With her mind far away, Nandini watched the short pooja being performed sincerely by the priest.

She'd been stupid to hope that Prithvi would either not notice Rajesh Garewal by the roadside or that he would make the choice to drive past without halting. Knowing him, and how her luck had been since morning, there was no way either of those things could have happened.

And so, she was going to have to face Prithvi again, and the others would naturally be with him. Her prayer to avoid one more encounter today had clearly been dismissed, but she was going to be blessed with the chance to see him together with...the new people in his life.

Aruna prodded Nandini to accept the prasad, consisting of crushed pieces of rock sugar in a leaf and some flowers, from the priest, and then gratefully offered dakshina to him. She fed a bit of the rock sugar to Nandini, and happily ate the sugar that Nandini gave to her with great affection.

Then, as they circumbulated the sanctum sanctorum, Nandini looked at the flowers that had been returned to her as prasad. Apart from marigold and durva grass, there was a red hibiscus too.

She was standing in another shrine...much older...carved out of stone. And then she was being tugged around the shrine by an impatient hand...

Nandini halted at the back of the sanctum as the memory surfaced with a shocking intensity, pushing aside the present moment to envelop her in a tight, bittersweet hug and bringing a faint smile on her pallid face.

But then she turned downcast again. Love for the divine mother, the embodiment of purity, power and fearlessness, had become a beautiful and integral part of her life post that visit to the Aadhyabhoomi temple. The divine mother had strengthened her, and helped her face many terrible situations. That was what she had believed. But since morning, she had behaved like a lily-livered coward, falling to the lows of struggling to eavesdrop on the conversations of strangers, and trying to run away from Prithvi to escape the weakness and flaws within her, she reflected with a rising anger and shame. And all this just over a tiny possibility that another woman had made a place in his heart.

But it was even more pathetic that her heart and instincts were dismissing laughing off the possibility as a tasteless joke.

Deep within her, the idea that he was in a relationship with someone else seemed as outlandish as a discovery that the laws of nature had been rewritten. It would be easier for her to accept they had never met at all...that everything that had happened in the last five years had been conjured by her imagination.

But what kind of love did she bear in her heart if she couldn't even tolerate the likelihood that he had found happiness with another woman. It couldn't even be called love...it was unadulterated selfishness.

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

Rajesh ended the call after giving his brother-in-law a quick update about the situation and then started to walk back to Prithvi. The driver was starting the car on Prithvi's directions but to no avail.

Rajesh paused and quickly unlocked his phone again. Typing as fast as he could, he sent two messages to his wife. His choice of words would upset her, but he preferred to face her temper later than to endure a display of her overenthusiasm about this coincidence in front of Prithvi, his friends and Nandini.

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

Why shouldn't it happen, Nandini asked herself forcefully. Why should he not find happiness again. He had every right to do so, since she was the one who had walked away.

Aruna was calling out to her now.

Nandini tried to come out of the painful reflections. Touching her forehead to the wall of the sanctum, she wordlessly sought strength. Then she took a calming breath, and walked slowly to the front of the sanctum.

"Prithvi is here," Aruna said excitedly on seeing her. "Your uncle sent me a message. Prithvi and his friends were passing by and they stopped on seeing him."

Nandini offered a subdued smile and said, "That's nice."

The tame reaction deflated Aruna briefly, but she was too ecstatic for the disappointment to last. The gods had given her the biggest sign yet that she was on the right track. Or why else would their car break down at this precise juncture in their trip, just before the roads branched out, and right before Prithvi was going to pass by with his friends.

Aruna's phone beeped with another message. This one had the opposite impact on her mood.

"The girls are coming to meet you. Control your excitement when you meet Prithvi. Don't behave like a child."

Fury spurted on Aruna's face. She was not a five-year-old who needed to be instructed on her behaviour. She would teach her husband a lesson for this. She would not follow her original impulse to grab hold of Nandini and rush out of the shrine. She was certain Prithvi would not leave without meeting her. And he was such a sweet boy that he wouldn't mind waiting for some extra minutes. She and Nandini would leave the shrine at their own pace, and she would not show any of her excitement at this magical event. And after that, she would make her husband regret deeply that he had given her directions on how to behave...

