7 Day Writing Challenge: Braving Past

The first light of dawn caressed the mountain peaks of the Himalayas as visible from the window of Shruti and her husband Arun's hotel room's window in Kasol. Shruti woke with a yawn and stretched her hands in laziness due to the light falling on her face from the window. Seeing Arun sleeping, she smiled and touched wood as a sign to keep bad omen away from him.

When she was looking at Arun, he opened her eyes and smiled. He asked her what she was thinking. Being married for two years now, they understand each other and would know something is troubling their partners. Arun knew Shruti's past was miserable, so he tried everything to keep her happy and give her the best she deserved.

After Arun's insistence, Shruti spoke. "I wondered about how beautiful our past two years had been, and you have always supported me at every point of life. You came as a good-luck charm in my life who saved me from every evil that entails." After hearing Shruti, Arun pulled her in his arms, caressing and tugging her hair behind her ear, and said, "Love, you adored my life with your charm more than I could expect. We are for each other. You do not have to worry your mind with these thoughts." Arun tried to console her and made her smile in a moment.

Today is a long day, Arun stated. Let us get ready and grab something to eat. We have to head out to our trek journey for Kheerganga before the sun's heat gets scorching. It was their first trek after marriage. Arun and Shruti planned for this day long back but could not complete it earlier due to work commitments. As Shruti got up from the bed to unveil the window curtain to let the sun rays enter the room, she saw a man in a black dress code from head to toe trying to peep in their room using his pair of binoculars. At first hand, Shruti got terrified. She relaxed for a bit to avoid making Arun worried.

Shruti watched that man hiding behind the curtain, but she could see his swift movements to place his binoculars in a manner he could see what was happening in their room. It worried her as she remembered once when they went on a trip to Goa, her ex-boyfriend came chasing them and created chaos for them. She did not wish to spoil Arun's mood for the day. Arun came from behind, putting his hand on her shoulder. Before he could speak anything, she screamed. Hey, what happened? Shruti realized and covered the windows, saying, "Nothing. I was thinking something, and I got frightened."

Arun held her in his arms and told her not to stress, or she would have wrinkled before time playfully. She smiled and tapped on her shoulder. He informed her the water was ready in the bathtub. She could go for a bath. Shruti went to the bathroom, freshened up, and took a long shower as she thought about the man who watched through their window. Arun knocked from outside, "Hey! What happened? What is taking you so long?" Shruti, coming out of her thoughts of the train, replied, "Coming in five minutes."

Both of them got ready and went for breakfast. After breakfast, they took the necessary stuff for the trek and booked a cab to the starting point. As they left the hotel, Shruti saw that man again in the same swifty movements. She thought to go ahead and see where he was pointing. Walking backward, Shruti tried to see if the man was watching through their window. As she stepped back, she lost her balance and fell. Arun noticed her and rushed to pick her up. Before she fell, she identified that the man was looking in another window. It relieved her, and she thanked God as he was not her ex-boyfriend.

Smiling, Shruti got up from the ground. Arun scolded her for not taking care. But she kept smiling and hugged him, saying, "I am alright till I have you in my life." The cab arrived, and they drove to the starting point of the Kheerganga trek. They discussed their strategies for the trek and felt excited to meet strangers on the way. The best part of this trek was the sunset and sunrise. They always chased the best sunrise and sunset wherever they went.

They were driving towards the destination when a bike passed by rashly, which distracted their discussion. Both of them saw, and Shruti was in jitters. She noticed the same man she saw from her window, keeping an eye on their window. Shruti felt relieved after identifying he was watching through another window, but that seemed like a misunderstanding. She tried to relax but could not take it as that man was going ahead of them and not letting their car pass through, keeping them behind him.

The cab driver was honking and yelling at the man. Shruti insisted that the cab driver keep driving. They could reach a little late. There was no hurry as it was hilly, and roads were narrow. Arun saw her worried face and questioned her silently. Shruti smiled and nodded. He held her hand and asked her to lay her head on his shoulder. Shruti slept for a while. As they were about to reach, Arun woke Shruti. Shruti saw that there was no one ahead of them and felt relieved. 

She saw Arun with loving eyes and wished they could live together forever like this, and her ex-boyfriend would never trouble them again. She should be brave and not get distracted by the fear of him. She held Arun's hand and asked, "Are we ready to witness the best sunset and sunrise? Are we prepared to walk beside each other on this hilly terrain?" Arun smiled and nodded in affirmation.