HEART IN THE HIMALAYAS

CHAPTER 5

3 WEEKS LATER...

Click...click...and another click was heard as there was another beautiful view in front of Ansh. Hills and mountains had their own specific place in Ansh's heart. He would always turn to them (mountains) for a peaceful escape. He was looking around capturing the beauty infront not only in his camera but in his heart as well. He was definitely regretting his decision of avoiding his Grandmother's advice and not visiting these mountains sooner.

"You were right Dadi...its beautiful here" Ansh whispers to himself remembering his Grandmother's words while a genuine smile adorns on his calm face. He shuts his eyes feeling the cold breeze on his skin. Ansh was busy capturing this momentarily breeze in his memory when he hears a very loud feminine laugh near him. Ansh still had his eyes closed but his heartbeat accelerates as his ears seem to recognize the sound. His pupils seem to move rapidly and he opens his eyes abruptly. In an instant he turns around and his pupils dilate on seeing the girl from the club right in front of him, laughing........ her heart out....... again.

Aarya almost falls on an elderly man beside her, giving her entire weight on him while laughing. "Nanu.....Nani...will kill you...."Aarya manages to say so in between her laughs.

Nanu replies with a smile and says "She however will kill me someday, at least i will be able to irritate her before my death." Aarya continues to laugh at his words along with few other elderly man and women.

"What the hell???"...whispers a flabbergasted Ansh. He repeatedly blinks for a few times in an attempt to come out of his imagination, which he thought himself to be in at the moment. Even after few moments he continues seeing the girl in front so he finally rubs his eyes making sure she really was there in front of him. Ansh widely smiles finally realizing the girl's presence around him, especially when he had no hope of seeing her again. He had given up all his hope of approaching her as he had accepted he won't get to meet her ever again. But clearly he was more glad than he thought he would be on seeing her again.

Aarya makes sure all the people with her are seated properly and then she goes towards the counter of the small restaurant they were in. While Ansh kept his eyes on her without any interruption, anyway he was just sitting across her table. Aarya takes a tray of beverages from the counter and serves it at her table. And then she goes back to get another tray and serves at other tables as well.

"Does she work here?" Ansh thinks so being confused as she didn't seem like someone who would be working at such a small place. He could easily understand she was well aware of the restaurant and was even well acquainted with most of the people around. Observing around Ansh now has another thought "Does she own this restaurant?".

"Raghu chacha whose order is this a cup of green tea and a pack of cigarettes?" Aarya asks loudly to a man across the room, who points towards Ansh's table.

Ansh's eyes widen realizing its his order. He again turns around towards Aarya and could see her walking towards his table with a tray in her hand. "Why does she have to know about my bad habit even before meeting me?" Ansh internally groans thinking so and abruptly looks down at his phone out of nervousness.

Aarya serves the tea and keeps the packet of cigarette beside it on the table. Before her leaving his table he hears her saying "The amount of damage caused by Cigarette can't be balanced with benefits of the green tea. I hope you know that. Take care." Ansh turns to look at her but Aarya had already turned around to leave.

Ansh smiles being disappointed and whispers "That's a good advice...i was thinking of quitting anyways." And he keeps the pack of cigarette in his jacket, controlling his urge for now.

Not even a minute later a loud noise is heard which grabs all of their attention. One of the waiter had made a mistake and had spilled coffee all over a customer wearing a white jacket. The customer in no time pushes the waiter and starts yelling at him for ruining his expensive jacket. Before Ansh could process the scenario, he sees Aarya and other people running towards the waiter. A few people help the waiter while Aarya stands right in front of the man, between him and the waiter.

"That's not a way to behave. Its just a mistake...."She says so confronting the man.

"Do you have any idea how expensive this jacket is? Its white how is the mark supposed to..." the man says so interrupting Aarya.

"I think you earn really well to buy such jackets, then why create such a fuss over it. He could have broken his hand in the way you pushed him."

"Like i care. My jacket is destroyed. And does he even earn 22000 rs per month to spoil it?" the man questions so trying to degrade the waiter.

Anger was clearly visible on Aarya's face, so Ansh finally decides to intervene but hearing Aarya's next words he halts. "Is your mobile number linked to your account number?" Aarya questions the mannerless customer, who nods with a confused face.

Aarya further asks him for his mobile number and few seconds later she asks the man to check his phone. Being frustrated the man follows her but his eyes widen as soon as he reads the message. Seeing his expression Aarya understands the payment was complete so she asks the man "I guess you received the money. Now kindly apologize to him (waiter)." The man at first does seem hesitant and confused, yet finally apologizes under the stern gaze of Aarya.

Confusion was visible on Ansh's face as well. Involuntarily Ansh scans Aarya from head to toe. She did appear to come from a well to do family yet giving out 22000 rs in an instant as a price for someone else's mistake seemed a bit overwhelming to him. Ansh himself comes from a rich family and has seen charity very much prevalent in his upbringing yet this gesture of Aarya surely did make an impression on him.

Aarya goes back in her world to her rather aged companions, having a gala time, totally unaware of the two eyes that kept glancing at her more often than one would think.