Square Accounts

Chapter 1

Noel dialed Ashley's number once again. But as soon as he touched the dialer image on his smart phone screen, the signal died. This is the fifteenth time since the morning that he had tried to talk to her. Mac had warned him earlier that signals are pretty weak in the hills.

It was an exciting proposition for Noel to spend a quite weekend with Ashley, away from the hustles of the city. In the last few weeks he had many times thought of proposing to her. But he waited for the right opportunity. He was talking to his buddy Max about it when the latter suggested that they visit his property in the Nilgiri Hills for the weekend. It seemed like a perfect outing. So he and Ashley had planned for the trip. Ashley was a little hesitant at first, but then she agreed and willingly tugged along. Everything went well throughout the week. They had shopped, packed and finished their offices early for the week and left Friday morning in Noel's car for the much anticipated long weekend. It was a six hour drive to the hills. They had a smooth and relaxing drive and reached around lunch time. It was a beautiful property with a firm house and a resort spread across one side of the hills. It was originally a coffee plantation, along with gardens of various spices and timber. In midst of high rising trees and abundantly grown shrubs, there were few cottages for the guests to stay. Max had already informed his staff. So the couple had a hearty welcome. They ate a nice meal of local dishes in the dining room with other guests after which they decided to retire to their allotted cottage. At sunset they strolled on the twisting path through the estate inhaling in the scents of nature as they matched their pace hand in hand. After a long walk they came to the cafeteria that laid evening platters and tea. A small crowd of guests had already gathered there. There was a family with few small kids who helped themselves at a big eight sitter table. There were three more couples seated at smaller tables. Noel and Ashley sat across a small tea table beside a huge window overlooking the evergreen hills. Ashley looked beautiful in her peach tee, blue jeans and scarlet coat; a lock of her hair streaked in brown and black was falling over her left eye which she pushed away occasionally. Her eyes were dark brown and when she lifted her round chin to give him a broad star smile Noel almost lost himself. However he gathered his wits when a waiter served them tea with hot onion pakodas and cheese sandwiches. Hilly weather has an element that makes you feel famished very quickly. They chewed on their food hungrily and sipped in hot aromatic coffee from the estate's plantation. After eating Ashley excused herself for the washroom. As he was sitting alone now Noel took a glance around the cafeteria. Diagonally opposite him was a couple seated at a similar tea table. The man was middle aged and looked quite stalwart with short trimmed hair and rimless spectacles. He had a deep mark over his left eye that cut straight through his brow. It gave him a more rugged look. The woman looked delicate and vernal with average features. Noel remembered the man from the afternoon. He was throwing repeated glances at them during lunch. Now they were seriously discussing something. Suddenly a saucer dropped off the table and there was a noise of shattering glass. Noel watched the woman leave the table indignantly. There were broken pieces of the saucer on the floor at the foot of the table. The waiter hurried to clean the mess. The man left after few moments and as if taking his cue Ashley returned to the table.

After an hour Noel was accompanying Ashley up the path to their cottage. The sky was clear with numerous stars. It seemed like hundreds of lanterns have been put up in the sky. There was a cool breeze caressing their naked arms and faces every now and then. It was a pleasant chill. Ashley clung to her coat tightly with one arm and wrapped the other arm around Noel's elbow. Noel looked at her and smiled. The moon's sublime glow reflected over the forest and made the night look divine. They crossed the cottages on their way. Some cottages had lit up by now as the guests had settled in, while others remained dark.

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Noel woke up at the sound of his cell phone's alarm. It was 7 AM. After tossing a few times on the bed he sat up. He had forgotten to turn off the alarm at night. He wanted to sleep till late on the weekend. He turned around to see a sleeping Ashley beside him. But her side of the bed was empty. Noel looked around and found the bathroom door ajar. Ashley's boots and coat were missing. She must have gone out. It was only six in the morning and the window panes dripped off water droplets from the fog outside. "Where would she have gone so early?" Noel muttered to himself. Then the memories of last night flooded his thoughts. They had not gone out after tea and ordered a room service for dinner. Night approached quickly in the hills. They had to shut the door and windows and pull all the curtains to keep the warmth inside. They chatted lying on the bed, holding each other. The fragrances of wild flowers seeping in the through the tiny slits of the glass paneled window near the dresser flooded their senses. They could hear the wind blowing hard outside. An ethereal world had slowly engulfed them in its spell.