A story that is untold. A story that is incomplete. And a story that is unheard. Unveiling an alternate universe to Anurag and Prerna's love story in a wintery twist. As beautiful as winters. As cold as ice and as short as the season. Will they make...
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I sprinted out from the tent to the edge of the snowy cliff and rested my hands on the iron fence. the iron rods felt cold under my skin and sent shivers down my veins. i looked over the horizon to see the snow glisten under the sunshine. Just when I was busy endearing the nature, someone stood by me to give me company yet again. The very same familiar face that I wanted to avoid.
"Can you not leave me alone for one moment?" I whimpered at his company. Komolika was there right back in the tent. If she yet again finds us together, god knows what's gonna happen.
"I am not paid to leave you alone." He said winking at me. Aghhh. That wink. Dont do this Anurag. He continued, "Do you regret me being here?", with a sad face as if he didn't wanted me to distance him.
"I regret a lot of things. Having this conversation tops the list." I mocked him and started walking towards the assembly point. We were supposed to have some briefing about the camp from the guides.
"So, I guess you're gonna regret a lot of things this trip. because I do as I want." He said confidently as he followed me to the assembly point. What a narcissist he was. I sat there on one of the wooden benches and he sat just next to me, not an inch away.
"Komolika was here." I said and his jaw fell and pulled his face. His face turned completely pale.
"What?" he said compulsively. "what did she say? Did she do anything to you?"
"She was quite angry and she called me..." I stopped, leaving the sentence mid air. I simply didn't wanted to continue. I just wanted the situations to stop getting terribly worse. "The point being - we shouldn't be together. That's it." I made my point very clear.
"And who sets the rules? You?" He said and just then peon starting ringing the gong so that everybody gets assembled for the meeting. Anurah sighed and walked his way to the stage where rest of his coworkers stood representing their own groups.
Shivi and Anupam came running and sat right next to me. "Hey busy person, you don't even talk to us anymore?" Shivi said sarcastically while she patted my shoulder.
"I was just busy dealing few matters." I said giving an explanation to her.
"Is Anurag Basu the matter?" Anupam smirked and teased me. I just glanced a look at both of them and both of them looked away. The camp manager came. Everybody started settling down on the wooden benches.
"Hello everybody. I am Mr. Naveen Chandra Chatopadhay. I am the manager here and I take care of all the adventure trips that we carry out in this camp. I hope everybody has made themselves comfortable in their tents. That's going to be your home for the next few weeks." The manager started talking in his raspy tone. He continued, "So basically we are having this meeting so that I can brief you about tomorrow's trekking. All of you have groups and are assigned guides. Your group with your guide has to reach to the camp at the top of the hill. The first group or the group member to reach there will get some advantages in the future treks. We will saty there for the night and come back here the next morning. So everybody's excited?" He asked and everybody hooted in chorus to show their excitement and enthusiasm. Atleast now I have something to get my mind off something.
Since it was our first day at the camp we did not have any activities that particular day. We were given the day to meet with the other people in the camp. We spent our evening chit chatting with our fellow camp members. And shivi and me did do a little bit of strategising for tomorrow. Anurag had tried several times to reach out for me but even I knew the best how to avoid him. After our dinner I went into my tent. Today wasn't as hectic as I thought it would be. Other than the conversation in the morning me and anurag did not talk which made the day a lot peaceful. My surroundings were so unchaotic and silent which did calm me down after all the drama.
A rattling sound sound fills the previously silent air. My eyes fall to the rattlesnake and my surroundings vanish from my mind. In that moment there is no past or future. Every capacity of my brain is focused on the reptile before me. Against the dry soil the sandy markings guard it from the casual eye, but I can see each scale burned on my retina. Steel green eyes take in my form, selecting possible places to bite. I was so damn scared of snakes and my heart was literally pounding at that moment. It slithered out of a sleek pouch. A pouch. Who brought that bag here. Anyway the pouch wasnt the number one concern at this moment, it was the snake. Finally my legs agree to move, slowly, retreating and I started screaming for help. "Somebody help me. There's a snake in here."
Two minutes into screaming for help, Anurag stormed into the tent with worry splashed on his face. He immediately got me out of the tent as soon as he saw the snake. The other guides from the camp got into the tent to get the snake out while I shivered out of fear under Anurag's arms.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Calm down. I got you. You are safe." He said trying to calm me down while Shivi and Anupam swarmed around me trying to console me.
Few minutes later the guides came to us and said, "We have taken care of the snake. Don't worry it's safe now." They said and walked away.
"Can you sleep alone or do you want to sleep in my tent with me?" Shivi asked concerned but I turned it down. These tents were incredibly small to fit two people. I could manage slepping on my own even though I still had the fear deep within. She kissed my forehead and walked away with Anupam. Now it was only Anurag with me.
"You are sleeping with me. And I am not taking any excuses." He said and dragged me into his tent. Even though I revolted but that did nothing. We got onto his tent and he started making the bed on the ground.
"Anurag, I could sleep on my own. We don't have to do this." I said while he pushed aside all his things to make space for me.
"There's no way you are sleeping alone. And we are just sleeping. It's not like we are making out or something. Atleast not this time." He said while he pulled me down to the bed. It's not easy to turn him down and I have learnt it by now. So I simply gave in. I laid down beside him, our bodies incredibly close because of the tiny space. We didn't speak for moments while we started to doze off eventually. And I don't know how did we end up cuddling with each other.
In the darkness our cuddles are feel like a little touch of heaven, warm, together, cozy. I wish I could extend the night just so I could stay close to him for longer, safe in his embrace. His arms wrapped right around me bring a peace I've never known before, a calming of the storms in my heart. I think it's only him that gives me hope for the future. In his embrace I start to believe that there is nothing out there to fear, that all there is is sunshine, beautiful trees and kind people - friends to be. His cuddles are the only medicine I need, they are the light in the darkness, a lone star in an otherwise empty sky.
Just as the first bite of cold wind creeps under my night-shirt hid hand moves around my middle, warm and soft. In seconds my body is moulded to his, sharing my body heat as easily as I shares my heart. I could never let another close to me like this, but he's so different. I've never known a person to always have the right motivations, even when she's wrong. There's a purity to him, naivety perhaps, but he's the only star in the sky for my eyes.
