"A broken heart in real life isn't half as dreadful as it is in the books. It takes spells of aching and gives you a sleepless night now and then, but between times it lets you enjoy life and dreams as if there were nothing the matter with it." 

- LM. MONTGOMERY 

^^^

"I think it's another way around." Harshad grumbled, switching the flashlight on his cell. The path was getting trickier as they kept walking. "I had shared the location with Avni," Harshad shook his head as he attempted to call.

"Who are you calling?" Kiara asked in confusion as her eyes scanned for any sight of a human.

"Trying to contact anyone of them." Harshad muttered and cursed a minute later, "shit! No network!" He muttered some curses under his breath.

"Who even asked you to select such a forest that had no coverage of network?" Kiara grumbled as her tense orbs glanced around. "What are we going to do, now?" Kiara sounded exhausted as she wiped off the sweat forming on her forehead.

"Going to walk back to the car?" Harshad suggested, switching his cell off and on to find if the network could be available but his effort was wasted.

"What? Are you kidding me? We had covered half an hour's distance. I am not going back." Kiara argued making Harshad narrow his eyes at her.

"Don't behave like a lazy woman. That's the only option left! What if anyone of them came back in our search?" He suggested but Kiara ignored it, sitting down on the stone beside her.

"You can carry on with your plan. I am not coming!" She argued making Harshad growl at her in frustration.

"Kiara! Don't behave stubbornly... you can't be left alone in this forest. Come..." Harshad was going to force her but she interrupted him.

"I am fine! You can leave..."

"Fine!" Grumbling in exhaustion, Harshad sat beside Kiara. "Stubborn woman!" He muttered under his breath but Kiara could hear it.

Silence prevailed around them for a few minutes, the wind blowing along with crickets making noises were the source of sound surrounding them. "I had heard someone wasn't fond of acting as a saviour," Kiara whispered on finding Harshad wasn't attempting to have a conversation with her.

Harshad eyes were fixed on the cell not glancing at Kiara. She waited for a minute but on not getting any response, she kept quiet as well. Her eyes scrolled on her surrounding, darkness was engulfing them. She could hardly get a view of Harshad beside her. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, indicating that maybe they would be offered rain. The cold winds blowing around them were making Kiara shiver. She wrapped her arms around her upper arms, rubbing them to warm herself. She loved the winter season but her sensitive body wasn't fond of it.

"I am not going to offer you my jacket," Harshad said making Kiara glance at him with a knitted brow. "I had watched many typical Bollywood films and I am not a fan of it."

"I haven't asked you for your jacket," Kiara groaned back.

"Yes, but you are shivering in cold and must be expecting me to offer you my jacket. I am not going to do it because that will result in me catching a cold the next day and I don't desire to spoil my health due to you."

"I haven't even asked for it!" Kiara was fuming in rage, "so simply shut your mouth. You don't need to announce out loud about your selfish heart." Kiara averted her gaze from him, concentrating on the surrounding. She wanted to calm herself down.

"Can we go and look for them? I had thought I will be provided some time with Avni but here I am trapped with you." Harshad words were triggering Kiara more.

"I hadn't asked you to stay behind. You could have walked along with them. I might have managed myself," she was grumbling. Her orbs shooting daggers at him. "I hadn't asked to spoil your planning." Folding her hands around her chest and staring at the distance, "I would have been more than glad to be left alone." The last statement came as a whisper but got in Harshad's ear.

"And why is that so?" Harshad inquired making Kiara glance at his concerned orbs.

"None of your business..." She replied making Harshad narrow his orbs.

"You can't stand my silence for a few minutes but when I try to have a conversation you want to show attitude." Harshad rolled his eyes, staring at the distance as well.

Slowly a drop of rain fell on Kiara's wrist followed by another on her cheeks. "It's going to rain." Kiara sounded displeased but Harshad stared at her with amused orbs.

"Aren't you fan of drenchingin rain? Girl's are usually excited  to drench and dance in rain." Harshadvoiced his experience but Kiara kept quiet, not in a mood to have aconversation. "If you don't want to be drenched let's walk towards the thicktree over there." Harshad pointed as he stood from the large stone he wassitting on. His wiped the invisible dust from his jeans as he walked towardsthe pointed tree and Kiara followed him as she was left with no option.

They sat there in silence as their eyes were enjoying the rain surrounding them. It wasn't as if they had completely escaped from rain, the water droplet was making Kiara shiver a little. The coldness was further making her snuggle into the thick branch. Slowly an arm got wrapped around her shoulder, she raised her eyes to glance at him but his orbs were fixed in front.

Kiara wanted to push him away, convey to him that she wasn't in need of his support but her vulnerable self wasn't helping her stubborn heart. Allowing her sensitive body to win, she nuzzled more into his arms. It was shielding her from the cold environment. "I had suggested Avni to carry umbrellas as well. It's always humid in this part of the forest."

"How many times, have you visited this?" Kiara asked getting curious about the amount of knowledge he held.

Harshad chuckled pulling Kiara's shivering body much closer to him. "I had often visited this place with my parents. Mom loved places like such. Places that allowed her to interact with nature, fondly. She had much interest in natural things, and never got curious about city life. High profiled world!" Harshad shook his head, a smile playing on his lips in remembrance of his mother.

Kiara raised her head from his chest, staring at his face in wonder. Harshad seemed different at that moment. Not that playful, mischievous Harshad she had grown used to but a different person. A man that was fond of his mother and those orbs glittering with delight withhold the pain of missing that wonderful lady of his life.

"We used to often spend our holidays camping over here. She believed, spending some time in nature will allow us to belittle ourselves. We will be able to manage ourselves without the glamorous lifestyle we are used to." He leaned into the tree, slowly closing his eyes in peace. "I often visit this place it provides a sense of peace. When I get exhausted or overwhelmed with the social life and crave solidity this is the place I come back to."

