A lot of work gathered in past one month but Mayank couldn't concentrate. How could he do ? His dream boy finally came in his household after a long wait, now focusing in office work is simply meaningless. In this time he received two messages from Adiraj. His adrenaline raise at peak reading those messages, they went on jungle safari so many times but now he'll have Abhi with him! No need to mention that the safari proposal made a perfect excuse to abandon work.

.

.

.

Abhi, who was lost in his thoughts and memories of childhood, startled with Mayank's sudden "Boom!!" Then a wide grinning.
"Ohff! Dara diya tumne"
"Aur darayunga jungle le jaake"
"Kab ? Aur wapas kiyu aa gaye ? Office ka kaam nahi hai ?"
"Kamal hai! Ghar me dulhan aa gaya hai aur me kaam se kaam rakhunga ?"
Dulhan, Abhi is called with this name after long time. Mayank took him on his lap, his mascular hands coiled Abhi's waist.
"Aur jungle ? Wo to aj hi jaane ka soch raha tha"
"Don't joke please"
"I'm not. See, Adi just messaged me" Mayank shows his phone to Abhi, "he planned a group camping today"
"That Adi ? Your doctor friend ?"
"Oh yes, tumhe yad hai ?"
"Tumse juda har ek baat yaad hai" Abhi's fingers roamed in Mayank's soft hairs. "To kab jaa rahe hain hum ?"
"Afternoon. Adi will pick us"

Preparation began in its way. Mayank and Darshan are habitual with camping. They packed tents, beddings, candles, first-aid boxes etc. Abhi made some dishes for carrying in camping.
Adi reached exactly at 4:00 pm. Mayank ran with great enthusiasm holding Abhi's hand and stopped near the car. Shalini is seeing them from passenger seat. Mayank wasn't aware about her part in the camping. He felt a little disturbed but then noticed the bandage on her forehead.
"Tumhe chot kaise lagi Shalu ?"
"None of your business"
"Matlab ? Tumhe kaise lagi mejhe ye janne ka haq nahi hai ?"
"Arey yaar Mayu" Adiraj interrupted, "chhoti si chot hai, mere sath hi crash hua I mean mere gari ke sath. Maine ilach kar diya hai tu tension mat le"
Mayank hummed and opened the backdoor but Darshan shouted from behind; "abe o Romeo ke pote! Mujh par saara bojh chhodke khud apna dulhan leke bhaga ?"
"Oh sorry. Sit Abhi, I'm coming"
Mayank and Darshan carried the buskets and bags to the car. Adi larked; "Daru tu samajhta kahe nahi, deewanapan kehte hain ise. Bag to kya, apni dulhan ki liye Mayu kuch bhi chhod ke bhaag sakta hai"
He spelled his last words aiming at Shalini. Fuel fell on fire as expected, Shalini gets more angry on Adi than Abhiyank as she knows Adi is telling these to irritate her. Mayank also raised middle finger dedicating his two friends. Nobody cared at poor Abhi, his fair face turned totally red with shyness.

After starting drive Adi saw him through mirror. "Sorry Abhi, majak majak me tumhe apna intro dena hi bhul gaya. I'm Adiraj, a gynecologist. Mayank's childhood friend and your brother-in-law iykyk"
"Tera behtar intro mil gaya tha mujhe aat saal pehle" Abhi thought and smirked. Then said; "Oh hi Adi, Mayank told about you"
"Really ? Actually me too from Punjab but unfortunately tumse pehle kabhi nahi mila. But we are lucky that we got a good young Indian friends' group in this foreign land"
"Wait wait" Darshan said, "you three are Punjabi, Shalini too is by birth Punjabi. In Punjabion ke group me bass mai hi Delhi ka laddu hun ?"
"No no,  Delhi ka Daru hai tu" Mayank stated.
Larks, leg pulling, laughters continued. Adi's car kept running through forest road.

"Isse aage gaari nahi jayegi" Adi stopped the car. Huge trees and thick bushes disrupted the narrow road here.
"Chal yahin aas paas tent lagate hain"
They came out from the car. Abhi saw the lofty plants almost covered the sky, already it's dusk and sun's last rays hardly entering in the forest. The floor is also covered with a thick wrap of dry leaves.
"Hey kya hua ?"
"Aisi jagah pe night spend karoge Mayank ?"
"Haan. Yehi to hai forest camping"
"But here could be snakes or other..."
"Don't worry baby, main hu na tumhare saath" Mayank tapped Abhi's cute nose then Adi and Darshan yelled from back;
"Dulhan se raat ko nipatna, ab tanik kaam me haath laga, andhera hone ko hai"

The embarassed couple aparted. Mayank went to fix the tents. Three tents will be made, one for Abhiyank, one for Adi and Daru and the last one for Shalini. Then they have to kindle a campfire collecting dry weeds and straws. Mayank and Daru are expert in camping, they made the tents within lowest duration. Abhi started wandering here and there, thick forest in dusky scarlet light made him overwhelmed.
"Akela akela jyada dur mat jaana Abhi" Mayank shouted.
"Dekho zara, inki nazar to har waqt apni dulhan pe hai. Kuch nahi hoga tere Abhi ko, jaldi jaldi aag jalaane ka intezaam kar"
Abhi chuckled and stood steadily under a tree to obey his pati dev! Shalini wished to pinch Abhi but she maintained a good distance from him; because she knows Adi's eyes are on her...

