Alarmed at seeing colour drain from Prithvi's face, the man who had spoken first instantly scolded his friend, "Don't make up rumours,"

He then turned to Prithvi with a kind and understanding glimmer in his expression.

"There isn't any such news….we've only heard that there was an accident. There are only one or two casualties, and those who've survived are being treated in the town hospital. You should go there right now….I'm sure everything will be all right," he said considerately.

Numb with shock and fear, Prithvi only gave a curt nod, not trusting himself to speak sensibly.

She was standing at the door to the temple with a tiny lamp in hand, looking so utterly beautiful….so purely untouched….so innocently enchanting that for an insane second he had wondered if she was even human….

He blindly began walking back towards the parking lot, leaving the two men behind. He had to reach the hospital…..

She was holding the certificate to herself and stammering out the reason for her amusement, turning redder with every passing moment, "His love story….its so famous…one of the most- most ro-romantic legends in our country….that's why I laughed. I'm really sorry….I won't ever laugh about it again."

For a whole minute, he struggled to remember where he'd parked his bike.

He was on the terrace, opening the door to go back inside. And after fighting with himself for the millionth time, he'd finally given into urge to look at her, swearing to himself that it would be just that one time. She was tossing a white, transparent cloth over the clothesline, and as their eyes met, an ancient, dangerous desire had bolted through his veins. And even through the distance, he had seen the rosy blush that had spread across her skin, and he'd known a second of primitive triumph…

He wandered amongst the parked vehicles in a sickening daze, staring at the motorcycles, trying to recollect what the damned machine looked like.

"I was looking for you…..I want to celebrate the festival with you."

"I am not interested in taking part in the madness outside, so leave me alone,"

"Prithvi, I'm sorry about what I said before,".

"Don't be. It's not like I care whether you're here or not,".

At last, a big, mean-looking bike sparked a vague memory, and he moved towards it. He wanted to hurry, but his feet seemed to have gigantic boulders tied to them.

He was walking away from her, and then she was saying, "I'm coming with you whether you like it or not. I am not going to let you be alone, how many times must I tell you that."

Using all his might to keep tormenting thoughts at bay, he walked towards his bike, concentrating just enough to keep one step ahead of the other.

She was twirling in front of him, seriously declaring, "The earth, skies, fire, wind, rain….they all proclaimed – "Here Comes His Highness Prithviraj….the king of the world," and then giving a deep curtsy, before looking up at him with twinkling eyes…

He had just managed to start the bike with an unsteady leg when his cell phone rang. Fumbling repeatedly, he somehow retrieved the mobile from his pocket, and felt mildly disgusted to realise that his hands were shaking slightly.

She was resting her forehead against his shoulder. "No, not pity. I'm truly sorry for every word I said. You can punish me anyway you like, but please don't be upset with me. I don't know why I….its just.…I - I don't want to feel all this." 

Sankatmochan's frantic voice trilled into his ears.  'Prithvi, there is a news on television that -'.

She was looking at him with wild anger. "I'm being stubborn? What about you? The prince makes a decision and that's it. You decide to throw me out of your life and I must accept it. Then you change your mind and decide you want me back, and once again, I must give in without protest. But this time…this time, I'm not going to forget and forgive. So for once can't you accept my decision!"

"She's alive….and I'm going to get her back home!" Prithvi said forcefully before cutting the call, and then he switched off the phone.

"Can we go back a few seconds?" she was asking sweetly. "You said you wanted to tell me where you were all day. And this time I'll say…."………."Yes! This time I'll say – Yes, your highness, I know it would have been a really important and special mission or you would never have gone anywhere on my birthday. So pleaaassseee tell me! I'm dying to know!"

His own words seemed to reach out to the stark, pitch dark emptiness inside his chest, and he felt instinctively that if something was seriously wrong, he would have known long before.

She was walking towards him with tears in her eyes. And a terrible, sinking fear in his heart was telling him that she was about to back away from the relationship that had given him a reason to live. But to his unending shock, she was putting her arms around him and whispering, "If being by your side puts me in danger, I don't want to be safe ever again…"

Summoning all his control, he tried to stop his hands from trembling and battled to remind himself to breathe.

