Chapter 7: Sikkim Nights

Memo: I parodied on TOKYO NIGHTS there in the title, and no I am NOT sorry! That song is a piece of work in the best way possible. XD Anyway, though this part is quickly drawing to a close, the main bulk of the storyline is just getting started. I hope that you all are enjoying it thoroughly. I hope I hope! I love writing for you all ;w;

"I can't believe what I've gotten myself into," Lillian heard Ymed say from behind her.

It had been six months since Lillian had arrived in India. She now considered herself fully accustomed to life there, even more so than she had in her childhood days. It was thanks to Sara and her parents, and also thanks to Ymed and Ben. The four had become close without even having to try, despite the differences in backgrounds and majors.

And so it happened that they were piled into Sara's father's car, on their way to spend a week off from school in Sikkim, the state to the north of West Bengal, where Calcutta is located. Sara was fairly familiar with the area, and at Ben and Lillian's insistence, Ymed was dragged along as well.

"You'll have fun, mate," Ben told Ymed, grinning at the Russian. Lillian just smiled to herself, looking out the window as the afternoon sun slowly sank into the horizon. "I mean, you're Russian, right? We'll find you some drinks and-"

"Just because I'm Russian doesn't mean I'm a heavy drinker," Ymed argued.

"Maybe not before, but starting today-"

"Oh you two," Sara said loudly, rolling her eyes. "You don't HAVE to drink to have fun."

"Maybe you don't," Ben said with a loud laugh. Lillian and Sara grinned at each other; they all were quite aware that Ben's idea of a good time was usually alcohol-related. After all, he spent so much time at school studying, probably more than the three of them combined. Despite his jokes and light-hearted attitude, he was quite studious and, though he'd never admit to it, a bit of a geek.

"It's illegal, anyway," Ymed said quickly. Lillian looked in the reflection of the side-view mirror and saw Ymed fold his arms across his chest indignantly. The sun lit up his face, and his turquoise eyes seemed to light up despite his cross expression.

"Not in Sikkim," Ben told him. "I looked it up."

"He's right, actually…" Sara said with a sigh. "The legal age is eighteen."

"Beautiful."

"No one's going to FORCE you to drink," Lillian told Ymed. "You can just dance."

"Wait, it's a dance party we're going to?" Ymed asked Sara, and she nodded. "…Ben, it looks like I'll be joining you after all."

"What?!"

Ben laughed, shaking Ymed's hand as if they had just established some diplomatic relationship.

"But it's a dance party!" Sara cried, sounding almost pathetic. "You're supposed to dance!"

"I don't dance," Ymed declared.

"We'll fix that," Lillian said quietly, a devious smile tugging at her lips.

Within the hour, the four of them arrived in Sikkim, and the sun had already set to reveal a surprisingly bright city. Night life was definitely alive and well in Gangtok, and soon they had arrived at the small building. Lillian could feel the bass beat through the ground of the makeshift parking lot.

"C'mon, let's go find my friends," Sara told them, grinning broadly. She led the Westerners into the club, and they were immediately greeted by a crowd of dancing young adults, as well as the source of the loud music.

"There's the bar," Ben said, and before either of the girls could protest, he dragged Ymed with him into the crowd.

Before long, Sara had found her friends, and Lillian couldn't help but feel a little out of place. Even ringing in the evening with a 'cheers' didn't feel quite right. Sara chatted with her friends in Hindi, and though Lillian understood ninety percent of what they said, the conversations didn't hold her interest.

I actually just feel like dancing, she realized, walking into the crowd as a song ended. To her surprise, the next song that played was a familiar one. I definitely have seen this movie.

Despite being in the middle of a crowd of unfamiliar people, slightly tipsy, Lillian felt quite at home dancing by herself, laughing along with everyone else. Everyone seemed to be like a little community, joining in with each other. They all had the same goal: having fun.

After a few songs, Lillian decided to take a break and search for her friends. She found Ben first, trying to charm a couple of girls with his slowly improving Hindi.

"Don't listen to whatever he tells you," Lillian said with a sly grin. The two girls laughed; they seemed to already know he was up to no good, but they obviously were amused enough to stick around.

"You brat!" Ben called after her as she sped away, laughing in his usual good-hearted nature. There was a grin plastered to her face like the sweat plastered to her forehead. Her next encounter was with Ymed, who was sitting by himself at the bar.

"Ben dumped you, didn't he?" Lillian asked, raising an eyebrow. Ymed looked at Lillian, smirking.

"You make it sound like he was my date," he replied, rolling his eyes. He had obviously been drinking, despite his earlier denial.

"He did bring you over here."

"Good point." Ymed started to add something else, but he was interrupted by Lillian's gasp. "What? What is it?"

"I…LOVE THIS SONG," she breathed, her eyes widening. "Oh. My. Gosh. You have no idea. This song is fantastic. Come dance with me!"

"Don't you remember?" Ymed shook his head indignantly. "I don't dance."

"Well, you do NOW!"

Before he could protest, Lillian grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the crowd of dancing people.

"W-what are you-?!"

"Just dance!" Lillian insisted, laughing. "Lighten up-it's so easy!"

Holding onto his forearms, Lillian shook Ymed back and forth playfully. He gave her a look of frustration, but the song was admittedly catchy, even to him. Within a couple of minutes of protesting and pleading from Lillian, Ymed joined the dancing youngsters in their frenzy.

Lillian felt even more at home in the crowd now that Ymed had joined her. They stuck close together, being the only two foreigners on the dance floor (Ben was still charming away), and so when the group split into partners, they were inevitably thrown together.

