The international departures lounge at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport was relatively quiet.
Rahul found a comfortable seat near his boarding gate and decided to take his time researching some travel tips for Bangladesh. The last time he had gone on a spontaneous trip was a trip to Manali with Ananya, right after they had graduated from college. Since he had started working, going on a trip with Ananya felt like it drained half his life energy.
He was the one who researched the itineraries. He was the one who booked the hotels. But the most exhausting part was that Ananya was obsessed with visiting every single aesthetic café and viewpoint she saw on Instagram Reels. Every time Rahul mapped out a logical route, she would suddenly want to detour to a new trendy spot.
The moment she stepped out of the cab, it was a never-ending photoshoot. "Stand here, hold the phone lower, capture my jawline." It would take hours to get a shot she deemed worthy. If the lighting was off or the angle wasn't flattering, Rahul was the one who got scolded. By the end of any vacation, he usually felt like he needed another vacation just to recover. She didn't really care about enjoying the view; she only cared about how the view looked on her Instagram grid.
Shaking his head with a light chuckle, he let go of those memories. He casually scrolled through a few travel blogs about Dhaka, taking mental notes at a relaxed pace.
With some time to kill before boarding, he opened Instagram just to see what was happening. Right at the top of his feed was Ananya's latest story.
It was a collage of photos taken at a ridiculously expensive sea-facing restaurant in Colaba. Front and center was a massive bouquet of red roses and an open velvet box showing off a diamond pendant. In the corner of one of the photos, a guy's wrist wearing a premium Tag Heuer watch was "accidentally" in the frame.
The caption read: "Cheers to new beginnings. Queens deserve to be treated like royalty!"
Instead of feeling angry, Rahul actually burst out laughing. "Wow, she moves fast," he muttered to himself, thoroughly amused. The seamless transition was almost impressive. If anything, this just proved that breaking up was the best decision he had ever made.
Still smiling, he went to her profile, hit block on Instagram, and then blocked her number on WhatsApp for good measure. Out of sight, out of mind.
Just as he was about to lock his phone, his college best friend, Kabir, called him.
"Bro! Moving up in the world, I see! A Tag Heuer? Very nice!" Kabir sounded excited.
Rahul leaned back in his chair, grinning. "That wrist on her story isn't mine, bhai. I'm sitting at the airport."
There was a long, awkward pause on the other end. "Oh, damn. Sorry, man. I didn't realize... hey, you know what? You dodged a bullet. You're a great guy, you'll find someone way better."
"Relax, Kabir, I'm actually feeling fantastic," Rahul said, his tone entirely upbeat. "Anyway, they're about to call my zone for boarding."
"Wait, where are you going? Don't do anything crazy like going to the Himalayas to become a monk!"
"Not quite. I'm heading to Bangladesh."
"Bangladesh? What for? Going to watch a cricket match? Wait, you like football more than cricket anyway!"
Rahul laughed out loud at the random logic. "No, bro, no sports. I quit my job. I'm starting a travel vlog. Maybe I'll find a bride there who doesn't ask for a fifty-lakh security deposit! I'll call you when I land!"
He hung up, still chuckling, shouldered his backpack, and leisurely joined the boarding queue.
The flight took off, heading to Kolkata for a brief layover. Since it was a short stop, he didn't even have to change terminals before hopping onto the connecting flight to Dhaka.
A few hours later, the plane touched down at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. He strolled through the terminal, getting his visa-on-arrival stamped without any hassle—the officer barely even glanced at his return ticket.
It was a little past 7:00 AM local time. Even though he had been travelling all night, Rahul felt a surge of excited energy. He pulled out his DJI Pocket 3 camera, powered it on, and flashed a bright smile at the lens.
"What's up guys! Your boy Rahul is finally here in Dhaka..."
He took his time wandering around the arrival hall until he spotted a mobile network counter. He bought a local Grameenphone SIM card, chatting amiably with the staff member. Since he didn't have his international card set up for the local ride apps yet, he handed the guy some cash to help him book an Uber.
Taking his wallet back, he unzipped the side pocket of his backpack, slipped the wallet inside, and zipped it back up before thanking the staff member.
Walking out of the airport doors, a thick blanket of humid heat immediately wrapped around him. The air was loud, vibrating with the relentless honking of cars, auto-rickshaws, and motorcycles. The infrastructure looked a bit chaotic, with tangled overhead wires and mismatched buildings. It was wild, vibrant, and perfectly messy.
"So this is Dhaka," Rahul said to his camera, loving the chaotic energy. "It's loud, it's busy, and we are going to see what kind of adventures we can find here. Let's go!"
Before he could even step off the curb, a crowd of enthusiastic taxi drivers swarmed him.
"Sir! AC taxi for you!"
"Best price, sir, come with me!"
Rahul just laughed, playfully dodging the crowd while keeping his camera rolling. "No thanks, boss! I've got an Uber coming! Thank you though!"
He was having a great time capturing the hustle and bustle for his first vlog. In the middle of the lively crowd pushing past each other, two guys suddenly bumped hard into his side. Rahul stumbled slightly but quickly regained his balance, thinking it was just the normal chaos of a crowded street.
He finally spotted his Uber, waved goodbye to the persistent local drivers, and happily jumped into the back seat, enjoying the blast of the car's AC.
A short while later, he arrived at his budget hotel in the Gulshan area. He walked up to the reception desk, still in high spirits.
The receptionist smiled and pointed to a small sign. "Welcome, sir. We just need your passport and a security deposit of 2000 Taka."
"Sure thing, give me one second," Rahul said cheerfully. He swung his backpack around and reached into the side pocket.
His fingers met empty space.
He patted the pocket. Then he looked inside. It was completely empty.
Instead of panicking, Rahul just let out a highly amused sigh, shaking his head with a wry smile. "Well, that's a brilliant start to the trip," he muttered. He had been robbed within ten minutes of landing.
Right at that exact moment, a cheerful, slightly metallic voice suddenly echoed directly inside his mind.
"Karma Succubus Attribute, successfully bound!"