"Still he didn't move"

It was minutes since campfire had died in army camp but he didn't move. Nandini had dreaded each second assuming it being last of their heavenly closeness. His arms did brush her arms as he breathed. His breaths had set their own accord with her skin. She slowly moved her hands on his wet chest a bit as a cold flurry of wind finally invaded the comfort they had developed. He moved. He looked at her in dead dark tilting his head up. She could feel his gaze. His cheek slightly touched her cheek as he tried to tilt his head more. It felt far aching than those cold flurries. An ache which didn't ache precisely but panged so bad. A pang which she would want to feel again. A sweet ache.

"From whom you were running away?" He whispered.

She shivered a bit listening him speak so close to her. She opened her mouth to say something but words had seemed to go for a walk.

"Did you really think you would walk away like this and I would let you?" He murmured again in her ear.

"If you did, let me tell you one final time, Nandini, I won't," he added.

Nandini pressed her lips to suppress overwhelm to come out of her mouth. She could feel tide building inside her heart which could drench him in a way that she might not be able to send it back to sea ever.

"Now if you are planning to irk me with your whys, let me tell you I won't tell because I don't know," he murmured finally looking into her eyes.

His honest bewildered confession formed a curve on her lips and she looked down to avoid his gaze.

"I won't ask," she said slowly, "but..."

He shushed her by putting his finger on her lips.

"Do not ever run away like this," he said outright.

She stopped smiling and peeped into his eyes which were only visible thing in dead dark.

"I won't," she said sincerely.

He again brought his head in crook of her neck without touching a single pore of her skin.

She heard him sighing and then he withdrew.

Holding her hand, he slowly walked them away from that dead end. He was cautious. Without making a faintest noise, he walked them out of that forest part.

She looked around and saw the ruins. It was the same place from where she passed before.

"Can we stop here?" She asked.

He looked around and then thought about something for a minute or two.

He nodded in yes and let go of her hand. He walked towards a giant wall to look around. Nandini assumed it to be left over of some old big building which got dumped in folds of time. Manik came back and called her.

They walked to a door and entered that roofless room.

"Here," he said and started to collect the leafs and woods.

Nandini looked at the beautiful walls intently and found the setting highly intriguing. He lit the fire and that roofless room lit up like a deserted home.

Nandini got settled near the bonfire and rubbed her hands to warm them up. He sat a bit far opposite her leaning on wall.

She looked at him and found him looking at her. She expected him to take off his gaze but he didn't. Facing his gaze was nothing less than facing the fire. One warmed her flesh and other was too much to handle.

"Thanks," she uttered to break the awkward silence.

He didn't respond but closed his eyes. Nandini felt a bit relaxed as he took his eyes off her.

Soon sleep took over her overwhelmed tired mind and she dozed off.

Manik opened his eyes to see her sleeping. He folded his other knee as well and put his hands over them.

Golden of fire caressing her skin, she looked like most precious thing in the world.

Losing her for those few moments had made him walk the hell he didn't even know existed. He thought that his entire life was nothing less than a hell but he was wrong. What he felt for those few moments was beyond his comprehension. It was the hell he didn't know.

Finding her was like seeing the light which he hated his entire life. He never wanted to get out of his little hell. He was never tired of dark tunnels. She was all he should have hated. But finding her back felt like most appropriate thing ever. He got up and walked to her. She was smiling in her seep slumber. He settled right beside her and zipped her overcoat to the tip of her neck.

Why it felt right to be next to her?
It shouldn't have.

Why mere thought of losing her dried the life out of him?
He didn't know.

He kept looking at her for hours as she traveled the dreamland. He didn't want to close his eyes. He couldn't afford.

____________________________

Refugee camp in south_

A group of 12- 15 men had gathered in assembly room to discuss about some matter. It was an abandoned school which was taken over by the civilians as they needed a concrete fort for their safety.

"We are running out of supplies," a man in his early 30s said.

"We need to visit town soon to collect some food items. We have 135 people to feed," he added.

Other men nodded and discussion went on about from where to collect the supply.

A young boy drew the attention of elder lot, "we need weapons and refills as well."

Everyone looked at him and then seemed to sink in some thought.

"That's not easy, Harshad, you know that," an old man said.