Gloom becomes darker. Roars of carnivorous animals came from far, the fellows sat around the campfire. Abhi sat closely with Mayank, Shalini was going sit another side of Mayank but Adi hurshly sat there and ushered Shalini to sit beside himself. Darshan served them the snacks made by Abhi then poured coffee from flusk.
"Wow Abhi, jabardast banaye ho! Kabhi lunch ka invitation bhi dena is devar ko" Adi praised him then turned to Shalini, "hai na Shalini, ekdam delicious ?"
"Utna bhi nahi jitna tum dikhawa kar rahe ho"
Adi smirked on her huff. "Oye Daru! Coffee ka kya kaam ? Whiskey nikal"

Whiskey served in glasses. Except Abhi all started sipping and went for another peg. Darshan said, "Mayu, ek gaana gaa na, mai guitar laya hun"
Mayank agreed easily. The circumstance of gloomy forest echoed soon with rhythm of Mayank's voce----

"Naa hoke bhi kareeb tu humesha paas tha
  Ke sau janam bhi dekhta mei tera raasta
Jo bhi hai sab mera tere hawale kar diya
  Jism ka har ruaah tere hawale kar diya....."

Abhi got goosebumps knowing that the song is completely dedicated to him.
Next turn was Adi's. The young doctor concealed a super singer behind the whote coat and stethoscope. His voice is better than Mayank. Shalini becomes charmed when he started singing;

"Ye moh moh ke dhaage
  Teri oonglioon se jaa uljhe
Koi toha toha na laage
  Kis tarha girha ye suljhe
Hai rom rom ek taraaa...."

Abhi got up and went aside from the group. A log was parallelly lying on dump ground, he sat on it. Half moon is visible through leaves. Somewhere Abhi read, moon is dangerously mannish! An eight years old scene shined in his mind's flashback.....

A moonlit evening, the boys' cricket match was delayed due to rain. When match finished it was almost 7:00 pm. Mayank told him, "Chal tujhe ghar chhod deta hun, warna andhere me jangli kutte tere pichha karenge aur tu dar ke mare pant gila kar dega"
"Shut up! Mai kutton se utna nahi darta jitna tumse darta hu"
"Kiyu ? Maine tujhe na kabhi bite kiya aur na kabhi meri wajah se tera pant gila hua"
"Chhi! Kitna besharam ho tum! Jao apne raaste, mai akela chala jaunga"
"Arey sorry yaar... chal chal mai kuch nahi bolunga"

The teenage duo was walking through empty village road, a dimmish torch was providing slight light. Suddenly a fox screamed nearby. Abhi almost jumped on Mayank in fear, the torch slipped from Mayank's hand and turned off. They both fell in bushy roadside. Both became dumb with the suddenness for sometime. Nothing was visible properly inside the bush, Abhi just felt he's on Mayank's body whose hands were tightly protecting him sometimes before but now they're started moving on his slim back and hips. He also felt something stiff is poking on his upper thigh....... when he understood what it is, jumped up and moved to a good distance. But that was the first time he got the sensual feeling.....

There the group also broken down, Daru went to smoke aside, Adiraj got a call from patient party. Night became darker, the fire also dimmed. Shalini went to her tent but not closing the zip. She was scrolling social media though her mind was somewhere else. Adi took her here for refreshing her mind. Really ? Or he just wanted to make her jealous on Abhi. Suddenly she noticed Mayank is dragging Abhi to their tent. Her curiosity was at peak, why Mayank is fida in this boy instead of her. She saw everywhere, Adi is busy with phone, not seems like the conversation gonna end soon. Slowly slowly she went near Abhiyank's tent. The zip was closed. Soon she heard Abhi's giggling and soft screams---
"Ahh Mayank........ it's hurting.....oh God! Leave me......"

Shalini desperately tried to see them or predict their shadows inside but a sudden pull directly took her near her own tent.
"Adiraj!"
"Mana kiya tha na ?"
"Shut up! Tum yehi sab dikhane ke liye mujhe yahan laaye ho!!" Shalini started sobbing, "you know naa how much I love Mayank, aur tum! Bloody hell! Mayu ka suhagraat dikhane ke liye mujhe....."
"Don't shout, the sweet couple could be disturbed" Adi harshly pressed her lips. They both were half in sense in mercy of alcohol. Adi pushed her inside tent and he himself too went there.
"Kya kar rahe ho ?"
"Wohi jo tum Mayank se expect karti ho. But I told you, you'll get everything but not from Mayank......"
Adi didn't give her another chance to speak. Shalini too didn't protest much, she needed some pleasure as ointment on wound. Soon the tent's inside filled with warmth. Blood drops drew their own marks, left the sign of primitive sensation in dark forest, as the Neanderthal duos used to leave marks far before civilization...........

______________________

Sorry doctor sahab Adiraj_B 🙉 apko taqlif dene ki liye...
Btw, forgive my mistakes. Long chapter tha......😿