"What's wrong, aunty?" Nandini asked warily, confused by the anger that had glimmered on Aruna's face on reading something on the phone.

Coming out of some extremely revengeful thoughts, Aruna looked at Nandini and smiled warmly. "Everything is wonderful. Your uncle just sent a message that the girls in Prithvi's group are coming here to meet me. They are just his friends," she said hurriedly. "There is nothing going on between him and any of the girls. He didn't even want them to visit. His mother invited all of them because she felt he would get bored here."

The unexpected rush of information suffused Nandini with a dizzying relief and elation...but it also simultaneously frightened her. Had she said or done something that had exposed her secret...

"Why - why are you telling me this, aunty?" she asked weakly.

"Oh I'm not telling you all this with anything in mind," Aruna lied hastily. "It's just because...you know...sometimes, people assume there is something going on when they see a mixed group of boys and girls. Prithvi is chivalrous and caring towards the girls in his group, but that's all there is to it. And you know I get upset when people assume wrong things about those I love. Bhoothnathji has such a high opinion of Prithvi, and I know he doesn't approve much of...modern relationships, so I didn't want you to misunderstand and then..." she fumbled.

"Okay, I understand...and you don't have to be worried about that," Nandini mumbled. She wasn't sure she did...and she still hadn't understood why Aruna had appeared angry moments ago, but she wanted to end the talk somehow.

Aruna smiled at her and patted her cheek. "I want to ask the priest something. Why don't you wait outside for me?"

Nandini nodded and walked out of the shrine after offering a pranaam to the deity and the priest.

If she walked a few steps, she would reach the road, and then she would be able to see him. So, she waited near the entrance, gazing in the opposite direction while a heated debate went on within her.

Her heart was unbelievably lighter now. Yet, there had been no sense of any surprise when Aruna had been talking. Then again, she probably couldn't and wouldn't believe that such a thing had happened even if Prithvi proclaimed his love for someone else in front of her, Nandini thought bitterly. That was the extent of the...the childishness in her that had been peacefully just waiting for confirmation that she had made a fool of herself earlier in the market, and that there was not...that there couldn't ever be another woman in his life.

But what she'd heard now and what her heart was saying could very well be a complete lie, Nandini reminded herself brutally. She'd hid her relationship with Prithvi from her entire close-knit family, hadn't she...and they were unaware that she still loved him more insanely than ever before...

So, she needed to be prepared for anything. For years now, she had fanatically shied away from the thought that he could find love again. But if not today, then tomorrow, the unthinkable...the unendurable could very much become reality.

And she had to toughen herself to face the truth that day even if her heart and soul were destroyed in the process...

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

Grishma halted with a slight confusion as they reached the curve in the road where the temple was located. The temple had looked fine from a distance, but up close, it had a shabby appearance, and she didn't feel inclined to step inside it.

A young woman was standing before the temple and gazing in another direction. Only a portion of her profile was visible to them.

Yamini, who had halted for the same reason as Grishma, muttered, "You think that's the girl who's travelling with the Garewals? What was her name...Nandini?"

"Could be," Grishma said doubtfully, then appreciatively added, "She has lovely hair."

Yamini agreed with a disinterested grunt, thinking of something else. That hair and the colours of that conservative dress were ringing a bell. She had seen the girl before. In the market perhaps...

With a slight derision, she said, "If that's Nandini...Mr. Garewal said she was a family friend's daughter. So why is she dressed like their maid servant?"

"Don't be offensive," Grishma said irritably. "She's wearing simple clothes. Nothing wrong with it."

"You don't have to choose between simple and classy - unless you can't afford it," Yamini retorted. "From here, she seems to be dressed like the no-class heroine in those dumb Indian soaps that my mom watches and tries to make me watch too," she added with a shiver.

