"No no no… carry me to the house. I am tired now. I don't want to walk anymore," Mriga said in a whiny tone.
"Arghhhhhhh, how can I make the situation worse for myself?" Vidyut looked towards the sky in exasperation.
He contemplated asking the people around for help but hesitated the next minute, itself. As a medicine practitioner, it was his duty to help others and not run away from the situation, no matter how annoying it was. The boy was clearly underage, not older than his sister, most probably. Since his guardian wasn't in sight, he had to be the responsible one here.
Sighing, he adjusted the now drowsy boy in his arms for it to be more comfortable for both of them before striding out.
Thankfully, his horse carriage was right outside. The cart puller was surprised to see him bring a semi-conscious boy in his arms but he was used to Vidyut collecting all kinds of strays, humans and animals.
"Take us to the nearest tea stall," Vidyut instructed before climbing up and pushing Mriga down next to him.
In the process of trying to remove her hand from his shoulder, he accidentally knocked off her nearly skewed turban. Bountiful silky hair came tumbling down, framing her face. Instantly, he thought back to the uncomfortable feeling which he had experienced while she had been pressed against him earlier. Those were her curves sending a message to his body.
Vidyut nearly shrieked in surprise. This was no young LAD!!
Back at the drinking establishment, one of the customers went and complained to the place's owner about a guy sleeping on the floor of the washroom and blocking everyone's way.
Trying to calm himself, Vidyut thanked his stars that he had brought the girl along with instead of leaving her amongst strangers. Though they were still within the boundaries of Central zilla, the highway connecting Chandragarh with the border of a neighbouring country was close enough. There were enough ruffians, males and females, on these roads to create unruly mischief, making it unsafe for a young girl, especially an inebriated one.
Mriga opened her eyes and looked hazily at the scenery through one of the open flaps of the horse cart.
Her head was leaning against his shoulder and she was still humming that horrid song under her breath but somehow Vidyut didn't find it as irritating as earlier. They reached their destination and Vidyut dragged her down with him, while trying to maintain an appropriate distance between them. He supported her from the shoulders and pulled her towards the well which was located a few meters away from the tea stall.
Making her sit on the ground, he drew the water from the well and poured it on her head like a cascade. Mriga gasped with the shock of the cold water's force. The mudpack from her face washed off and slides down to her clothes. Her hair was plastered around her cheeks, making her look like a drenched kitten.
In the moonlight, her features were clearly visible to Vidyut who bent down to look at her, intently. She blinked the water out of her eyes and gave him a grateful smile. With no charcoal or mud to hinder her looks, Vidyut found himself enchanted by the innocent girl's charm.
"She seemed to be like a three year old who liked playing in the mud. There could be no other reason to have landed with so much of it on herself before coming to the eatery? And why was she dressed as a guy?" He wondered but didn't say the questions out loud.
"Feel better?" He asked her in a soft voice.
She nodded her head but winced in pain the very next second. Her head had started to throb badly.
"C'mmon, let's get you fixed up. First, I need you to take this bag. It has a pair of clothes. The size maybe too big but atleast they are clean and dry. There is a washroom behind that tree. Change and come out. We will cure your headache, then. Understood?" He asked her in an indulgent tone.
Mriga didn't reply but took the bag of clothes from him and got up gingerly. Walking towards the tree where he had pointed, she paused and turned around.
"Thank you for the help," she said primly and with that she resumed walking.
He grinned at this polite version of the girl. It was starkly different from her raucous behaviour from a while ago. Whistling under his breath, he went to the tea stall owner and requested for a strong tea without milk and a dash of lemon in it. He sat down at one of the wooden chairs placed there for the customers. At this hour, there was no one around which was a good thing according to him. He didn't want too many prying eyes around the girl.
Her heart pounding, Mriga slid down on the floor and gave rest to her shaky legs inside the washroom. How the hell had she landed up here? Where was she? Who was the guy? Gathering her wits, she got up with an effort and quickly stepped out of the sodden clothes and wore the ones given by that kind soul. She didn't have time to think or figure out the previous happenings.
Her current aim was to find her way back to the lodge else Shaurya would KILL her. Thankfully it was still dark and there was an off chance that he hadn't returned to the place yet. Tying her wet hair with a scrap of cloth, she surreptitiously peeked outside and made her way to the path on the opposite side of the tea stall.
She had started to regain her senses by the time she was getting off the horse cart. The thrashing from that bucket of water had cleared her head completely. She had controlled her panic and surprise in front of the person because she wanted to get away without alarming or notifying him.
Praying that she was running in the right direction, she didn't look back even once.
The cold air helped in clearing her throbbing head. Finally, she became alert about her surroundings and started looking for landmarks.