ Its just a matter of  20 mins guys lets take a walk to the duty free or maybe can have any coffee or snacks if you guys are hungry. Lets come back later to see if the gates are assigned”

They all agreed and walked towards the direction of the duty free. They saw a lot of school students sitting around in dressed in some tracks.As usual Matt never missed to check out every girls around to see if someone of his type was there. They made comments as they walked, spend the time roaming around the duty free, clicking pictures. By the time they returned the gates has been assigned and they moved towards the respective gate. It took around 20 to 30 minutes to complete their security check and to board the flight. They got the seat towards the middle,Joel and Cathy was seated in the front row where as Elisha, Jes and Matt was behind them. Elisha as always she got the window seat and she loved it no matter how long or short the journey is. Elisha always tried to find happiness and excitement in every lil things that came across her life.

While they were seated and settled Cathy broke the silence saying “Guys !!! am so excited aren’t you all? You guys come into the frame lets start our vacation with a morning selfie “ . She took her iphone and adjusted the phone to get the gang in the frame.

Cathy : “ Ok so guys smile … ready 1..2..3 “ Click !

It seems their excitement was already in peaks. All the passengers were boarded and the flight was getting ready for the take off.

“Buongiorno . Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight AF 1631 with service from Milan to Paris. We are currently third in line to take off and are expected to be in air in approximately seven minutes.. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure all baggage underneath your seat or in the overhead compartments. We also ask that your seats and table trays are in the upright position for take-off. Please turn off all personal electronic devices, including laptops and cell phones. Smoking is prohibited for the duration of the flight. Thank you for choosing Air France. Enjoy your flight. “

The pre flight announcement was followed by the announcement from the Captain

Flight attendants, please prepar for the take off..

Within few minutes the flight AF 1631 was on the runway and took off.

“Buongiorno passengers. This is your captain speaking. First I'd like to welcome everyone on Air France Flight AF 1631. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet at an airspeed of 400 miles per hour. The time is 5:45 am. The weather looks good and with the tailwind on our side we are expecting to land in Paris approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. The weather in paris is clear and sunny, with a high of 25 degrees for this afternoon. If the weather cooperates we should get a great view of the city as we descend. The cabin crew will be coming around in about twenty minutes time to offer you a light snack and beverage, and the inflight movie will begin shortly after that. I'll talk to you again before we reach our destination. Until then, sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the flight.”

It was calm and quiet in the flight.. Majority of the passengers closed their eyes and sat back comfortably for a short nap. Elisha captured the take off, she does that always though she takes flights frequently. She kept looking down , Milan looked like a miniature, all lighted up and it was beautiful too.. Her friends were all sleeping and she as usual plugged in her headset to listen to her favourite SHINee tracks. Everytime she listen to the songs a vast amount of thoughts piled up in her mind. Elisha was offered a Coffee by the flight attendant. She thanked her and took the coffee. What else do you need in an early morning flight when you have a hot cup of coffee, a window seat and your favourite track being played.

It has been 11 years since she started being a shawol. She kept thinking how much of changes has happened to her since then. Still she never know the reason behind it. All the SHINee oppas are her brothers except this one boy, the one who caught her eye and the one who stole her heart. It seems the name ‘Choi Minho’ is all carved inside her.The only one with whom she wish if she could stay forever. And it’s the much awaited Valentines week again. When everyone celebrates the day with their soul mates Elisha spend her day every year writing her feelings in her secret diary. The diary has all of it, whatever she wished to tell her Minho Oppa. She has never been lucky enough to meet her SHINee oppas not even once. So if ever she gets a chance to meet them she always had some gifts prepared to give it to them. And this scrap book was one of her gifts which was for her Minho oppa. She took it with her always wherever she goes and she even have it packed for the Paris trip too. Because it’s the Valentines week and she is in the City of Love the perfect place to scribble her feelings.

It was almost 7:15 am and she could see the sun shining bright through her window. The flight attendant passed by and she handed over the empty cup back. Her friends were still sleeping. Elisha started poking one by one saying “ Guys .. what’s this you all have been sleeping each and every single gap you get.. Enough wake up… Its almost time. We will be landing soon in Paris” Her face was as bright as sun when she said this, she seems to be more excited thinking about the days she’s gonna spend in Paris.One by one woke up and started stretching to come out of their comfy sleep mode.

“Oh it looks like I closed my eyes 5 mins before and its already 7:15 “ Cathy said. “ohh sleeping beauty there you go again with your ‘I didn’t sleep much’ story “ Elisha started teasing her.

Its quite natural that in every gang you will have a friend who would love to sleep each and every time you get to.

The captain announced that they will be landing soon in Charles de Gaulle Airport Paris. The flight was early as mentioned by the captain , the seat belt signs were and the flight attendants were asked to prepare for the landing.

The flight landed safe and was on the runway heading towards the assigned gate.

“Bonjour, Welcome to Charles de Gaulle International Airport. The time is 7: 20 am. The weather in paris is clear and sunny, with a high of 15 degrees. We’re glad to have you with us on board this flight. Thank you for choosing Air France, and giving us your business and your money.

Please remain seated until the plane is parked at the gate.”

 

                                                                   *****

The airport was heavily crowded just like its label ‘Second busiest airport in  Europe’. If seen from above it looks like busy ants crossing paths. They went to the launch straight . Every one got changed and gathered back in half an hour.