Grishma didn't respond to that. Not only because she knew it would be futile to argue, but because the talk of clothes had reminded her of a scary conversation from the past.

She quickly removed the coat.

"What are you doing?" Yamini asked.

"I don't want Mrs. Garewal to see me wearing Prithvi's coat," Grishma said hurriedly, rushing away. "I'll keep this in the car and be back."

Yamini looked at her derisively. It irked her no end when she saw young, confident women getting tied up in knots over the opinions of the typically hidebound old Indian aunties like Kadambari.

Fed up of waiting, she walked to the girl standing before the temple. She was bored and wanted the introductions to be done with soon.

"Hi, are you Nandini?" she asked formally.

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

"What do you think is wrong?" Rajesh asked Prithvi quizically.

"Nothing as far as I can see," Prithvi shook his head. Contrary to his initial suspicions, there were no signs of any problem - either natural or man-made - in the car, and the driver-plus-bodyguard's truthful responses to his questions had confirmed that this situation hadn't been created intentionally.

He looked at Rajesh and innocently asked, "Has Mrs. Garewal replied to your message?"

"No, she - wait, how did you know?" Rajesh asked with a surprised chuckle.

"The stress on your face while you were typing," Prithvi said ironically.

Rajesh laughed feebly, but said, "I'm not stressed, not at all. I errr...just wanted her to know that you're here. She's going to be delighted to see you."

"And vice versa," Prithvi smiled.

Rajesh smiled and nodded. He looked at the temple, and said, "Prithvi, one of your friends is rushing back."

Prithvi glanced around to see Grishma hurrying back with his coat in her hands. She gave him an embarrassed smile while opening the door of his car.

He instantly knew why she had returned. She'd avoided wearing his coat in front of Kadambari after having heard a few choice remarks on one occasion, and evidently wanted to avoid provoking a similar reaction from Aruna Garewal.

"Must have forgotten something," he told Rajesh carelessly while turning to the car.

"Is that your coat, Prithvi?" Rajesh asked suddenly.

Prithvi looked at him without any sign of embarrassment, and with an irreverent smile, asked, "Could such a fine coat belong to anyone else?"

Rajesh chuckled, but an intelligent understanding had dawned in his eyes, along with a strong hope. "Ah...I see, I see. But she didn't have to be worried about Aruna's reaction," he told Prithvi breezily. "We are very modern in our outlook. And romantic relationships are nothing to be ashamed of these days."

A forbidding aggression joined hands with the rapidly growing obstinacy within Prithvi, but nothing unpleasant was evident on his features as he solemnly said, "I agree wholeheartedly. But Grishma is only a friend. Nothing more. She was feeling cold, so I gave her my coat. That's all," he shrugged, and was unapologetically glad to see stark disappointment on Rajesh's face.

But recouping from the setback, Rajesh attempted again to wrangle a confession that would help him put an end to his wife's madness. "Oh well, a young, handsome lad like you...I'm sure there must be a special young lady waiting abroad," he said with an awkward laugh, trying very hard to portray an attitude that was alien to him.

"No, unfortunately," Prithvi sighed heavily. "There's no one special waiting for me in any foreign land."

"Oh...it's fine, it's fine," Rajesh said gruffly, wishing he had never started the conversation. "I'm sure you'll find someone from your social...errr...circle."

"Actually, I would prefer a three-headed green extraterrestrial being to someone from my social circle," Prithvi said drolly. "If you know of any, do let me know."

Rajesh laughed feebly and mumbled, "That's errr..yes, understandable. So, what should we do about this car now?"

"We'll give it one final shot at redemption," Prithvi replied gravely.

He gestured to the driver to disembark. He got into the driver's seat, and started the car twice. The vehicle didn't respond. Beginning to getting irritated now, he scowled and tried again. The engine revved into life.

Surprised and impressed, Rajesh hurried to the window to talk to Prithvi, who shut the engine and started it a few times to ensure that the car had indeed come out of its comatose state.

