The Lost Thread

Good Night

Richa did not press further. They finished their dinner in silence. Maya stayed back to wrap up the kitchen and Richa went back to her room. She paused for a moment to check on Kedar. She was never maternal, but little Kedar had planted a strange yearning in her heart. She now longed for a child of her own, a home and a man. 

Kedar was sleeping peacefully. Richa wondered again how much Kedar resembled Dhruv. Sharp nose and angular face. Maya was lucky to have him. It was a miracle that the baby survived even after Maya went through terrible physical ordeal in the floods all those years ago. Children borne out of pure love carry that extra luck needed to survive in this cruel world. 

Maya came back into her room long after Richa left. There is so much to do even after dinner. She had to make arrangements for their lunch tomorrow.  She did not mind the hard work though. It kept her mind off. She gave Kedar a light kiss. How beautiful he looked when he slept, looking like a miniature Dhruv. It hurts a little how much this little one reminds her of Dhruv. 

Back in Time...

After the kiss Maya decided to avoid Dhruv no matter what. But fate had other plans. Dhruv's group was camping in the valley next to the river. An unexpected spell of heavy rain had prompted the whole group to seek shelter in Lache for the whole day. The rain also had made Maya's group stay in as well. So, there he was, in the dinning hall, in the kitchen, everywhere.

 The village did not have enough infrastructure to provide a huge hotel. It was just a long row of room, connected by a common balcony, given to them, with each row ending with communal bathrooms. The girls found the lack of privacy a bit challenging. Isha had just come out of the bathroom, hair draped in towel and wet clothes in the bucket. She set the bucket down and proceeded to dry her hair with her towel. She was not aware of how beautiful she looked, nor did she notice how the conversation had stopped in the opposite balcony, as men stopped talking to stare at her. 

Dhruv was sitting a little apart from the group, smoking and browsing his phone. The sudden stop in conversation made him look up. His group and some other guys from the NGO were looking at..Wait..looking at Maya! She was drying her waist long hair, that fell in coils across her chest. She was wearing a cotton top and jeans, but her wet  hair had made the fabric semi-transparent, and the onlookers could get a see the full imprint of her bra and the soft-swell of her breasts underneath. Her towel was a flimsy barrier against so many stares. For a moment, Dhruv lost tract of his thoughts. But then his blood started boiling. 

He stood up abruptly, and called out

'Hey Maya'

Maya started and looked across, to see numerous eyes on her. Her first instinct was to wrap the towel across her shoulders, but she stopped herself. Her eyes shifted to the owner of the call, Mr. Arrogant, who had a very cold look on his face. 

'Come down and join us for tea, when you have finished dressing', he said coldly, casting a very pointed look at her blouse, and then at the men that were still staring at her. 

Maya instantly became aware of the wet fabric sticking to her skin. She swiftly nodded and went back to her room. She locked the door to block out the stares. How stupid of her. She dried off her hair and quickly peeled off the wet fabric. Her roommate was luckily not in the room. She changed into a plain salwar kameez and draped a shawl all around her.  She left her hair open.

When she went down, she decided to shrug off her embarrassment. She had not done anything wrong. The guys should not have stared. And that Dhruv, I bet he thinks I did that deliberately. She walked into the communal kitchen and dinning area to find the earlier group had grown, with a few new faces. Krish was one of them. He was sitting with a few of her group members. Her eyes searched for Dhruv. She found him in the corner of the room, with a cup of chai in his hands. His eyes found hers instantly and started reeling her in. Maya found it impossible to break the bond. Her steps began to take her to him. Midway someone grabbed her arm.