"It's fun, right!?" she said to him, grinning as the group came back together. He didn't answer, but the look on his face was clear enough. For the first time in their friendship, and for the first time as long as she had known him, she saw a genuinely enthusiastic and joyful grin on Ymed's face. It suited him well, and for some inexplicable reason, she felt as though she might cry.

But before any kind of negativity could come in, the song moved on, and another familiar tune rang through the dance club. Nearly everyone piled on to the floor, and Lillian's level of excitement rose, too.

"I don't get it." Though they were standing right next to each other, Ymed had to shout for his voice to reach Lillian. "Why is everyone so excited?!"

"Because this song is like Gangnam Style before Gangnam Style!" she cried, laughing.

"Gangnam what?"

"Just watch!"

As the room shook with the tune of Tunak Tunak Tun, Lillian and the other young people danced, doing the moves from the famous music video. Ymed watched the people around him, and he couldn't help but start laughing.

"Don't be stupid!" Lillian shouted at him, giving him a small shove. "You can't just stand there and watch!"

"You expect me to do this, too!?"

"Yes!"

The two turned around, shocked to hear a total stranger answer his question.

"Just have fun!" the girl said. She was probably still in high school. "You're allowed to go soft every once in a while!"

"Yeah, what she said!" Lillian chimed in, bouncing on her feet to the beat.

Knowing he couldn't fight it anymore, Ymed sighed and started reluctantly dancing along with Lillian, who couldn't stop grinning.

"But this is the last song!" he insisted as they danced along with everyone else.

"Quiet, you!" she laughed, slapping his arm lightly. To her surprise, Ymed grabbed her wrist and twirled her around. "Wh-what?!"

"If this is the last song, we have to make it count!"

Lillian couldn't stop grinning, and though the music and atmosphere was so incredibly happy, she felt close to tears. She hadn't been this happy in a long time. Her mood only escalated when she saw the stupid grin plastered onto Ymed's face, and knowing she must have looked the same, she continued to laugh.

I think I just fell for him, she thought. …I wonder if this a sober thought.

Before she knew it, the song was over, and Ymed had stopped dancing.

"I'm retired from the dance floor now," he declared over the next song. "And possibly from clubs in their entirety. It's hot in here."

"It really is," Lillian agreed, feeling the heat for the first time since they had entered. "C'mon, let's go outside."

It wasn't much of an improvement outdoors, but there was room to breathe. The two leisurely walked around to the side of the building that faced the parking lot. Lillian felt sweaty and tired, but her mind was still as alert as when they arrived.

"And you said you couldn't dance," she joked. Ymed smirked, rolling his eyes.

"No, I said I don't dance. Get your facts straight, woman," he replied. She mimicked his expression. "But…it was fun."

"I'm glad to hear you admit it."

They grinned at each other, both flushed in the face.

After that brief exchange, they were quiet for a while, until Ymed finally sank down onto the ground, sitting with his back against the brick wall of the club. Lillian stayed standing, wondering why even this moment seemed repetitive.

It's like we've been together like this before, but that can't be, because -

"Ah, um…" she murmured, twisting her hands. "…I should apologize."

"What for?" Ymed asked, looking up at her.

"For when we were kids. I didn't know then that you were adopted."

The air seemed to grow cold at her last few words.

"…Yeah, I am. But you don't have to apologize for it. It is the way it is."

"…Have…you met them?"

"Nope. I don't see the point."

"The point?" Lillian tilted her head and looked down at him. "They're your parents."

"They are but they're not. They gave that right up when they gave me up."

She had obviously touched on a subject too sensitive for casual discussion, so she decided to back off.

"…Sorry for bringing it up," she said, lowering her head.

"Nah, it's all right. You're not the first, and you're probably not the last."

"…" Not knowing what to say next, Lillian slowly slid down the wall, sitting next to Ymed. She could feel the wall of the club throbbing against her back. "Maybe someday things will change."

"What do you mean?" Ymed asked.

"I…don't know what compelled me to say that," she admitted. The words had just kind of slipped out of her mouth. It had been beyond her control. "But it's a thought."

"What do you want to change?"

"I'm…not sure. A lot of things, but I'm too lazy to sit myself down and do it."

"Same." Ymed thumped his head against the wall a couple of times. "I've had a hard time deciding what to change."

"You're not lazy, too, are you?" Lillian asked with a grin. Ymed shook his head, and his lack of even a smirk made her smile fade.

"Even worse-scared." He sighed.

"Of what?"

"Everything."

"Even me?"

"Especially you."

"Why?"

Ymed hesitated, and Lillian wasn't sure how to react, either, so she sat patiently and made herself wait for his answer.

"…Because you're something that makes me want to change, and I don't know how."

…Was that a confession or something? she wondered, looking at Ymed.

"But I-"

"All right, you two," came Sara's voice from around the corner. Ben was right behind her, looking disgruntled. "Ben nearly sold himself into…well, never mind. Let's get to our hotel. I'm beat."

"All right," the two said in unison as Ben threw himself into the front passenger seat of Sara's car. Ymed and Lillian slid into the back, and soon the four of them were on the road again.

I want to say something, Lillian thought, looking out at the night sky. But even if we were alone, I wouldn't know what to say. But the feeling of wanting to be with him is…here.

While Sara chatted on about Ben's stupidity and gossip from her friends, Lillian listened half-heartedly, still mulling things over. A few minutes in, she felt a warmth on her left hand, and she glanced over to see Ymed's hand there over hers.

…So it was.

Slowly she laced her fingers with his, looking up at him. He smiled, and it was warm, and genuine, and once again it filled Lillian with the strangest sense of déjà vu. But she didn't mind, and she didn't bother to think about it too hard.