"Thank you, Prithvi, now we don't have to wait here any longer," Rajesh said happily. "I'll tell the caretaker he doesn't need to come here."

"You can make the call from the car," Prithvi suggested, indicating to Rajesh that he should get into the backseat. "I'll take it close to the temple, so they don't have to walk back."

"You don't have to take the trouble," Rajesh said hastily. "The driver can do it."

And you could try to leave quickly from there, Prithvi added grimly in his mind, as his temper began to rise faster.

"No trouble at all," he said pleasantly. "I'm not letting anyone leave without meeting me, so the only choices are that I either drive to the temple or walk up to that point. And driving makes more sense since my hands are already on the steering wheel," he adjoined seriously.

When a rather abashed looking Rajesh had gotten into the backseat, Prithvi gestured tersely to the driver to get into the passenger seat at the front.

Prithvi cast a brief look at the vehicle in front of them as the vehicle began to veer towards the road. He was fairly certain Grishma had not emerged from the vehicle yet. She'd returned at a bad time, and must have been caught in the crossfire between the two nitwits. If the whole fracas had not ended by now, it was unlikely to end shortly, Prithvi thought irately. He wanted the hormonal idiot to stay in the car, but with his mood already going downhill, he didn't want the video-related drama to prolong for the rest of the day.

While Rajesh was talking to the caretaker, Prithvi briefly told the man next to him, "You don't need to inform Sumer Singh about this. I'll let him know myself."

"Yes, your highness," the man murmured immediately.

It would have been interesting to see if the fellow reacted to one more name in addition to Sumer Singh, Prithvi contemplated. But it would be more entertaining for him to let matters unfold by themselves in that arena.

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

Nandini turned to face her, and instantly felt a powerful rush of relief and gratitude that the other girl was not around, and then felt disgusted with herself at the reaction.

"Yes," she said with a polite smile.

"Hi, I'm Yamini, Prithvi's friend," Yamini said with a perfunctory smile while mulling with mingled concern and amusement that Anuj was going to land in bigger trouble than he already was once he saw Nandini. Even though the fellow knew that any girl with the remotest connection to Prithvi was off-limits, she could bet that the female's freakishly good looks would tempt Anuj to risk his neck.

Then she added, "Oh you might not know Prithvi - the Garewals know him well, and -"

"I know who he is," Nandini said civilly. "Rajesh uncle had sent us a message that he's here. Aruna aunty is inside...she'll be out in a minute. Or you can go inside if you wish to pray."

"No, thanks. I'm not really the temple-going kind," Yamini said candidly, wondering if she had imagined the edge in Nandini's voice when she'd said she knew who Prithvi was.

"Okay, then we can wait here for her," Nandini said with a brief smile. Then she tentatively held out the leaf that held pieces of rock sugar, and said, "We got this as prasad. Would you like to..."

Yamini looked doubtfully at the offering. She was always careful about what she ate when she travelled in India, but this was probably safe to consume.

"Sure," she said, taking a piece, then abruptly asked, "Hey, were you in the market place near the Naina lake? I have a feeling I saw you there."

"You might have," Nandini said casually even as her stomach clenched. "We'd stopped there to meet a family, and I had gone for a walk in the market."

"Okay, that explains it," Yamini nodded, regarding Nandini pensively. She was usually excellent at sizing up people at first glance. But she was finding it difficult to do that here. If she had to rely only on the looks, she would have put Nandini into the annoying slot of the shy, simpering, eager-to-please females who spent their lives in mindless adherence to stupid traditions. But there was something else in the mix here that was interesting. A quiet but unmistakable confidence and poise. The quality was almost at odds with the excessively feminine and gentle features and appearance and the conservative outfit.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Aruna Garewal emerged from the shrine, and she greeted the exuberant, talkative woman politely, and smiled tolerantly as Aruna introduced Nandini to her despite being told they had already interacted.