Joel : “So guys how about you find a good cafeteria and make the orders. Two Cappuccino and 2 Brioche for us. Meanwhile Me and Matt we will go to the Information desk. We will enquire about the 2 days traveling pass and the transportation timings.”

Jes : “Okies done and there’s a tourist help desk in the right corner, do check out there as well. We’ll find a good place and text you.”

The gang split into two and moved as per the plan. They walked around and found a good cafe with two empty tables. They kept heir bags down on the chair and moved towards the counter to make the order. Jes made the order and was waiting for them to serve. Meanwhile Elisha told Jes “ Jes lemme make a call to home, I’ll be right there next to cafeteria”

Jes : “Yeah girl carry on”

Elisha took her phone out of the pocket and walked towards the right side of the cafeteria.

She dialled home and was waiting for Mom to pick the call.

Elisha : “ Hello Mom, good morning”

Mom : “Hey Eli, did you guys reach Paris? “

Elisha : “ Yes mom, just landed half an hour back. Now we are in a cafeteria to have breakfast. Did you have breakfast? Where’s dad? “

Mom : “ Yeah Eli, we had. Dad just went out to meet a friend. By the way did you tell Evin that you were travelling to Paris? “ [PS : Evin is Elisha’s elder brother]

Elisha : “ Yeah mom , I texted Evin yesterday night. Well I guess he’s travelling somewhere with his friends today “

Mom : “Yeah I think so”

Elisha : “Mom I may not be able to call today, not sure how the plan is, so I will text you in between”

Mom : “Its ok Eli, you need not call us if its not possible but just keep us posted in the chat”

Elisha : “ Ok Mom.. and… hello? Mom… hello??”

Cathy : “ Eli breakfast is here. What happened? “

Elisha : “ I don’t know the call got disconnected all of a sudden. Let me check the balance. OMG!! My balance is negative… Aren’t we suppose to have no roaming as we are still in Europe?? “

Cathy : “ I suppose yes but you know what they say one and the other happens”

They walked towards Jes who was already seated with the breakfast on the tables. Joel and Matt joined back in few minutes and they started having their breakfast.

After sipping the Cappuccino Joel said “ Guys listen, lets finish the breakfast soon. In 15 mins we have the next RER train .”

“In 15 mins?? The girls replied

Joel : “:Yes , Because it takes 50 mins to reach the city. So if we miss this train we have to wait for another 20 mins for the next train and then another 50 mins added to reach the city. You know right we have a tight schedule”

The rest of them nodded and agreed

Joel “ So lets wrap this and start . We have exactly 15 mins to run, find the platform and catch the train”

They took their bags and hurried in the direction of the platform. They walked straight, took a right turn and hurried towards the escalator going down to the platform. They swiped the tickets and entered the platform.

Matt : “ Joe which is the platform the right or the left one?”

Joel : “The right Matt”

They waited for the train and it arrived in 5 mins time. The platform was filled but not that crowded. They got inside and finally found empty seats on the left.They relaxed for a while and Joel started discussing the itinerary with the guys.They really had a tight schedule as they were staying in Paris only for 2 days. The first day they have to cover maximum and the second day was fully dedicated for the Disney Land.They enjoyed the train journey, making fun, teasing each other, passing comments. It seems that Paris gave them a warm welcome as the day was Sunny but cool.

Elisha : “ Joe how many stops more do we have?” she asked out of curiosity.

Joel : “5 more stops Eli. Why is there something or are you tired sitting for long?”

Jes: “ No no she asked out of excitement.Don’t you remember Joe the first in our itinerary is her favourite”

Cathy : “Ohhhhh I seeeee…. Eliiiiii is all excited… But wait why is she so excited to go there… I don’t understand”

Elisha :” Guys its nothing I just asked out of curiosity. My bad. Cathy my sleeping beauty why don’t you sleep for a while instead of burning your empty brain “ she teased Cathy.

Finally they reached the stop. They walked towards the exit of the platform.Joel set the first location in the Google map.

Joel : “ Guys we have to walk for about 15 minutes to reach the destination. So lets start now without any further delay.”

They started walking as per the direction in the google map. Paris was really pretty . They slowed down on their ways clicking selfies and capturing the beauty of Paris. The sun shone bright but it was not too hot.

“Its good that its sunny today. Can’t even imagine if it rains and carrying the luggage and the umbrella all together” Jes kept talking to herself as a satisfactory note.

They reached a fourway junction and Joel checked the google map to see which way they have to proceed. He pointed straight after checking the direction. They waited patiently for the green signal for the pedestrians. The signal turned o Yellow from Red and finally Green. The vehicles stopped and all the people crossed the road including them. They walked straight for a while and on the right side they saw a huge old building. It seems to be one side of an old Museum. They walked past it talking and guessing what it might be. There was a cool breeze as they keep walking and suddenly Jes screamed “ Oh look look.. there it is… Eli .. we’ve reached finally”.

Elisha felt like she skipped a beat all of a sudden . she ran forward and looked. Jes was right we reached finally. Cross the road and there you are… A lots of thoughts came flashing into her mind. Elisha wanted to come here so badly for a long time… She never knew she would make it, but now since she is here a lot of mixed emotions filled her heart. The cold breeze touched her hair gently messing up her view. The signal turned green again and she crossed the road along with her friends. She could hear Jes and Cathy screaming out of excitement but she couldn’t take her eyes off the view in front of her… Because she waited for long for this day… to be here…