"All the ammunition is almost over and we need it to ensure safety of this camp," Harshad said.

"We cannot be dependent on soldiers we kill and take ammunition from," he added.

"We'll think about it," man in his early 30s said and brought the attention back at other concerns.

This refugee camp was recently made by civilians by themselves as army had gone savage on them. They had made a fort of that old school to ensure safety of their people. A few elder people had volunteered to lead the situation where youth was ready to follow their words. Harshad was son of leader of the camp and was highly dedicated towards his duties. Other man in his 30s was his elder brother named Harshit who seemed to be more rational than him.

As their meeting was going on, two of their men came in and informed that they had caught two strangers in nearby forest. Leader called them in.

A young boy with a young girl walked in and they looked frightened.

"Who are you and what were you doing around?" asked Harshit.

"We are victims of war and we have lost our home. We were running away from army," said young man.

"Who is she?" Asked Harshad.

"She is my sister," Aryan said, "and we seek refuge."

All eyes in room softened a bit as Aryan and Aashi stood their to hear the verdict.
_________________________

Devaraj Murthy quickly hid his diary under the mattress as he heard someone unlocking the door. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep as guard entered the room.

"Inject him," he heard guard saying to someone.

Devraj quickly opened his eyes and saw the doctor. His face got filled with terror as he realized they were back again. Few hours back, he was given some sedative and he passed out. He was hardly awake since an hour and again they were back with it.

"No, no, please," Devraj pleaded seeing doctor filling the syringe.

As they seemed not to pay any heed, he tried to pick up vase from side table but guard took it away. He called other guards from outside and they all held his arms and legs so that he didn't move.

"Leave me, please," he shouted as doctor advanced to inject him.

"I won't try to escape or create trouble, I promise," he pleaded.

His cried went futile as doctor injected him with sedative. They all left the room one by one leaving him alone to drown in lost world.

"I want to write. My Nandini needs to read it," he mumbled as sedative started to work.

"My daughter," he mumbled and retired.

________________________________

Waking up to fine scent of burning woods, she opened her eyes and a smile crept on her lips. She looked towards wall and he wasn't there. She immediately got up and looked around. Right besides her, there he lied on his stomach, seemed to be in deep slumber. Her hands reached hem of her coat as she realized he was so close to her. It was tightly zipped, she realized.

When did he come here?
She didn't know.

What was happening?
She didn't know. All she knew was that he was taking her like a storm and she was getting taken along.

She looked at him finally gathering all her courage. He looked at peace. She had never seen him this calm. She smiled and got up. It was a blue skied morning. Weather was stretching arms finally. As she walked a bit away, she heard him awake. Dry yellow grass beneath him warned her. She turned around and saw him getting up.

"Good morning," she wished with a smile.

He as expected didn't respond and killed the bonfire.

"We should get going," he said.

Nandini nodded and started to walk out of ruins.

"Where're Aashi and Aryan?" She asked as they came back on clay track.

"Where there we left them," he answered.

Nandini's mind got hovered with a guilt thinking about how Manik had an argument with Aryan because of her and he had to leave Aashi because she walked away.

"I am sorry," she mumbled.

He turned around and looked at her who was walking with her head low.

"For what?" He asked halting.

"You had an argument with Aryan and you had to leave Aashi because of me," she said in a low tone.

She heard him sighing and then wind moving as he came close to her.

"Stop being sorry about things you have no fault in," he said as he reached her.

"But...they are your family," she continued and he shushed her.

"Aashi is safe with him and he...well, it doesn't matter," he said looking away.

Silence spoke for a minute and then got shushed by her innocent query.

"You and Aryan...." She tried to raise the topic.

"Don't!" He put an end and turned around to walk.

Something pinched inside. She knew she didn't have any right but still, she thought they had come a way where she could ask. Fact that she was an open book and her life was nothing less than a dropped hot potato in town, hardly gave her a veil. But he had right and privilege to cover the ugly. She stood there indulged in her thoughts and then followed him.

It was complicated. All those unsaid little bearer of overwhelm contained veil of afresh. He wasn't afraid to show his unexplainable pull towards her but was afraid to show the wounds. She made herself understand that he had all the rights. He had that privilege.