Where the Secret Lies (8 page)

‘You
act different around him. I see him looking at you,’ Khushboo raised her
eyebrows. ‘Do you like him?’

 
‘Alright, yes I do but don’t tell anyone and
especially not him. Nothing can come of this Khushboo – you know that. Even if
I do like him, how do I know he likes me?’

‘The
fact that he keeps looking at you at every given moment is a big giveaway.’

Nikhil
came back from the shop. ‘Shall we eat? I am famished.’

‘Come
on,’ Khushboo took Arianna’s arm again.

 
Arianna had lost her appetite; butterflies
raced inside her stomach each time her and Nikhil’s hands touched. She could
not look him in the eye and kept on fidgeting. Khushboo tried to keep a neutral
face – it was near to impossible.

Time
was getting on so the three made their way back to the cabin taking food with
them for the two left behind. As predicted, Tianna and Kabir dug into their
food like they had not seen food before.

‘Okay
guys, let’s call it a night,’ said Khushboo at eleven thirty. ‘We have an early
rise tomorrow.’

‘You
have no argument from me,’ said Tianna, stretching. ‘By the way, that food was
yummy! I am so full now.’

‘Come
on Ti,’ Arianna helped her sister off the sofa.

The
boys took one room and the girls shared the other.
 
They were all asleep in seconds.

TEN

The morning freshness filtered
through the trees, touching Arianna like feather light fingers. She stirred,
squinting at the dazzling sun that came in through the large window.

Arianna
stifled a yawn and went to the bathroom. It felt good to feel the cool water on
her face. She brushed her teeth and her hair, and made her way to the balcony.
Arianna leaned forward and inhaled the fresh air.

Slowly
but surely, the other two woke up. Tianna groaned at the splendid sunshine.
She
got up, closed the shades, and went back into bed.
Arianna reopened them.

‘Time
to get up, Ti,’ she said. ‘You don’t want to waste a wonderful morning.’

Tianna
grumbled. ‘I’m tired. Let me sleep for another fifteen minutes.’

Arianna
saw Khushboo close the bathroom door.

‘Come
on. Khushboo is in the bathroom already. I’m going downstairs.’

Arianna
put on a pair of black leggings and a long t-shirt. She tied
her hair
into a high ponytail, which allowed her fringe to cover her forehead.
 

She slowed as she approached the
last step. Nikhil stood in the middle of the room, his back facing her. He wore
a pair of faded jeans and a burgundy t-shirt, his shoulder length hair tied neatly
into a ponytail at the base of his neck.
 

 
‘Um, good morning,’ Arianna spoke quietly.

Almost
dropping his cup, Nikhil turned around.

‘Sorry,’
said Arianna.

‘Good
morning,’ Nikhil smiled, his dimples showing. He stared at her for a long time.

Someone
cleared their throat. Nikhil and Arianna jumped, breaking the fizzling chemistry.
Khushboo strode to Nikhil and folded her arms.

‘You never looked at me like
that,’ she lifted her eyebrows.

 
‘Shut up, Khush,’ said Nikhil. He raked a hand
through his hair and blushed.

Arianna
did not know men could do that. Trying to hide her embarrassment, she made an
excuse to check on Tianna.
She heard Khushboo asking Nikhil if he liked
her as she dashed upstairs, her face burning.

Everyone was ready with
a
rucksack containing water and a small towel.

‘Why
do we need a towel?’ asked Tianna.

‘You’ll
see,’ said Kabir. ‘We are going to the Lonavala waterfall but before we hit
this amazing place, you will be even more amazed at the dam – the Bushi dam.’

‘A
dam?’ said Tianna. ‘Yeah, right. Amazing.’

Kabir
chuckled at Tianna’s reserve. ‘It’s a short drive from here.’

Arianna
had never seen a waterfall before, in person anyway. She looked forward to this
spectacle and couldn’t wait to get going. Lonavala was ideal for waterfalls. The
humidity and the forecast rainfall ticked all the boxes.

‘Perfect,’ Nikhil and Khushboo
said together.

Nikhil parked the car on the
main road once they reached Bushi dam.

 
‘Be warned, this is a popular attraction.
Thousands from around India and the world come to visit, expect huge crowds and
Ti, you
will
get wet!’ said Khushboo.

 
‘Oh no!’ Tianna moaned at which everyone
laughed.

Khushboo
walked with Arianna and Tianna, letting the boys take lead. As they neared the
dam, both Arianna and Tianna gasped. The others grinned.

‘My
sneakers will get wet!’ Tianna squealed, stepping away from the cascading water
coming down from the steps.

‘When
the dam overflows, this is what happens,’ said Nikhil. ‘Isn’t it fantastic?’

‘Here,
wear these,’ Khushboo took three pairs of good grip slippers from her backpack.

‘Why?’

‘Because,
we are going to walk up!’

Arianna
could not believe it.

‘Would
you like me to guide you?’ Nikhil offered his hand.

‘I’m
scared,’ said Arianna. ‘What if I slip?’

‘You
are safe with me,’ he reassured her.

Steadying
her heart and trying to ignore her fears, Arianna placed her small hand in his
large, strong one. Tianna and Khushboo grabbed each other’s hand and walked up
carefully. Kabir showed off his expertise, walking up quickly and alone.

The
dam was packed with tourists and locals as Khushboo said.
 
Some sat on the steps while the water
manoeuvred down and around them.
A good number splashed water at their
friends, parents, or partners, shrieking with laughter. S
mall children squealed and shouted in amusement, splashing
and laughing, their parents keeping a vigilant hold on them for their safety.

Arianna
was wet to her calves when someone drenched her whole. She laughed and joined
in the fun. Even Tianna enjoyed herself as she kicked water on every step they
climbed.

