An Indian Princess - A Modern Day Fairytale (Completed)

Chapter 13

Dedicated to RadicalReader.  Thanks for the awsome cover on the side.

Arnav made a fire because he knew that once he was back in his tiger form he wouldn’t be able to do it and he didn’t want her to have to do it and it didn’t look like she was planning to go back.  He knew it was selfish of him to want her here during the night but he couldn’t help it.  He looked at her every now and then, she was so beautiful.

Nidhi helped Arnav gather wood and as he was making the fire Nidhi had sat close by just watching him.  He was really handy and she wondered where he learned to build a fire.  She liked watching him do stuff, he did everything as if he was doing it for the first time. 

Arnav thought she might be hungry and decided that he would hunt just after he turned into his tiger form.  He too felt a little hungry.  When the fire was burning like it was supposed to, they had another thirty minutes in each other’s company before he had to go.  He was happy that the fire was a success because he hadn’t built one in ages.

“Nidhi, why don’t you want to go back to school?”

“I wanted to spend time with my tiger but Arii said I couldn’t because I snuck out during lunch to see him, he wasn’t in the usual place so I went back to school and Arii caught me.  I was going to spend the whole day tomorrow with him but she said I couldn’t.  I am not going back and you cannot make me.”

“I won’t, you should not leave here when I go, I am sure your tiger will be here soon after me, he always comes when I leave, I have seen it before.  You should add wood to the fire so it doesn’t go out too soon and don’t make it too big otherwise the woods might burn off and we don’t want that.”

“Okay, are you leaving soon?”  Nidhi felt the sadness when she spoke.  She hated to be left alone and she didn’t know how soon the tiger will be here after Arnav has left.

“Yes, I have to go before sunset.”  He too was sad that he had to go, but he would be back as her tiger soon.  “May I ask you something?”

Nidhi just nodded.

“Why do you call him ‘your tiger’?”

“I don’t know, it feels like we are destined to be friends or something like that.  It feels like we share something that neither of us can live without, nor even live without the other half.”  Nidhi shook her head with a little smile on her lips.  “He completes me in a way.”

A warmth filled Arnav and he met her smile with his own.  He was happy and he couldn’t even tell her.  She felt it too and that made him the luckiest person / tiger on this earth.  “Yeah I have someone like that too.” 

Nidhi looked at the fire.  She felt a little relieve but a lot of disappointment.  She never thought that he might have a life of his own, a girl out there that he loved and who loved him.  “It is good to have someone.”

“Yeah, but I haven’t told her yet.  I don’t even know if she likes me for me or for something else.  I really do like her and I can’t even talk to her about it.  She might even hate me when she gets to know me.”  He wasn’t smiling anymore and darkness has taken over his heart.