Then as all three of them walked to the road to head back to their respective cars, she answered the same inane questions about the trip to India and how it had been so far. Aruna had just asked here where the others were when they heard the noise of an arriving car.

Yamini smiled amusedly on realising it was the Garewals' car that was coming towards them. The prince had come to the rescue again.

She looked at the other two ladies. Aruna was waving with delight, while Nandini was examining her phone.

Nandini had said she knew who Prithvi was...that didn't mean she knew him, Yamini mulled. The impassiveness was proof of that. If the girl had met Prithvi even once before, she would not have looked so emotionless...which meant that the next few minutes were going to be both funny and pitiful, because most women had the same kind of reactions to him. They blushed and became giggly and breathless and would start playing with their hair and would laugh at everything he said. Prithvi, on the other hand, usually had only one response to those women - a polite indifference. The exceptions were cases in which he would get irritated.

Long ago, she and Grishma had created a hilarious game of ticking off female reactions on their mental lists. But that was before Grishma had fallen for Prithvi herself, and then it had ceased to be a funny game for her.

Speaking of whom...

Yamini glanced at Prithvi's car. She didn't need any investigative skills to discern what had happened. She could literally hear the fight happening in the vehicle, and Grishma's attempts to resolve it...

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

Prithvi glanced at the temple, and saw three women coming out to the road. Yamini and Aruna were at the front. He was only vaguely aware that they were smiling at him. The sight of the person walking behind them that made him temporarily lose track of the multiple streams of thoughts spinning in his brain.

While it wasn't easy to be sure from this distance, he sensed a reassuring change from how she'd been in the morning, and he felt his own spirits lighten in response. Not in response, Prithvi thought irately. He was just glad that she didn't look like a crushed dove anymore...

But his jaw tightened as the car came to a stop.

He'd been looking at her all this time, but she hadn't looked towards him even once. Her eyes were on her phone.

But he blocked out his temper for the present on seeing Aruna Garewal's joyous face. She was a sweet lady and didn't deserve a tepid reception just because his mind had decided to relive the days when he had essentially been an emotionally deranged hoodlum...

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

With a heart that was thudding noisily, Nandini tried to studiously focus on her phone, but couldn't help herself from glancing up tentatively.

Aruna Garewal had hurried happily to meet Prithvi, and he was greeting her with the same warmth he had shown towards her mother back in Shamli.

Prithvi glanced at her, and felt relieved as he swiftly assessed that he'd not been wrong. Although she didn't seem to be fully back to her usual self, there was a huge difference from the state she'd been in earlier. Then he switched his attention back to the joyful woman who was talking to him nonstop.

Nandini gazed at him with confusion, then realised with a start that Rajesh Garewal was walking towards her, and concernedly enquiring about her wellbeing.

Nandini smiled and assured him that she was feeling better, which was true. But a fresh confusion had joined her existing ones. And this one was more troubling than all the rest.

It was only a feeling really....there was nothing to back up her doubt. But she was instinctively certain that Prithvi was infuriated. And it was more than just temper. Something had disturbed him. He was a little irked with her, maybe because she'd tried to avoid looking at him. But this anger wasn't mainly directed towards her.

"...And look, Nandini came along with us," Aruna said eagerly, looking affectionately at Nandini. "She took leave from her office to travel with us."

Prithvi looked at Nandini, next to whom Rajesh Garewal was standing with the protective attitude of someone who was expecting a kidnapping attempt.

The cold, brattish impulse to shock the wits out of the older man had become so strong that he wished he could have just walked over to Nandini and hugged her and -

Well, it was possible that the source of the impulse wasn't purely a desire to shock others, Prithvi admitted to himself grudgingly. But there were other ways to mollify the juvenile delinquent within him without overstepping any boundaries or mistreating anyone's fragile emotions.

"That's wonderful. It's very good to see you again, Nandini," Prithvi said with a brilliant smile.

