Episode# 6: - When we met (in the jungle)

Before starting the episode, there's one thing that needs to be clarified. Many of you are getting confused about Rishi and RV being the same person. People, Rishi is the pet name of Rishab, the father and husband of Atharv and Swathi; he is the eldest one. Meanwhile, RV is the pet name of Rithvik, "the 2nd eldest" among the gang.

Let's start: -

Shayan slipped from the cliff, but since the cliff wasn't very steep or dangerous, he didn't suffer any major or serious injuries. After calming his spinning head, he stood up and began dusting off his hands when he suddenly remembered the girl (Aastha).

Worried, he started searching for her, but the whole area was covered in a thick layer of dried leaves, making it difficult to see anything. He looked around but couldn't find her. Taking a few steps forward, his foot caught on something, and he tripped, falling forward. Luckily, he managed to catch himself in a push-up position, saving his face from hitting the ground.

He had closed his eyes during the fall, but when he opened them, he realized he had landed on something—or rather, someone. He looked down and found an unconscious girl beneath him (it was Aastha), but he couldn't see her face because her hair was covering it. He sighed in relief, thinking, "Thank God I didn't fall fully on her, or else her body would have been crushed under the force of my fall."

He realized that she was the same girl from earlier, and he immediately got up and sat beside her. Gently shaking her while uncovering her face, he noticed a small but not too deep wound on her forehead.

Concerned, he tried to wake her up. After about 10 minutes, Aastha stirred slightly and slowly opened her eyes, holding her head in pain. Shayan sighed in relief when he saw that she was awake. He helped her sit up as she tried to move her head, but she hissed in pain from a sudden wave of discomfort.

As she blinked her eyes a few times to clear her vision, she looked around, trying to make sense of her surroundings. When her gaze finally settled on Shayan, she was first confused. But then, as the memories of what happened flooded back, she panicked at the sight of a man sitting so close to her.

Aastha crawled back a little, clearly scared. Shayan frowned slightly but quickly realized that she might be frightened.

"Hey, relax. I'm not going to hurt you," he said gently. "You fell from the cliff, and when I stepped forward to see if you were okay, I ended up falling after you."

Aastha looked around and then tried to communicate with him using sign language. Shayan's frown deepened as he watched her gestures, confusion evident on his face. But then, a sudden realization hit him, and his eyes widened.

"Are you mute?" Shayan asked, his voice softening. Aastha nodded her head slightly in response. Shayan felt a pinch in his heart at her response, but he quickly pushed the feeling aside. He looked at Aastha, who was pressing her head with one hand, clearly in pain.

Shayan stood up and reached for his cell phone in his back pocket, only to realize it wasn't there. He suddenly remembered that he had left it in the car. He cursed under his breath and glanced back at Aastha, who was watching him with tears welling up in her eyes. He could tell she was in pain.

Shayan looked around, trying to find something—anything—that might help, but the dense foliage and unfamiliar surroundings offered no clues, nor could he spot an exit.

"Umm, I think we have to walk to find our way out," Shayan said hesitantly. Aastha nodded in agreement and tried to stand up, struggling a bit as her head was still spinning. As she rose, she remembered that she had her shoulder bag before falling. She looked around frantically but couldn't see it anywhere.

Shayan noticed her distress and asked, "What's wrong?" Aastha, using sign language, indicated that she was looking for her bag.

Shayan, after a brief moment of trying to understand Aastha's gestures, realized what she meant and started looking around, thinking she might have a mobile phone in her bag. As he scanned the area, he spotted her bag a little distance away.

"There it is," Shayan said, walking toward the bag. Aastha followed closely behind. Shayan picked up the bag and handed it to her, asking, "Do you have a mobile phone?"

Aastha checked inside her bag but shook her head, indicating "no." She had handed her cell phone to Priya before getting off the bus, something she only just remembered.

"Damn," Shayan muttered in frustration, then looked at Aastha, who appeared nervous and scared. He took a deep breath, composed himself, and said, "Let's go."

As they started walking, Shayan suddenly stopped and glanced at Aastha, noticing the wound on her forehead. Realizing he didn't have a handkerchief with him, he asked Aastha if she had a napkin or tissue in her bag.

Aastha looked into her bag and, luckily, she found a hanky. Shayan took the hanky from her hand and softly tied it around her head. Aastha was shocked by Shayan's sudden act but soon composed herself.

"Sorry, but I don't have anything else to clean or wrap around your wound," Shayan said to Aastha, who in return showed him a thumbs-up sign, meaning "it's fine."

Both were walking silently, as they didn't know each other, and the major thing was that Aastha couldn't speak. Shayan was trying to find a way out of the jungle, while Aastha was just following him.

Suddenly, a butterfly came in front of Aastha. She grinned upon seeing the butterfly and started trying to catch it. Shayan, who was walking ahead, heard some noise from behind. He turned and saw Aastha jumping to catch the butterfly.

Aastha was trying to catch the butterfly with both hands, and they were making a clapping sound. The butterfly, while flying, came near Shayan. Shayan, who had a small smile on his face after seeing her play like a child, suddenly became shocked because...

Aastha, in her excitement to catch the butterfly, didn't realize that she had come close to Shayan. When she saw the butterfly just a little nearer, she jumped to catch it, and her hands made a loud clapping sound.

But the thing that shocked her was that her hands landed around Shayan's cheeks. In her excitement, as she tried to catch the butterfly, her hands accidentally made a clapping sound on Shayan's face—in simple words, she had unintentionally slapped Shayan on both cheeks.

