Prithvi...(Vol. 6)

Chapter 160

Nandini gazed pensively at the people and houses that were passing by while hearing Sumer Singh's faint snores from the seat in front of her.

Had she seen these places yesterday while travelling with the Garewals yesterday? She simply couldn't recollect, though she had a doubt if they had journeyed on so many stretches of rough, unpaved tracks yesterday. But even if she was blessed with a phenomenal memory, she would not have remembered sceneries from her journey yesterday because she'd been wholly absorbed with the thought of meeting Prithvi. She was absorbed in thoughts about him on this return journey as well, albeit in a more painful way....

Still, she continued to try to identify the landscapes, hoping that it would create a gap of at least some minutes between the last time she'd looked at him.

Then finally unable to resist the urge, she glanced at Prithvi diffidently.

His eyes were fixed on the road and he thankfully didn't seem aware of her frequent stares.

He had not looked at her after that strange interlude in the library. In fact, he appeared to have gone out of his way to avoid meeting her eyes, and she knew it was because of what had happened at the end of their talk.

Nandini shifted restlessly in her seat and looked outside again as her face turned hot.

A whirlwind of silken emotions made her stomach somersault and threatened to push out all other thoughts out of her head, but she desperately fought off its pull. She couldn't think about that now. She simply couldn't. And it was of the least importance in this situation, she scolded herself sharply. There were too many other things that needed attention.

Priyamvada was in her house. The dangerous woman whom she hated sincerely was in her house. She should have been going mad with terror and anger right now.

But she could still feel the unshakeable strength of the assurance Prithvi had given her. With the deep affection he had for her family, he would not have ignored the possibility of them being hurt by his mother unless he was fully confident that they were not in any danger.

Still, her fears and doubts about Priyamvada were too deeply entrenched to disappear that easily, and she could feel them quietly bubbling away in a corner of her heart for now. But as of now, the intensity of her negative emotions towards Priyamvada was almost negligible compared to her anxiety and anguish over Prithvi's state of mind.

Maybe it would change once she reached home and actually saw that wretched woman in Vrindavan. But for now, the only person she was able to think about was Prithvi...and about the things he said, and the pain and tension behind the words he had tried to speak casually while talking about his mother...and the agonising emotional trials he would have gone through over the past five years, and was still enduring.

Prithvi had not told her everything about his mother's illness. She was sure of it...and she also sure that, despite whatever he said about his mother, there was immense love buried under all that hate and rage.

She could feel the tension and emotional pressure he was under, and how hard he was struggling to avoid speeding. But today, she wouldn't have minded his rash driving at all if it meant they would reach Shamli sooner, so that the disquiet seething inside him right now could ease up a little. He hadn't even eaten anything for lunch. She hadn't either, but she was used to going without food because of her fasts, and she genuinely wasn't very hungry for now.

Realising she had been staring dumbly at Prithvi for several minutes now, Nandini hastily looked out the window again.

What was going on in her house right now, she wondered distractedly, and thought again about what her grandfather had said. He rarely told her outright that he needed her help. What could she possibly do to help Priyamvada...and would she be able to do it...