As we landed, Priya, who had come to pick us up, was waiting in the queue. The moment she saw us from a distance, she practically ran towards us, and my brother followed suit, though he was still holding my hand through the crowd. That's just how my brother is. When we finally reached her, he let go of my hand and swept her off her feet, hugging her tightly. I stood there, holding onto the luggage, already aware of their affection for one another. Once they calmed down, Priya pulled me into the hug too.
After leaving the airport, we went straight home. Marcus had sent a message saying we were coming back soon, but they didn't expect us to arrive that day. Mom and Dad were in the kitchen when we surprised them. Mom was cooking while Dad was cleaning the dishes. The familiar sight of home overwhelmed me, and I couldn't hold back my tears. I couldn't even call out to them—Karun did. "Mom, Dad, we're home!" They both rushed to hug us, and I cried so hard that Karun was worried I might accidentally reveal the mission we had just returned from. The joy of being home made me forget about the burden of guilt for lying. I cried for so long I didn't even realize how much I missed them.
We took our time to refresh ourselves with the smell of home. Eventually, I fell asleep on the couch, completely exhausted. My family moved me to my bed, where I woke up in the evening, rolling around in the soft warmth of my own bed, giggling like a lost puppy who had finally found its home. But the tranquility didn't last long. I heard a knock on the door, and reluctantly dragged myself to answer it. It was Mom. She sat by my bed, sharing how much she had missed me in the days we were away, telling me she often came to my room just to see Dad staring at our photos on the wall. Dad joined soon after, along with Karun, who was there to see the commotion. It was a heartwarming family moment that I would treasure forever.
After that, Mom and Dad went back to their rooms. I resumed my rolling session on the bed, lost in my own world, until my stomach growled. We had dinner with all my favorite foods, chatted for a while, and then I went back to bed.
The joy of being home made me lethargic, and I quickly fell into a deep slumber, where I dreamed of Kris again. When I woke up, my eyes were dry, my eyelashes were still wet, and my cheeks were stained with tears. It was clear that I had cried in my sleep. Kris had become a memory that haunted me every night. It wasn't scary anymore, though. It was as if I had become the same person I was back then—the person who longed for him every day. The dreams came and went, and past memories replayed like a film whenever I closed my eyes.
I woke up, trying to hide the wet pillow, and got the document ready to submit to the chairman. The anticipation was overwhelming, and I skipped breakfast, only realizing my hunger once I was sitting in the lounge waiting for the chairman. Karun heard my stomach grumbling and gave me a disapproving look, which made me want to knock him down right there. Instead, he handed me a chocolate bar, saving himself from my wrath. While we waited, we bumped into several colleagues in the lounge hallway, but we didn't share the purpose of our visit. We had no idea how to explain the report we were submitting.