Anuj looked around nervously as he jogged towards Grishma, who was standing on the pavement outside a one-storeyed antiques shop and examining her left hand sombrely. Prithvi wasn't around, which meant he had a few moments before he was kicked in the rear for leaving Grishma and Yamini in the market and going off to shoot a video of the spice market.

Grishma glanced at Anuj as he hurried towards her and smiled feebly.

"Hey," Anuj said, panting as he reached her. "What's wrong with your hand, Grish?"

Grishma showed him her left hand. The fingers were reddish.

Briefly forgetting his worries about Prithvi, Anuj concernedly said, "Looks bad. How did it happen?"

"We'd gone into this shop," Grishma said, gesturing to the antiques shop. "I was picking up some stuff from the lowest shelf, and the shop owner was standing close and drinking tea. Another customer dropped something and the shop owner got startled and spilled some tea on my fingers."

Anuj grimaced. "Oh...did you apply anything on it?"

"No, not yet. The owner poured cool water over it, that helped. Yami said she would get medicines from a pharmacy, but I thought I should ask Prithvi before applying anything since we don't know the best brands here," Grishma replied.

"You both haven't seen him after he dropped you off?" Anuj asked, surprised.

"No, and we're worried now," Grishma fretted. "It shouldn't have taken him so long to get back after parking. Yamini has gone off to look for him in the direction in which he had left with the car."

"You're worried about Prithvi?" Anuj snorted disdainfully. "Grish, short of a comet landing directly on him, nothing could go wrong with Prithvi. And even then, I'd be more worried for the comet," he grinned.

Grishma knew what he meant. They couldn't have explained it to someone who didn't know Prithvi, but the idea of any normal accident or mishap befalling him just seemed absurd.

"That's true," she said with a small laugh. "But why is it taking him this long? Oh Yamini is back. Damn...he isn't with her."

"Couldn't find him," Yamini shook her head, sounding out of breath as she halted near them. "And where had you disappeared off to, jerk?" she frowned at Anuj, punching his arm.

"Ouch! I just wanted to shoot a video of the local spice market for Pari," Anuj said hurriedly, rubbing his hand. "I'd heard it's quite famous in this region. And you know she likes those things...like a flavour of the local place. I spoke to some of the sellers and got some interesting bytes," he said zestfully

"You're not lying about this, are you?" Grishma asked suspiciously.

"I can show you both the whole thing," Anuj claimed. "So don't tell Prithvi I left you two alone, okay."

"I will review your video and see what kind of spice it is focussing on, and then I'll decide," Yamini said dourly. Then she remembered to ask, "Hey, did you hear that loud, scary yell some time ago?"

"Yell? What kind of yell?" Anuj asked, mystified.

Grishma looked at Yamini exasperatedly. "I'm telling you...it wasn't Prithvi. It might have sounded like him, but you know he wouldn't shout like that. And that too some random name."

Yamini looked doubtful but didn't argue.

"What name was it?" Anuj asked with curiosity.

"It was something that ended with 'Ni'," Grishma shrugged.

"Yeah, couldn't make out the rest" Yamini said. She surveyed the area, then excitedly said, "Hey, there he is. Prithvi, over here!" she called out loudly.

Grishma looked quickly at the tall young man who walking on the opposite side of the pavement.

Prithvi was on the phone, but he'd heard Yamini's call and was looking at them.

Grishma smiled and waved him over.

He didn't respond, and she felt an uneasiness all of a sudden.

He was looking at them like he hadn't seen them before...like they were strangers who were calling out to him.

But then he gave them a subdued smile and raised his hand briefly.

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

Prithvi cut the call thoughtfully. He'd only wanted to know from the team in Shamli if there were any untoward reasons behind Nandini accompanying the Garewals. And the news had been reassuring on that front. It was a normal trip, nothing sinister about it. But in the process, though he hadn't asked about it, he had been told almost everything about the plans of the Garewals.

It was a different matter that he hadn't stopped them from sharing the information, Prithvi thought uncomfortably.

So, the Garewals were going to be in Jateshwar for some days. A place that was close to Taravan...really close. But that wasn't of any importance, he thought irately.

Prithvi looked again at the three people who were waving him over. Right behind them was an antique shop, the overall external décor of which was virtually yelling out its intention to fleece every human being who walked in.

He felt as if he was standing on some kind of a threshold.

In this moment, he was still in the world of the living, but the strange vitality that had seethed and roared in him and around him merely a short while ago was now fading rapidly.

Dullness was settling over his life again, like a thick layer of dust that had been briefly been thrown up into the air by a powerful wind...

