Kaashi cleared that she doesn't want to go there with her parents but then her face lit up like she had an idea for something and decided to open her mouth saying "Actually, Why don't you come with me?" leaving others with wide eyes and open mouth in shock. "I remember you traveled to the U.S. once during school vacation. You showed the pictures as well. It means you have a passport." Kaashi added.
"Uhmm… Yeah WITH parents. My parents will never allow me to go to any other country without them." Tiara tried to reason with her.
"Ahh, You are 20 now. They will allow you with me." Kaashi forced her.
"Yes, They allowed you to come here alone too, right?" Prachi reassured.
"Okay, Let's think they agree but they definitely don't have enough money to buy concert and plane tickets. Plus, We will have to stay and eat there as well." Tiara tried again to reason with her.
"I have already bought two concert tickets. You don't need to worry about the concert ticket, our stay, and food. I will take care of it." Kaashi reassured her. A sigh came out of Tiara's mouth as if she failed to complete her mission and must agree with her friend now.
"Okay, When's the concert?" She asked with an irritated voice.
"Next month." Kaashi answers.
"Don't worry, I will come to your home and talk to your parents in detail" Kaashi reassured her friend.
2 days after their meeting, Kaashi came to visit Tiara's home to make her parents agree to let their daughter go.
They were sitting in the living room. Tiara and her mother were sitting on a large sofa in the middle of the room while Kaashi was sitting on the single sofa on the right side of the large one and Tiara's father was on the left side sofa.
"So, Did Tiara tell you about the concert?" Kaashi knew her friend wouldn't tell her parents anything about it but she still asked to confirm if she had changed or not.
"No, She just told us that you are going to a concert which is in another country next month." The old lady answered after listening to the answer Kaashi rolled her eyes thinking that she was right about her friend and looks straight into Tiara's eyes, who was trying to ignore their eye contact.
"That's true, but my parents can't go with me and I can't go there alone. So, I was thinking if Tiara could go with me." Kaashi finally told the reason for her visit after listening to Kaashi's reason Tiara's parents burst out of laugh and her father said "She can't even go to the nearest shop on her own and you want her to go out of the country?" and starts to laugh again while Tiara seems embarrassed but she laughs it off.
"Yes, but I will be with her all the time," Kaashi reassured.
"Okay, but I don't think she should go out of the country. After all, you both are around 20 only." A mother was worried about her daughter.
"Being 20 is enough to go out of the country with friends and Aglos is in Asia as well. Not a big deal." Kaashi was trying her best to make her friend's parents let her friend go with her.
Tiara got up from her spot and walked toward the kitchen and said "I will be back with tea and snacks." Everyone ignored her like she was a ghost talking to herself and continued the conversation.
Tiara started to prepare the tea for three people while blabbering something to herself and making weird faces. 'I'm tired of everyone deciding what's good for me or not! Ughh!! Just let me do whatever I want for god's sake!' She started to get rough on the utensils making loud voices and letting all her frustration out on them.
After the tea was prepared, She took two trays with both of her hands on one there were three cups of tea, and on another were snacks. Then she entered the living room again and heard their conversation.
"Okay, We agree to let her go but I don't think the tickets and expenses won't be in our budget." said the old lady.
"Yes, Our budget is tight." Tiara's father added while Tiara put the trays on the table in the middle of the room.
"Oh no, Don't worry about the expenses or tickets. I will take care of expenses and return tickets, you just need to book a flight to go there." Kiara played her final card.
"Ohh, Well then… ask her mother." A husband wanted the house's boss's permission and took a teacup from the table while looking at Tiara's mother.
"Uhmm… Okay, We don't have any problem then because Tiara can afford a flight ticket." The head of the house finally gave her permission while taking a cup from the table as well.
"Wait, wait! What!??" Tiara freaked out. "No no! I am not going to spend my savings on a plane ticket. I have earned that money and saved to buy myself an E-Pad!" Tiara explained leaving Kaashi shocked.
"Huh!!? But you don't even work then how can you earn?" Kaashi asked because she never heard of Tiara going out and doing a job. "I thought you don't go out of the house."
"Earning money doesn't mean you need to go out," Tiara said sarcastically.
"Ohh, Online earning." Kaashi understood.
"Yeah, You can say that, but that's not the matter right now. Why should I spend my money on a ticket!?" Tiara was about to cry like she is going to lose a treasure.
"Oh come on, Don't you want to see another country?" Kaashi made puppy eyes in the hope of making her friend agree.
