Chapter 7: The Lover’s Point

The Lover's Point. It was a place in these hills, Ajay had told him. A mile from the fork, about half a mile below the hilltop. Horses could go all the way, but cars had to be parked at the fork.

That was where the four boys had gone camping on their last day in Palampur. Vicki had been too gloomy nursing his broken heart, but the others had persuaded him. They had found a little spot in the trees nearby and set up their tents. This was where they had spent the final day in Palampur, before returning back to Delhi.

They'd had a good time roaming around; eating, drinking, and merrymaking until she too had arrived with her friends. Unable to control himself, Vicki confronted her in front of them. And in that humiliation, she'd decided to unleash her power.

Yes, she was powerful. In this part of the world, she was the uncrowned princess. The locals revered her. They would rush to her defense at the slightest provocation. Poor Vicki had no chance.

He himself had to be careful. He was playing with fire, he knew it too well. She was not just any random girl he'd punish and get away with. There would be consequences, and severe ones if he wasn't careful.

The Lover's Point. That was where it had all gone awry. And that was where he wanted to take her. Not to confront her, oh no. Confrontations didn't end well here. He had to be tactful. Rather more delicate.

He watched as her face paled. There was a flicker of unease, then it set in a rigid mask. Turning her horse, she moved a step closer to face him properly. Body taut with the stillness of a predator, her dark eyes scrutinized him intensely. He felt his soul bare. Gone was the girl blazing with life and laughter, this one looked full of unfathomed darkness.

He felt a shiver down his spine, even his horse fidgeted nervously.

"There is no such place here. There is no Lover's Point," she said in a dead voice. "And as agreed, I'll take you to the temple, caves, and Sunset Point. The rest of the places, you can visit by yourself."

"There is a Lover's Point, my friends told me." He pursed his lips and stood his ground. "And I remember no such agreement. You promised to show me everything there's to see."

"I promised to find you a guide." She retorted without batting an eyelid, her silky smooth voice cut sharp as a knife blade. "And as your guide, if I say there's no Lover's Point, then there's no Lover's Point!"

Power radiated her like heat waves as her words sank in. The princess had spoken. At that moment, he knew the place would erase itself off the face of the earth if it ever existed.

She turned her horse and kicked her shin on his flank. The horse surged forward manically and disappeared on the path upwards.

 

*****

 

In the days that followed, he always looked back to this moment as a warning. He'd noticed the shift in her. He should have paid heed then. He should have changed his course, yet he hadn't. All he'd done was watch her mesmerized as she stormed away. The sheer dominance, the utter confidence. She knew she owned the place, the people. And in that moment, she owned him.

The horse had galloped on the path for a time and then disappeared into the trees. He stayed on the path going at a steady pace. There was no point chasing.
Moreover, he needed time to settle himself, calm his erratic heartbeat and take stock of the situation.

Something was not right; he could feel it in his bones. He'd expected her to look guilty. There should have been some sense of wrongdoing, even regret. But he'd seen nothing. No regret, no guilt. Not an iota of remorse. She seemed to have chosen an easy path. Declaring the place never existed, and nothing ever happened was maybe her way to shirk her responsibility. The sheer arrogance of it was astounding. Anger had radiated her like heat waves, he had never seen anyone emitting such a menacing aura. People had told him he himself gave them jitters sometimes, but he had laughed them away. Now that he was at the receiving end, he thought he understood them better.

He trudged on quietly for about a mile until he reached yet another signposted fork. It had directions to Sunset Point, but there was no sign for Lover's Point.

Frowning to himself he took the turn. Ajay had clearly mentioned it was near Sunset Point, maybe this signpost was not correct.

Lips pressed in a thin line, he continued towards Sunset Point. He knew she would be there. She would fulfill her obligation before finishing off with him for good and never look back.

The thought for some reason vexed him to no end. He couldn't work out which part of it was more irksome. That he was a mere obligation, or that she could detach from him so easily, or that she could escape without any consequence. It was the last one, he told himself stubbornly. The other two were ridiculous of course. Consequences, there would be. She would repent her deeds. Princess or not, he would make sure she was punished.