She didn't slap hard, but it wasn't very soft either. Aastha stood with a shocked expression, gazing at Shayan with her mouth open. Her hands remained on Shayan's cheeks.

She was standing like a statue when Shayan cleared his throat. Aastha snapped back to her senses and quickly removed her hands from his face. Shayan was at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond.

Aastha's color turned pale as she looked down in embarrassment. Shayan didn't say anything further and simply told her to keep walking.

Shayan's POV: -

For the first time in my life, I was at a loss for words. This girl—I'm not sure what to make of her. In this difficult situation, stuck in the jungle, she was playing like a child. Her accidental slaps weren't hard, but they stung a little.

I couldn't bring myself to say anything harsh to her because I knew she didn't do it intentionally. Her innocent face prevented me from reacting negatively. Maybe I'm starting to feel something for her. But just forget it; I don't want to pursue any relationship with her. If I am developing feelings, I need to let them die because a tainted beast like me can never be with someone as beautiful as her. But why do I feel like I've seen her somewhere before? (Aa-yan (Aastha and Shayan) doesn't remember their first meeting in the mall's parking lot.)

Shayan's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked in that direction and saw Aastha pointing towards her feet with a sad face, indicating that she might be tired. Shayan realized they had been walking for quite a while; it was almost evening.

He scanned the area to find a place where they could rest for a while. He told Aastha to walk a bit more so they could find a suitable spot. She nodded and followed him. Within five minutes, they discovered a relatively presentable place where they could take a break.

Aastha sat down near a tree and took a deep breath. Shayan, who was about to sit beside her, had a sense that someone was watching them.

His sixth sense told him that something was off, but he didn't want to alarm Aastha. He glanced around but didn't spot anyone. For the time being, he decided to ignore his concerns and sat down attentively.

After some time, Aastha pointed towards him with some signs. Shayan initially looked confused but then, with a hint of doubt, asked, "Are you asking about my name?" Aastha nodded her head vigorously.

"Oh, my name is Shayan. By the way, what's your name?" Shayan asked, revealing his name.

Aastha looked around and found a small stick. Using the stick, she wrote her name one letter at a time. Shayan read the letters aloud, "S...W...A...R...A, swa...raa, Aastha?" He looked at her, and she gave him a wide grin. Shayan chuckled at her smile.

"Nice name. By the way, what were you doing there before you fell?" Shayan asked. Aastha made a corn sign and pretended to take a bite. Shayan guessed incorrectly a few times, but eventually, he figured it out.

"Bhutta? You were eating bhutta while standing there?" Shayan asked. Aastha gave him a thumbs-up sign.

"Moreover, why did you give me a shower?" Shayan inquired, causing Aastha's face to turn red with embarrassment.

Aastha scratched her head, placed her hand on the tree, and made a crawling sign upward, showing her fingers to make some sign.

"Umm, snake?" Shayan guessed, but Aastha shook her head. "Umm, cockroach?" Aastha made a disgusted face and shook her head again.

"Then...ummmm," Shayan pondered, while Aastha eagerly waited for him to figure it out.

Shayan looked at her, then at the tree, and after a few more guesses, he suddenly said, "Lizard!"

Aastha clapped her hands in excitement, relieved that he finally guessed correctly. She then signed to him that she had been trying to throw water on the lizard, not on him.

Shayan understood that and said, "It's okay." Both communicated like this, with Aastha asking him questions using signs and sometimes writing on the ground with a stick. During their conversation, Aastha rubbed her stomach and made a sad pout while looking at him.

"Hungry?" Shayan asked, to which Aastha nodded in affirmation. Shayan felt a pang of sympathy for her, knowing she was fragile and probably not used to handling such situations. As a man and leader of a gang, such scenarios were common for him.

Suddenly, Aastha held up her finger, indicating for him to "wait a minute." She dug into her bag and searched for something. After a moment, she pulled out a normal-sized chocolate. She grinned widely upon finding it and gave Shayan a bright smile. Shayan, in return, chuckled at her.

Aastha gave half of the chocolate to Shayan and ate the other half herself. They sat there, talking occasionally and sometimes sitting in comfortable silence. Shayan managed to light a small fire by rubbing two pieces of wood together.

As the evening wore on, Aastha's eyes began to droop with sleep. Before she could fully process anything, her head fell onto Shayan's shoulder. Shayan, initially hesitant, looked down and saw her sleeping peacefully. After a moment's pause, he gently wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her closer, taking comfort in the warmth of her presence. He settled back against the tree, feeling a sense of peace he hadn't expected.

For now, he chose not to dwell on the uncertainties of the future, finding solace in the quiet moment with Aastha.

Next morning: -

Shayan woke up to the sound of chirping birds, rubbing his eyes as he felt some movement on his chest. Looking down, he saw Aastha sleeping peacefully with her head resting on him. A small smile formed on his lips, and he gently patted her head.

Carefully, he lowered her onto the ground, not wanting her to feel awkward or embarrassed upon waking. He sat silently beside her, and after a few minutes, Aastha stirred and woke up.

Without saying much, Shayan suggested they continue searching for a way out of the jungle. Aastha nodded and stood up with him. However, as they took a few steps, Aastha's expression turned to one of fear, and Shayan's face went blank.

In front of them stood 4 to 5 goons or local mafia types, their faces twisted into creepy expressions and guns in their hands. It was clear they were locals of the area. Two of the men eyed Aastha with predatory gazes, making her instinctively hide behind Shayan.

Shayan's fists clenched in anger, his eyes burning with rage. Aastha, frightened, clung to his shirt from behind, her grip tight.

The scene freezes on Shayan's furious face and Aastha's terrified expression.

To be continued...