Happy Sunday! :)

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Kab tak chup baithe ab to kuchh hai bolna

♪

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After spending some time at the water falls view point they had hiked to the lake. It was literally like they had stepped into paradise. It had begun to drizzle so they decided to skip boating. The air was growing colder again. Even a chameleon didn't switch colours so fast as the weather changed it's mood. Instead, they spent some time at the food court and sat chatting about school and college life. Once the light rain shower had stopped they decided to go for a walk by the lake.

Nikhil finally felt that he also had a group he belonged to. It was a very comforting feeling. He didn't feel like an outsider any more. Surprisingly, he heard Sharanya talk too. She wasn't the usual silent and reserved type at all. She laughed, cracked good jokes and also had good comebacks for Gargi. Yet, there was a delicacy, a certain type of grace in the way she responded.

Nikhil found himself observing her a lot. He also caught her stealing glances at him once in a while. She'd catch him doing the same too, and they would exchange a smile. It was a new kind of feeling. It felt nice, very nice.

However, something bothered him. Nikhil wasn't sure if he was right, but he felt she was holding back when it came to talking to him. She didn't talk as freely as she spoke to Gargi or even Arun for that matter. Percase it was the newness of their knowing each other. Or maybe he wasn't a person she found it easy to make conversation with.

The drive to Ooty was quiet. All they had heard along the way was the rustle of leaves and sounds of the birds and crickets. There was thick vegetation on either side of the road. It was like they were driving in the middle of the forest. Given the weather of the day, the sky had turned dark quickly.

Sharanya had made two calls during the drive. One to ask her sister if she had reached home. Other to her brother to ask him to cooperate with Akshaya and help her out with the household chores because she had a paper to prepare for.

Every time Nikhil witnessed her interaction with her siblings, he felt he lacked the skill of being a good elder sibling. Sharanya was such a natural at it. On the other hand, he didn't even know what was up in the life of his siblings. He didn't like how Sharanya's constant involvement in the life of her siblings made him feel. Even his mother's subtle taunts didn't make him feel so bad.

He kept his gaze stuck on the road outside. The silence of the trees strangely reminded him of the silence of his own life. A slow, uncaring life. He glanced at her, wondering if his life would be the same or it would change for the better.

It made him panic for a bit. What if Sharanya went to being just another family member doing her own thing at home? What if this marriage didn't make him stop feeling that awful loneliness he felt?

He simply brushed off the thoughts and rested his head against the window frame.

Something was better than nothing.

* * *

Gargi had booked a home-stay instead of hotel. The host stayed on the ground floor of the beautiful house. Calling it a cottage wouldn't be appropriate because it was big. The host rented out first and second floors. The lady had a few helpers to help her with providing support to her guests. Gargi had got in touch with the owner via an acquaintance.

The lady had given them a warm welcome. Without taking much of their time she had taken them up the staircase. The staircase took them to a L-shaped balcony. The view was excellent. Their were plantations nearby and the hills were visible.

The interiors were just as good as the outside. There was a low sitting at one end of the room and a dining table at the other. Two bedrooms each with attached toilets and a small kitchen area was provided.

It wasn't less than a good hotel stay. The beds had nice and soft mattress with duvets. The owner definitely spent well on maintaining the place. It was a premium home stay.

Nikhil and Arun took the room on the right while the ladies took the left. They had decided to freshen up and have dinner that they had requested their host to order.

"The view must be so good from here," Sharanya spoke as she pushed aside the curtains that had a nice big window.

"It's the east side, sunrise view." Gargi said, peeking out.

"Just imagine living in a house like this," Sharanya exhaled expressing her wishful thinking.

"It's good for a getaway from city life," Gargi said, unzipping her bag. "Can I go for a shower first?" She asked.

"Yeah, sure," Sharanya answered admiring the simple but tastefully decorated room. While Gargi went to the shower quickly, Sharanya decided to organize the food bag in the kitchenette.

She stepped into the quiet living hall, picked up the bag and was about to march towards the kitchenette, when she noticed a figure standing out in the passageway balcony through the window beside the door. It was Nikhil. He was on the phone.

By the little she heard, she could conclude it was a work call. She proceeded to do the task she had taken up.

* * *

Sharanya had begrudgingly worn the polka dots dress that she and Gargi had bought in different colours a little over an year ago. Sharanya's was dark royal blue and had tiny white dots while Gargi's was a same design in deep red and white. They had twined once, wearing it out for a brunch. Sharanya had grabbed a shrug over it. She had wanted to wear leggings too, and had protested that her legs were cold, but Gargi wouldn't hear any of it.

Sharanya wasn't expecting a cake cutting. But Gargi had other plans. The latter had already arranged for a cake that had— Happy Birthday Sharu, written on it. Sharanya couldn't take her eyes of the dark chocolate cake that was placed at the centre of the dining table.

"Come on, time to cut cake, Arun," Gargi shouted.

"He's changing," Nikhil said, switching his glance back to Sharanya.

