Her feet automatically led her to her sanctum, the old temple water tank which was empty of people in the heat of the afternoon. She sat on a low step dipping her feet in the cold water, hardly noticing the blazing sun overhead, her head clogged with thoughts. She could never utter a word of what had happened to anyone, especially not to her gang because the scoundrels had abandoned her in the moment of need and besides, she herself could not figure out what it was. She could never describe how secure she had felt when he grappled her in the safety of his arms. If he had not stepped away she would have been content to remain in his embrace, feeling that everything was right in her world. This was really strange because while she felt very comfortable around her boy gang and Parth was practically like a brother to her she usually avoided the much older Randhir, never having understood the reason for it.

 All she knew was that he had stirred certain emotions in her, she could never speak to anyone about it, nor let it be known. As far back as she could remember he had been focused and disciplined, had always been an achiever and was the pride of his parents while being an affectionate brother to Parth. He never missed his morning jog,  worked out regularly at the well-equipped gym in the house and would swim several laps in their private pool whenever he had the time for it. On the other hand for him she was an acknowledged nuisance, having tested his patience several times, and the only reason he had chosen to ignore her trespasses was because her widowed mother who had been his teacher in school was already having a hard time coping with her, as a single parent. He knew the girl had certain issues, while she was not exactly a sociopath she had a compulsive urge for finding trouble.

He had seen her handling snakes, chameleons and centipedes like other people handle cuddly puppies. She was a wild child, more comfortable outdoors, scaling rocks or swimming in the backwaters, exploring smelly bat-infested caves, followed by her loyal band of neighbourhood kids, including his brother Parth. She treated people's fruit trees like they they belonged to Mother Nature, having no inhibitions in helping herself to the produce when she felt the urge for it. If a cow was in distress while calving she would turn up to assist, managing to pull out the calf without feeling squeamish. Unlike other girls her age who were particular about their looks this one was always tanned like a chestnut, she dressed like a boy, in fact he had never seen her behave like a typical girl. The only solace for her mother was she did well in her studies and also helped around the house. 

As she looked at her own reflection in the water she realised she was missing one of her small gold hoop earrings. The earrings were the only precious possession she wore on her person since she was very young, a gift from her mother after she had topped her class for two successive years. She tried to trace back her steps to see if she had dropped it somewhere and after a frantic search of about an hour it struck her that the only place she had not looked for it was Randhir's room. Determined to make good her loss she snuck up the stairs she had descended earlier, ensuring there was no one in sight. Finding his room door ajar she eavesdropped to ensure there was no sound coming through. She peered in and found the room empty, so she let herself in. She scaled every inch of the room busy looking for the earring, noticing just in time the bathroom door swing open and she scrambled soundlessly under the bed just before Randhir walked into the room.

She tried to hold her breath as she guessed he was probably toweling himself dry. He slid the door to his walk-in wardrobe open and in a minute was back dressed in shorts and a singlet. As he brushed his hair into place before his dresser he had a faint smile on his face. Using the remote he switched on the air conditioner, shut the french windows that opened into his balcony and drew the drapes close. He walked to his door, bolted it shut, switched on the lights and settled into his cozy armchair. "You can come out from underneath the bed now." He called to her. She crawled out from the cramped space with a poker face, not displaying any emotion. "So you liked my room so much you decided to sneak back?" He spoke with an amused expression. "I misplaced something, must have dropped it in here, so I came back for it." She muttered. "Normal people knock on doors before they walk in." He said. "I am not exactly welcome over here to walk in through the front door." She told him bluntly. 

"That's because you trespass on the property, disable the security cameras and raid the garden without any remorse. Wait, these things do not even count. For some reason you have been targeting me off late. Who stuffed the potato in my car's exhaust pipe causing the engine to stall? Who stuck chewing gum onto the passenger seat? Should I go on?" He spoke with a gleam in his eye, rising from his chair and advancing toward her. As if by reflex she moved back steadily till her back was against the wall. She realised too late that she was trapped between him and the wall, with no route for escape. He stood just inches away from her his arms flanking the wall as she stood motionless, without uttering a word. "Well, I need an answer!" He whispered. "You have no proof that I did all those things." She replied. 

"Knowing you is proof enough, now tell me why if you want this back, or else I will be glad to hand it back to Anju aunty personally." He dangled her earring before her eyes and as she made a grab for it he deftly moved his arm out of her reach. "Go ahead, I'll just tell her you called me here and tried to molest me." She looked right in his eyes as she spoke. "Don't grow up too soon, child, it may be dangerous." His eyes turned menacing. "Do I look like a child to you? Or can you not tell the difference?" Her words scarcely left her mouth as he suddenly picked her up and threw her unceremoniously onto the bed, trapping her firmly using his arms and legs. Panic gripped her as she struggled to free herself, her effort not yielding her anything. "Now you can tell her the truth that I tried to molest you." His eyes had turned dark as the night sky. "I did it because I hate it when you make out with those girls in your parked car. I don't know why, but it makes me want to do these things." She desperately tried to fight back the tears streaming down her cheeks. 

He got off her as suddenly as he had pinned her down and she scrambled off the bed. He could hardly believe what he had heard. "You need to understand the concept of personal space!" He said indignantly. "You just invaded mine, and that is fine?" She asked angrily. "Here, take this and leave, you know your way out. Don't meddle with things that do not concern you, the next time your mother will hear about every little detail from me, and this is not an empty threat." He handed her the earring, holding the door open for her, after making sure the corridor was empty. " I do not regret anything, if I was wrong, so were you." With her parting words she fled from him for the second time. As he stepped back into his room he flopped back on his armchair and closed his eyes, mulling over the words she had spoken, trying to analyse what was behind those. She was certainly old enough to become infatuated, if that was behind her ranting. He wished the debacle in his room had never happened, he had not anticipiated this new development.