Shruti's journey - Part 3

This is the third part of a series. Click here to read Part 2.

“Bhargav, do you know where we are?” Anil asked.

“Idiot, you said you wouldn't get us lost.” Bhargav said.

“We're not lost. We just have to ask someone how to get to Ergin hotels. I'm sure it's famous, and it looks like a pretty small town.”

“I thought we were using navigation,” Shruti piped up. She was awful at directions as it was, and the thought of her deep rooted fear of getting lost in a new and unknown land frightened her.

“No dude, my phone doesn't have network. Anil’s phone lost service ages ago, too. Do any of yours have service?” Bhargav asked.

Everyone checked their phones.

“No.”

“Nope”

“No..” came the replies. 

“It's alright dude. I think I remember the way. I zoomed in and tried to memorise the map before, so I think we're good.”

“You sure?” Pallak asked.

“Well I'll keep going, and we'll ask the first person we find on the road.” That sounded like a plan.

Anil kept going, and it seemed quite like he knew where they were headed. The rest of the car slowly drifted off to sleep, but Shruti and Anil stayed awake, searching for a board that would lead them to their hotel, or a person to ask for directions. But there was none; it was quite late into the night, and it wasn't a time for people to be out on the streets in a small town like this one.

“Hey there's a light in that shop,” Shruti exclaimed, pointing. Anil drove closer, and Shruti put her hand on the handle of her door to get down and ask.

“You crazy or what?” Anil said, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her. He got off went down to the shop instead, and came back with a rather embarrassed expression. “They're utterly drunk in there. Good thing you didn't go,” he told Shruti.

A little more time had the seven friends completely lost, to the extent that their car was on a kaccha road, surrounded by nothing except trees and bushes. All of them were awake now, aware that they were in the middle of nowhere.

“I need some air,” Rishika said. “It's kind of suffocating in here.”

“Let's just stop here,” Bhargav said, patting Rishika’s back. She was asthmatic, so he was worried for her. “The pucca road isn't so far from here, I'm sure it's safe.”

So Anil pulled over, and soon they were having a typical bonfire night, just like in the movies. Everyone was sitting around the fire, on logs or rocks that they found nearby. Shruti watched as each person drifted off to sleep, Anil being the first. He hadn't slept in over thirty hours, so that was expected. Rihaan and Harsh fell asleep on each other. Shruti didn't forget to take a picture of their “bromance” after she was done quietly giggling to herself. Kalyan reclined on his conveniently L-shaped log and let his head fall back as he snored. Rishika fell asleep with her head in Bhargav’s lap, holding his hands for their warmth. The smile on Shruti’s face vanished.

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani was playing loudly on the screen. The A/C in the cinema hall was turned up unnecessarily high. It was chilly, but Raghav’s comfortably large hand was the store of heat that Shruti needed. She held his hand, and lifted it up to her face and pressed her cheek against it, smiling. She would be able to survive Alaska if she was with him.

And suddenly Shruti remembered another time.

They were alone, in Raghav’s room, fighting as they'd been doing all the time they had together these days.

“Well what do you want from me Raghav!” Shruti screeched.

“You know what I want, you bitch,” he yelled, advancing towards her. It was instinct; Shruti got out of her seat and darted across the room. But she wasn't fast enough-

Shruti felt a hand on her shoulder that made her jump.

“Shruti, are you alright?” It was Anil.

“Are you okay?” He asked again. Shruti nodded rapidly, blinking back her tears.

“Are you sure? You're shivering,” he said.

“I'm okay,” she said, trying to laugh it off. “Just a little cold.”

“Here,” Anil said, pushing a rather large stone closer to the fire for her. Shruti shifted onto the rock, and put her arms down behind her on Anil’s log. Soon enough, she put her head down, too, and slept.

She was woken up a few hours later, by a -”Hey! I've got signal!”

“Quick, switch on navigation and take close up screenshots,” Kalyan said.

And that's how they finally found their way to the hotel.

to be continued....

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.