****************

The old nurse noticed him even through all the commotion in the hospital.

She had been working in the hospital for very long and there wasn't much she hadn't seen. She had witnessed relatives running along the corridor, shouting out for their loved ones. She had seen people cry in anguish, yell in fury at the staff, unable to bear the trauma of seeing their nearest and dearest in pain.

But all that loud, outward expression of agony paled in front of the unvoiced pain and torment she saw on the face of the young man as he walked with very slow steps through the throng, looking around in a miserable haze.

She could see that every step, and every glance at a patient, was costing him a little of his strength.

There was something excruciating about the bewildered fear and despair on his features. It penetrated the battle-hardened shell that she had acquired over the years, and made tears spring to her eyes.

He would not have got much help at the reception because of the chaos….but maybe she could help him out. Feeling unduly worried, she approached him as he walked past her and tapped a broad shoulder. When he turned around, she saw the proof of his pain in his distraught expression.

"Are you looking for someone?" she asked kindly.

He began to speak, but appeared unable to for few moments, and his palpable trauma caused her eyes to moisten again. Then he tried again, and she heard his hoarse voice say "Nandini….she was in the bus that -"

He stopped and swallowed hard.

Feeling a swift surge of relief, the nurse said, "Nandini! That young girl?! She's fine!"

"She's – she's alive???!" Prithvi asked unsteadily.

"Yes, and she is not badly injured….She's only got a few small bruises. She even helped us out with the other hurt passengers. There – there she is!" the woman pointed out to a spot somewhere behind him.

Prithvi spun around and saw a slender figure at the opposite end of the corridor entering a room.

It was only a split-second glimpse, but life and warmth suddenly exploded with fiery strength in his until then chilled body and soul.

********************

Nandini walked towards the bed and lied down tiredly. The pain of her bruises had dimmed and there was only a dull throbbing in those sore spots.

Her throat was feeling dry as she had been on the phone since the past 20 minutes, convincing her family, and then the Sharma household, that she was completely fine. She hadn't lied.  She really was fine as compared to many of the other passengers. She had escaped the accident with just a few bruises on her upper body and calf.

It had taken over a quarter of an hour just to persuade her mother and grandfather that there was no need for them to rush back to Shamli. Or for the Sharmas to come to the hospital. She had succeeded in the former, but failed in the latter mission. Manju aunty had informed her that her husband would very shortly be reaching the hospital to get her discharged.

She had also spent a few minutes trying to recollect Prithvi's phone number. When she'd finally remembered and dialled the number, it was only to hear a message that his phone had been switched off.

When she would return to the locality, there would surely be deluge of inquisitive questions about the accident, but the truth was that she didn't remember much about it.

One moment, she had been chatting merrily with the woman sitting next to her, and then next moment, they both had skidded forward in their seats as the sound of a loud crash reverberated in the atmosphere.

Glass splinters from the windows had fallen over them in a shower. It was a miracle that her skin had not been shredded into bits, and she had only suffered a small gash on her right arm apart from the bruises from being tossed about sharply in the bus for some moments and a couple of very shallow cuts on her back.

In shock, she and a few other relatively unharmed passengers had slowly risen to their feet once the bus had stopped quaking and had started helping those who were grievously hurt. After that, she hadn't had a bit of rest, firstly helping the rescue workers and then the hospital staff. Thankfully, everyone in the bus had survived the accident, though some people were severely injured, and two people were in the ICU.

She had been helping the nurses, until one of them had noticed some of her bruises. After that, she had been bundled into this room, and she'd gone through a thorough check up which identified a hurt calf on her left leg as well. They had dressed the wounds, after which she had managed to subvert authority and wear her own dress instead of the hospital gown.

She stood up and walked to the table on which her bag was placed, and was just about to check if she had enough money to pay for the discharge when a curious tingling on her skin made her turn around in surprise.

Her heart jumped with delight, and then she smiled joyously.

********************

Prithvi walked into the room, looking at innocently beautiful face in front of him with ravenous eyes. A small part of his brain that had managed to remain logical unsuccessfully asked his heart to stop crashing against his ribs, but to no avail.