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

"Where were you? I must have called you a hundred times," Grishma asked Prithvi plaintively, and without waiting for his reply, showed him her hand. "Look at what happened," she said mournfully.

"It got burnt? How?" Prithvi asked briefly.

"I'll tell you," Anuj said hastily, and he narrated the story he'd heard from Grishma, while Yamini rolled her eyes.

Grishma smiled wryly but didn't speak. Prithvi had asked the question in his usual way - caring but matter-of-fact. But she'd hoped to see at least a bit more intensity in the concern, even if it was only of the friendly kind that Anuj and Yamini had shown...

Prithvi listened to Anuj and then admiringly said, "Good job recalling a story you must have heard five minutes ago at the most."

Anuj started to refute the allegation, then gave up with a high-pitched, nervous laugh.

Yamini crossly asked Prithvi, "That's all you're going to tell him for running off and leaving us alone here?"

"You left him alone, you mean," Prithvi told her just as testily. "I put his safety in your hands, and you let him wander off without a second thought. Thank God he's back safe and sound," he said, patting Anuj's head kindly.

Thrown, both Yamini and Anuj simultaneously yelped, "What?"

"Think about it, Yam," Prithvi reasoned with her solemnly. "If I had to choose someone among you three to keep the others safe, would I have picked this idiot?"

Grishma couldn't suppress a laugh, and Yamini also chuckled. "Can't argue with that."

Prithvi grinned at her, then over Anuj's foul abuses, he turned to Grishma and said, "I'll get some medicine for you. Wait here."

"No, it's okay. You don't have to do that," Grishma said gently. "It's not hurting that much. But would you guys mind if we skip the sightseeing and go back to the house? I'm not feeling that great."

Looking anxious, Yamini and Anuj agreed, while Prithvi asked, "Do you want to see a doctor? I can find one here and -"

"No, it's not that bad. I just have a bad headache," Grishma lied. "I'll be fine if I lay down for a while. But I wouldn't mind a coffee before we leave."

"Sure, I think there's a decent restaurant nearby," Prithvi nodded. "And if you need to consult a doctor after we get back to the house, there's a good one on the premises," he added. She hadn't lied about not feeling great, but he suspected it was more about her mood, and the headache was a definite lie. He wasn't interested in knowing the reason for the fib. If anything, he was grateful for the excuse to head back to the house. He wasn't in any mood to loiter about aimlessly...

"Okay," Grishma smiled at him. She knew that if she'd just said the word, he would have scoured the area to find the right medicine or a good doctor for her. He would have done that for each one of them. He was just the sweetest man alive...

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

Even with her eyes closed, Nandini could feel Aruna's frequent, worried glances and the exchange of anxious looks between the Garewals, and it was making her feel horribly guilty.

She'd tried desperately to fix the mask of normalcy on her face after she had returned to the house the second time. But convinced that someone had put the evil eye on her while she had strolled through the market, Aruna Garewal and her friend had used dried red chilies and mustard to remove any dark energies from her. They had even considered calling a doctor home but she had somehow persuaded them against it, and had tentatively requested Aruna in private if they could continue their journey so they could reach the house in Jateshwar soon. Her request had been complied with promptly.

After they had set out again, the Garewals had been frequently asking her if she was okay. She had tried to convince them that she was fine, and was probably feeling ill because of the narrow, winding roads on which they had travelled since morning, but they were still stressed about her. And after some time, she had just felt too exhausted to keep lying about her state.

Her heart was still trembling from the shock of the instant when she'd thought he'd suffered an accident.

He was fine...he had spoken to her, walked with her...even held her hand for some moments, she recalled with an intense softness in her heart, unconsciously grasping her right hand with her left. Yet, the frightening thought of what could have gone wrong continued to play mercilessly in her mind. The strength of more potent emotions had been increasing with every moment, and now they were raging under the surface, but they had still not fully broken through a numbness that couldn't be described.

And the realisation that she was responsible for putting him in harm's way was continuously taking her horror and distress to new heights. She knew he wouldn't have been careless while crossing the road if she hadn't turned away from him and walked off like that.

It was true that she hadn't been aware of what she was doing at that time, but that didn't change the fact that he could have died - died - because of her.

...and all because her selfish, self-obsessed heart hadn't been able to bear something that she should actually have been fully prepared for, Nandini thought numbly.

Several images and voices swarmed into her head suddenly like poisonous insects. Prithvi's coat and wallet...that didn't need to mean anything. But Rajeshwari's casual remarks about the friend named Grishma...another woman's teasing remark....and shy laugh that had come in response...

