Though Anya slept through most of the journey, she woke up with a start as soon as they entered the protected area of BR Hills. She was mesmerised to find acres and acres of forest cover that raced her heart. She took deep breaths and thought two eyes weren't enough to see all the wonders around her.

She was tongue tied when Ajay entered the camping area-she sat at the edge of her seat and unintentionally held Ajay's shoulder through the gap, while he drove. Though he was startled to feel something on his shoulder, he relaxed into her touch. He knew about her longing for her home town which from her words, he imagined it to be nestled in such a huge green cover.

As soon as they parked their vehicle, they were welcomed by the ground staff. Ajay moved closer to Anya and he could feel waves and waves of tranquility radiate off her. He felt she was at home there and somehow in peace.

They reached the wilderness camp by lunch and at the insistence of the staff, partook the incredible buffet style lunch before they reached their rooms. With their tummies full, they followed the competent staff to their log hut.

"You outdid it Anu, this is incredible. You are one outstanding woman. It's fricking awesome," Anya exclaimed in wonder, giving Anu a bear hug. They were right outside a huge log hut that stood tall on wooden pillars and was unpretentious by merging with the surrounding area.

Anu had no idea that the hut would turn out to be so huge. From the stock images on the internet, she could only make out that these were a better choice than tented huts or dormitories.

While Sanjay and Anya moved around and admired the place from every angle, Ajay moved closer to Anu and lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Congratulations BIG SIS. Good Job."

Anu nudged him in the ribs.

"Ouch. That hurts big sis. Never knew you react this way to genuine compliments."

"Shut up Ajay. I'm only Anu here. I'm no more a big-sis to such an old man."

Ajay quirked both his brows in amusement and let out a laugh, "Clearly, someone wants to impress someone huh? All the best Big SIS. Safe to say he sounds decent but a little clingy. Don't you think he is too young for you?"

"Clearly, someone is very happy to even not mind being called OLD. Anyways, how often have you seen older men marry comparatively younger girls?" Anu asked Ajay without missing a beat. He was not sure where the question would lead, so he answered, "Almost always."

"Then what's wrong in older women flirting with young men? Are you gender biased? Besides, as I've already explained I'm not that old. Please bear that in mind."

"Fair enough. If you are not old, then I'm not old as you claim BIG SIS!"

"You're annoying! You sound better with your mouth shut."

"Now we are stealing other's lines, are we?"

When Anu glared at him, he relented, "Okay! Okay! no more teasing from my side and promise me no monkey business from your end."

When her glare intensified, he shrugged, "What? I'm just looking out for you Anu."

She relaxed, "That's why I chose you to be here," she replied truthfully which made him squeeze her shoulder in comfort.

"I know. And I'm happy to be here."

She gave him a small smile as they walked up to the log hut.

The hut lodged two rooms with a single en-suite bathroom sandwiched between both the rooms. There was a narrow balcony all around which could be accessed from either of the rooms. Only issue was, while one of the rooms housed twin beds, the other had a double bed. It was quickly resolved when the girls opted for the double bed.

The rooms had an electric kettle and even a coffee maker, however, no TV. They found lack of signals on their phones, as per prior understanding none of them had brought their laptops. Ajay felt out of place here without access to any of those essentials in his everyday life. Nevertheless, he took it in stride since he could spend all the time in the world with Anya.

They took time to settle down and were surprised to find a couple of wired hammocks stored in one of the cupboards. Sanjay retrieved those with a rush and found a place on the balcony to hang them.

"What is camping without hammocks?" he exclaimed as he claimed one of those as his.

"Look at a pro talk about camping," Anya mocked him from behind. After Sanjay made himself comfortable on the hammock, Anya brought a cane stool from inside and sat beside him with a copy of the itinerary.

"Sanjay shall we explore the whole camp? According to the itinerary, there is a scheduled Jungle safari in couple of hours followed by some Jungle related movie, campfire and dinner. We have a couple of hours to kill until the safari," Anya eagerly offered.

"Count me out. You had your beauty sleep during the drive, I'm off to sleep now," Sanjay yawned for real this time.

"Lousy fellow, why at all did you come here?"

"Perhaps, for a full night's sleep without interruptions?"

"It's not yet night. Come on, don't be a spoil sport. It'll be fun."

"Anya please, just a couple of hours. I'll be up and about by the time we do the Safari please!"

Her face fell and she gave up. She decided to recruit Anu in her mission only to find her asleep on her bed as well. Determined to make the most of the trip, she resolved to venture out alone, explore the whole camp area and indulge in the scenic beauty.

"Do you mind if I join Anya?"

She was surprised to find Ajay give her a sincere smile. She only nodded and got down the log hut. Ajay was pleased and peeped around to find a smiling Anu wink at him and drift back to sleep. He grinned and followed Anya.

They walked in uncomfortable silence. It reminded both of them so much about their previous trip in a similar setting, at the coffee plantation. The lovely camaraderie that they had shared then was replaced by nervous energy and uncertainty now. At that time, they were testing waters and were prepared to settle for comfortable friendship if nothing came about.

"It is so similar yet different," Ajay spoke, breaking the awkwardness only to find Anya swiftly catch up with his intent, proving that she was also thinking of the same thing.

"I know!"

"What changed?"

She was beyond exasperated. She didn't know why he was asking a rhetorical question so she kept quiet.

After prolonged silence, she couldn't stand it any longer.

"What are we doing here Mr Mullapudi?" That was another rhetorical question. They seem to be asking only those.

"Catching up as old friends? Please call me, Ajay."

She stopped mid stride and gave him a look of disbelief, "You are something else Mr Mullapudi. You were the one who decided not to stick around."

"I beg your pardon, it was you," Ajay smiled cheekily, happy to have got some kind of response from her. She ignored him and walked further ahead, he made short work of the distance and fell in step with her.

After a few minutes, she whispered, "Ajay, what are you trying to do?"

He took a deep breath. He knew his time was up for jokes. She wanted a real answer.

"I want to start all over again. Hi, I'm Ajay Mullapudi," he turned towards her and extended his hand for her to shake, all the while, praying that she would trust him. She looked up at him warily to see him gaze at her with hopeful eyes.

She didn't know what was in store now, but it was Ajay they were talking about, and she felt she should take that chance. Even Sanjay advised the same, who was hardly the right guy to do such things as he was never in any kind of a relationship or dated someone. She knew she was stalling from the situation in hand. She took a deep breath and resolved to trust her instincts.

As she cautiously took his hand, Ajay held it in reverence and gave her a heart melting smile. She shook her head and smiled back. He then side hugged her and muttered a silent, "I missed you."

She leaned into him, "I missed you too. But I don't mind missing you for life, if you mess up this time."

Ajay burst out laughing which brought a smile to Anya's face, "I'm serious!"

He quickly sobered, "Duly noted Madam."

He still held her shoulder as they started walking again. It was not uncomfortable yet Anya was not used it. She subtly tried to move away from him which Ajay quickly grasped and let go of her.

"I'm sorry."

"No problem."

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Next Time : What will Anya and Ajay talk about? Did Anu and Sanjay deliberately sent these two away?

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**Trivia - The reference to the Wilderness camp near BR Hills was taken from K Gudi Wilderness Camp, Govt. Of Karnataka.

Picture Courtesy : K Gudi official site.