The pinkish tone of the sky seemed to kindle some kind of wishful hope inside of me. Although with the kind of tantrum Rudra had been throwing over such a small thing the situation could be termed as dire but again the thought of a new day's beginning sent a joyful shiver down my body. This kind of pure air seemed rare in our times. I breathed in the fresh morning air having forgotten the haughty man standing right next to me.

I found him looking at me oddly. I wondered at his wondering and by the looks of it came to the conclusion that he might be wondering as to why I was smiling at that moment while few minutes back I was quite unhappy.

"It's so beautiful and fresh. Let me call my friends as they too..."

"No" My happiness was cut short in one go. No mercy there.

I looked back at him bewildered and suddenly remembered that he had called me out for something serious. I sobered down immediately and wiped out any sunny thoughts which might have popped in my mind along with the happy smile.

"Let's go to that dune there and talk. I don't want anyone else eavesdropping on us" he said with special emphasis on 'anyone'.

I wondered why he was so anti my friends and then remembered that he had been so with me too in the beginning. In fact, whatever friendship we might have developed so far had been unfriended by my great escapade.

I meekly followed him but kept totally silent wondering what this was all about. He had his back towards me so I could not read any of his expressions.

"Why did you run away?" he asked in a quite tone.

"I told the reason in there... didn't you hear?" I said unable to hold back the sarcasm.

He slowly turned around and gazed at me for God knows what reason. I almost felt like being questioned by the special task force.

"Mind games ... hmm?" I asked in English, as it was the first thing that popped in my mind and I wanted to say it aloud, not because I was seeking any answer for that. Maybe there was something in the fresh morning air making me more playful.

"What?" he asked with a frown.

"Nothing ... just breaking the silence" I said trying to sound casual.

He seemed to analyze what I said but then discarded it as unimportant.

"I want the truth ... Lekha" he said slowly looking deep into my eyes. My name sounded so different coming from him, that even I felt as if I was hearing it for the first time.

I just couldn't look away from those melting chocolates glowing as the sun reflected in them. I suddenly felt terribly scared as my heart rate increased and I knew that the love that I had crushed and hidden somewhere now reflected in my eyes. I quickly averted my eyes in panic and turned around in reflex.

"There is nothing to hide ... I don't want to remember anything anymore. I just want to convey my message and return back" I said softly trying to control the tremor in my voice.

"Liar..." he accused as he jerked me back to face him with my arm twisted behind my back.

Tears rolled down my cheek, not because I was physically in pain but my heart just couldn't control itself at this feeling of nearness.

"Lekha" he exclaimed softly as he let go off my arm and quickly tried to wipe off my tears.

"Can you understand what I ... I mean 'the family' went through when we found you gone in the morning? You have to understand why I am annoyed. I want to know the reasons" he said softly as if scared that I might start crying again. I felt as if nothing had changed between us and he was back to being the same Rudra who had once upon a time become my friend.

"Come sit here" he said gesturing me to sit with him on a flat slab of stone protruding out from the rocky hillock.

"Look here Lekha ... I just want to know the truth and then you are free to go. My reading of a person is never wrong... yes, I had been suspicious of you in the beginning but then there had been reasons. I had seen the love you had for the family and I know that that kind of love can't be faked. I just wonder what went wrong. You told something about ... me being in ... love. What was that about? What stories have you been listening to...?"

It really annoyed me that he was pretending not to be in love, but for what purpose I wondered. Then again, he didn't deny it or did he. I also did not want to leak out my information as it was kind of a secret everyone told each other with the clause of keeping it a secret. After an internal debate I thought it better to battle it out in the open because this thing about 'I know your secret but can't discuss it with you as I pretend not to know it' was giving me a headache.

"I know you had a fiancé before me and you were in love with her" I blurted out before I was too chicken to say it.

"What... who told you all this? Was it Gayatri or Vasundhara...?" I saw anger blazing in his eyes.

I was taken aback that he would suspect those two when the whole reason behind it was roaming around freely in the house. I wondered if he thought that his fiancé was such a pious woman that she would not utter anything incriminating about their relation. The bond of sisterhood had already sealed my tongue against disclosing their names under any circumstance, but his not suspecting 'his fiancé' boiled my blood.

"No... your fiancé did. Satisfied?" I said sarcastically.

"Roop...?"

Green monster of jealousy raised its evil head as he took his fiancé's name with such reverence. The shortened nickname was the ultimate blow and at that moment I decided to go full throttle.

