Along the Lines of Love | ✓

Chapter 17 : Happy Birthday

Happy Sunday! :)

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Kab tak chup baithe ab to kuchh hai bolna

♪

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After spending some time at the water falls view point they had hiked to the lake. It was literally like they had stepped into paradise. It had begun to drizzle so they decided to skip boating. The air was growing colder again. Even a chameleon didn't switch colours so fast as the weather changed it's mood. Instead, they spent some time at the food court and sat chatting about school and college life. Once the light rain shower had stopped they decided to go for a walk by the lake.

Nikhil finally felt that he also had a group he belonged to. It was a very comforting feeling. He didn't feel like an outsider any more. Surprisingly, he heard Sharanya talk too. She wasn't the usual silent and reserved type at all. She laughed, cracked good jokes and also had good comebacks for Gargi. Yet, there was a delicacy, a certain type of grace in the way she responded.

Nikhil found himself observing her a lot. He also caught her stealing glances at him once in a while. She'd catch him doing the same too, and they would exchange a smile. It was a new kind of feeling. It felt nice, very nice.

However, something bothered him. Nikhil wasn't sure if he was right, but he felt she was holding back when it came to talking to him. She didn't talk as freely as she spoke to Gargi or even Arun for that matter. Percase it was the newness of their knowing each other. Or maybe he wasn't a person she found it easy to make conversation with.

The drive to Ooty was quiet. All they had heard along the way was the rustle of leaves and sounds of the birds and crickets. There was thick vegetation on either side of the road. It was like they were driving in the middle of the forest. Given the weather of the day, the sky had turned dark quickly.

Sharanya had made two calls during the drive. One to ask her sister if she had reached home. Other to her brother to ask him to cooperate with Akshaya and help her out with the household chores because she had a paper to prepare for.

Every time Nikhil witnessed her interaction with her siblings, he felt he lacked the skill of being a good elder sibling. Sharanya was such a natural at it. On the other hand, he didn't even know what was up in the life of his siblings. He didn't like how Sharanya's constant involvement in the life of her siblings made him feel. Even his mother's subtle taunts didn't make him feel so bad.

He kept his gaze stuck on the road outside. The silence of the trees strangely reminded him of the silence of his own life. A slow, uncaring life. He glanced at her, wondering if his life would be the same or it would change for the better.

It made him panic for a bit. What if Sharanya went to being just another family member doing her own thing at home? What if this marriage didn't make him stop feeling that awful loneliness he felt?

He simply brushed off the thoughts and rested his head against the window frame.

Something was better than nothing.

* * *

Gargi had booked a home-stay instead of hotel. The host stayed on the ground floor of the beautiful house. Calling it a cottage wouldn't be appropriate because it was big. The host rented out first and second floors. The lady had a few helpers to help her with providing support to her guests. Gargi had got in touch with the owner via an acquaintance.