Deceiving Veils

Chapter-8{Whys}

"Why did you want me to help you?" He asked after a pause.

She immediately turned around to see him still indulged with his wounds.
She was bewildered with the question and he didn't seem to pay any heed.

"I never expected you to help me," she replied acutely.

He looked at her, finally. And it was sheer vehemence. That sore he had in his eyes could only instigate ire or else pain.

"Oh really," he mocked raising his brow.

"I never asked you to accompany me. I even asked you to go your own way," she said contently.

He left the cloth in his hand in stream and stood up.
She saw her handkerchief flowing towards the cascade.
He walked towards her. His eyes spoke of menace. Nandini, unknowingly put a step back in muddy land.
"Then I must have lead a ghost all this way," he quipped.

There was this dreading silence. Both didn't know what to say. She holding hem of her overcoat and he keeping hands on his waist, both looked in opposite ends.

"But I asked first, why are you helping me?" She said while trying to come closer and she slipped a bit.

Immediately, a pair of hands held her from forearm as her own hands reached his forearms for support.
"Maybe because of this 'highness' qualities of yours," he mocked while eyeing her stuck gumboots in dregs.

She looked down and saw herself all stuck in sediment.
He tried to move her out of it and lost his balance as well.

She chuckled and looked away trying not to ridicule him.

"What's so funny? Huh?" He asked and held her arm even tighter.

She stopped laughing and looked at him all innocently.

"I was never helping you. I was just walking myself out of this forest and let you accompany me," he blurted.

She made this disgusted face listening to him and said, "you are one thankless man."

He slowly climbed on adjacent rock and grabbed her as well.

"Save the thanks for later," saying this he jumped into water.

She saw him swimming towards cascade. She yelled at him for walking her out of rocks. He didn't bother and kept swimming. She was furious.

"I, no more, am interested in taking your help, Mister," she shouted as he swum into cascade.

And he disappeared in water. She frowned. Before irrationality could take over, she turned around to make her way towards bank. Carefully, stepping on each rock she found her way to safe land.
She turned around to see him and saw a contour standing in fall. He was holding her handkerchief. He dived in again and swum back to the bank.

"Take this along. You may need to wipe tears in case they are coming," he said ruthlessly.

She fisted her hand and barely controlled her ire before stomping out of there.

"Such arrogance, I never needed him. I never should have let him lead me. I was more than capable. Thankless idiot. Instead of thanking me for saving his life, he is posing to be great. Such a loser...." She kept mumbling while walking away from that place.
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"Whatever it takes, I want my daughter back," Mrs Murthy said firmly.

"You must have talked to my husband as well. She is only reason for which we would cooperate in any of your plans," she added.