Arhi SS- Boomerang- THD 2- LINK PG1 - Page 41

Originally posted by: khushiiXOXO

Ahemm*coughs**ahemm
Itz d Fourth today...two days after d last update. . No pressure, just a slight tap to say waiting isn't a fun game, especially since u spoilt us by updating daily earlier. 😊

Like mentioned earlier no pressure 😃

Chapter 1D-

* From hereon all lines from the past will be in italics

Chasing Dreams was updated yesterday. For those who missed it, here is the link.Chapter 30B

'If you love Shyam so much why isn't he on this trip with you Khushi?'

Arnav thought he saw Kushi flinch at his words and her eyes welled up momentarily. He then saw her closing her eyes for a few seconds and noticed the erratic movement of her eyeballs. He had imagined that she was trying hard to keep her tears at bay. And at that moment Arnav felt like kicking himself. He had a problem with words; very often his tongue acted quicker than his brain especially when he was angry.

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'I'm fed up Arnav, I'm fed up of your know-it-all altitude, I'm fed up of your arrogance, I'm fed up of your barely held anger, I'm fed up of you saying things with the intention of hurting people and then realising your mistake and apologising for it.' He recollected the lines from a time not so long ago.

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His stance softened and he decided to apologise to Khushi. 'Khushi...'

Kushi opened her eyes, but the vulnerability was now replaced by the aloofness he had come to expect from her in such situations.

'Khushi...'

'I have told you this earlier and let me repeat it for your benefit. I owe you no explanations. This trip is very important to me. I cannot let anyone or anything distract me. So I request you to ignore me. I will try and be out of your way. Please don't spoil this trip for yourself or for me.' She said in a tone that was bereft of any emotion.

Arnav nodded his head and moved his body sideways to let Khushi pass through. He saw her walk past him without as much as a look and soon she disappeared into the crowds of the bazaar.

He hated this about her, how she would always walk away from him leaving him looking like a fool. He had come to expect this reaction from her, since the first time they had a full blown out argument.

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He met Khushi for the second time at the Harvard Climbing wall. She reached the place ahead of time, all geared up for the climb.

'Ms. Gupta, the record for climbing this wall is 2 minutes 36 seconds. If you manage to get within 10 seconds of this time, I might just admit you into this club.'

Kushi had accepted the challenge heads on and started climbing the wall. Arnav paid close attention to her skills. Kushi was gifted, but her skills needed refining. She climbed the two thirds of the wall in record time, but like most amateur climbers she had over exerted herself in the initial part of the climb. Just as she was about to reach the summit of the wall, she lost footing and fell down. The climbing rope that had been attached to her body broke her fall, fortunately for her. But that didn't stop Khushi. One of the things she had learned was to never give up. So she began to climb the wall again after restarting her stop watch.

'That's all Ms Gupta. It is close to three minutes already.'

Kushi was beyond listening and continued to climb the wall and eventually reached the top. The duration of her second climb was 2 minutes and 48 seconds. She descended back to ground.

'I made the second climb in 2 mins 48 seconds.'

'But that doesn't count Ms Gupta. The challenge was based on the duration of your first climb, not second.'

'What about my second attempt? Why can't you take that climb into account?.'

'When it comes to mountaineering there are no second chances. I'm sure you know that already.'

'This is so unfair. What is your Goddamned problem with me?' Khushi bit out.

'What is happening here?' Arnav's friend who was also geared up to climb the wall for practise had interrupted their conversation.

'Nothing Shyam I was just explaining to Ms Gupta that since she didn't come within 10 seconds of the record climbing time in her first attempt, we cant accept her in the club.'

'Arnav quit being such a jerk...'

Shyam then turned to Khushi and said, 'Sorry Ms...' and before he could complete his sentence he saw Kushi walk away from the place.

'Arnav you are such an A-hole, you know that right?'

'Stop it Shyam, I was just having some fun. Now don't start with your boring lectures.'

'How good is she?' Shyam saw Khushi's retreating figure.

'Pretty decent I'd say, she doesn't give up easily.'

'Arnie, you know what you have to do right? Apologise to the girl and admit her in the club., If she lodges a complain against you, you will be removed from the club in no time.'

As it is he carried a reputation of being an arrogant ass. But somehow he managed to get away thanks to his renowned mountaineering skills and the goodwill his father's name generated. Aditya Raizada was one of the most popular climbers of all times and the co-author of a best-selling book on mountaineering.

'There you are, we need to talk.' A couple of days later Arnav found Khushi standing outside the library.

Kushi looked at him through her glasses, and turned her attention back to the book in her hand. She wore glasses, whenever she suffered from a headache.

'Ms Gupta, I said we need to talk.' He repeated, trying to keep his temper at bay.

When he still didn't get an answer he said, 'Ms Gupta how long are you going to ignore me?'

'Arnav, I have nothing to say to you, nor do I want to hear anything you have got to say. Now if you will excuse me.'

She started walking away from him.

Arnav held her hand and bit out, 'Stop walking away when I'm speaking to you.'

Kushi pushed his hands away. 'Don't. You. Dare. Touch. Me.'

Arnav took a step back and calmed himself.

'I'm here to apologise for everything Ms Gupta. I shouldn't have behaved like that. I tend to test people for resilience and dedication when they express an interest to join the club to see if they have a genuine interest in mountaineering. However that doesn't excuse my behavior this time.' he delivered a simple apology.

