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Hehe...amazed that I'm updating so soon? Yeah, I'm amazed too! lol

Moving on... 💃💃💃

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

(Words in braces) - Telephone conversations

Chapter 13 - Oh Dear! Oh Bear!

#Cave#

In the chilly cave, with only the ashes of the tiny fire that provided them with heat for the entire night, two souls rested in each other's embrace, being each other's solace.

None of them spoke any words of comfort to each other. However, the silence that descended in the cave as they held on to each other was more comforting than any verbal consolation.

Slowly Abhi broke apart from her and looked at her lovingly. "Pragya, I thought that I needed to be with someone perfect. I was insecure being with any girl. You were the only one that I became good friends with. Even then, I tried to keep myself aloof. But..." Abhi patted his chest with a wry smile. "...but this heart didn't listen. Each day I spent with you, I just...I just couldn't imagine my days without you. You became a habit to me. Sun rises in the east, water is blue. And it was my routine to meet you."

Pragya blushed and looked down. "I...I could say the same about myself."

Abhi blinked at her. "Wh-what?"

"I um...I like you Abhi." Pragya shook her head and looked at him in the eyes. "No. Not like. I love you. I love you Abhi." Pragya admitted. "I don't know when it happened. I don't know how it happened but...but I fell for you. I fell for you hard. That was why..." Pragya looked away in sorrow. "That was why it hurt so much when I came to know you thought of me as someone unworthy of your love. Someone broken and damaged for you to love. So-ow!" Pragya exclaimed as Abhi hit her on the head.

#Village#

"Slowly! Slowly Purab. Don't rush it."

"It's...it's okay Aliyah." Purab sat up straight with Aliyah's help. "Where are we?"

"You're in my village." spoke Nitin as he came inside. He checked purab's temperature and nodded with a satisfied smile. "Your fever seems to have calmed down."

"Who are you?"

"He's the one who rescued us from the forest Purab. He's Nitin."

"I see." Purab acknowledged. "Wait a minute. Fever?"

"Yes. After Aliyah and I brought you here, you were in a bad state. You even started mumbling things scaring us." Nitin admitted. "But Aliyah took care of you. She was so worried about you and looked after you for the whole night. She didn't sleep a wink, neither did she eat anything. I tried to make her eat, but she said she will only once you wake up."

Purab looked at Aliyah in wonder. "You...you took care of me whole night? But you were tired yourself."

"I couldn't rest until I knew you were alright. After all, you got hurt protecting me back at the forest." Aliyah replied. 'And also because I love you Purab.' Aliyah thought with a blush.

Purab's eyes softened at her words. 'Guess I was wrong in judging her as a spoilt rich brat. It would be best to apologize to her.' as he kept looking at her, Purab couldn't help but find her cute when she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 'Well Purab, you're a gone case now. Love eventually caught upto you too. A common fever that every man faces in his life.' Purab thought with a chuckle.

"Eh? Why are you laughing Purab?"

"Nothing Aliyah. Just an inside joke."

"But you two still need to tell me what you were doing in the forest."

At Nitin's words, both Aliyah and Purab's eyes widened remembering Commando and his men. "Shit!"

"Eh? Isn't it unethical for a girl to speak such words?" Nitin said with a raised eyebrow.

"Whatever! Nitin, you need to help us find our way back. You see, I hired some fake men to act as goons for Pragya and my bhai. But they think I'm Pragya and Purab is Abhi. So they are after us. But the real Abhi and Pragya are in the forest. Not to mention that wretched Nikhil might be planning something dangerous to hurt them! You got to get us back to the hotel where my father is. Please Nitin!"

Nitin blinked repeatedly, trying to process everything in his mind. "Um...so basically, your own men are now after you because of a misunderstanding? You messed up and kind of hammered on your own thumb, didn't you?"

While Aliyah flushed red in embarrassment, Purab snickered at his words.

"Whatever! Can we please move past this and try to get back to the hotel!?"

"Fine fine. I was about to head out anyway. I got duties as a ranger." Nitin got up and opened the door to a nearby room. A tiny bear came out from there. "I need to get it back to it's mother."

#Cave#

Abhi kept looking at her in amusement, while she kept watching him with a cautious and confused eye. "Abhi? Just spit it out already!"

"Silly girl! You're the dumb one here and you call me an idiot?" Abhi joked, looking at her fondly.

Pragya twisted her lips in irritation. "You were the one who said those words about me!"

Abhi sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Pragya, listen. It's true. I won't lie to you. I really did think of you such way. But after what Maa said, it got me thinking. Although even Maa never was able to understand the full extent of my guilt and insecurity, she tried. Whatever she said that day got me thinking about Tanu's words. And I finally realized what she wanted me to understand all along." he smiled and cupped her cheeks. "Tanu wanted me to be happy, but it didn't mean they have to be someone perfect in everything. Because perfection in love is just an illusion. Love isn't about finding the perfect person, but someone imperfect who could make my life perfect. She wanted me to find the one whose presence brought me happiness, the one that made me smile, the one for whom I can do anything. Looking at whom my heart says...my heart says, we're made for each other."