Harshad words made Kiara realise that he wasn't in constant need of attention. He could be a guy with whom one could enjoy silence. "I had visited it often but never felt a need for company. I never felt I could enjoy peace in the presence of someone. The presence of an individual often makes me feel, I need to mend the gap. Speak something to make the other person comfortable, need to erase every gap in a conversation. But one can enjoy the silence with someone, one can be comfortable with just the presence of the person. I never knew that!" He confessed his orbs shut in peace as if he wasn't desiring to glance at his companion's face.

Kiara stared at him for a minute longer after the confession as she slowly rested her head on his chest. She could listen to his heart beating so loudly, she shut her eyes closed. Trying to enjoy the peace Harshad was mentioning. She wanted to enjoy the moment along with him. As she was desiring for peace, for long. She wanted to forget the rest of the world and just enjoy the beauty of nature, the way Harshad mother might have enjoyed. A small smile reached Kiara's lip on remembering Harshad content face on mentioning his mother. A sudden urge took place in Kiara's heart to meet the woman who could make the most notorious kid share a genuine feeling for her.

___

"They didn't walked back to the car. Where will they be?" Dhruv was sounding concerned as they were strolling around the forest in search of the two.

"I think they purposely had slipped away from us to enjoy some personal time," Aditi suggested sounding excited but others ignored her comment. "Why do you people find it unbelievable to believe that Harshad and Kiara are into each other?" Aditi sounded annoyed with her friends.

"Because Kiara had mentioned already that Harshad has a girlfriend." Avni pointed out for which Aditi rolled her eyes.

"And Kiara holds feelings for someone else," Amrita added another point.

"People can outgrow feelings. Didn't you witness Kiara supporting Harshad over Dhruv? Had she ever done that?" Aditi's question grabbed Yami's attention.

"What? Kiara supported Harshad over Dhruv? How is it even possible?" Yami was shocked would be an understatement. She wasn't able to believe Aditi's words so she glanced at Avni for affirmation. After interaction with them, Yami had come to realize Aditi was the most immature girl among them.

"See even she can't believe it." Amrita muttered, "everyone knows Kiara isn't interested in Harshad."

"Maybe that's not the truth," Dhruv whispered and everyone looked in the direction, his eyes were rooted on.

A figure of Harshad leaning on the tree while his arms wrapped around Kiara's waist. His orbs were closed with a content smile. Kiara's head was resting on Harshad's chest while her hands were wrapped around his stomach. Her face nuzzled further into his chest to hinder the sun  from peeping from the dense leaves to disturb her sleep. The view before their eyes could describe as two individuals lost in each other embrace.

Yami was staring at them in adoration. She had never anticipated witnessing the view before her. Kiara in such a proximity with Harshad and be extremely comfortable about it. Yami felt as if Kiara belonged in Harshad arms. Even in such a dense part of the forest when their clothes were half drenched and they were sitting on the ground with only a hard texture of tree to lean into. With continuous disturbance from various insects living in the forest yet, they had such a beautiful smile playing on their lips as if they were having the most comfortable sleep they ever had in their life. At that moment Yami realized that it was all about the company one desires.

"Maybe love looks something as beautiful as this..." Avni randomly muttered those words as her eyes were fixed on Kiara. For the first time, Avni wished that Kiara may forget Dhruv and decide to have her life with Harshad. Avni at that moment felt that she hadn't seen Kiara looking so satisfied for long. So comfortable in his embrace.

Dhruv's orbs darken at that comment. He wasn't able to witness them any longer so he walked toward them in long strikes. The entire night he was busy worrying over Kiara. He wasn't able to allow himself a minute of rest and Kiara was sleeping fondly in the arms of Harshad. How could she do that? How she could trust a stranger so much? Dhruv was of the view that Harshad had purposely not followed them. Harshad wanted to steal Kiara from them, from him but Dhruv wasn't going to allow it. None could replace him in Kiara's heart. Dhruv won't allow anyone to share the bond that he shared with Kiara. Only he was allowed to tease her in that manner, annoy her, provoke her. He won't allow Harshad to replace him.

"Kiara!" Dhruv screamed loudly, fuming in jealously not caring that he was disturbing their peaceful sleep. "Kiara!" Dhruv screamed again finding that Kiara wasn't getting affected by his shout.

Harshad rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of his surroundings and his aching body. Soon realization occur to him and he frowned at glaring Dhruv. What was wrong with him? Why was Dhruv staring at him as if he was going to throw punches at him? Unlike the way he adored Kiara's fuming face, he wasn't fond of Dhruv's annoying glare.

"Kiara!" Dhruv screamed getting impatient that Kiara was still wrapped in Harshad's arm. A firm hold around his shoulder made Dhruv realise his impulse reaction. Aditi was staring at him with a questioning look with the way Dhruv was getting desperate to wake Kiara up.

Harshad glanced at Kiara on finding her stirring in his arms. His annoyance with Dhruv faded away on finding Kiara's hand fisting his shirt, pulling him closer to her. Her head tried to nuzzle in his shoulder. His heart accelerated in excitement, unknown but wonderful feelings transporting in his heart with a mere view of her sleeping figure, holding so tight to him.

"Kiar..." Dhruv was going to shout again but Harshad jerked his head towards him.

"Shh! Dude, can't you see? She is sleeping so peacefully, allow her to rest." Harshad whispered not planning to wake Kiara. His eyes drifted back to Kiara, a smile lapping his spirit.

"And you people still claim that he doesn't feel a thing for her," Aditi muttered shaking her head in disbelief at her friends.