Falling in Love - A Shivika Romance ✔

29. Matheran (ii)

Disclaimer: The name of the places and the pics are real, but I have no intention to copyright. Credit goes to Google. They are the sole property of their respective owners. For ease with the flow of reading, pictures are provided at the very end of the update, so it causes minimal distraction.

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Hundreds of campers and picnickers found their spots in the lap of nature amidst a densely populated forest and Charlotte Lake. Except for the chirping for birds that woke Annika up earlier in the day, the place was impeccably silent. One of the shorelines of the lake featured a dam that was overflowing in the season on monsoon. Little kids were playing under the artificial fall the overflowed dam created. Bird watchers were ready with binoculars waiting for downtime to do their job.

"Why don't we visit there next?" Annika pointed at an archaic structure on one of the sides of the lake.

Shivaay frowned reckoning it to be yet another Shiv mandir.

"We are on a day out. You have an interest in Shiv mandirs, you could have accompanied Dadi to Rishikesh," he said.

"I am less interested in Shiv mandirs, and more interested in Shiv. Aapko chalega?" she replied with a silly smile plastered on her face.

"You are being a flirt."

"Someone has to be."

"What has gotten into you?" he asked removing the pair of shades he had been wearing.

Annika walked a few steps ahead of Shivaay and extended her arms to feel nature and let the fresh air welcome her with utmost generosity.

"I don't know," she replied, "Perhaps because I came out like this after a long time."

Shivaay walked up to her.

"You like going out like this?" he asked, curious.

"I love it. You?"

"I have done something like this very rarely in my life," was his reply.

"That I understood when I saw you dressed up in a suit," came an underlying taunt.

"I will keep that in mind from next time," he promised.

Soon he noticed Annika shifting her eyes here and there to look for something.

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

"I am looking if there is a way we can rent a boat to go boating," she replied.

"Boating? No!" he denied without a thought, "the boats shake like anything. The water is deeper because of the rainy season. I mean I can swim but I have no intention to get drenched today"

"Looks like you have your way today," Annika said after checking her phone, "this lake is the only source of water for the citizens of Matheran. Hence, fishing, swimming, and boating are strictly prohibited."

"Thank god," he sighed in relief.

"Wait, you could have checked before we came here. We would have known that cars aren't allowed."

"It was not in my mind at the moment," she said shrugging her shoulders, "I was too excited. You could have checked too, right?"

"Yeah, you are right. Wait, you were excited to come here? Come on, after seeing Crete, London, and wherever you have been to when you were young, you were excited to come to this small town of Matheran?"

"In beauty Matheran is no less than the scenery in Cape Town," she believed, " though I was excited because of an entirely different reason."

"And what was your reason?" he wanted to know.