Nupur looked down from the machan , there were protests from the thugs,they began cursing vilely but were unable to see their captors. all of them were tied together with rope , gun toting forest guards surrounded them & led them out of the jungle. The forest officer stepped towards Mayank , shook hands with him & murmured thanks. then followed his guards & prisoners.
Mayank shook hands with his ppl & thanked them. then he looked up at the tree.
One of the guys swiftly climbed up the tree & helped Nupur get in the harness & slowly lowered her down, where Mayank was waiting to help her. they pulled up the rope again & this time DP kaka came down the rope wearing the harness.
" every thing went well by the grace of Devi maa" said DP kaka. " good job every one . now go home, your families must be worried for you all. Mayank beta you too take bitiya home , its quite late."
"yes kaka , first we will drop you home. " said Mayank. all of them walked in a group, surrounding Mayank - Nupur & kaka. as they reached the edge of jungle they stopped and Mayank entered the bushes & with in seconds the roaring engine of his SUV could be heard.
Mayank drove the SUV out of its hiding place. then opening his passenger side door,gestured Nupur to get in. as she did , he asked Kaka to get in next to Nupur.
then looking out at his ppl ,he said " ok you guys!!! all of you get in too , it will be a very tight fit but its for a short trip so its OK."
The guys whooped in delight & scrambled to get in the vehicle. soon it was jam-packed , then the remaining ones got up on the overhead carrier .
Someone banged his fist on the roof & called out ," ok Mayank bhaiyya lets go , we all are on board." amidst laughter & bantering between the guys they started off & dropped all of them near their quarters.
After dropping off DP kaka near his home they started back. Nupur felt relaxed & happy that every thing went without a hitch.
"that was very efficient operation you guys put together Mayank ." Nupur said.
Mayank just replied in a soft hmmm... and did not say anything. Nupur glanced at Mayank and saw he was tense & when he felt Nupur looking at him he tightened his lips as if forcing himself to stay quiet.
Suddenly Nupur felt chilled looking at Mayank. she was confused as she looked at his angry demeanor. *what 's wrong with Mayank??* she thought *why is he suddenly angry. its better to leave him alone ,when he is in this mood.*
so Nupur kept quiet but her mind was racing away , it was painting worst possible scenarios.
As they reached home Mayank parked his SUV on side of the bunglow away from his usual spot. He got down & came towards the passenger side & took Nupur's hand to help her out. Nupur looked at Mayank & she could see anger on it. Still holding her hand Mayank walked Nupur to locked door on the side of bunglow. Taking out a key from his pocket Mayank unlocked the door, Nupur saw a staircase upon entering . this was a separate entrance to Mayank's wing of the house.
Mayank gestured Nupur to precede . When they reached up, Mayank pulled Nupur in a small living room & closed the door. Nupur was puzzled by his behaviour ,but it never occurred to her to be afraid, she instinctively trusted Mayank.
Giving Nupur a slight push into a chair , Mayank put distance between them & went to stand near the window. he rubbed his forehead & looked at Nupur.
" what in the God's name were you trying to do Nupur??" asked Mayank in a gruff voice. " why did you come into the jungle, when you knew what was coming?? why did you risk yourself this way. did'nt you stop & think before taking this foolish risk?? no apparently you did not, rushing into the unknown territory this way." Mayank shook his head in despair.
Nupur's back went up at Mayank's use of the word *foolish risk* & when she saw him shaking his head ,anger flared up in her eyes.
" Don't you stand there railing at me Mayank Sharma " said Nupur standing up in agitation " when that girl Bela told me that Lakhan singh had gun & he has declared he will take care of you for meddling,what was i supposed to do ?? sit in a corner cowering & crying?? I did what my instinct told me to do. I ran to inform you to be careful. After all i do not want to lose you for a second time."
Nupur stopped abruptly , she gasped & covered her mouth with a hand. She did not mean to blurt out the last bit this way in the heat of the moment.
Mayank stood still , looking unblinking at Nupur , his hand dropped down slowly from his forehead. Nupur looked back at him, Mayank could see a blush creeping up her cheeks .
Nupur could not bear the intensity of Mayank's eyes & looked down, biting her lower lip. silence surrounded them , for a few minutes no body moved or said a word. then Mayank shook his head as if to clear it & closed the distance between them in 2 strides , Nupur felt her throat going dry at Mayank's proximity. she could feel her heart beats galloping.
Slowly , softly as one would handle a delicate flower, Mayank held Nupur's chin , raised her face to look in her eyes. Nupur forced herself to look in those chocolate brown eyes & felt herself drowning in them.
Mayak softly asked Nupur, " did you mean what i think you mean?? i am a bit confused right now so will you clarify for my benefit??"
Nupur just closed her eyes & hugged Mayank ,hiding her face in his chest. Mayank hugged her back hard & was ecstatic , the moment he had been waiting for was finally there, he had the love of his life in his arms.
They stood locked in the embrace listening to each other's heart -beats , for a long time ,a feeling of utter bliss settled on them.
Edited by .SA. - 12 years ago