"Yes ... your Roop. I didn't ask her to come. It was she who came to me ... in 'my room'... using Lajo as an excuse. It was she who poured out her sob story despite my reluctance. Good to know that at least this time the girl you would marry has your full trust, more than your sisters have. "

I deliberately added the last part to show what a bad judge of character he was. I knew I was being spiteful but then everything was fair in love and war. I knew that I had already lost in love so then, war it was.

"My Roop...!" he sounded confused and stuck on that thought. It annoyed me to bits as he seemed to have missed out on the rest of what I had said or was he planning to ignore it all.

"Good at least you have acknowledged her as your fiancé. Now you can peacefully get married to her and let me get back to my world... where I belong" I said as I stood up trying to put on a brave face.

"Where are you going? Our conversation is not over" he said holding me back by my wrist.

"According to me the conversation is over"

I turned back to face him and tried to sound more convincing.

"See it this way Rudra sa... now I have given you your answer as to why I ran away. Now you have nothing against me I am sure. It was all well intentioned ... I didn't want to hurt anyone and especially not the family ..."

I paused to let him think over it but when he still didn't answer or leave my wrist I knew I had to perhaps try harder.

" If you need my help in convincing the family ... I can help you get married to your love ... and moreover..."

"Will you help me...?" He asked cutting me in between.

"What...?" I asked like a dumb person taken aback by this sudden twist in the conversation.

"Just now you promised that you would help me ... in getting married to the girl I love" he said softly with love and hope shining through his eyes.

My heart shattered into millions of pieces as I kicked myself mentally for having such a big mouth.

"I meant ... I ... but how can I ...? I mean if I am gone then you will get what you want more easily"

After this change of scene from climax to anti-climax, I didn't want to stay even a single second in that era.

"No... it's not that easy. I can't get married without your presence... I had ... I mean ... I took an oath in front of the family not to rest in peace till I bring you back" He said staring deep into my eyes. I was scared of what secretes he would unravel there. I quickly looked away.

"You Rajput's and your oaths... can't you just say that you found me and I went back"

"No ... " he said rigidly as if that was the ultimate truth.

"Why? "I whined.

"You have to go with me... and ... give proof...I mean proof that my mission was accomplished ... plus you 'promised' that you will help me out" He finished with a flourish putting special emphasis on my promise this time. I cursed myself again.

Too many pauses in Rudra's story made me wonder at its authenticity but then I heard somewhere that Rajput's were taught to tell the truth... or was it some other characteristics. I wanted to argue but then going back to Amer without his help was going to be difficult and he seemed to be adamant in taking me back, so I reluctantly agreed.

"But... do you promise to set me free once your marriage to the girl gets finalized?"

"Yes... as soon as the marriage gets done"

"Why? I mean why should I wait?" I didn't like this fluttery feeling I got in my stomach. I didn't want to attend his marriage.

"You can see our customs from up close and your friends can also enjoy the marriage functions"

Now that he had this need of me he remembers my friends in his conversation as if he cared about their happiness. I was caught but then it seemed to be the only way out of this situation so I slowly nodded my head in agreement.

"I will go and inform my friends of this whole change of plans ... that we would be staying longer" I said slowly with a deep sigh. Fate seemed to be hell bent on making my life hell.

"Wait..."he stopped me suddenly midway.

"Don't tell your friends anything about what we have talked. Please ... at least not till the things are better placed. I don't want even a single thing to go wrong ... now that we have come to this point. Let me handle them" he said moving ahead of me towards the cart leaving me standing there stunned.

I gathered my emotions and dumped them somewhere deep in my heart and put on a happy face for my friends. I was greeted by an elated Vaishali and a still grumpy looking Anil.

"Rudra sa has invited us to the wedding as his special friends. Can you believe it... we get to see a royal kind of wedding as chief guests ... Oh, I am so happy for you Lekha... finally you sorted things out with him" gushed Vaishali.

While Vaishali ranted on about how she would enjoy everything I turned towards Rudra in confusion.

"A wedding is a wedding after all" he said cryptically to me with a smile and then it occurred to me that in a way he would be keeping his word of making them be part of a wedding. It didn't matter whom he got married to.

I slowly nodded my head in acceptance and took my place inside the cart, unfortunately with Rudra's intimate assistance again, but this time by his side.



So here we go again :D

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope all of you had a great time :)

Don't forget to send me your comments. What do you think about the story so far?