Nandini shrank from the torment, and opened her eyes in search of something that would distract her. With green hills and clear skies, it was beautiful outside, presenting an almost perfect contrast to the ugliness within her...

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

Aruna looked irately at the driver who was staring cluelessly into the wiring and other parts of the car beneath the bonnet. He had come to them with very high recommendations, but they must have been forged, she decided crankily. Otherwise, what sort of a driver couldn't figure out why the vehicle had stopped all of a sudden.

"I'm going to call up the caretaker and ask him to come here with a car and a mechanic," Rajesh said mollifyingly while unlocking his phone, noticing his wife's increasing irritation. "We can leave in that car, and he can wait with the driver until this car is repaired. I'll also ask him to get some food for the driver."

"But it will still take an hour for us to reach home," Aruna fretted, "And Nandini isn't feeling well. I want her to be able to eat on time."

Rajesh looked concernedly at the girl who was standing near the car's rear. He shared his wife's anxiety about Nandini, who had looked very pale and subdued since she had returned from the market, and had been very quiet since then. But he believed she would be fine once she ate some food and rested well. Nonetheless, he wouldn't feel comforted until he saw her spirits improve.

He was also nervous about his wife's tolerance levels towards hunger. It was lunch time, and typically, Aruna would have been hopping mad at this interruption in their journey. But the snacks they'd had at the home of their friends would keep her quiet for about an hour more. God save him if they were unable to make meal arrangements by then.

"I'll tell him to hurry up," Rajesh said. "I think we should reach the house in about forty-five minutes, and he'd said lunch is ready, so we can have food as soon as we reach home."

"Okay," Aruna sighed grumpily, and as her husband started to jab at his phone, she looked at Nandini.

Standing on the other side of the car, Nandini was gazing at the tiny temple that was situated a short distance ahead, close to the spot where the road branched out into two - one leading to Taravan, and the other to Jateshwar.

Nandini looked at Aruna who was approaching her with a concerned expression and hesitantly asked, "Aunty, can we go to that temple?"

Aruna smiled and nodded. "That's a good idea. We can do a pooja in your name and can also ask the priest to remove the evil eye from you," she said with a surge of enthusiasm. "I think what we did at their house wasn't enough."

Nandini smiled wanly at Aruna. "Aunty, no one has -

"Someone has," Aruna insisted. "And very strongly at that. Wait, I'll tell your uncle and we'll go right away," she said and hastened to her husband.

In another minute, she and Aruna were walking to the shrine.

There were two flower sellers outside it, and as they reached the wide entrance, they realized it was a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha. There was a lovely stone idol of the lord inside, laden with garlands of hibiscus and marigold, and with durva grass at the feet. An elderly priest was attending to the deity.

Aruna purchased two garlands, and a small bunch of durva grass from one of the sellers.

As they entered the shrine, Nandini stiffened for a second, then she continued to follow Aruna into the temple without looking around, her delicate features taut with tension.

Her punishments for the day were apparently not over yet.

However, in spite of the acute agitation that had beset her out of the blue, Nandini felt a familiar calmness and comfort as she walked towards the idol.

She closed her eyes and folded her hands. She offered her fervent gratitude to the divine for protecting Prithvi. And then she sent up another plea. Please, she prayed with eyes shut tight, please let him pass by without stopping.

Nandini heard Aruna speak to the elderly priest while handing over the offerings, sharing her name and other necessary astrological details for doing a pooja.

She was very grateful for the love that was being showered on her, but when she looked at the deity, she requested silently for the benefits of the worship to be bestowed on another soul.

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

"So...what do you think?" Anuj asked Yamini eagerly. "Isn't it good? I was thinking of posting it online. Maybe I could start a travel channel with these sorts of videos," he planned excitedly.

"Great idea," Yamini said sarcastically. "And I can tell you right now your main audience will be a bunch of creeps, coz you've focussed almost entirely on the female sellers in the market, and you've spent way too much time shooting some girls who were buying some stuff."

Horrified, Anuj snatched the phone and reviewed the footage hurriedly.

Twisting around in the passenger seat at the front, Grishma looked at him exasperatedly. "You're incorrigible. Wait, I hope you haven't sent the video to Pari yet," she said in alarm.

"I have," Anuj groaned, slumping back.

"Thank god, I really needed some entertainment today," Prithvi said gratefully.

Grishma giggled and hit his upper arm playfully, while Yamini snorted with laughter.

"It's not funny," Anuj told him indignantly. "That woman will kill me. Prithvi, you're a tech genius, aren't you? You would know how to unsend this thing. Tell me what to do," he urged.

