Aditi rode to the distant hut with her bags of equipment and medicines. It was nearly past mid-morning and she had only covered about a third of the village. Although a small hamlet, Badari was sparsely populated. It took her a long time to visit each house. Even though Aron was much better behaved today and didn't mind carrying her with her supplies, with every passing hut, her mood soured, and her heart sank worse.

The olds and the invalids, as she'd called them yesterday, were people she knew personally. Many had worked at their farms and stables ever since Aditi remembered. Some were Dadaji's childhood friends, many knew her father well. They welcomed her with open arms. Each of them had stories to tell, and fond memories to share of her father and mother. It would have been great visiting them, if not for her nagging conscience.

She worked with them smiling, prescribing medicines, and giving whatever she had with her right then. But it was hardly enough. Some of them were on the brink, she could tell the moment she saw them. They needed proper treatments and an accessible hospital. The nearest one was miles from Palampur, too far in case of emergency. It would be too late by the time they reached; she knew it from her personal experience.

The gentle face of her Ma kept weighing on her mind. She was seven months pregnant when the tragedy struck. Aditi had sat by her side in panic, clutching her clammy hand as her Ma went through spasms of pain. Her father had run around, trying frantically to summon help, but it was no use.

In the end, Ma bled to death in her father's arms. It was a day that broke him apart. He was never the same again.

It was also a day that made her. She had decided her goal then. Her medical degree was just the first step toward it. She knew she still had a long way to go, but seeing these people today was a reminder that she needed to hurry up.

Sighing heavily, she trudged to the next house. She had a lot to cover, before taking that strange stranger to the caves.

The thought dampened her spirits even further. She hadn't been able to find a guide. The two people with whom Ratan Chacha checked this morning already had jobs lined up for the day. It would have to be her; she would have to go to those caves with him.

Wiping the sweat off her brow she licked her parched lips. It had been twelve years since she last visited those caves. Twelve years since her Ma slipped in one of those caves and breathed her last.

*****

It was well past noon when they were finally on their way out of Badari. Aditi had gobbled a small lunch and given Aron some hay while she'd squeezed in a quick bath. The stranger was already there, ready with his horse. She didn't bother to ask if he'd eaten or not. He was well able to take care of himself and his horse, he'd told her yesterday.

They rode downhill at a steady pace with her in the lead. She could tell from his scowl that he didn't like to follow. Or maybe he didn't like to follow her in particular. Or maybe he didn't like her in general. The last one was her best guess. His words from yesterday were still fresh in her mind.

Whatever. She was already in a bad mood and had no inclination to mollify him. He could keep his sour mood and she would keep hers. The melancholy in her heart seemed to have settled for the day. Try as she might, she couldn't shirk it away.

She kept her eyes on the path ahead. The day was hot and she could feel the sting on her skin. Her thigh was throbbing with the constant riding, she wondered if the sutures would come off. That would be the third time in a row, Kanta Chachi would not be pleased at all.

They rode in silence covering a good distance at a steady pace. The fork was miles ahead but the horses were fresh. It was entirely possible they made it before time.

*****

His companion was in a dour mood today, Darsh could tell it from the way she rushed her horse. She had been that way since morning when he'd crossed her a few times on his way around the village.

The smiles she gave to the villagers were strained, she looked solemn, slightly weary. He had to give it was hard work going around the village in that heat. She had no need for it, she could as well have set up shop at the village square and waited for them to come to her. It would have been a better act; he would even have clicked some pictures of it then. But the very fact that she'd gone to them told him her concern for those people was genuine.

Hmph! He pursed his lips and shirked the irksome thought. What did it matter anyway? He didn't need to decipher her quirks anymore. He had already arrived at his conclusion. The very fact that she was here with him was proof of her guile.

He sighed as he followed her like a good dog. His eyes were on the path and consequently on the young rider ahead. A wide ditch appeared in the path ahead of her. She lifted her hips in one fluid motion and glided her horse above it. Stifling a groan he wiped his brow. Gazelles, panthers, and peacocks, could all take a bow. Aditi Sharma was a beast in herself.

It was pure torture. Watching her ride ahead of him swaying on that beautiful horse, was. pure. torture. The way her hips curved at the base of her spine, the way her strong thighs gripped the horse was too much for him. All sorts of wayward fantasies knocked at his mind. Looking away was not an option either as that would just acknowledge her effect on him.

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Pulling his water bottle out he gulped a few sips. Be it the heat overhead or the rider in front, he had to cool himself down. There was only one effective way to divert his mind. That was to talk to her, or rather taunt her.

"Aren't you supposed to say something? What kind of a guide are you?" He mocked her from behind.

"We are in the middle of a forest," she snapped in irritation. "What do you want to know? About the flora and fauna?"

He humphed in disdain. "I bet you know nothing about flora and fauna. A green doctor and a wannabe racer, what would you know about trees?"

