Precap:-
"Yeah! I told baba and muma but they wont believe me... you know she told me she aint Snow white...umm what was the name yeah... she said she is Astha and not snow white... but she was snow white because i was dreaming about the dwarfs before that..." She told him half musing to herself all the time.
Shlok felt a current on the name. He asked Kavya to tell her everything that happened with her and her snow white. She told him all and left as Sojal called her.
"Snow white?" He repeated remembering how she had sprayed in his eyes last night and everything which followed. "A real troublesome snow white." He smirked.
***
Chapter 8
Paper Cuts and Snorts
The early morning of the Indian summer day was tinged with blue mistiness, still golden haze of sunlight paved their way in through it. Astha crossed the front avenue across her house towards the main boulevard. A speedy car halted right in front of her. The mirror pulled down and a much unfamiliar face of a man appeared.
"Miss Kirloskar?" He asked. A surprised and bewildered Astha nodded.
"Sir Agnihotri sent this car for you, to pick you up."
"are you sure?" She asked gawking at him.
She settled down, thinking why a sudden change. More revelations came when the driver told her that a car and a driver to pick and drop her had been appointed as a part of her package now. This was never the part of it...was it.?' Astha mused but then shuddered as the scent of roses stole in every breath in the air. A bouquet of roses lied right next to her. It was similar to the one she got in the office that day but this time the colour was yellow. Did Shlo...?...are you insane Astha?'
"Driver...who sent these?"
"I don't know they were there before i got the car."
She opened the little card attached with it. Have a safe journey dear!' it read.
"What journey?" The note left her at sea with her mind fiddling to answer all the un-invited queries.
***
In the office she was told that they were leaving for the site seeing late in the afternoon. The site was a good 300 Km drive.
"Oh this journey..." She thought, trouble gathered on her brow. What was happening and who was keeping a track of her. Must be a silly joke she thought. She would have gotten somewhere if the rest of the day wasn't so busy. Around the mid break she was called by Shlok. Astha composed herself, arranged her stole and the messy bun of her hair before entering his cabin. He was busy with his cell phone. Seeing him took her back to the last nights encounter, the pepper spray, the eye-lock and everything. He didn't look up at her but signalled her to get the maps lying on the centre table. Astha grabbed the rolled sheets and placed them on his table. He disconnected the call.
"Where exactly is the construction site?" He asked himself busy opening the maps.
"Uh...here... this place to be precise... fifty miles from the shore." She pointed out to him. He examined all the possible routes which could take them there.
"Ask Akira if the arrangements have been done for the trip." He paused, looked up at her, pondered for a second and then said. "You are not coming right?"
"Why not?" Astha half snapped.
He told her the time it would take them to reach there and then he wasn't sure if there were proper staying hotels around there. The rest of the crew were male members, she was the only female, besides the site examination could be done by the other members as well. But she was Astha, she had t go.
"I have no problem... i will manage."
"Fine... mark out the safest route on these maps then."
Astha was rolling the map back when a sharp edge coming in contact with her wrists skin worked like a blade. It left a deep cut there, Blood oozed out.
"Ouch!" She exclaimed as a stifling sensation of pain grew intense. Shlok sprang up, their eyes met for a second. Her painful expression flooded in his mind as he held her wrist. Astha closed her eyes as the throbbing sensation held her in a vice. He pressed his thumb hard against the cut.
"You should have been careful." He said through his teeth, while taking out his handkerchief from his pocket. He enveloped her wrist in that white cotton very anxiously. Astha opened her eyes deliberately. His thumb still pressed hard on the cut. She gazed up at his anxious eyes and the pain for a moment was gone, where? She did not know. Restless, sore and haughty feelings were busy with in her. His compassion felt purly angelic. Something sputtered inside her, she realised it was her heart. Shlok looked up at her as if he had heard it too. Gushes of blood pulsated inside her cheeks on the mere thought.
"Are you okay?"
Astha stared past his. Hell she wasn't okay. Flee...' her mind screamed.
"I'll get proper first aid." She almost ran out of his cabin. Something had rioted in her eyes; it left him wondering what it was.
***
"What's wrong with you Astha? Why does this thing get out of control so often now?" She scolded her thumping heart. In the process of events she had even forgotten to thank him for the driver and the car. She will do it later, she told herself. And so she took the car to her home to get set for the trip. Something about the trip excited her.
***
Astha with the other members, Arav and another guy, settled in the van appointed for them. Shlok was going to make it there on his own, until only a 50 miles away the van broke. Arav and the other guy decided to take a bus, while Astha waited for Shlok to pick her. The sunny day suddenly went all dark. The radio metreologist predicted a heavy thunder storm. By the time they were half way through, there were diagonal water sprays on the wind screen. The trees on the side of the highway swayed wildly and the sky experienced heavy jolts of thunder. As night prevailed so did Astha's fear of it. Shlok saw the tension in her eyes and the rigidity in her posture. She had already asked him about their eta twice.
It was his presence, which made her grip her fear aside. She fought her grotesque nightmares of haunting qualms. Soon her body started giving up as a gust of memories from the past blew with a slow torturing blast inside her mind. The memories were faint but they were there. Time wasn't washing them for her. Every day they grew fainter and fainter but ceased to vanish from the roots. Her trembling form and eyes drowsy with the raising temperature of her body made her drift into slumber, for good.
"Astha" He called but she was asleep.
The Highway police had just stopped him to inform of the falling rocks near the hilly range and the blockage it had caused. He was advised to take an alternative route or wait for the motorway to clear. The rain had thinned down to a mere shower now. The clouds still roared but it was okay to step out now. He parked his car aside; there was a clear puncture in the rear tyre. How did it come all this way he thought and opened the boot to look for a stepnie but for the grace of mankind there wasn't anything close to a spare tyre there. All good things, he groaned and slammed his hand against the cars body. It shook under pressure. He realised Astha was inside asleep.
Shlok calculated the distance from the nearest services area. It wasn't far. He came to wake Astha up but seeing her all calm and serene he thought of letting her sleep. He put her seatbelt, left a note for her and locked the car. The weather was fine so she wont suffocate.
***
Astha woke up as the long train swept into the golden distance. The sky witnessed another jolt of thunder. A little exasperated and anxious Astha looked around in bewilderment. Soon she realised where and why she was there. Her eyes searched for Shlok. He wasn't there anywhere near her. Something gripped her heart. She unlocked the car and stepped outside. The little note flew away with the wind as the door opened. Astha followed it in the dim, flickering street lights. The rain had thinned to a mere sprinkle now, which blew haphazardly with the strong winds. Her hair and stole made rapid, frolic responses to the dancing waves. She picked the note.
The tyre got punctured, going to the services area we left a Km back to get it fixed. In case you wake up, stay inside the car. Dont step outside, there are wild boars around. I will be back soon.'
She heard something snort from near the woods to her side. Astha shrieked and almost ran back to the car, hitting a granite frame in her way, she lost her balance. He held her before she could make a fall. Seeing Shlok there, the scared Astha barely stopped herself from embracing him.
"There is something there..." She pointed timidly.
"Told you to stay inside..." He said making her sit inside. She obediently followed. Shlok went back to the tyre to fix it, holding his laughter all the time.
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