Titaliya

Chapter 31

Shyam couldn't help but feel happy. He had hoped to rent a hotel at the resort, but the place was too expensive. The security guards almost caught him trying to sneak in.

But it was too good a chance to give up. He could approach her as a fellow camping lover on one of the nature hikes. They could warm their hands over a campfire together.

So he bought a cheap tent, pitched it on the opposite side of the river, and watched. She was there with a man, a handsome man. It looked like the man was interested in the other girl, and Shyam relaxed.

He saw Arnav coming up to Khushi's camp and grimaced. His grimace turned to a grin as Arnav was escorted away by security. Finally Khushi was doing what she should have done all along. She was kicking that arrogant idiot to the curb.

It didn't matter that he could only see her in snatches of campfire light as night fell. The mosquitoes bit his exposed skin, the surroundings chilled, but he couldn't go into his tent while she was still in sight. She smiled at her friends. If he craned his ears, he could almost hear their laughter.

The best thing about being in the middle of nowhere was that his phone had no reception. He was out of Anjali's reach. Perhaps he would go camping more often. He could tell Anjali he was fighting a case for tribals or something. The idiot would believe anything.

Khushi finally retreated to one of the tents with her female friend, while the man entered another one. The river's flow stilled as the night progressed. Shyam took out a cigarette and lit it, the small flame a red dot in the darkness.

***

Veda woke in the middle of the night. Her throat was dry, and she stepped out of the tent with her water bottle. It was too dark and too cold. But somewhere on the other side of the river, she saw a red dot glowing in the darkness.

She felt foreboding seeing the red light. It moved down occasionally, and she knew what it was. Someone was smoking in the darkness. It was reassuring to know they couldn't see her, but still odd to think of someone so comfortable alone in the darkness, in the middle of the night.

The warmth of her tent, the comfort of knowing she wasn't alone, wasn't enough to dispell the fear that started to take place in her stomach as she fell asleep.

When she woke up it was late morning, a suitable time for brunch rather than breakfast. The picnic table held fresh food and fruit juices, and a hotel employee nearby made scrambled eggs on a camp stove. If only it was just Asha and her camping. Sanjay was overly friendly, overly accommodating, and towards Asha, overly interested.

"Try the avocado toast," he said, handing Asha a few slices. "You try some too, Veda."

She noticed that for her he simply pointed to the toast and went back to pouring more juice into Asha's glass. The hotel employee handed a plate of scrambled eggs and toast.

"Thank you," she said. The hotel employee drew out a pamphlet from his apron and handed it to her.

"This is a list of activities we offer, ma'am. Please choose any that you like and arrangements will be made."

Sanjay craned his neck and looked at the list.

"Candlelight dinner for two sounds good," he said.

"And what will you do, Sanjay?" Asha asked. "Will you eat in the dark?"

"I meant-"

"Miss, would you like my recommendation?" the hotel employee asked.

The pamphlet had an exhausting list of activities. Foraging for mushrooms. Basket weaving. Rock climbing. Dozens of activities made it difficult to choose from. She nodded.

"Today's a nice time for kayaking, followed by a guided nature hike. After that, you can have tea at our cafe. In the evening, we have a house jazz band at our restaurant where you can have dinner. After dinner, there's a bonfire party with a DJ if you feel up to it."

"That sounds nice. Feel free to offer suggestions for tomorrow as well," she said. She slipped a tip into his apron with a smile.

"Just let me know when you're ready to start, miss," he said.

Getting ready involved changing into a short and t-shirt. They got into a golf cart and were taken to a point in the river where the water was deeper. A small hut with a man in cargo shorts and a tank top led them to their kayaks. Each kayak held two people, and the man in the cargo pants, their instructor, paired them with experienced kayakers.

"It's okay, Asha and I can be in one together. I've done this before," Sanjay said, refusing the third kayak. Asha placed her hand tightly on the vessel.

"I'd feel safer if I was with one of the resort's employees," she said. In the end, they ended up in three kayaks, floating down the river and reveling in the silence.

There was something beautiful about the endlessness of it. She could float down the river forever, for all she cared. Sanjay kept trying to shout over the sound of the water, and Veda told him to shut up. Some things were meant to be enjoyed without interruption.

They neared their campsite, and she looked at the rivers' edge on the opposite side of their camp. There was a small tent there, the kind people bought off highways. If the wind was too strong it would blow away. There was no campfire and no people around. It was almost as if the tent had been discarded there.

"What's that doing there?" she asked her kayaking guide.

"Sometimes we have trespassers. It's harder for the security guards to keep track of things on that side of the river. I'll call security to take care of it when we go back."

It could've been a coincidence. But Veda had a feeling her life wouldn't be so simple.

"Just in case, may we have a guard stationed to our camp for the nights we stay here?" she asked. She paused and added, "I have an issue with a stalker, you see."

"We've already appointed guards to look over your camp in shifts. After the incident yesterday, our manager thought it would be best to have someone watching over you."

She had been thinking of Shyam, but Veda had to admit that Arnav qualified for the label as well. She paddled faster down the river until the flimsy tent was out of sight.

"Whoa, miss. Don't tire yourself out. Save some energy for the nature hike."

***

Shyam looked at the passing boats from behind a tree. He had found a good hiding spot at sunrise, and it offered an excellent position to see Khushi.

Her friend woke up first. The girl was almost as pretty as Khushi. She even reminded him of his Khushi from before, more innocent and pure. It was Khushi's innocence that had attracted him at first. If only Khushi had stayed innocent and ignorant of his marriage. Everything would've been perfect.

Khushi came out of the tent a few minutes later, and he couldn't help but imagine himself with her. He belonged with her, enjoying a vacation in luxury. Instead, he had to resort to spying on her from behind a tree, to sleeping in a tacky and cheap tent to be close to her.

Because of the Raizadas he was denied what he deserved. Shyam decided it was time to fight back against the injustice. He couldn't afford to stay in the resort, but a meal at the resort's restaurant wouldn't hurt. Especially if he timed it so he ran into Khushi and her friends.

They could have a fresh start, a story they could tell their children. All he had to do was plan it well.

Writer's Note

Hey there readers. How do you like this chapter? I'm sort of stuck on what will happen next, so leave your ideas below. Is this a lazy writing technique? Yes. Is it also interactive. Yes.

Finally, I'll leave you with another shameless plug for my original fiction, which you can find on the Tapas website. Just check out my profile for the link (tapas.io/arushi). You can also click on the external link on this chapter.