She was alive….she was safe…and she was right in front of him….

Nandini's smile was replaced by tiny frown of concern as she studied him. He looked very different from the Prithvi she had left behind…..

He needed a shave, he seemed to have lost weight in just four days, but more troublingly, he was looking extraordinarily pale.

"Prithvi…what's wrong?" she asked anxiously.

At the sound of her voice, he shut his eyes tightly.

And then, to her utter shock, he suddenly fell to his knees.

Extremely startled and alarmed, she rushed towards him and went down on her knees herself.

She cradled his face with her delicate hands and urged his face upwards. "Prithvi! Look at me!" she begged, "Please….tell me what's wrong?!"

Her voice seemed to rouse him out of the stupor, and he finally opened his eyes and met her frantic gaze.

There was there was so much angst and vulnerability in his eyes that it tore at her heart.

Before she could ask anything again, he reached for her hand and yanked her forward into an unyielding, crushing embrace.

And all of a sudden, she realised….

She wanted to reassure him that she was unhurt, but her throat was aching with the effort involved in keeping tears at bay. She could only respond by curling her own arms around him and returning the embrace fiercely. 

All the time that she had been away, she had dreamed of the moment when she would see him again. She had rehearsed the words she would say….the apologies she would make….everything she would do to return things to normal between them. But nowhere in her wildest dreams had she envisaged this scene. She had never imagined that he would be in her arms and she would be comforting him about her own safety and welfare.

After a long while, when she should finally speak, she stroked his hair and murmured, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

But his arms only tightened around her, and sudden pain in her back made her flinch.

He immediately drew back and looked down at her with so much unease and anxiety that she had to struggle not to smile.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked quickly.

"No, you didn't," she lied, caressing his face affectionately.

"The nurse said you were injured," he said uneasily.

She held up her right hand and showed the small bandage on the forearm. "This is the worst of it…and I got a few bruises on my back."

"How bad is it?! Let me see," he demanded agitatedly in a low tone.

She gaped at him. Show him the injuries? The ones on her back? Yeah, Right.

"What?! No! You're not seeing anything!" she said indignantly.

"I'm not going to go crazy with lust if you let me see the wounds!" Prithvi said angrily, as some colour returned to his face.

"Don't!" she squeaked, wriggling to set herself free. "No, I wont let you  -"

A knock sounded on the door, and both froze. The nurse who had pointed out Nandini's room earlier, opened the door and peeked inside.

Both immediately sprang apart and hurried to their feet with an embarrassment that made the matronly woman chuckle as the youngsters shuffled their feet awkwardly, looking anywhere but at her.  

Subduing the urge to laugh again, she asked, "How are you feeling, Nandini?"

Burning with mortification, Nandini mumbled, "I'm alright."

"Lie down and rest for a while, the doctor will be here shortly," the nurse smiled, and then discreetly withdrew, leaving them alone again.

Unsure of what to say or do, she was just turning to look at him, when his arms closed round her again and he lifted her off her feet

"What are you doing?" she gasped, trying to retain her composure and sound indignant... but feeling horribly flustered

Without bothering to reply, Prithvi walked to the bed and laid her down, setting her comfortably against the pillow.

Blushing furiously, she tried to sit up again, but he simply caught her shoulders and gently but firmly placed her back on the bed.

"I don't need to lie down!" she complained, as he sank down by her side.

"You heard what the nurse said," he said adamantly, and tenderly swept away black tendrils of hair from her temple.

To her shy astonishment, he bent down and kissed the soft skin on her forehead, and then rested his brow against hers. 

"Don't put me through that again….I don't think I'll survive it," he murmured unevenly against her cheek with soul-stirring intensity.

She was astounded by the startling and totally uncharacteristic plea. This time, the tears wouldn't listen to any of her commands, and spilled out of her eyes.

She ran loving fingers through his thick black hair  

"I didn't know….." she said in a whisper.

He raised his head slightly, and looked at her. "Didn't know what?" he asked quizzically, wiping away her tears lightly with an unsteady finger.