 

*****

 

By the time he reached Sunset Point, the sky was streaked orange. It was a beautiful place set atop a high cliff jutting over the side of a mountain. Thick green forest covered the hills around and flocks of birds flew overhead dotting the sky with inky patterns.

Ms. Sharma was already there, cooling off her horse after her frantic ride. She looked in a much better mood. The dazzling smile was back as the twinkle in her eye. He wondered if it was the rosy glow of the sunset or if her cheeks were actually flushed red.

The reason for her improved mood was also evident. There was a little family of three there to enjoy the sunset. A young couple with a five-year-old boy. They chattered away happily as Ms. Sharma clicked pictures for them. Then the parents sauntered off to the cliff edge to watch the sunset.

The little boy though was in no rush to follow his parents. He trailed on, chatting with the princess that came riding on the wind. His eyes glimmered with excitement as she let him stroke Aron.

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"Do you want to ride?" She asked as if she was offering chocolate.

"Yes, yes...," the boy jumped up and down clapping his hands.

She picked him up and secured him on her horse, then walked around with the reins as the boy bubbled with excitement. His parents smiled at them from afar and clicked more pictures, then turned back to watch the romantic sunset.

Darsh shook his head. There it was again - the effortless guile, the bewitching smile. No one could escape her charm. The anger emitting her a while ago was now replaced with serene happiness. The little boy watched her with starry eyes. Darsh himself felt dazed.

Soon the boy wanted more. She pulled his chubby cheeks and sat behind him to take him for a short ride.

Darsh watched in wonder as they cantered around. The boy squealed with laughter and the girl with him. Her face was alight with happiness. Golden sunlight glimmered in her hair creating a hazy aura. His eyes followed them relentlessly, he didn't realize it when he walked toward them.

They stopped laughing the moment he approached. The boy looked at him questioningly, evidently displeased with this new intruder.

"You have to wait your turn." The little boy scrunched his brow as he explained the rules of the playground. "Wait in the queue until I'm done."

"I am not in the queue, thank you very much!" Darsh gave him a curt reply and turned to her. "Aren't you supposed to be my guide? How could you leave me alone in the forest?"

"Well, you are here now, aren't you? Well done for that." She answered frostily. "And sunset is that way. So hurry up unless you want to miss it."

She nudged Aron and they cantered away happily. Darsh turned to the cliff edge for an obligatory view of the sinking sun. The valley below was drenched in a golden glow. The air had turned much cooler, and he could see gleaming streams of white foam leaping from the mountains. It was indeed a beautiful sight, something he would have enjoyed any other time. Any other time, he sighed as his eyes drew back to the rider with the little boy.

 

*****

 

"Fought with your wife?" He heard a voice and turned to find the boy's father standing next to him.

"Umm...no!" Darsh was taken aback. "She's not my wife."

"Pity," The man smirked. "Girlfriend, then?"

He was about to shake his head in negation when a thought struck his mind. The man looked talkative, maybe he would be able to divulge some important information.

"Yes," he smiled. "A bit of misunderstanding, nothing serious."

The man raised his eyebrows. "Well, it looks pretty serious to me. She is not even looking at you. I'd be careful if I were you."

Darsh smiled sheepishly. "Actually... I am in a bit of a pickle. I promised I'd take her to Lover's Point. I thought it was here somewhere. But I think I was misinformed. I couldn't find it and now she's not happy."

The man nodded in understanding. "Yes, I have heard about it too, but the locals seem very tight-lipped." He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Maybe it's because it's not actually a Lover's Point. I have heard from my friends who visited here earlier - a few years ago someone committed suicide on that cliff. Some popular son of a local landlord pining for his wife. We tourists call it Lover's Point, but for the locals, it's a suicide place."

Darsh stared not knowing what to say. The man shrugged as his wife called him from a distance.

"Okay, mate. Need to go now. All the best with your lady love."

He took his leave and walked away to join his family. The little boy protested, unwilling to let go of the horse and the smiling girl. But his parents wrenched him away.

The sun had set. They had to start now to reach the fork before dark.

 

***** *****

 

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