She looked at him while Gargi excused herself to check on what was taking her husband so long.

"You look nice," Nikhil finally found a chance to say when Gargi was gone.

Sharanya blushed, muttering a 'thank you'

An awkward silence fell.

"So, you like this place?" Sharanya asked.

"Honestly, at first I thought a hotel would be better. But looks like now, I like this place. The rooms are comfortable and the place is clean and well maintained."

Sharanya smiled agreeing, "it is. I can't wait to see the morning view."

"Yeah," He answered.

"So chocolate is your favorite?" He asked, placing his hands on the chair as he glanced at the cake.

"Favorite favorite too." She said.

He smiled nodding.

"Yours?" She asked.

He looked up at her. "I like red velvet best in cakes. Even butterscotch. Not that I don't like chocolate." He said.

She nodded. She wasn't much fond of butterscotch. She remembered their engagement cake wondering if it was his choice. The cake reminded her of that stomach curling moment.

"Sorry, for the delay guys," Arun muttered as the two of them came out.

"That's a sexy cake!" He exclaimed looking at the beauty in brown.

He then smiled at Sharanya. "Oh you two are...wearing the same thing." He remarked.

"Twinning!" Gargi corrected, putting an arm around Sharanya's waist.

"And you call me a kid," Arun said taking the camera from her hand.

Gargi rolled her eyes. "It's a trend!"

"How about you two smile, so that I can capture your twinning?" He said in an animated way making the girls chuckle.

As the other sang birthday song, Sharanya cut the cake. She fed it to Gargi, as she turned towards Arun, he ushered Nikhil forward. She smiled holding the piece of cake for him. He held her hand, taking a small bite. It was almost as though the moment from their engagement was repeating.

"Happy Birthday," He said softly, guiding her hand towards her mouth. She smiled taking a small bite. Unbeknownst to them, Gargi smiled capturing that moment's image in her phone.

* * *

They made themselves comfortable in the low sitting area of the living space. It was a make shift couch made in a U shape with some scatter cushions wrapped in colorful covers. The host had already ordered dinnerfor them, adhering to their preference.

They were all exhausted and hungry. The dinner time was laid back as they occasionally discussed the events from the morning or prior hotel experiences. Arun and Gargi had a few things to share from their earlier trip to Ooty. Post dinner, Sharanya and Gargi had cleared the used dishes and packets.

Gargi sat on the carpet, while Arun took the couch behind her. Sharanya sat across from them, Nikhil had pulled a chair. He didn't seem to be comfortable on the makeshift couch. Gargi was sharing the itinerary that she had planned.

For the next day, local sightseeing was on agenda. A visit to the tea gardens in the morning, which would be their host's private property and then a popular viewpoint in the way back to the center of the city, a visit to the famous botanical garden and finally the lake and then some time in the local markets. For the night, their host was going to let them have a campfire at the terrace. On Sunday, they'd kept the morning for a ride on the famous Ooty local train and post lunch they would go to some shooting points while on the way back to Bangalore.

None of them had any suggestions to make.

Gargi called it a night. Nikhil said he'd go have a short walk around. Arun had politely refused to join the driving had exhausted him he had said. Nikhil glanced at Sharanya.

"She'll come, she is used to walking before bed time." Gargi had said, looking at the hesitation between them. Nikhil wanted to ask but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. She knew Sharanya wanted to spend time with Nikhil but she wouldn't admit it.

"Okay?" Nikhil asked.

"Sure," Sharanya replied, "Give me a minute," she said disappearing into the room.

"Just latch from outside," Gargi said, adding "Good night!"

"Good night," He said looking at Arun as she walked away.

"Have a nice walk," Arun grinned.

Nikhil turned away rolling his eyes.

"Be careful of snakes," Arun added.

"What!" Nikhil exclaimed looking back at him.

"I was kidding." Arun laughed. "You should be okay as long as you don't walk into bushes, I guess."

Sharanya walked out of the room having her shoes on. The shrug replaced by a proper sweater.

"Good night, Sharanya!" Arun said passing her.

"Good night," she smiled.

"Warning you, she's a hugger-sleeper." Arun said softly referringto Gargi, then with a smile he walked past.

"Okay," Sharanya said with a smile, glancing glancing Nikhil.

* * *

As soon as they stepped outside, Sharanya was glad she had worn her sweater. The night was cold. They had slowly climbed down the stairs and started ambling up the sloping road.

"Feels like we are lost in nowhere," Sharanya spoke up.

He nodded looking around. They walked right in the middle of the silent road. His subconscious looking out for snakes.

"So, is it a habit, going for a walk after dinner?" She asked, folding her arms. She should've worn a legging too. Her legs would be like frozen chicken when she got back

"Not really. But I like to spend some time in the open air before bed." He said. "You?" He said glancing at her.

"I try to walk at least for twenty minutes before bed."

He nodded wordlessly. There was no one around. The night was dark, the moon hidden somewhere behind clouds. The leaves from the vegetation on either side of the road rustled making the silence harmonious. Occasionally, the sound of cricket rang.

