Himalayan Magic - The honeymoon

Heat in the middle of a cold road

Arnav had been driving for four hours. Payal and Akash looked cosy as they dozed in the back seat. Khushi sat in the passenger seat looking out of the window. She remembered her previous trip to Nainital where she had spent most of the journey in the trunk of Arnav's car. A smile stole into her lips as she remembered. She never got to see Nainital then.

As they entered the city limits Khushi was enthralled by its beauty. It was a place of lakes and mountains. It was beautiful, serene and green. The beauty of the place was obviously due to its abundant natural beauty but also because its old world charm was completely retained since the times of the British rule. It was hard not to notice the British touches in the roads, buildings and the cultural lodges.

They reached the hotel around lunch time and were shown to their respective rooms. Arnav, a few steps ahead of Khushi entered the room. 'What the ____?' he swore loudly.

Khushi walked in to see what was wrong. She took a few seconds to realize it. It was a honeymoon suite! It was a beautiful room with wood flooring and wood panelling on the walls. There was a large window with a view of a snow-capped mountain. Next to the window, was a small coffee table and two chairs. There was a fire place in one corner of the room. But the most prominent item in the room was the huge four poster king bed that dominated the centre. Curtains adorned the posters giving it a royal look. There were rose petals on the white bed sheets.

Arnav picked up the phone and dialled reception, 'May I know why this room was booked for us?'

'Mr. Raizada, your sister specifically asked us to book the honeymoon suite. We were only following instructions.' She replied nervously knowing very well who she was talking to.

'Damn!' Arnav banged the phone down. She just will not mind her own business, will she?

Khushi went into the rest room to freshen herself. The bathroom was huge. There was marble everywhere. There was a separate tub, shower cubicle and sink with long counter and an equally long mirror. Fresh towels monogrammed with the hotel logo were arranged neatly by the tub. The tub was filled with water and rose petals. The tub looked big enough for two people. Khushi went red when she realized the implication. She hurried out.

'We are meeting Payal and Akash for lunch downstairs at the restaurant,' he informed her as he looked at her flushed face.

Khushi looked at the lovely shawl the hawker was showing her. Payal was looking at some artefacts. They were at one of the handicraft emporiums at the famous Mall road. Right after lunch, Arnav had dropped them off here before heading off with Akash to client's office for a meeting. Khushi and Payal were having a lot of fun at the market. It had been a while since they had spent time together. There were chocolate shops, clothes, artificial jewellery and tons of shops selling medicinal oils. They bought gifts for everyone and got back to the hotel in the evening.

Later that evening the four of them had meet for dinner at the restaurant. Khushi ate her paneer makhani and rotis that she had ordered. She didn't like it too much. The food at the Punjabi dhaba where she and Arnav had eaten just outside of Nainital was much better she thought. She also remembered how the dhaba aunty had forced her to wipe the lassi off Arnav's lips. The memory made her go warm all over and she closed her eyes.

Arnav looked at Khushi's face and said, 'Don't tell me that the paneer is that good'

Khushi quickly returned back to the present, a little flustered and realized that Akash was trying to tell Arnav about going somewhere.

'Bhai, tomorrow morning Payal and I plan to go to Binsar. It is supposed to be a beautiful place where we get to see panoramic views of the Himalayas. It will take us a few hours to get there, so we plan to leave early in the morning and get back before dark'.