Pragya raised her shaky hands and placed them above his. She looked at him with her moist eyes. "But I am broken Abhi. I have my own troubles. I have my own tragedies, my own dark past. You don't know anything about it. Do you realize that?"

"Do they keep haunting you like they do with me? You can share with me. I'm there for you."

"It's not that Abhi. It's in the past for me. But I've got my burdens. I hav-" she was stopped by Abhi putting a hand on her lips.

"I don't care. If you got problems, then I'll accept them as my own."

"Bw Ww-" she stopped speaking when he didn't look like he was about to remove his hand. She tried to signal him, but he just shook his head.

"I don't care. When I say I love you, it means that I'm agreeing to accept all of you. Your good things, as well as bad. I'll accept your beauty, as well as your scars. I'll accept your abilities, as well as your liabilities." Abhi removed his hand from her mouth and pulled her closer by the shoulders. "Yes you're broken. So what? I love every piece of it. If you got scars, I'll be the cure. If you've got skeletons in your closet, I'll remove them with the power of my love. You're broken you say. Fine. Maybe you are. But I'm ready to pick up each piece and join them until...until each piece unites leaving only marks...marks which I aim to turn into mere scars with my love. And then? Then finally turn them into faded signs that no longer matter. Pragya, will you let me be the guy who becomes the salvation to your solitude?"

Pragya could do nothing but nod vigorously at his words. Her tears wouldn't stop flowing from hearing the sheer intensity in Abhi's words and the love that shone in his eyes.

Abhi gave a broad smile and opened his arms wide. Pragya didn't waste a second to sugre forward and hug him tightly.

As they embraced each other with happy tears flowing from their eyes, the snow from the entrance of the cave slowly started melting due to the morning sun, and light shown on them.

A beautiful beginning to a beautiful day...and a beautiful relationship.

A time of two hearts finally accepting each other and being where they were meant to be...

Which is in each other's arms, together.

It was serene.

...

...

Or it would have been...

If it wasn't for...

"Grrrr!"

Abhi and Pragya were shocked out of their trance by the load roar.

"Abhi do...do you think it's the bear?" Pragya stuttered out.

Abhi nodded with a gulp. "Y-yeah."

"Oh no! What do we do? What do we do?!"

"We run. Come on!" Abhi got up and grabbed her hand. "Let's go!"

"Right!"

Together, they both headed out and looked around for it. Seeing it no where, they silently stepped out.

"Carefully Pragya. Don't take rushed steps. Take slow steps and make no sound." Abhi whispered.

"I understand." Pragya whispered back. "You sure it will work? I'm...I'm literally shaking Abhi."

"Yeah it will." he pulled her along with him. "Slow and steady. Slow and steady. Sl-" a growl from nearby made them freeze at their spots. "Um...I think it would be best to speed up a bit. Quick and rush. Quick and rush."

"But you said slow Abhi."

"Now I'm saying to rush okay?! Deal with it!"

"Why are you screaming at me damn it?!"

"I'm losing my mind from fright here if you didn't notice!"

"I'm not doing ballet and zomba either!"

They heard a growl again interrupting their argument. This time, the roar sounded much closer.

Pragya gulped in horror. "Abhi I...I think it...it has returned."

"You think?!" he grabbed her and started running. However, as luck would have it, the bear appeared from beside the trees and jumped in front of them. "Aa! How did it get here so fast?!"

"It didn't get here fast. You were the one who misheard and took us in the wrong direction!" Pragya chided.

As the bear came near, Abhi pushed Pragya behind him and got ready. "Down boy down! I'm sorry for calling you names earlier, okay? Don't eat us please. You don't want to eat us, trust me. We taste totally rotten. Worse than dead fish. She smells too! And I fart!"

"That won't work Abhi. It's coming near. Do something!" Pragya clung to hin with all her might.

Abhi didn't know what he would do to escape, but he had to try. "Sh-shoo! Shoo!" he picked up a stone nearby and threw it at the bear.

The animal didn't even flinch as it hit him on the forehead and bounced off.

Abhi snorted in disbelief. "It didn't even hurt it?! That's freaking cheating! It doesn't even fight fair. That's not a very manly way to fight."

"It's a bear Abhi. It's an animal. How do you expect it to follow manly rules?! It isn-" the bear roared, interrupting her. "See? Even it agrees."

Abhi turned to glare at her. "If you understand it so well, why don't you go speak with it?!" he bit out in irritation. Feeling something heavy on his shoulder, he turned around.

"Uh...ehehe...n-ni-ce bear. Nice bear. Ni-nice bear." 😰😰😰

At the same moment, Purab, Nitin and Aliyah reached the place and spotted them.

Aliyah gasped at the sight. "Bhai and Pragya! Oh dear!"

Purab swallowed the lump in his throat out of fear. "You should say 'oh bear's instead." 😓😓😓

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To be continued...

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~ 🌹 Mona 🌹