‘Be
careful now,’ said Kabir.

‘Don’t
be a baby,’ Tianna threw water at him.

The game began, much to the
amusement of onlookers.
 
The friends splashed
each other in a frenzied attack.
 
In a
matter of minutes all were soaked from head to toe.
Nikhil
leaned into Arianna.

‘You are beautiful, Arianna,’
his voice washed over her. ‘I like you...a lot.’

Before Arianna could respond,
Nikhil grabbed her hand.
‘Let’s be the first at the
top,’ he said.

Heat
surged through Arianna as she and Nikhil half- ran, half-walked to the top of
the dam.

‘Look,’
Nikhil pointed a finger. ‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’

‘Yes,’
Arianna whispered.

The
dam lay before Arianna in its full glory, like a large lake. People waded
through without a thought.
 
Nikhil pulled
her chin up where she met his intense gaze. She felt the heat from his body as
he crushed her against him...someone threw water on them.

‘Time
to cool down!’ laughed Kabir.

Arianna
looked fearfully at the overflowing dam.

 
‘I can’t walk through that,’ she protested. ‘There
could be anything lurking beneath the water.’

 
‘Like sharks, alligators, and flesh-biting
fish?’ grinned Kabir.

‘Do
you trust me?’ asked Nikhil, ignoring his friend.
Arianna took his hand
a second time without hesitation.

The rains came as promised and
Nikhil lifted his face towards the sky for a moment. Arianna watched the rain
splatter on his perfect face. He dropped her hand and picked her up amidst catcalls
and whistles from their friends and strangers. Arianna buried her face into his
shirt.

Nikhil
waved, dropping Arianna into the water.
She screamed as she went under. Nikhil
quickly grabbed her

hand, pulling her up. Arianna coughed out damn water, angry and
put out.
The others walked on ahead, avoiding conflict.

‘I’m
sorry, please forgive me,’ Nikhil said.

‘My hair smells of dam water,’ Arianna
spat.

‘I
promise to not drop you again,’ he said sincerely.

‘I
would rather walk and take my chances,’ Arianna proceeded to walk alone to the
other side.

‘Arianna,
I said I was sorry!’ Nikhil shouted behind her.

‘Not
good enough!’ she shouted back.

‘Ari!’

Arianna
stopped. ‘What did you call me?’

‘Sorry...I
meant Arianna.’

Arianna
tweaked a smile. ‘Ari is nice.’

Tianna and Arianna looked for the
waterfall.

‘Where
is it?’ Arianna asked.

‘Down
there,’ Khushboo pointed to the edge of the car park.

‘What?
We cannot go down there!
 
That’s
not a path but rocks and boulders and it looks dangerous!’ exclaimed Tianna.

 
‘You have to make your way down slowly over
the boulders. It is not as slippery as it looks, quite safe. Follow me,’ said
Khushboo.

Arianna
and Tianna followed their cousin’s lead and steadily made good progress down
the embankment, finally reaching the bottom. They heard the roar of the
waterfall and turned.

‘This
is amazing!’ exclaimed Tianna.

The fall caused mist and spray as
it crashed onto rocks and boulders. The brave and adventurous stood behind the
waterfall whilst others sat around it. For a long

moment, Arianna stood frozen gazing
at Lonavala’s wonder.
She closed her eyes and opened her arms wide to
let the rain and mist take her. Tianna took out the camera and began taking
pictures.

Kabir
took out corn and pakoras (bhajis) he bought from the shops at the car park. Famished,
the small group finished the food in minutes.

‘There’s
something about eating hot food in weather like this,’ said Khushboo and all
agreed.

While Khushboo chatted with
Kabir and Tianna, Nikhil saw his chance.
 
He took Arianna to a spot where they could be alone. The others
pretended to not notice.

‘I am
truly sorry for what happened up there,’ Nikhil took her hand and traced her
palm with figure of eights.

Nikhil
and Arianna sat on a large boulder. This part of the area was isolated with trees
and a small stream. They sat
close, their bodies a fraction apart.
 

‘Arianna, do you like me? Do you
feel the same way I do about you...?’

 
‘I like you but Nikhil; to start something...I
don’t know.’

 
‘You don’t need to decide anything yet. You
like me, that is all that matters for now,’ he brought her fingers to his lips
and kissed them.

 
Arianna closed her eyes, her heart fluttering.

‘Nikhil,
is this – ’

‘Shhh.’

He tilted
her face to his and slowly touched his lips to hers, gently biting. Arianna
trembled within and soon she was kissing back. She did not want this moment to
end.

‘We
must pace ourselves, Ari. We must not get ahead,’ he said pulling away from
her, breathing hard.

‘I am
so embarrassed,’ said Arianna, blushing hard.

‘Why?
I’m not,’ Nikhil kissed her on the lips again.

The drive back to Mumbai was a
thoughtful one for Arianna. She could not stop her worries, and doubts of a
relationship with Nikhil made her restless.

Nikhil
looked at her, questioning her with his eyes. Arianna shook her head. She
leaned against him, taking his hand and let her doubts vanish as she
concentrated on the present. She was...happy.

ANJALI

ELEVEN

‘This is the haveli?’ Anjali looked
scornfully at the devastation before her.

This
haveli was not fit to live in. Broken bricks lay in a heap against a large tree
and a burnt motorcar lay on its side a few feet away. The stone wall was
crumbling. This vast haveli was perhaps impressive in its time but Partition
had seen to that.

She
stepped over the rubble and walked to the entrance, which consisted of a
splintered black, wooden door.

‘Mohan
ji, we cannot live here,’ she said.

‘Anjali
ji, this is a good haveli. We can fix it with some hard work. It will be our
home.’

‘No,’
Anjali shook her head. ‘Absolutely not.’