Vivaan paced in the vast living room of Sharma residence. It was late afternoon. They had finished lunch long ago and everyone else had gone about their business. Vivaan stayed patiently waiting for Aditi but she still hadn't shown up.

It was clear she was avoiding him. She had eaten in her room, not bothering to join them at lunch. And now she was huddled in the study with Grandpa Balwant, no doubt giving him a private account of her two-day excursion with that stranger. Vivaan tightened his fists. He wanted to be in that room. He had every right. This was just her way of showing him his place, deliberately keeping him out of the loop.

Frustration coursed through his veins. He agreed he shouldn't have lost his temper with that stranger. But what else was he supposed to do? First those four boys, now this stranger. She was getting out of hand. He had somehow handled her with those four boys, threatening her subtly, making sure she stayed away from them. But he couldn't be everywhere every time. She should know how to be careful. She should know what was right for her.

It was all her family's fault, Grandpa Balwant spoiled her rotten. Yes, she was orphaned, but that didn't mean he should give in to her every whim and fancy. A trip to Badari, alone, that too on horseback!! Who would've thought of it? It was atrocious. Vivaan would never have allowed it. A girl like her was a thing to cherish, to keep safe in a gilded cage. Letting her out to roam free was dangerous. Unsafe for her and unsafe for others.

Vivaan still remembered her from childhood. Blooming like a daisy, flying carefree like a butterfly. How he'd wished to capture her, hide her in his little box of precious trinkets! He would have guarded her safely, and made sure she was always happy and cared for. But she obviously had other ideas. He had hated it six years ago when she was allowed to join that silly medical course. He had tried his best to persuade her against it, but she wouldn't listen. For the life of him, Vivaan couldn't understand the need for that hospital. Those poor peasants didn't need expensive treatments, and neither could they afford them. A girl like her didn't need to get her hands dirty. She was made for finer things. She was made for him.

Not that he didn't trust her to behave, she was simple that way. All she cared for was that hospital. If it was left to her, she would have become a nun and lived in a convent, donating all her wealth to charity. The Sisters from her school had always admired her giving nature. It was all fine really, Vivaan didn't mind. She could play doctors, or she could play white-clad nuns. Everything was okay as long as she ultimately came to him. She could give all she wanted, as long as she gave only to him.

His grandpa had been clever. At the age of ten, he had secured Vivaan's future perfectly. His own business at the time in Delhi was going through a rough patch and Vivaan's alcoholic father was struggling. His grandfather had shrewdly played his hand and made sure they always had a fallback.

Vivaan was eternally grateful. The business had soared since then and so had his fascination for Aditi. If it was left to him, he would have married her the day she turned eighteen. But no. First, she had to disappear for six years and now she was obsessed with that blasted hospital.

Walking slowly, his eyes trailed past the walls of the living room. It was a majestic room, with floor-to-ceiling windows, carved oak doors, and glass paneling. On one side in a marble canopy was Aditi's graduation picture, smiling happily, holding her medal. Next to it was her picture with Aron, taken at her last race, when she won a trophy. Vivaan hated them passionately. Everything he despised about her was celebrated in those pictures.

A muscle twitched in his jaw, an indication of fatigue and anger. He glanced at his watch, it was nearly time to go.

"Vivaan, will you be staying for dinner?" A gentle voice asked from behind and he turned around.

Nehal stood there, looking as elegant as ever, wearing a red salwar suit. Deep necked with tight long sleeves, it accentuated every curve of her petite body. Red was his favorite color. He had seldom seen Aditi wearing it, but Nehal wore it often.

He gave her a warm smile and took a step closer. "You look nice." He complimented her and saw a pink blush creeping on her cheek. He wondered what the Shramas fed their daughters. They both were rather delectable.

"Thank you. So...you'll be staying for dinner?" she looked slightly flustered.

"Of course, if you cook my favorite food Nehal." Vivaan prompted slyly. His mood suddenly improved. He had the attention of at least one Sharma girl, if not the other. And at this moment, he didn't mind which one.

"I'll make okra fry and kheer." Nehal smiled happily and scurried to the kitchen blushing even more furiously.

Vivaan relaxed instantly. There was something about that smile that erased all his worries. Girls. They had that effect on him. Or rather, he had that effect on them, he thought pompously.

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Aditi will come round, he was sure of that. But until then Nehal would do just fine. After all, she was his future sister-in-law. And a little harmless flirting was all he was looking for.

*****

"I am sorry, Dadaji," Aditi said in a low voice sitting in her grandpa's study. It was late afternoon. She'd had lunch in her room, then came down to talk to Balwant. "I know I should have returned in a day. But it took much longer."

Leaning back in his chair, Balwant peered at her over his spectacles. "I was worried, Aditi. If you hadn't called back last evening, I was going to send Zorawar to look for you." Zorawar Singh was his right-hand man, a man who did all sorts of odd jobs for him. The definition of odd depended on the need of the hour.

