Rewrite the Stars

04 | f o u r

Next morning, as promised, Nikhil and Sahasra went bungee jumping. Nikhil went without fear, it wasn't the first time he was doing this. But Sahasra — she was anxiously biting her nails, and when she saw Nikhil jump, she closed her eyes out of fright.

When Nikhil came back, the female workers came to strap the protection suit on her.

"Good luck," Nikhil told her. "Just so you know, the fall is very deep."

He had said this purposely, with the sole objective of scaring the poor girl even more.
And, he was successful.

Sahasra looked down. He's right, this is too deep, she thought.

"I... uh... I changed my mind," she said to him. "I'm not doing this."

"And you want to be in the army? I knew that you couldn't do it — scaredy hippo! Ma'am please unstrap her."

Sahasra stopped the woman who came to unstrap her. "I will do it," she said and pointed her finger towards Nikhil, "and you — don't be so condescening."

She closed her eyes and started praying. Krishn bhagwan, raksha karna.

"Ready ma'am?" the woman asked.

"Yes!" Sahasra took a deep breath and down she went. When she fell, she opened her eyes — it was exhilarating, but she screamed her heart out. She was scared, yet she was proud of herself. It was beautiful as she looked around swinging as she reached the end point.

"WOOHOO YOU SEE I DID IT MR. NIKHIL!" she screamed and hugged Nikhil when she came back. "I REALLY DID IT!"

Nikhil was shocked at her sudden hug. What is this hippo doing? He thought. He gently pushed her away from him and said, "Good for you. I didn't know you could do it."

He was being honest. He thought she would actually give up. But now, he was slowly realizing that Sahasra wasn't a coward. Yesterday she fought against those men, and today she overcame her fear of heights. This girl is special, he thought and then scolded himself for thinking so much about her.

Sahasra was awkward as well after they broke the hug. She was just too caught up in the moment and couldn't control her actions. Next time, be in control. Self-control is important for being an army officer, she reminded herself.

After bungee jumping, the couple also took part in paragliding and snowmobiling. Having gained confidence and adequate self-esteem from bungee jumping, Sahasra thoroughly enjoyed the other two sports as well. 

On the other hand, Nikhil was constantly sulking since his plan to frighten Sahasra backfired.

By the time they came back to their hotel room, both were tired and exhausted. They went straight to sleep.

The next morning, Sahasra asked Nikhil, "What are we doing today?"

"Nothing. I'm going to my friend's house," he replied.

"Oh, can I come as well?" she asked.

"No. You can go out and do whatever you want. But you can't come with me."

So Nikhil went to his friend's house while Sahasra explored the city. She was actually liking this honeymoon trip, but sometimes Nikhil ruined her mood.

On meeting his friend, Nikhil asked him, "Bhai, do you any shop where customized things are made?"

"Yes I do. Why?" his friend asked.

"I need it for... my family," Nikhil said and then went to the shop directed by his friend.

In the evening, when Sahasra and Nikhil returned back to the hotel, they both decided to go shopping. They didn't talk with each other the entire time. They looked like the oddest honeymoon couple — no holding hands, no looking at each other, no flirting.

The trip finally came to an end, and both of them were ready to go back. When they boarded the plane, Nikhil took out a gift box and gave it to Sahasra. "This is for you."

"What is it?" she asked, curious. Is this a gift for me? Why is Nikhil giving me a gift? She wondered.

"Open it, you'll see," Nikhil said in a low voice.

"Is it a jack-in-the-box? When I open it, will something pop out and scare me?" Sahasra enquired. She was sure this was one of Nikhil's pranks.

"Open it, or give it back," Nikhil rolled his eyes.

"Fine... I'm opening it," Sahasra said. "But if I get hurt, you're dead."

On opening the box with reluctance, she was surprised to find a snow globe. She never had one, and let out a squeal when she held it in her hands. On looking at the snowglobe keenly, she gasped. In the middle, placed between the snow, was a picture of her and her dad.

"Oh my god! This is... so beautiful. Thank you so much Nikhil," she said, smiling.

"Glad you like it," Nikhil replied.

"Why did you give this by the way?" Sahasra asked. She really wanted to know the reason.

"Remember you said that you felt guilty about the fact you couldn't enjoy the snow with your father?" Nikhil asked.

"Mhmm..." Sahasra signaled him to continue.

"Maybe not in real life, but at least in this snow globe you can play with him in the snow. This way you won't feel guilty anymore."

Sahasra smiled. She didn't expect Nikhil to remember whatever she said to him that day. Thanking him, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

Waking up after a while, she was surprised to see Nikhil dozing off at her shoulder. She adjusted their positions so that she can offer him maximum support. In most movies and stories, the girl puts her head on the boy's shoulder, but Sahasra was more than happy to provide Nikhil support. It was a gesture of thankfulness for the extraordinary gift he had given her.

Sahasra looked at his face. It was the first time she was seeing his features so closely. Only if he wasn't such a mean, arrogant and idiotic gadha, she thought, he'd be handsome.

Sahasra then looked away, not wanting to wake him up. She smiled and looked out of the window — thinking how her life had changed from before and after the honeymoon. Before, she was very skeptical about her marriage, but now she believed that it may as well work out.

――“💌”――

Vote and comment if you liked the snow globe that Nikhil gave!!<3
(Do you want one too??)