After considerable deliberation, Sandhya decided to call Varun. She was responsible for the kids and couldn't risk anything being out of order for this trip. She pulled out her phone and called his number.
"What's up, Sandhya?" Varun answered, sounding casual.
"I needed to talk about the trip, so that I can plan ahead."
"Oh yes. Right. We will be starting tomorrow, early morning."
Sandhya thought for a moment. Could there be the slightest chance that he was doing this for the kids?
"Yes, that sounds good to me. Regarding the overnight stay, I can check for hotels," she said.
"No need for that. My friend has a hotel and I can have everything looked into. I just need the number of kids and their names."
She gave him the necessary information.
"See you then, Sandhya."
"See you."
Sandhya held the phone for several seconds; she was confused, skeptical, but a little relieved as well. He seemed like the Varun that she had met and made friends with, not the creepy Varun that he had later turned into. If only he behaved that way for the whole trip, she might actually enjoy the trip with the kids. But past experience had taught her that she trusted people easily, she was too naive and he might be taking advantage of the same fact. She had to be extremely careful.
~
Sandhya counted all the money she had and wondered if she should have given in when Akash had persuaded her to take some money. Hardheaded and stubborn as she was, she never accepted monetary assistance from him. Akash made it clear that he did not like her attitude in this regard but he did not push it. She closed her eyes, smiled and kissed the bangles, each of which he had so lovingly slid onto her wrist; how much she longed to hear his voice, feel his touch.
She had gotten so used to having Akash with her that her house felt eerie now. Moreover, fear was added to her loneliness after Gajanan's attack. She checked whether she had locked the door multiple times, kept bowls filled with chili powder behind the window curtains, under the bed and other secret locations; she even kept a knife under her pillow. Gajanan was in jail and would not harm her but taking these steps made her feel a little better.
~
"Hey, Roja! Do you know, there is boating there and lots of tea gardens?" Rohit exclaimed as he got into the minibus. Roja smiled back, her eyes twinkling.
Sandhya watched the kids, all dressed up in their favorite dresses, and sighed. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. Akash would call her tonight as soon as he disembarked the plane. What would he say about her going to Ooty with Varun? She dismissed her apprehensions. He was fine with her working in Mumbai on her own, he would be fine with this too.
She found Varun walking towards them and took long, deep breaths.
"Good morning, Mr. George. I see that everyone is ready." Varun greeted Mr. George with his trademark charming smile. He wore light blue jeans and a white shirt with the top two buttons open. She couldn't deny that he looked dashing, but at the same time, she felt extreme repulsion towards him. Hate was a strong word that she never wanted to apply to anyone, but he was going to be an exception.
She realized that his gray eyes were looking at her and came out of her thoughts.
"Shall we, Sandhya?" Varun said, with a faint smile playing across his lips as he gestured for her to board the bus. Sandhya nodded and followed him to the bus. She froze as she saw him moving her suitcase that she had deliberately placed beside her chosen seat to the luggage section above. But she breathed in relief seeing him sit in one of the other empty rows of seats in the bus.
She glanced at the chirpy kids and at Varun, who remained silent, as they rode. This was better, she thought; better than him talking all that rubbish he had recently. She dozed off without her knowledge.
A sudden halt caused her to open her eyes. Even before she was awake, she had registered Varun watching her, his eyes fixed on her before looking away, making her bitter and uncomfortable with the knowledge. She rubbed her eyes and checked the time just when the driver announced that the bus would be halting for breakfast. The kids got down and ate heartily at the garden restaurant. She was about to pay the bill when Varun intervened and paid it. "I told you, Sandhya. This trip is on our party," he stated.
Sandhya reluctantly put the money back in her purse. Varun was being polite; he had not uttered a single inappropriate word so far. Why did it bother her that he was being nice?, she wondered.
Because it all seems like an act, her inner voice said.
Once the kids were back in the bus, Sandhya climbed up and settled on her seat. To her astonishment, she found Varun sitting beside her in a flash. It all happened so fast that she did not even know what to do. He looked ahead as if everything was normal. Her brow wrinkled with worry and discomfort; she did not want to create a scene with the kids and the driver around. He looked straight into her eyes with his steel gray eyes and an expression that made her freeze.
"Can't even tolerate me sitting beside you?" he uttered in a low, sarcastic tone that only she could hear.
"Glad that you know my feelings," she replied in an irritated low voice, while thinking of ways to move out of this trap. She could have shoved his hand away but that would mean that she would have to touch him. She gathered her dress closer and slid towards the window so she could be far from him. He responded by sitting more comfortably as he spread out his legs, his knee touching her thigh. Sandhya gritted her teeth as disgust crept over her.
"Why are you wearing those bangles? They don't match your dress," he said, looking at her wrists, his face not hiding his displeasure.
"I did not ask for your opinion," she responded acidly.
"I am giving my opinion," Varun responded and continued, "Tell me, babes, did lover boy give you those? Is that why you are wearing those cheap bangles?"
Sandhya's jaw tightened, but she remained silent. No matter what she said, it was obvious that he would infuriate her more with his responses. She suffered his presence for the remaining two hours until they reached their destination.
~
She waited in the lobby as Varun spoke to the person at the front desk, Ramu. They seemed to know each other from before as they spoke as friends. Ramu glanced at her and she stiffened. The look on his face was weird; it wasn't exactly lust but something similar that she did not like. Varun returned and gave her the room keys for the kids and her. She led the kids to their respective rooms and asked them to freshen up before they started their tour.