Nandini felt as though he had pushed her onto a stage and put the spotlight on her. But while her heart had skipped a beat, she held his gaze with confusion rather than shyness. If she'd felt he was genuinely teasing her, she would probably have turned into a big, scarlet mess. But right now, though she felt self-conscious, she sensed in her gut that this act of charm had anger in its depths. But why...

With a reserved smile, Nandini said just as politely, "Thank you, it's nice to see you too."

Then she turned to chat with Rajesh, asking him if he had informed the caretaker that he didn't need to come, and how long it would take to reach the house, and other sundry questions. But she couldn't ask him the only question that was gnawing at her fiercely.

What was bothering Prithvi...

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

"...and you have to tell me - how did you repair the car?" Aruna asked him eagerly, and then cast a frown at the disconcerted driver. "This fellow is supposed to be an expert but he couldn't figure it out."

"I can't give you the details of what I did," Prithvi said seriously, then with an impish grin, he added, "Let's just say there was some shameless flirting involved."

"You're a mischievous boy," Aruna laughed. "But yes, you definitely have earned a reward for this!"

"I most definitely have," Prithvi confirmed, "And I choose dinner with all of you as my reward. So may we have the pleasure of your company at Taravan tonight?" he enquired.

Shock hit him on the inside. The invitation had spilled out in an unthinking moment. He had not intended to say anything of this sort. Not even to rile Rajesh Garewal. And it wasn't just the most insensible thing he could have done...it was the most insensitive thing too, he thought with a cutting guilt, recalling that Nandini had not met Sumer Singh or Uday Singh after...after that point. He looked quickly at her, and saw his shock mirrored on her face.

Stunned, Nandini felt her insides jumble up madly and coil into a tight ball. She was going to have to face Sumer Singh...and Uday Singh? Today?

No. She couldn't do it, she thought fiercely with cold dread. No way...no way at all...

She hardly heard Aruna enthusiastically say, "Of course! We would like nothing better."

"Arunaji, wait a minute," Rajesh said sharply, drawing his wife's suddenly hostile gaze to himself.

Then he looked at Prithvi and firmly said, "Prithvi, we've travelled a long distance since morning, and we are quite tired, so I think we would all prefer to stay home today."

He'd almost said that Nandini was unwell but had recalled just in time that doctors were always present in any house in which Uday Singh lived. If he hadn't caught himself, the attempt to avoid a trip later in the day would have led to them making the journey right away...

"I understand, it's fine," Prithvi said quickly, then mumbled, "I - I didn't - I was just..."

Aruna interrupted him to speak coldly to her husband. "Rajeshji, it would be very rude to refuse such a loving invitation. We can rest until evening, and we'll feel completely fresh by the time we need to leave the house. And I'm sure it's not going to take more than half an hour to reach their place in Taravan."

Realising that his wife was fuming, Rajesh vacillated before wanly saying, "But Arunaji, Nandini..."

With a resolute air, Aruna looked at Nandini and keenly asked, "Nanhi, you would be okay with going to Taravan in the evening, right?"

With guilt-burdened eyes, Prithvi gazed at Nandini. She'd already had a rough morning for whatever reasons, and he had made the day more wretched for her...again.

He wanted to tell her that she didn't need to come to Taravan. But the words remained trapped within him. And all of a sudden, he couldn't endure the thought of not having...anything to look forward to...

Tongue-tied because of the shock and the terrible turmoil that had accompanied it, Nandini looked confusedly at the people around her for a moment. Aruna Garewal was looking at her with a bright smile that held immense expectations, Rajesh Garewal was giving her an encouraging nod, clearly asking her to speak her mind, and Yamini was staring blankly at Prithvi and then at her.

Then she looked at Prithvi. He was gazing at her with eyes that were subdued...hesitant...

Her heart twitched with an intense ache.

Nandini swallowed, and looked remorsefully at Rajesh Garewal. "If aunty wants to go there for dinner tonight, I think we should," she murmured uncomfortably.

Prithvi smiled softly.

It was a faint smile...but so full of tenderness that it could put the light of a million full moons to shame...

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