"Okay, I'll help...try to follow the steps carefully," Prithvi advised.

"Okay, okay," Anuj said hurriedly, holding his phone with complete, fear-filled attention.

"First, when your girlfriend calls, answer it only if all of us are around and be sure to put the call on speaker," Prithvi said seriously. "And...yeah, that's the only step actually."

As the females in the car laughed harder, Anuj scowled at Prithvi. "You're one nasty son of a *****."

"Truer words have never been spoken," Prithvi grinned, and just then, he noticed a parked car some distance ahead. The chauffer's legs were sticking out from beneath the vehicle.

"That's better than being a pervert," Yamini told Anuj starkly.

"I'm not," Anuj protested. "I don't know how things always end up being like this. Hey, why are we slowing down?"

"There's a stranded car..." Grishma explained to her friends.

"God, Prithvi, why do you always have to play the good Samaritan?" Yamini complained.

"He's one only for those who are not his friends," Anuj grumbled sourly.

Grishma looked at Prithvi affectionately. She loved this streak of kindness in him. He never drove past unconcernedly if he saw a person in trouble.

She watched Prithvi start to respond amusedly to Anuj, but then his expression changed. Surprise, and then frustration showed on his features.

Grishma looked confusedly at the other car. Only the chauffer had been visible at first. But now she could see a middle-aged man standing near the bonnet. He was staring at his phone, and then he held it to his ear while turning towards the opposite direction.

She glanced at Prithvi as he moved their car to the side and parked it a few meters ahead of the other vehicle. There was an uncharacteristically troubled look on his visage.

"Is something wrong?" Grishma asked him perplexedly.

Prithvi looked at her distractedly while removing his seatbelt, and she was overcome by a terrifying sense of déjà vu.

Just like that weird instant in the market place, it felt as though he had briefly forgotten about her and the others in the car.

"It's Mr. Garewal," Prithvi said briefly before getting down from the car.

He had initially slowed down his car with the intention of helping out, if possible, whoever was in trouble. And then a person had walked over from the other side of the vehicle, and he'd realised who it was....and that the car was empty...

After he had closed the door with rough force, Grishma exchanged bewildered glances with the people in the backseat.

"I've only met that couple once, but I've heard a bit about them and I know Prithvi likes them very much," Yamini said, bemused. "So what was that tone and attitude about?"

"I know...felt like a black cloud entered the car suddenly," Anuj said with a frown.

"I haven't seen him look like that before," Grishma whispered, disturbed. "So - serious."

Yamini turned in her seat and looked through the rear windshield. "They seem to be talking normally, Mr. Garewal looks very glad to see him," she commented. Then she decisively said, "We'll give them a minute to catch up, and then we'll also get down."

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

Rajesh Garewal looked quizzically at the car that had halted a short distance away, and then amazement and delight spread on his face on seeing the young man who had got down and was walking towards him.

Prithvi gave him a faint smile, and then looked astutely at the driver, who had emerged from beneath the car, and was now bowing his head almost imperceptibly with a tangible nervousness.

A tall, hefty man. Certainly planted by Sumer Singh for Nandini's protection...and very possibly working for someone else as well.

"Prithvi! What a wonderful surprise," Rajesh Garewal said happily.

Prithvi smiled faintly at him, and shook hands and was patted on the shoulder and greeted effusively on the whole. It was clear from the other man's attitude that nothing was wrong, and he knew he ought to respond with some pleasantries, but first, he needed to know where she was.

"Is everything okay?" he asked Rajesh lightly, casting a meaningful glance towards the car.

Assuming he'd understood the import of the question, Rajesh ruefully said, "The car broke down and the driver's not able to figure out why. But I've asked the caretaker of the house in Jateshwar to come here with another car. Aruna and Nandini - oh, you wouldn't know...Nandini is also travelling with us. Both of them have gone to that temple," he stated with an abruptly faint voice as a deep alarm appeared in his eyes.

As he forgot his chain of thought, he didn't notice that Prithvi's shoulders had relaxed instantly on hearing the last line, and that he had glanced at the temple with deeply relieved eyes.

This was a bigger setback than the breaking down of the car, Rajesh thought swiftly. He had inadvertently disclosed their destination to Prithvi, and if Aruna found that out, she would insist that it would be offensive to the Rathores if the families did not meet up at least once. But the bigger problem was that Aruna would doubtless go into a joyous frenzy right on the road over this incidental meeting. So, although he loved Prithvi dearly, and enjoyed conversing with him, he needed to make the boy leave immediately, Rajesh thought uncomfortably.

Prithvi looked away from the temple unwillingly as Rajesh spoke again.

