Chapter 2: Too Late

The next day, Kashmir and her friends went strolling around after they had their breakfast. They went to a park near the hotel. They decided to take photos there. They made different poses and asked passers-by to take a photo for them.

After that, they went to every shop there. They enjoyed shopping. They stopped by a coffee shop when they found it hard to feel their legs after such a long walk.

They sat at a coffee table beside the glass wall and they could see lots of tourists walking on the street. They ordered coffee and cake and waited for a while.

'Ladies, here are your orders. Enjoy your meal!" said the waiter with a smile.

"Thanks!" they all replied together. The enthusiastic waiter helped alleviate their tiredness.

"Girls, we have to make the most of our vacation here because after today, we'll be going back to work." Sam spoke eagerly.

"Yes, you will be going back to work but I will be going back to Laguna" Kashmir answered with a mixture of happiness and sadness in her heart. 

She's happy because she will finally see her family again; she has been working in the Netherlands for 5 years and hadn't come to see her family. Sad because she needs work because her dad is sick and needs medication which is expensive. She didn't finish her contract because it's terminated by her employer.

"Don't be sad Kashmir, I'll help you find work in Dubai. When I return to Dubai, I will ask my boyfriend to find a job for you. His family has an agency there and he is managing it now" Joyce comforted Kashmir.

"Thanks Joyce. I will look forward to that. I really need a job. My savings is just enough for my father's medication for a year. But you all know that I still have to pay the bank for my loan." She borrowed money from a bank to buy a farm which is her parents dream. They want to stay in a farm because they want to stay away from the city which is crowded and polluted.

"Moreover, we have many workers who depend on the farm." She added.

"Don't you worry, you will find a job soon!" Queenie said while patting her consolingly on the shoulder.

"Yes" Sam seconded, nodding her head.

Kashmir is grateful to have friends like them. They're there for her not only in good times but also in her difficult times. She met her friends during her time in the university. Samantha and Queenie are of the same year, they are 1 year seniors of Kashmir and Joyce. Joyce has been her classmate since highschool. Kashmir and Joy were helped by Samantha and Queenie to find work in the Netherlands. After a year, Joyce was transferred by her company to their branch in Dubai but the company gives her a vacation to the Netherlands once a year.

While they were talking, Kashmir felt that someone was looking at her. 'Could there be someone who is following me?' she thought. A thought that gave her the shivers. She looked outside to find who was staring at her but she failed to find, for there were so many people passing by and she just dismissed the thought.

"Why don't we go to a nightclub?" Sam told them.

"Yes, tonight will be our last night here. So we must enjoy it girls" Joyce agreed to Samantha's idea.

"Oooops wait... But Kashmir doesn't drink and I have a low tolerance to alcohol." Queenie reminded Joyce and Samantha. 

They all knew that Kashmir doesn't drink, she once tried to drink wine when they went to a club after their exam but was disgusted with the taste of it and she also witnessed her friends' drunken state where they did a lot of silly things. Moreover, she ended up taking them home which she had really hard time dragging them out. After that she never entered a club again even if they persistently asked her to join them and because of that her friends stopped going to the club.

"I will go with you and will just drink juice but promise me that you won't get drunk because I can't manage to take the three of you back to the hotel." Kashmir expressed her condition.

"Promise, I won't get drunk. I will immediately stop when I know I am about to get drunk." Samantha promised, raising her right hand while making a promise.

"I, Joyce Dela Cruz, made a promise that I won't get drunk tonight and behave myself as a lady." Jokingly promised.

"I, Queenie Sebastian, made a promise to Kashmir Lara that I will not be drunk and won't do silly things." Queenie promised, trying to keep her laughter.

"Haahahahaha" Kashmir burst into laughter holding her tummy. She couldn't suppress her laughter anymore.

Samantha, Joyce and Queenie also burst into laughter after they saw Kashmere's face red as a tomato because of laughing. The whole coffee shop was filled with laughter. All heads turned to them but the four ladies were oblivious to their surroundings.