"That you cared so much," she replied softly, still stroking his downy head.

Turning slightly red, he smoothly pulled away from her hands and sat up, turning away towards the wall of the room.

Nandini felt a sudden pang at his reaction and gazed at him in stark distress. Perhaps he had been hurt by what she said…..

She was just about to sit up and apologise, when he quietly said, "I've cared this much since the night we first met."

Stunned into stillness, she stared at him as her heart began pounding hard. 

"The night….we first met?" she mumbled through completely parched lips.

He turned and looked at her silently.

"I thought….I thought you didn't remember," she explained awkwardly

He didn't answer, but gently took her hand in his and kissed the palm. Then he took a deep breath, and staring at the delicate hand in his grasp, spoke again; her astonishment deepened with every word.

"After my father's death, my mother and I had to come and live with my maternal grandfather," he muttered. "No one in the family particularly cared for us, because of my father – because of – everything he had done," he faltered for a moment. "But as long as I had ma around me, I was happy."

Nandini, who had held her breath as he spoke of his father, found herself on the verge of tears again. The words were uttered with unemotional calm, but she was sensing the tremendous effort it was taking him to open up, and it was breaking her heart. And there was something deliberate in the casualness with which he was speaking. Something that said he was giving her a very mild version of the actual events….

She sat up slowly and settled down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder in a silent gesture of comfort. This time, he didn't push her back on the bed, but only squeezed her hand in mute acceptance of her love and support.

"Then when I was four years old, I decided that my life was incomplete without a cycle," he resumed with a grin, but the smile slowly faded away as he continued to speak. "But I didn't know whom to ask for it. Ma was always so sad and silent that I didn't want to add to her worry, and all the others in the family barely tolerated us so there was no way I could ask any of them."

Nandini listened to the story helplessly, wishing desperately that she could go back to his past and lend some comfort. The wrench in her heart worsened at the imagery of an adorable little boy who didn't even know whom to approach to ask for something he wanted badly.

"Then I heard my friends say that God answered all heartfelt prayers. So I went to the prayer room and sat there, convinced that if I prayed hard, I would get whatever I wanted," he muttered uncomfortably, as if embarrassed of his innocence as a child.

"You were - and are - so cute!" Nandini smiled, and mischievously tugged at his cheek.

"I wasn't cute – I was an idiot!" he grumbled, but the pleasure on his face at her touch contradicted his outer irritation.  

"You were and are the sweetest!" she cajoled, and then hesitantly asked, "What happened then?"

"Ma found me there, and she asked what I was praying for. I told her….and she – she said something that I never forgot," he said quietly.

"What….what did she say?" she asked curiously.

A loud knock resounded again, and both jumped at the unexpected intrusion.

Prithvi stood up as the same nurse who had interrupted them earlier hurried into the room.

Swiftly, in a conspiratorial murmur, she said "A man has been asking for you….a Mr Sharma. He is coming to get you discharged. I sent him in another direction, but he'll surely be here soon. I just wanted to…..warn you both!" she smiled playfully.

"Thanks…we owe you one," Prithvi grinned with a wink. The elderly woman giggled and rushed out of the room.

Nandini didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After eons, he had just been about to confide something that she had been yearning to know, and that moment had been snatched away from her fingertips….

And yet, if Sharma uncle were to come to the room and find Prithvi with her, it would lead to speculation and rumours of the kind that could destroy their happiness.

Afraid of angering Prithvi, but seeing no other way out, she nervously said, "Prithvi…."

Prithvi turned towards her, and she knew he had understood the thoughts running through her mind, and resignedly waited for him to deride her for being so tense

But to her intense amazement, he caught her anxious face in his warm hands.

"I know….I shouldn't be here when he comes or both of us will be stoned to death," he said dryly.

Nandini stared at him wordlessly and wondered if the world had gone upside down.

"I'll leave now, but I'll be around you till you reach their house. Take rest, I'll meet you tomorrow!" he promised, and dropped another swift kiss on her brow.

And then he was gone, leaving her alone with innumerable thoughts and emotions teeming in her mind and heart.

********************