"Errr...we were going to call you once we reached the house," Rajesh said awkwardly. "The problem is...we're going to be very busy over the next few days...lot of things to do, so we might not be able to meet up. But we will definitely visit Taravan the next time we're in Jateshwar."

"Sure, Mr. Garewal, you can visit whenever it is convenient to you," Prithvi replied with a courteous smile even as sharpness glinted in his eyes. Rajesh Garewal had been truly pleased to see him at first. But he was now keen to make it clear that there were not going to be any meetings between the families. Instinct told him that it had something to do with Nandini - which was all kinds of interesting...

"I knew you'd understand," Rajesh said with relief, then he apologetically said, "Aruna and Nandini might take some time to return. You shouldn't waste time waiting for them. Don't worry about us. We will manage just fine. You should go ahead - oh...your friends are also here," he smiled feebly at the people who were getting down from the car.

Grishma, Yamini and Anuj greeted Rajesh with smiles.

Prithvi watched Rajesh casually during the desultory chitchat that followed. Apart from wanting to prevent any social interactions between the families, the older man was also unsettled by this accidental encounter and wanted to get rid of him swiftly. And again, he sensed that this odd behaviour was related to Nandini somehow...

As if to validate his doubts, Rajesh again cheerfully told him and the others, "You'll don't have to wait with us. My wife and Nandini - she's the daughter of very close family friends," he shared with Grishma, Anuj and Yamini. "Both of them have gone to that temple there...and they could take a long time to return. So, please carry on with your plans. The other car will be here shortly, and we'll be leaving in that one."

A stony mulishness that would only have been recognised by those closest to him surfaced in Prithvi's gaze.

Left to himself, he would probably - just probably - have thought about leaving without meeting Nandini again to protect his own peace of mind. But Rajesh Garewal's obvious reluctance to prevent a meeting had helped him decide that he would not leave without seeing Nandini...

"We were just going back to the house actually. No other plans," Prithvi shrugged, then he looked at Grishma and asked, "Grimy, how are you feeling now?"

"Much better," Grishma responded quickly with a bright smile, elated that he had checked with her before deciding what to do. "We can wait with them until the other car arrives. In fact, I think I'll go to the temple and meet Mrs. Garewal. Come on, Yams."

She had met the Garewals only once before. It was at a party hosted by the queen. They had been very sweet and friendly towards her that evening. Also, Prithvi was very fond of them, which made her feel almost duty-bound to make an effort to endear herself to them.

Rajesh tried to think of a way to stop the situation from slipping out of his hands, but before he could speak, Prithvi smoothly told Grishma, "That's a good idea."

Yamini dragged her feet while walking with Grishma and irritably muttered, "Why do we have to go to the temple? We could just wait here."

She didn't have any interest in visiting the shrine or Mrs. Garewal and - whatever the name was of the other girl who was with them.

"Come on, it will be interesting," Grishma insisted. "You could get some good pictures maybe."

"Okay, fine," Yamini said grudgingly. She knew precisely why Grishma was eager to meet Mrs. Garewal, and it would have been very annoying if it had not been pitiable...

"Prithvi seems like his usual self now. I wonder what happened to him in the car," Yamini mused, mystified.

"Maybe he remembered some work-related issue when he saw Mr. Garewal," Grishma conjectured pensively, then she unhappily said, "He's not going to share anything with us, so we can only guess."

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

Prithvi looked at Rajesh and politely asked, "Would you mind if I checked the car once?"

Realising events had gone out of his control, Rajesh gave him a weak, defeated smile and said, "That would be very helpful, Prithvi. Thank you. But I should tell you the driver has tried everything, and it has not worked."

"He hasn't tried being me, has he?" Prithvi grinned as he walked towards the open bonnet.

Rajesh shook his head with a surprised laugh. "No one would be successful at trying that." He looked at his ringing phone, and said, "It's my brother-in-law, I have to answer it. Excuse me for a minute, Prithvi."

Prithvi glanced back briefly, and his forehead creased on noticing that Anuj was absentmindedly following the girls. But then Anuj stopped and looked at his phone, and then clutching his head, he sprinted to the car, dived into it and closed the door. All tell-tale signs that somewhere across the seven seas, despite it being the middle of the night, an angry female was shrieking abuses into the phone.

The sharp flare of irritation died down.

His gaze lingered on the temple for a second, then he returned his attention to the car with an internal weariness.

Once he returned to the house, it would probably be in his best interests to retire for the day and try to sleep until tomorrow, considering he had done more stupid things before lunch today than he had done in all the years that he'd spent away from the country...

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