The Lost Thread

Flying Sparks

It was the third day on a row Maya had ignored his calls. The first day Dhruv had blamed the network. But as the day drew to a close, it was clear that she was avoiding him. He did not see her at dinner. She did not answer his call to meet on the terrace. He waited 2 hrs for her dammit!

The next day he woke up to find the whole group had already departed for the day. He was furious. However, the day was so bright and beautiful, he had decided to go on foot to explore the nearby areas. Maybe he will see her on the way somewhere.

After sex, it was usually the girls who did the chasing and the men who ran. Here it seems to be completely opposite. The girl was running away from him, Dhruv. The blow to his pride was considerable. But he was also hurt by her behavior. For the first time, he was going to be a gentleman, and she shows so little trust in him. 

But Dhruv was nothing if not persistent. He had a plan. 

Maya found it hard to concentrate on her work. Her feelings were consuming her completely. In every conversation, she found herself drifting off. Her craving for Dhruv was like a fever. It was the third day that she had successfully avoided him. She half-expected him to leave her alone, but God he was persistant. Maybe he thought he would use me as much as he can till his holiday lasts. But she is cannot make the same mistake everytime. As it is, she felt so ashamed of herself. All her life, her parents had trusted her, given her freedom and education and this is what she does.

However, it did not feel wrong at that time. It still does not feel wrong. If only she did not get the call!

 The day after they made love, she had received a call from Krish. He wanted her to give Dhruv a message. It was from his girlfried from Mumbai. It said that their parents had set the date for their engagement. The ringing in her ears drowned out the rest of his words. For an hour after she had disconnected the call, she sat in one place, desperately trying to gather her thoughts into something tangible. On one hand, her mind kept telling her how she knew it, he did not commit to anything permanent, not even love. She had walked into the fire with her eyes open. This was not betrayal. But the pain in her chest told her another story, where the betrayor was her own heart. She was not supposed to feel this deeply for a stranger. It was just attraction, or so she believed. Then why is it so painful. After a day of soul-searching she decided she was too inexperienced to deal with him. It is just best to avoid him.

It's been two days since then, and she missed him terribly. Finally his calls had stopped. Maybe he had given up. Instead of a sense of victory, the though brought home a wave of tiredness. She did not want to win in the first place.

Her small group was heading back home. It had been a tiring day. They stopped at a stall and had some tea. Lache was still an hour climb from here. After tea, the group head out while Maya headed for the restroom, with a promise to follow them afterwards.This is the only place along the way which had a decent washroom. As she exits, a hand wraps around her mouth and in seconds, drags her upwards, into the thick forest that outlines the road. Maya struggles for a while, before the faint hint of colonge enters her nose. It was familiar.

Once they were well out of sight, her assailant whipped her around and pressed her onto a tree with his body pressed tightly into her. Maya could not feel a thrill as Dhruv's hard body covered her. But soon her daze was replaced by a buring blaze. How dare her!

Dhruv had been trailing the group for the past one hour. He could not believe his luck when Maya stayed behind. Making sure the group was still ahead, he waited patiently for Maya to comeout of the washroom. It was fortunate, that the washrooms in these villages are always set away from the main house. 

He savoured the feel of her body against him. He could easily take her against the tree. His mind was swiftly drifting to the possibilities of their position, when he caught sight of the fire breathing dragon in his arms. If only looks could kill!