CHAPTER 6 - Stranded (I)

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After paying for the taxi, Karthik walked towards the reception of the hotel his mother booked, followed by Sindhu. He was furious at his mother for not even giving the details of their stay, until they landed in Manali and he knew why. Adding to that, it was snowing and he hated it.  

When the receptionist greeted him, he asked for the room booked on his name.

"Yes sir, a honeymoon suite was booked in the name of Mr and Mrs. Narayan" she said sweetly.

Sindhu bit back her smile seeing Karthik's reaction. He looked like he wanted to kill the receptionist.

"Thank you. But we also want an extra room" he said, as calmly as possible.

"Sorry sir. No rooms are free as of now" she replied.

"What do you mean no rooms are free?" he fumed. The hotel is not extravagant but it looked big enough to have at least fifty rooms.

"Sorry sir, but no room is vacant. The city is busy at this time of the year with tourists coming from all over the country"

"And why is that?" he scowled.

"Because it starts snowing" she replied patiently.

Sindhu heard him mumble under his breath "If it's busy at this time, how did mom book ——-"

"When was the room booked?" he questioned with a frown.

The receptionist checked her system and replied "About two months ago"

If he looked angry before, he is furious now. After telling the receptionist to notify them if any room was available, they made their way to the lift following the hotel staff.

Sindhu was shocked to know Seetha was so thoughtful; she can't believe Seetha made him agree to this trip. She remembered the argument between the mother and son after her sudden announcement of their trip. 

Though she was not happy when she heard of the trip with Karthik, she was glad it was Manali; she always wanted to see snowing. She loved watching the snow fall through the windows of their taxi and loved the place instantly. She just hoped he doesn't fight with her during their stay.

And when she saw their room, she was in awe. The floor to ceiling glass windows showed the picturesque of the city; it's very beautiful.

"You are enjoying this. Aren't you?" She heard him with a serious tone.

"What?" she asked, turning her eyes from the window to him.

"Answer my question" he said gruffly.

She rolled her eyes "Its beautiful and I am here for the first time. Of course I am enjoying this"

He crossed his arms across his chest and glared at her.

"What did I do now?" she asked, feeling irritated.

"I saw you enjoyed watching the snow" he stated gravely.

"Is that bad?" she asked, puzzled by his behavior.

"So who decided Manali? My mom or you?" he questioned, looking angry.

"What do you mean?" she asked, losing the enthusiasm she had ever since she entered the city.

"I mean did you tell my mom you loved snowing and asked her to book tickets for Manali or was it her who asked you if Manali was ok?"

"You think I am behind this?" she asked, feeling angry.

"I am not stupid to not realize that" he said coldly.

"Why would I do that?" she grumbled, feeling hurt.

"I don't know, you tell me. Was it your plan to make me share a room with you or my mother's?"

"What the hell are you talking?" she hissed at him.

"How did my mom know we were sleeping in different rooms?" he snapped at her.

Sindhu didn't find her voice. She was shocked to hear that. She never told Seetha about their sleeping arrangements but she knew Seetha is too smart; or at least smart enough to know her own son.

"I never told your mom" she confessed, lowering her eyes.

"And I should believe you?" he grunted in annoyance.

Tears welled up in her eyes at his accusation but she didn't want him to know that. She is a  strong woman and decided not to back off or stay calm at his allegations.

"Do whatever you want to because no matter what I say to convince you, you won't believe me" she said firmly.

"I don't understand what I did to you that made you hate me so much" she continued, feeling dejected and hurt.

When she didn't hear a reply, she added "You want to stay as far as possible from me, right? You don't want to see my face. You could've just told me that instead of making false allegations" 

She took her bag and turned around to leave the room "I will never bother you again"

As she left the room pulling her trolley with one hand, she wiped the fresh tears on her cheek. She never expected this; he was so mean.

As she was walking through the corridors, she watched young couples looking very happy and so in-love while she was sobbing at her husband's cross behavior.

She entered the woman's lounge when she saw one and moved towards a sink. She quickly washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror. The woman staring at her looked different to her; she is not the same person who was always happy and lively.

Her life did change upside down like she feared and she was scared to live like this, her whole life. She wanted a happily ever after with a person who loved her. And Karthik is exactly her type - hearts and flowers except that he is in love with Tulasi. 

She felt jealous of her; Tulasi is lucky to be loved by him even after she became someone else's. She cried more realizing he would never be hers.

She remembered her past life; Her parents, Aunt & her daughters and Hemanth.

She missed them so much; especially him. She understood Hemanth's pain now. After all, he was in love with her while she only saw him as a friend. He never told her the truth but she always saw it in his eyes.

She loved him, as a family; as a brother she never had. She saw the pain in his eyes when he left to US. After all, he did that to stay away from her; to save their friendship.

She didn't know how long she cried sitting on the bench thinking about him. Eventually, she left the room when her energy drained and no more tears were left. Walking aimlessly, she finally reached the reception.

"So, there are no other rooms here?" she asked the same receptionist they had a talk with earlier.

"I am so sorry mam" she said politely.

"Is there a hotel nearby?" Sindhu asked her, feeling lost.

"There is one, about three kilometers away but I am afraid you can't go anywhere now"

"Why?"

"The snowfall is heavy in the city and it's changing into a storm. An announcement was made by the government a few minutes ago to stay indoors. You can't find a taxi now" she said, looking sorry.

Sindhu looked at the closed glass doors and pulled her woolen sweater closer, feeling cold. 

"Can I walk?" she asked, looking hopeful. She didn't want to hear an earful from Karthik again. He could even say she is responsible for the storm.

"In this climate? No no, it's dangerous mam. You have to stay inside the hotel; even we are staying in the staff quarters"

"How long it's gonna last?" 

"We are not sure mam. The last time we had this problem, it lasted more than 48 hours"

Though she didn't want to stay there, she had no choice. She felt powerless but decided not to back off; even if it meant sleeping in the reception.

She sat on the sofa opposite to the reception desk and sighed. She was tired and sleepy and had no bed to relax. She went to the reception again and requested for a rug. The woman kindly gave her one without asking questions.

Sindhu wrapped the rug around her body and opened a book from her bag. It was so long since she last read a book; may be years. She tried remembering the last book she read but to no use. However, she remembered it was not long after she tried reading 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. 

That book gave her goosebumps that she left it incomplete. She was shocked to read about the guy Christian Grey. He was so dark. She remembered a line from the book 'I don't do hearts and flowers, Ana'. She was so scared at one point, seeing his darkness that she stopped reading that book realizing it's not her type.

However, she learnt from a friend later that the books are good and Christian Grey is in fact 'Hearts and Flowers' kind of guy; it seemed impossible to her, nevertheless.

She opened the first page of 'A Walk to Remember' by Nicholas Sparks. She is a huge fan of Sparks' books and this one is her favorite. Landon Carter is the type of guy she always wanted and her thoughts shifted back to her husband.

Karthik is indeed a Landon Carter type of guy but he didn't want her to be his Jamie. She felt sad at that but continued reading the book. 

She completed almost half of the book when she realized she's hungry. Requesting the receptionist to look after her trolley, she left to the restaurant located at the left corner of the building, in the ground floor.

After dinner, she completed the book and slept on the sofa.

—-

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- JANAKI S


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