"Gargi was saying something about your job interview that time but she left it half way ..." He spoke up.

"Oh, that. Yeah. I am serving my notice period at HireRight currently. I have given two interviews so far. Just waiting for them to get back." Sharanya answered.

"Oh, it was on this Monday?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Any particular reason to shift job?" He asked curiously.

"I guess it was time for a change, to look for something better. Since Harshit has a steady job I could take the leap, safely." She answered.

"How did the interview go? HR?"

"Yes. It was for a senior recruitment specialist at JK Cloud Solutions. The interview was okay. I probably won't hear back or will get a negative from them because they particularly wanted someone with a technical background. I don't see why they call it a HR round if they want someone from Technical background to conduct it."

"Then I am guilty too," Nikhil muttered.

Sharanya looked at him surprised. "What do you mean?"

"At DreamDigital, I guess almost all the recruiters have a B.Tech or B.Sc in Computer Science. They are mostly people with Masters in HR. It sort of is convenient."

Sharanya slowly nodded.

"What about the other interview you gave?" He asked, unable to understand what her silence meant. Did the idea disappoint her?

"That, I don't know. I gave it two weeks back. They were wary because I don't have experience in a proper H.R wing of a company. As in all my experience is in third party hiring companies. There's one on Wednesday. I hope that works out."

"Which company?"

"ZD Consulting, it's a global firm that provides services and solutions to Hospitals and Health Care facilities."

"I am aware, all the best," He said

She smiled. Conversation about anything other than their personal life was so easy for them. She remembered Gargi's words of taking the initiative to talk about their future together. She took a deep breath and decided to pay heed to that advice.

"So, What does your regular day look like?"

Nikhil glanced at her. "It's pretty boring. Wake up, jog, breakfast, office, work, work, work, get back home have dinner, work a little, read a little, sleep."

Sharanya couldn't help but agree with him, that was pretty boring.

"Yours?" He asked, wondering if he should have made it sound a little better.

"More or less same. Wake up, cook, pull Akshu out of bed, reach office, work, get back home, cook, take tuitions, go for a walk, dinner and sleep."

Nikhil felt relieved. He wasn't the only one who worked on robot mode. Silently they kept walking ahead.

"So reading is your hobby?" Sharanya asked.

"Hmm,"

"What's your go-to genre?"

"I like reading auto biographies, leadership and sometimes technical books."

"Oh," she said. She didn't know why she was expecting something that would make him a little less boring.

"You're hobbies?" He asked after a pause.

"Uh, I like—" She pause as her mobile rang. "Excuse me," she said, "I need to take this."

He nodded.

"Yes, Akshu," she spoke, placing the smartphone against her ear. After listening to the other side she said, "The cupboard near the balcony. It must be on the top-most shelf. I would have wrapped it in newspaper. Just look."

They slowly kept ambling ahead, while she waited.

She then let out a sigh. "Yeah, was about to sleep. You sleep early okay, and remind Papa and Harhsit to wake you up in the morning. Yeah, good night!"

She ended the call and glanced at him. "Akshu,"

He nodded. It must have been hard for them without a mother. He couldn't think of not having his mother around while growing up.

"Actually, they don't know that you and Arun are also on this trip. They think it's just me and Gargi." She spoke up.

"Oh, makes the two of us then."

Sharanya looked at him puzzled.

A nervous smile made it to his lips as he pushed duo his glasses, "she thinks, I am on a work trip to Chennai."

"Oh," she muttered. "Any particular reason?"

"She's conservative and off late she's being a little difficult. I didn't want to argue so I lied." He said, wondering if he should have told his mother instead and taken the pain to explain his point of view to her.

"Hmm, it's odd, no?" She spoke her mind.

"Huh," He looked at her, his steps faltering.

"I mean, we both come from conservative families. And we're in a generation where adults act in ways that a conservative family would not approve, even be ashamed of. So here we are, just trying to get to know each other a little bit and for that we had to lie."

Nikhil nodded in agreement.

Sharanya looked around, they had come a long distance from the house. As much as she wanted to not interrupt the conversation they were having, she was tired and wanted to call it a day. "We should head back,?"

He looked up and around, "yes, we should," he said expressing his agreement. They turned around and began retracing their steps. A comfortable silence fell.

"I am glad we made this trip," Sharanya spoke up. "I mean, this place is beautiful, " she said cautiously looking sideways towards him.

"It is. So, surreal," He remarked looking ahead and then up at the hills around.

Sharanya nodded. That wasn't the only reason she was happy she had said yes. Gargi was right, this was the best way to get to know him better. She stood a glance at him. But Gargi was definitely wrong when she had suggested this was the closest she'd get to a DDLJ romance. Nikhil was no Raj or Rahul. The little silly, hopeful part of her that she kept restricted to herself had to stop hoping for romance. There was absolutely no scope here. Maybe in another life time, if she wasn't freed of the cycle of birth and death.

 • • • • •

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Next update: by next Thursday.

-Anami!♡

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