Mystic Flames

5

"Am I not allowed to come see you?" Saagarika's voice dripped with a mix of amusement and defiance.

"Leave immediately," Jalandhar responded tersely.

"Your Highness, if I were to be asked by His Highness the Merman King upon my return, I wouldn't be able to lie to him."

Jalandhar's expression hardened, and after some whispered words exchanged between them, Saagarika pushed past him, inviting herself in.

"Oh, so you guys are preparing breakfast. I hope I'm not intruding," she said with a smirk. Turning her gaze to Aaradhya, she continued, "You must be the girl Jalandhar spoke about. It's no fun just hearing about you, so I came to see for myself. Now that I see you, you are rather cute." She winked at Aaradhya, who gave her a confused look.

"I'm Saagarika. It's nice to meet you," she said, extending her hand for a handshake. Aaradhya hesitantly shook her hand, noticing it was as cold as Jalandhar's. She couldn't shake off the feeling of unease.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Saagarika asked, her smile never quite reaching her eyes.

"Nothing... Nothing," Aaradhya replied, quickly retreating to freshen up.

As she left, Jalandhar began setting the table while Saagarika watched him, a sly grin on her face. They served themselves breakfast, and Aaradhya eagerly dug in as soon as she sat down. She heard a chuckle from Saagarika but chose to ignore it. Jalandhar, however, interrupted the awkward silence.

"Didn't you want to go job hunting? Let's go after breakfast, okay?"

"Sure, I'll hurry up, eat, and go get ready," Aaradhya said, eating quickly and dashing off to her room. Saagarika and Jalandhar exchanged a brief, tense glance before discarding their food and cleaning the dining area.

As they set out in the scorching hot sun, Aaradhya noticed both Jalandhar and Saagarika had large umbrellas, their skin turning red from the heat. After a while, Saagarika spoke up. "You two go on. I can't accompany you anymore," she said, picking up her pace.

"Wait!" Aaradhya called out, but Jalandhar quickly interjected.

"Don't mind her," he said through gritted teeth, his frustration evident. "Let's keep going."

Aaradhya glanced back at Saagarika's retreating figure, her curiosity and concern growing. "Is everything okay?" she asked Jalandhar.

He sighed, his eyes briefly meeting hers before looking away. "It's complicated. Just focus on finding a job for now."

As they continued their journey, Aaradhya couldn't shake the feeling that there was much more to Jalandhar and Saagarika's story, and she wondered how deeply she was intertwined in it.

As the morning stretched into noon, Aaradhya still couldn't find a job. She noticed Jalandhar sweating profusely, his skin alarmingly red, almost as if he was suffering from an allergy. Concerned, she suggested, "How about you rest somewhere for a while, and I go find jobs on my own?"

Jalandhar denied it almost immediately. "I am fine. Let's keep looking around a bit more. If we can't find a job, we can return together later. I'm afraid you're not familiar with the way; you will get lost."

Despite his firm words, Jalandhar was trembling, walking as if on a thin glass wire. His crocs were dripping blood, leaving a trail that Aaradhya failed to notice. His subconscious mind bugged him, "You have been in the sun for too long."

They continued to walk through the scorching heat, going from one place to another in search of job openings. Aaradhya's determination to find work kept her moving forward, but Jalandhar's condition worsened with every step. He kept glancing at Aaradhya, making sure she was okay while ignoring his own pain.