At night, after dinner, they went to the club near the hotel. Samantha looked stunning with her red sleeveless mini bodycon dress and a fur coat on top of it and matched with stilettos. Joyce wore a blue mini dress and a double breasted coat on top of it and a thigh - high boots. Queenie dressed in a silver mini dress and a wrap and she wore thigh high boots. Kashmir decided to wear a casual and simple outfit, so she wore a loose, mid thigh length sweater dress, she put on her leggings and paired it with knee - high boots. She also wore a knee length coat because it's freezing outside.

At the club, they entered a private box. They all removed their coats revealing their sexy figures. People at the box can still be seen outside and men were ogling at the girls. They ordered their drinks and started drinking, after they drank a few glasses of wine.

"Girls, I want to dance, let's dance" Joyce said, pointing at the dance floor.

"No" Kashmir protested.

"Oh, come on, Kashmir. Why can't we?" Samantha asked, pouting at Kashmir.

"There are men over there, I am afraid they might harass us." She explained.

"They would not do that, besides there are bouncers watching so if they attempt to harass us, we can call them for help." Queenie talked convincingly.

"Ok then, but we have to be wary while dancing and not allow men to get near us." Kashmir said.

"Let's go!"

On the dance floor, the four women danced. Among the four women, only Kashmir remained cautious and she didn't want to put her guard down. Again, she felt a pair of eyes gazing at her. She looked around but there was no one looking in her direction. She excused herself to go to the powder room and she again felt that someone was gazing at her. She just shrugged and told herself that she's just imagining things.

Kashmir decided to stay at their private box after going to the powder room instead of going back to the dance floor.

On the opposite side of the private box where Amir and his friends were seated, Amir is intensely looking at her. Kashmir never paid attention to what's happening around her as she was deeply engrossed listening to music, she put on her earphones and closed the door of the box so she could not hear the loud music coming from the loud speakers of the club. The whole evening, Amir never averted his eyes from her. He made up his mind to talk to her at the hotel tomorrow because this place is not a proper place to talk to her, he thought.

The next morning, Kashmere and friends checked - out. While waiting for their car they stayed at the hotel lobby. Amir saw her, he walked towards her but stopped because he couldn't muster his courage to approach.

"Why am I getting nervous? I have never felt this way before" Amir muttered.

He saw Kashmir and her company pulling their luggage. So he inhaled deeply and mustered all his courage and approached her.

"Hi!" he said, smiling at Kashmir

"H... Hi. Good morning" she replied, stuttering, she didn't expect to see him again after the incident. Kashmir did not forget those eyes penetrating her heart.

"Mind if I'll help you with your luggage'. he asked her.

"Nope"

"So you're heading home now?"

"Yes"

"By the way, you haven't told me your name yet," he asked, smiling at her.

"I am Kashmir."

"You have a beautiful name Kashmir" he said. The way he said her name is like music to her ear. She could feel her heart pounding wildly.

"Thank you"

"Kashmir, can I have..." his phone started to ring. He pulled his phone from his pocket. Looking at the screen he saw that it was his mom who was calling.

"Excuse me for a while" he answered his phone.

Kashmir left him to give him privacy, pulled her luggage. 

"Let's go girls, we don't want to miss the train to Amsterdam" Kashmir looked at Queenie who was in the car already.

Kashmir looked at Amir who was still on a phone call. And she slowly walked towards the car and climbed into the car with a heavy heart. All of the girls settled themselves in the car.

"Bye, Amir" Kashmir whispered looking at the back of Amir who is still talking with his mom. 

"Bye mom" Amir ended the phone call and turned to face Kashmir but she was no longer there.

He looked around but saw no trace of Kashmir nor her friends.

"I am so stupid! I should have approached her last night at the club. Why didn't I realize sooner that I don't have all the time to speak to her" Amir muttered, scolding himself. He realized that it's too late for him to make his first move to pursue Kashmir.