As Khushi stood in front of the Fairview Resort, at the outskirts
of Jaisalmer, the Golden City of India,
she realized that she was starving. Her anxiety had got the better of her as she
had turned her back on food, the whole day, preferring to calm down her fraying
nerves in order to reach here as soon as possible. The journey had left her
completely exhausted, even though the temperatures were on the warm pleasant
side now.
The sun was starting to set, giving space to the black
clouds in the sky. It was definitely
going to rain, she thought as she looked at the numerous tents crowding the
desert space. The lights were more subdued, flickering to life as the music
danced on in the balmy air. The warm breeze was refreshing and the view of the
glowing orange sun dipping into the horizon...breathtaking.
She enquired about the tent booked under Dr. Aman Mathur's
name at the reception and walked quietly along the pathway, admiring the
gorgeous scenery and smiling at the songs coming from the nearby stage. It appeared
to her that a celebration was going on. The aroma of lavender, eucalyptus and
an array of exotic desert flowers perfumed the air, while the peaceful quiet of
the resort soothed her soul.
With her head bent, she failed to look at the steps
approaching until she heard her son's voice.
"Mumma"
Khushi turned languidly and bent down to the ebullient little
boy's height, "There you are! How was your day Nikhil!" she paused to notice him
completely covered in a pink transparent raincoat, with little fairies on the
front, "Whose raincoat you are wearing? And why are you out here alone?"
"Uff mumma...so many questions", the kid protested and only then
did Khushi hesitantly notice him holding onto someone's hand, "Meet Annav
uncle"
"And uncle, this..." Before Nikhil could continue further, he
heard a distant voice and rushed back, "Di is calling me"
But he had done the needful
already.
Arnav felt as if he had been rendered to stone. He stared at
Khushi, with wide eyes, hoping she
was a mirage that would mercifully fade, but she clearly had no such intention.
She moved, rose to her feet and looked at him, her face mirroring the same aghast
look as his.
Khushi thought she would die of hysteria. She wanted to
scream, it's not true! It cannot be true,
but she remained silent.
Time stilled between them as the light drizzles
started turning to a downpour.
__________
Okay, here it is!
The dedication for the next chapter will go to the reader who can correctly guess the immediate sequence of things to happen between Arnav-Khushi.
Yup, I know you can...if you have been following this fiction as closely as me 😆
So the game is on! Lets see who gets it right!
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