'Who gave you the right to test others? You know what...I don't want to be part of a club that doesn't treat its members with respect. So thanks but no thanks.'

'Dammit Khushi.' It was the first time he had addressed her with her first name.

'I said I'm sorry. I think you are pretty good and the mountains you have climbed so far are remarkable. Can we please drop this now? We would love for you to join this club.'

Kushi looked at him as if she were analysing him. 'Fine, thanks for the invite. But the moment I feel that your behavior is off the line, I will walk away. And let me warn you Arnav, next time I wont keep quiet.'

Arnav put his hands up as a symbolic gesture of surrender.

'Welcome to the club Ms Gupta.' He moved his hand forward.

'Thanks Arnav and you may now address me as Khushi.' She met his hands for a handshake.

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Day 5-

The group began their day at the lodge with a small religious ceremony that was organised by the sherpas who accompanied the group. The Head Sherpa- Norbu performed the ceremony at the lodge. Each member of the group including Mark Brice and the other guides received a blessing by taking a sip and by flicking some rice wine called "Chang" in the air. A blessed scarf named "Khada" was later put around the necks of the group members.

During the ceremony Arnav tried to steal glances of Khushi who looked quite pale with obvious signs of tiredness in her eyes. It looked like she didn't get a good nights sleep and when he realised that he could have been the reason for her condition he felt like kicking himself.

The hike from hereon was going to be serious business as the human body would start reacting to the increase in altitude as the oxygen level kept decreasing in the air. The initial signs of altitude sickness would start to show up from this point onwards especially for those who weren't experienced mountaineers. They all had to focus completely on the expedition from here-on.

'Arnav stop being so selfish. Why cant you wait up for the slower climbers?

Khushi was right, it would be better off for them to ignore each other.

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After the ceremony, the group walked through the streets of Namche where they saw the morning market. The group them climbed out of Namche and headed towards the village of Thamo, situated at about mid-way to their next destination point; The village of Thame.

This is the village where the Lead Sherpa Norbu grew up. The most popular Sherpas who accompany climbers on such rigorous mountaineering trips, come from Thame. Such as Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the first Sherpa to summit Everest with Sir Edmond Hillary in 1953 and Apa Sherpa who summited Everest a record 21 times. Since the Sherpas have lived most of their lives here, they find it easier to adjust to the higher altitudes. Which is why they all make a living out of assisting climbers during such arduous expeditions.

They then hiked through a dense green forest of Cypress trees. After which they crossed a beautiful river gorge surrounded by giant peaks. Along the way, they encountered several Stupas and many prayer paintings on rock walls.

The group reached Thame, 3800m (12,500ft), at around Two in the afternoon and took a break in one of the traditional tea houses on the top. They sat around a big table to drink the tea while they all discussed stories of famous and infamous expeditions to Everest.

One of the other American climbers in the group, John Ball was making this trip to pay homage to his uncle, Doug Hansen who had lost his life in the infamous Everest expedition in May, 1996 where eight people who were climbing to the summit lost their lives when a snow storm hit them during their descent. A combination of fatal errors that included bottle neck near the summit, late turn around times, an unwillingness to oversee the signs of the nature had caused the high number of fatalities during the expedition.

Mark Brice used the opportunity to reiterate the need for his group of climbers to prioritise safety over anything else.

'You can always make another trip to the Everest, but when it comes to your life there are no second chances where mountaineering is concerned.'

As soon as Khushi listened to the words, the memory of the Harvard climbing wall came back to her. Unknowingly her eyes searched for Arnav, who looked at her at the same time. Something akin to an acknowledgement of the past, of the memories they made, passed between them before Khushi turned her eyes away while trying to fight against the wave of nostalgia.

After a short resting period at the tea house, the group took we took an acclimatization climb to the Thame Monastery, the ascent to which was very steep.

Khushi reveled in the amazing spiritual experience, where the monks prayed accompanied by the sound of horns and drums. She had felt a sense of calm and peace after many days of grief and restlessness.

After the prayers, Khushi sat near one of the pillars as she saw the rest of the group play with kids of the monastery. She watched the game with a small smile playing on her lips. But the smile vanished when she recollected a more recent memory.

'After the Everest expedition, I'd love for us to try for a baby. What do you think?'

And inadvertently another memory flashed through her mind of the person who was now playing with the kids.

'I don't want kids ever. My parents keep telling me that I will change over time. But I don't want anything that holds me back from realising my dreams.'

Arnav caught Khushi looking at him, he was having a good time playing football with the kids in the monastery. He took a step towards her to initiate a conversation but stopped when he remembered the promise he made to himself. This was for the better.

The group then descended back to the tea house for dinner and early bed time. Khushi found it difficult to sleep, in spite of the physical exhaustion of the day and debated whether she should pop in one of the sleeping pills she was prescribed a few months ago when she had been dealing with insomnia. She popped in a tablet and walked to the reception to get some more of the mint tea to see if that would help her sleep. At the reception she met Arnav who surprised her by ignoring her completely. That is what she wanted and this was for the best. Their past was too messed up, and she didn't have the inclination or the energy to revisit that during this trip.

She walked back to her room with her mug of tea and then lied on her not so clean but soft mattress. The effects of the medication started kicking in and her last thought before she closed her eyes was that of Arnav, of what he told her the last time they had met years ago.

'I cant believe you went behind my back Khushi. How could you do this to me? I hate you.'

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