"At least I can tell poison ivy from other plants," she shot back without wasting a moment. That shut him up. Poison Ivy. It was such an apt name. It suited her well. She was like the rash bothering him at this very moment. Itchy and irritating. Growing on him without his consent.

They crossed a stream and stopped to water the horses. He took his jacket off and saw her eyes going to his arm. A knowing smile lit his face.

"So you are a doctor and a racer," he said, cocking his head. "Tell me which one is your hobby and which one is your profession. Mind you, I haven't met any doctor who goes gallivanting on horses. Neither have I met a racer who goes pretending to care about people."

He was an expert at snide remarks and made an extra effort when it came to her. He saw the effect instantly as her face turned ashen. "I'm sorry but I don't discuss my personal life with strangers," she replied caustically. "I am your guide. Not a friend."

Ah! There it was! A roundabout way of suggesting she wanted more. Friendship, it was, as of now. But it could be much more, sooner or later. It was cute, really. So innocuous, yet so obvious.

"That's very wise," he nodded with a sly smile. "That kind of sharing should only happen between friends. So, would you like to be my friend Ms. Sharma?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes.

*****

"Would you like to be my friend Ms. Sharma?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes.

For a moment they stared at each other, eye to eye, man to woman. It was enough to show what he thought of her. Callousness, disdain, and contempt. His eyes held a cold indifference. She didn't know what she had done to earn it. But she knew it was there.

Nudging Aron on, she turned back to the path. There was a sting in her heart, she didn't know the reason why. It could be because of her parents' memories that suddenly flooded her mind. It could be those sick people that she'd vowed to help, yet was nowhere near it. Or it could be because of the futility of this conversation. Friendship was not what he was after, that much was clear to her.

"We need to get going," she said cuttingly. "Let's not waste time on idle talk."

They started again with her in the lead. His unanswered question hung in the air awkwardly. He seemed to have realized the tension, as he soon broached a new topic. "This forest belongs to your family doesn't it?"

She didn't reply. She had forgotten he already knew about her. How much he knew was the question.

"So tell me about it. How did your family come across such vast land?" he prodded.

She closed her eyes. She could have given the same response as before and that would again lead to the same awkward question. She'd better take this in a different direction. "Why? Haven't you already got that information from your sources?"

"Not really," he carried on nonchalantly. "I only heard the grooms laugh at you when you fell from your horse at the club. And then they joked how owning the whole Palampur doesn't make Ms. Sharma the best rider in the world. So I deduced you must be the said Ms. Sharma and your family must own the land."

Whoa! So that was how he knew about her! From grooms laughing at her when she fell from the horse! And here she was, thinking he'd actually taken the pains to know about her!

The sting in her heart now reached her eyes. It was very unusual for her to feel this raw. Maybe it was the prospect of seeing those caves where her Ma was last alive. Raising an unsteady hand to her face she wiped her brow, then her eyes. He couldn't see her face, so there was no reason to hide anything. But even if he did, she knew he wouldn't have cared. A stranger he was, and a stranger he would remain.

The thought made her heart twist weirdly. She clenched her fists and her heels dug into Aron. Thinking it was a signal to go faster he jolted ahead catching her in surprise. There was a little kerfuffle as she scrambled to gain her bearings and control him again. A minute later they had settled down, going at a much slower pace.

"Are you okay, Ms. Sharma?" his voice behind cracked with laughter. "Do you need my help?"

She gritted her teeth. The man had an uncanny knack for unsettling her. This day was as bad as yesterday when she'd asked for his help to reach Badari. And the day before, when Grandpa Raisingh's rowdy horses put her to eternal shame. In fact, now that she thought of it, every day since she met him had turned out to be worse than the other.

"Ms. Sharma? Do you need my help? You can ride with me again if you like. We can tie your horse to Eros."

"No thanks. I can manage." she somehow said without flipping out. "And for the last time, STOP taunting me about that fall. It wasn't my fault!"

"If you say so," he shrugged suppressing his laughter.

Her moroseness returned and so did her dread for what lay ahead. This was bad. A taunting man at her back and a haunting cave ahead. Maybe she should just make some excuse and turn home at the fork.

*****

The taunting had set her on edge, he could sense that. Would she think of escaping him at the fork? He wondered. No, that wouldn't do. He had plans for their stay at the hilltop, they would all go awry if she left in the middle.

"So what places are there to see at the hilltop?" he asked as they neared the fork.

"A few," came a short, distracted answer. "The Shiva temple, the caves. There's a Sunset Point as well."

They covered the last few meters and arrived at the junction. The path to the left would take them down to Palampur. The path to the right would lead them to their destination. He watched her as her eyes flickered to the left, then to the right. He could see her dilemma, yet she didn't speak a word.

"I think there is one more attraction there I would like to visit. I heard about it from some friends who visited here a while ago," he said and cocked his head.

"Which place was it?" she asked, a little surprised.

"The Lover's Point," he said and watched as her face went pale.

***** *****