"There was no need for it, Dadaji." She reassured him hastily. "And as I said I got help. I met someone who helped me to reach Badari before dark."

Balwant nodded. "Yes. Mohit told us you took help from a stranger."

Aditi blanched. "I had no choice, Dadaji. It was getting dark. And it was the same man who helped me at the racecourse."

"The same man?" Balwant stared. This was interesting. In the span of two days his granddaughter had been helped twice by the same man. Was it a mere coincidence or something else?

"Yes," Aditi answered. "Aron bolted and I was left stranded in the forest. Luckily I met him and he helped me to get to Badari."

Balwant raised his eyebrows. "On his horse?"

"Yes." She answered after a moment's hesitation, with her eyes lowered.

"And the next day you went to the caves? After all these years?" he asked, watching her closely. Those caves, the temple, and the hills had a bloody history. It was not easy to reconcile with it, especially for this girl.

She raised her head. "I had promised to find him a guide. But there was no one available in Badari. So I had to help."

Balwant nodded. "And you still don't know his name?" he asked curiously. His shrewd eyes narrowed infinitesimally. It was seldom that he had to decipher the girl's idiosyncrasies, he knew her in and out. Yet this time he was intrigued.

"No." she let out an imperceptible sigh and lowered her eyes again. "I didn't get a chance. And then it felt unnecessary."

He gave her a searching look. Her face was open, and honest. She wasn't lying. But he detected a hint of regret. It was curious. Very curious indeed. "So you spend two days and two nights with a stranger, he helps you twice, and you still think it unnecessary to know his name? I don't know what to say, Aditi."

"I'm sorry Dadaji." She had nothing else to say.

He sighed in exasperation. As much as he liked to think she had Susheel's open disposition, every now and then he saw Meera in her. Quietly intense, shy, and introverted, the girl was a strange mixture of contradictions.

"Very well. Is that all?"

She licked her lips and sat a little straight. "There is something else, Dadaji. I have something to..confess."

Here it comes, Balwant thought with a slight smile. He had watched the three of them arriving this morning. The boys had looked surly. Aditi looked frazzled, relieved to get home. Something was amiss, but Balwant had kept quiet. He trusted her to tell the truth, and it was not misplaced. If she in turn trusted him to understand, he owed it to her.

"Go on."

"The cannabis in the offering affected me. I hallucinated about Mom and Dad and...somehow ended up in a pool. The stranger saved me or I would have drowned."

Balwant's eyes widened in shock. But she was not finished.

"I was unconscious. He...brought me to Sarai and changed my clothes. Nothing happened, Dadaji," she added hastily, watching him turn pale. "But he saw the wound on my leg. The sutures had come off. In the morning when Mohit and Vivaan came, he mentioned it in front of them. And now they think..." Aditi fell silent.

Balwant suddenly felt tired, looking every bit of his seventy-two years. It was hard. Taking care of her was hard. He had somehow managed to look after her after the death of Susheel and Meera. But now he felt he was falling miserably short. Luckily for him, she was alive. Luckily for her, the stranger was a man of honor. Unluckily though, Vivaan Raisingh was there to see the spectacle. Balwant shook his head wearily.

"So you are...okay?"

"Yes, Dadaji."

"And nothing happened?"

"No Dadaji."

"If anything happened you'd tell me?"

"Of course, Dadaji."

Balwant took out his glasses and rubbed his tired face. "Fair enough. Thanks for telling me. And don't worry about Mohit. He's a sensible boy. Vivaan though..."

He slumped back slightly. Vivaan was a different kettle of fish. The boy was rather..difficult when it came to Aditi. It was all his fault. It was that stupid promise he'd made to Dalpat years ago. The kids knew about it. When they were young they laughed about it, and even made fun of each other. But then things changed. They grew up. Vivaan became obsessed with the idea, but Aditi had something else on her mind. He knew she humored him to keep the peace, but sometimes even she seemed exasperated.

"What do you think of Vivaan, Aditi? You know about my agreement with Dalpat, right?"

Aditi looked taken aback, surprised at the sudden change in direction of the conversation. But she didn't take long to answer. "Vivaan is a friend, Dadaji," she replied quietly. "And I don't want to marry yet. I want to get on with the hospital project. It's already delayed a lot."

Balwant let out a sigh. So she was unwilling. And understandably so. Vivaan Raisingh was not an easy man to be with.

"So you don't want to marry him?" He needed a final confirmation.

"No." the reply came instantly.

Balwant nodded with satisfaction. "Fine. I have no issues. You can get on with your project. Some of your friends are working on it with you, right?"

Aditi's face brightened. "Yes, it's Sonal and Rohit, my college mates. They are a couple of years my seniors and want to work in a rural area. And there is Aalok too. You met him the last time."

Balwant nodded. "In that case, everything is fine. I'll see you at dinner." He turned his head to the file in front of him as a signal for her to leave.

Aditi got up and came out opening the door of the study. There in front of her was Vivaan, staring at her coldly.

***** *****