Jaya loved to wake up long after sunrise. It irritated her no end if she had to wake up early for any reason. Today was one such day and she told her tired bones to do her bidding. They weren't even ready to step outside the bed! Wearily, she got up and looked at the mirror. There'd be no one else to blame if she had a bad day - the first person she saw every morning, on waking up, was no one else but her. Usually, the sunlight reflected from the mirror was enough to get her going. But today, it wasn't yet sunrise!

She cursed herself for having agreed to receive her friend, Lux, at the airport and help her reach her hotel in Bangalore. But Lux wouldn't have had it any other way. She was very apprehensive about depending on strangers to reach her destination, and more so when she was arriving so early in the morning. She did not enjoy the thought of having to deal with leery auto rickshaw and cab drivers first thing in the morning, more so when they were out to make a fast buck at her expense. Darwin's "survival of the fittest" was burned into her consciousness through many unpleasant encounters in a male dominated world, and Lux sought strength in numbers to ensure survival. So, Jaya agreed to receive her after much pleading and cajoling, caving in at the mention of their best friends forever vow taken in college.

Friends. What would one do without them?