Shaurya raised his eyebrow at her bossy tone and stared at her.
Seeing his stern expression, she hastily clarified and said, "I meant that you need to give your throat a rest. Do you have any idea how much blood you lost that night? I was so scared just looking at it. Funnily, when I found you, you weren't bleeding at all. It became this bad when the Vaidya treated you."
Shaurya was nonplussed at her words for a moment. Even though he knew the reason for his state turning 'bad' post the treatment, he didn't offer any explanation to her. The lesser she knew, the better. The image of her supporting him and caring for him flashed in front of his eyes, warming his heart.
Without any further ado, he started pointing out things which he wanted to be packed. After fifteen minutes, Mriga hoisted the now full bag on her shoulder and told him that she would return to fetch him when it was time for them to leave.
After she went away, he leaned back onto the bed and allowed a small grin to form on his lips. All through the time that she was running back and forth in his room, she had kept a running commentary on about Northern zilla and its wonders. Suddenly the room felt so quiet.
Mriga bowed to Saraswati at the reception and left in a hurry. There was so much to do, still.
Saraswati sighed to herself, "I have done all that I could to help you, Shaurya. Now it is upto you!"
Later that evening
Mriga saw many curious eyes peering at the old person sitting beside her on the boat but nobody said anything. There were three boats which were bound towards Northern zilla and she had kept Shaurya in the first one, with her. All the children present were junior to her and she didn't owe them any explanation.
She turned to look at him sitting with his eyes closed. His body was hunched and he was carrying a thick shawl over his clothes. When she had gone to pick him up earlier, he was already dressed in the garb of an old man. They hadn't spoken much on the way and even now, she just concentrated on seeing how his pallor was and whether he was uncomfortable or in pain.
"Just a few hours more, we are halfway there," she whispered after a while.
He didn't give any outwardly reaction to her words but she knew that he had heard her.
Mriga distributed the food packets to the children in her boat and leaned back against the wooden plank. She was so busy during the last few hours before leaving Gurukul that there had been no time for proper farewells with her friends. Thankfully, it also meant that she had no time to ponder over her heartbreak.
Now, in the middle of the river and below the darkened sky, she couldn't run away from her thoughts, anymore. She recalled her hesitation while standing outside the dean's office with her filled form. In the end, she had turned back without submitting it. The contest for the Queen's throne was not supposed to be a personal tool for revenge and irrespective of how angry she was with Yash and that girl, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Contrary to her assumption, Shaurya's eyes weren't closed but were at half mast. He had covered the lids with enough kohl to make it tough for someone to discern whether he was looking at them or not, in the dark.
He tilted his head a little to watch Mriga from the corner of his eye. Her withdrawn expression was a far cry from the cheerful front which she had sported all through the day.
He wanted to gather her close and ask her about her troubles but knew he couldn't. Even if there hadn't been people around, his relation with her demanded that he maintain a fair distance from her. More so now, when his own future as a spy was uncertain.
A sigh escaped his lips unknowingly, making Mriga come alert and peer at him in concern.
"Are you uncomfortable? Does it hurt anywhere?" she asked on an urgent whisper.
He shook his head in denial and chided her gently, "Stop worrying so much. It is not my body which is in pain."
She sat back, visibly relaxed, missing the import behind his words.
Shaurya saw the clueless girl beside him and wanted to throttle himself. Was his luck so bad? After being single for so long, his heart had decided to chase after a girl, who not only belonged to someone else but was also utterly hopeless when it came to grasping subtleties. He was surprised at her boyfriend who had managed to communicate his feelings to her, accurately.
"The guy must have been really blunt for her to have understood his feelings," he thought blackly, recalling Yash's smitten face.
"How the hell did it happen? I knew from the first day of meeting her that her interest laid elsewhere. Why did I still allow my heart to follow her? What an idiot!" he scolded himself harshly.
Ever since he regained consciousness, his mind had done nothing else but think about his murky future and Mriga. Under normal circumstances, he had enough control over his thoughts but under the influence of drugs, it seemed that his legendary skills had gone soft.
Stars had started to come out in the sky, casting a reflection in the rippling water. Most kids around them were drowsy probably because of the gently motion of the boat. He ran his critical gaze around the river, looking at the two boats following them. All seemed to be fine. Surveying his surroundings had become his second nature now.
Suddenly, a hard object landed on his shoulder with a thump.