She finally walked to her room. Weirdly, her room was on a different floor altogether. Since she wanted to be close to the kids, she requested a different room from Ramu, but he refused, stating that all the rest of the rooms were booked and he couldn't do anything. Sandhya reluctantly returned to her room and freshened up. They all started their tour with Ramu, who also happened to be the tour guide. They stopped at a breathtaking tea garden where Ramu took pictures on Varun's camera. Thankfully, Varun said he had some work and left them on their own. Sandhya relaxed in the chilly air as she watched the joyful faces of the kids and the scenic beauty around her.
In the evening, they all headed towards the lake for boating. She sat on the edge of the lake as the kids rowed their boats. The magnificent view of the sun setting by the lake overwhelmed her with memories of Akash. She stood up, closed her eyes and recalled her first trip with Akash on the mountaintop. A smile crept onto her face as she sensed his presence; he was right there, somewhere close to her.
A hand encircled her waist. She exclaimed, "Akash!" with a smile and placed her hand on top of the hand, her eyes still closed. No sooner had she held the hand, she opened her eyes and pushed it away, her brain registering the touch that was not Akash's. She quickly turned around to find a furious-looking Varun behind her.
Anger flashed inside her as never before. Before she knew what she was doing, she slapped him hard on his cheek. He stood still for a few seconds with his hand on his cheek, his mouth set in a thin line, his face in utter shock. The next instant, he caught her arm in one hand and held her hair with his other in a tight grip. A terrible pain shot up through the roots of her hair.
"You bitch! I have never been as patient with anyone as I have been with you! But you are testing my limits. I wonder why you are so proud. Not a penny in your pocket but so much pride? Is it the dream of being queen to the lover boy making you forget where you belong?" Varun said with gritted teeth, his words only audible to Sandhya. Even with her hatred towards him, his words still shocked her. No, she shouldn't bother about what this devil was saying, she told herself, and tried to free herself.
She looked around and found that a few tourists were watching them and a man started walking towards them. Varun followed her eyes to the people around them and released her. The man stopped and walked away, perhaps assuming they both knew each other and that the issue was resolved between them.
Varun gave her a look that clearly conveyed that he would get back at her, before walking away with his fists clenched. Sandhya's breathing eased a bit. If only the remaining night and the next day could fast-forward somehow and she could be far away from him. Better still, if only she could fast-forward her life until Akash was back. Luckily, this was a public place, but Varun would try something again. She wasn't afraid though; she wasn't done with him either. The next time he tried to touch her, he would get more than a slap, she thought bitterly, holding back her urge to find him and wring his neck. Could she inform the police about Varun? No, after all the negative news about Police atrocities that she heard on the news, that was risky as well. It would be better if she told Akash first. She just needed to be extremely careful until then.
~
Sandhya ensured that all the kids were in their respective rooms, reminded them of the rules and told them her room location in case they needed something. She went back to her room and closed the door, making sure that it was bolted properly. Was Varun's room adjacent to hers, she wondered. There was a door that seemed to be connecting her room to the adjacent room. Her first thought was, of course, that she could lock it, but she gasped as she noticed the absence of any bolt on it. She marched to the front desk. "There is no bolt on the connecting door of my room, room 205. You have to give me another room," she said firmly to Ramu. He gave a surprised look. "Connecting door? Oh, that! That's not a door. It's fixed to the wall so that no one can open it from either side."
Sandhya considered him for a few seconds. Could he be lying? Her further protests went in vain as the boy repeatedly told her that no other room was available and there was nothing to be concerned about.
Frustrated, she went back to her room and tried to move the door; it wouldn't budge. Hoping that he was telling the truth, she picked up her nightdress and closed the bathroom door to change. Thankfully, it did have a latch. Once changed, she lay on her bed waiting for Akash's call as she felt the diamond pendent with her fingers. He should have reached New York by now; she had checked the flight status in the hotel's computer room. She glanced at the connecting door and felt uncomfortable again. Oh crap! She might not get a wink of sleep tonight. After a few minutes, an idea popped into her head. She got up and pulled the side table so that it was right in front of the connecting door, then placed a glass filled with water at the edge of the table. If the door opened, the glass would fall down with a crashing noise. After trying her best to stay awake for Akash's call, she drifted off to sleep without her knowledge.
~
She was running on the mountaintop by the river, laughing. Akash was after her.
Creak...creak...creak. She heard a distant noise.
Where did Akash go?
Clink! Clink... Clink...clink clink clink. She heard a crashing sound that died after some time.
In a flash, she remembered the connecting door, the side table, the glass of water!
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/***Authors Note***/ "The Independent Girl" was published on JUNE 20th 2016!!!
Links to purchase:
https://www.amazon.com/Independent-Girl-Sneha-K-ebook/dp/B01GUSEPMO/ https://www.amazon.in/Independent-Girl-Sneha-K-ebook/dp/B01GUSEPMO/ https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/643119
https://itunes.apple.com/fr/book/the-independent-girl/id1121906593?l=en&mt=11 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-independent-girl-sneha-k/1119160004?ean=2940152772036 https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-independent-girl-1
Note that I will only be posting a limited number of chapters here on wattpad for you to sample.
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