"Echoes of Ayodhya: Love across Centuries

5. A walk near the pond

Anushka 's POV

It was a late night yesterday since we were VERY tired because of the practice and dance and literally everything.

After going to my room I took a much needed bath, and I was also assigned a personal helper, her name was Radhika.

I honestly don't think of her as my Helper, instead I think of her as my friend, Ruchi also got herself a personal helper, whose name was Premika ( they both are twins).

We all chatted for awhile including Abhi ( nickname of Abhiti )

This went on for MAX 15 minutes but then I felt very sleepy so all of us dozed off. It was pretty late at night since there were so much practice and improvements and reports and much more so by the time we slept it was already late at night.

As I was sleeping and at around 3am in the morning, I woke up to a nightmare. My face full of sweat and the temperature very high, then I realised, I had a NIGHTMARE!
I had a dream that I was drowning in a waterfall and just as I saw someone near me , I woke up.

I immediately searched for Ruchi only to find her staring at me looking worried.

She jerked my hand and with a worried expression she said,

" Hey are you okay? You have been tossing and turning for the past 1 hour! I'm getting really worried, What happened!?"

" Nothing, I ...... I think.... I drowned." I said in confusion.

" it's probably a nightmare. You know what you need!, A HUG!!! " She started to say with a smile.

" uhh as much as I love you, I would rather hug my pillow thank you very much. " I said uncomfortably.

" Eh, your loss " she shrugged as I rolled my eyes.

I attempted to sleep since me and Ruchika have to apparently " Bond " with the twins, and the last thing I want is dark circles around my eyes looking like a panda.

After getting a somewhat medium sleep, we got ready to go to the park, I wore a pretty reddish pink lehenga with some gold accessories.

As we were getting ready we were informed about the location of the pond and were told to come to the sabha and
the two princes would escort us from there.

After eating and getting ready, we all assembled at the sabha and took some water and food with us just in case with necessary security.

As we bade our goodbyes we then as a group started our journey, by walking.

We were informed that the pond is of about half an hour distance from the castle.

The lanes were pretty thin and there weren't enough space to fit 4 people so we decided that Ruchika and Vikram would come in the back of us while we would be leading in the front.

As we all were walking I hear Adhitya call me,

" Suniye Hanshika ji,"

Hanshika?? I thought.

" it's because you dance like a beautiful swan." He said with a cresent smile on his face as if he read my mind and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a fluttering sensation deep in my stomach.

Men don't flirt like this anymore. And honestly now I get why they deem romantic things as " cringe ". it's because they cannot be charismatic and find ways to criticize things that are genuinely worthy of appreciation.

I appreciated his nickname with a smile on my face , if he noticed a crimson on my cheek, he doesn't show it.

" ji, shukriya, kya mein bhi aap ke liye ek upnaam rak sakta hoon? " I ask hoping he doesn't think of me as desperate.

" ji kahiye " he said staring at me.

" kya mein tumhe Adhi bula sakta hoon? Ya phir aap hi batao na!? " I said with sparkles in my eyes.

" sure. You can call me anything you want." He said feeling at ease a little.

" but wait, are we friends? Because only my friends keep me nicknames. " he added.

" Hmm I don't know... I mean we hardly know each other." I said feeling a bit uncertain.

" Isn't that why we become friends? To know about a person, isn't it? " he asked and I gave in.

" well you do have a point. I guess we are friends now." I said as I flashed a small smile to him.

" aren't you going to tell me something about yourself? We are going to have to learn more about each other if we are planning on being friends. " he asked.

" umm okay, why don't you ask me some questions?. " I curiously asked.

" what is your favourite colour?

Do you like flowers?

What is your dream?" He started asking.

" umm my favourite colours are mostly consisting a light and cheerful colour palette. I like light beige or pink or yellow. I also LOVE lilies. They make the atmosphere calm according to me. My dream is to become a famous dancer." I said happily.

He did not take his eyes off me and stared at me the whole time that I was taking, I am honestly surprised I didn't stutter.

We all reached the pond after a while and as we were admiring the beauty of the pond, we decided to have a small picnic with the food and water we brought from the palace.

Ruchika found some beautiful Rocks near the pond and showed it to us.

" Hey guys! Look what I
Found-" she was about to say something but was rudely interrupted by Vikram.

" Oh my God! It's a rock! I have NEVER seen one in my entire life! Especially near a pond! " he pointed sarcastically, while I chuckled.

" Oh my god! You have grown up so much! You cannot appreciate nature! Wow! " said Adhitya countering him sarcastically, as both Adhitya and Ruchika high-fyed each other. "

These two are unhinged!

We were having some snacks as we were discussing about, well.... Life.

After everyone finished eating, Adhitya said,

" I am FULL. I'm gonna take a walk around the pond, anyone wants to join?" He asked.

Both me and Ruchika wanted to come, but Vikram interrupted us and told us that him and Ruchika have some work to do, and told us to go alone.

As we were taking a stroll he asked me if I believe in love or happiness?.

" I mean... If you ask me, I think that happiness and love is everlasting and the best feeling on earth, some might disagree with me but, I think that having someone who just listens to you and just.... Its an unexplainable feeling that you only understand by experiencing, also I'm a hopeless romantic, soo that's also a factor, I guess." I finished my heart felt speech.

" Have you ever fallen in love? " he asked me with a hint of sadness or rather guilt in his eyes that I cannot figure out.

" umm not really, coaches don't play, you know?" I said changing the serious vibe a little light hearted as he started to chuckle or rather laugh heartily.

" you know, it's the first time I actually laughed whole heartedly after a long time." He said with a smile.

" Be prepared buddy, you are gonna be laughing a lot from now. Or atleast in my company you will. " I said returning the warm smile.

. As I said earlier since my school has started I would be uploading every Monday.

. I hope everyone has a nice Telugu new year ( if you are Telugu) 🎉

. Should I upload more fun filled hangouts between the four?