"I have seen two countries and I think that's enough for a 20-year-old." Tiara was satisfied with her life experience.
"Yeah, but I wasn't with you back then. Just think of the good time we can have together there." Kaashi forced.
"Ehh… Okay, but that's it. I won't spend my money on other things." Tiara agreed as she felt like she isn't going to win this battle with her friend.
"Great, Don't worry. I know you won't regret going there." Kaashi happily reassured.
'I'm already regretting meeting you in the first place.' Tiara eye-rolled and thought to herself.
After a while Kaashi left for her home after booking the ticket online leaving Tiara in shock about what just happened, she had to spend her saving on a thing she doesn't even want. "Sometimes, I wonder why I even made friends that too like hers." Her soul cried.
Day by day passed and it's been almost a month, everything was going on okay until Tiara's mother's phone rang.
"Tia, It's your friend. Kaashi." The old lady called out to her daughter.
"Ughh, Tell her I am sleeping or something." Tiara answered while doing something on her laptop.
"You should talk to her because you are going out with her in a few days. What if it's something important?" Her mother advised her.
"Ugh, Okay!!" Tiara took the phone from her mother's hand and picked up the phone call.
"Hello." Kaashi checked if it was Tiara on the call or not.
"Yeah, Say what is it?" Tiara asked the reason behind her phone call.
"We will have to take the flight after 4 days. So, I was wondering if you would like to go on shopping to buy some new clothes to wear there." Kaashi revealed her intentions behind her call.
"No, You can go 'cause I don't want any new clothes." Tiara sighs and thinks that she doesn't have enough money to buy clothes for herself even if she wanted to buy any new clothes.
"Are you sure? I think you should buy some new clothes to go to the concert at least." Kaashi asked again.
"Yeah, I already have lots of clothes to wear. I don't want more. Bye." Tiara ended the conversation because she knew if she keep talking to her friend then she will end up spending more money from her savings but she chose to cut the call.
"Ahh, I can't believe I am going out with this girl, Mom!!" Tiara complained to her mother.
"Well, She is your friend." Tiara's mother said while getting up from the bed.
Tiara was getting worried about the different languages, people, and places. So, she decided to do some research on the country they were going to. She started to search for different things about Aglos like their language, tradition, places, stores, currency, the most recent hot topics, and lastly some rumors after searching everything and learning their basic words she felt like she was ready to go there but something inside her was saying that it's not a right choice to go there as her whole life will change after going there ignoring it she thought that she can't do anything about it as she already bought tickets.
Finally, The day came when they were going to catch their flight to Aglos. They decided to go together and Kaashi came to pick Tiara up from her home.
"Do you still think we should go?" Tiara asked nervously.
"Dude, Of course! We should. Don't be such a crying baby and get into the car already." Kaashi scolds Tiara seeing her nervous self.
"Why don't you listen to me ever!" Tiara complained while putting her stuff in the back of the car.
"Because you worry too much." Kaashi commented and Tiara opened the car's gate and see Kaashi with an irritated face.
"No need to get irritated. It's okay to be nervous while going to a completely different country" Tiara explained the reason behind her behavior while getting in the car and sitting beside Kaashi.
"It's gonna be okay because we have each other." Kaashi reassured with a confident gesture.
They took their flight after reaching the airport peacefully but unfortunately, they didn't get their reserved seats together resulting in them both having to sit separately with strangers making the 8-hour-long flight uncomfortable. After settling down, eating their meals, and reading magazines Tiara fell asleep. She was sitting with a married couple who were kinda happy that she fell asleep because they wanted to talk to each other openly without feeling awkward.
After 8 hours.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Airline welcomes you to Aglos. The local time is 9:38 p.m. For your safety and the safety of those around you, please remain seated with your seat belt and keep the aisle(s) clear until we parked at the gate. Thank you." the announcement ended making Tiara wake up from her dream and somehow Tiara seems calm now.
Just after a few minutes airplane landed and everyone started to get out of the plane at last Tiara decided to get up from her seat and pointed Kaashi to get up and come with her. They collected their suitcases, came out from the airplane station, and looked around their surroundings taking a deep breath of the new air around them. Tiara noticed something different about Kaashi, It took her a few seconds to figure out that her friend was shaking.
"Are you okay? It's not even cold here then why are you shaking like this?" Tiara asked worriedly.
Kaashi gulped and said "I don't know, Just look at these gorgeous people around us. I think I understand why you were nervous about coming here."