The four of them had ordered in some wraps and shakes for lunch through an app. After a good afternoon nap, they decided to go to Mahabaleshwar which was about 20 kms uphill from Panchghani. It had started getting cloudy as they drove.

They first went to the Lodwick point and the Elephant's head point. One could see the Elephant's head point from the Lodwick point where one could see the rock shaped in the form of an elephant head including the trunk. A 250 meter walk from the Lodwick's point on a narrow ridge took you to the elephant head shaped overhanging rock.

Shehnaaz was busy capturing everything on her phone. She didn't even realize she was about to trip and fall but Sidharth caught her in the nick of time.

"Tu phone andar rakh pehle. Firse girne wali thi abhi. Sar foot jaata. Pathar hai idhar." Sidharth scolded her.

"Chilla kyun raha hai?" Shehnaaz pouted sadly.

"Aise ghadon wale harkatein karegi toh chillaunga nahi?" Sidharth asked.

"Mujhe sab capture karna tha naa phone mein." Shehnaaz said.

"Aankhon ko lens bana le aur dimag mein capture kar le. Phone ki zarurat nahi padegi." Sidharth said.

"Aaaaahhhhhh please naa Sidharth kitna beautiful hai sab. Mujhe sab memories chahiye." Shehnaaz cried like a baby.

"Theek hai haath pakad ke chal fir jitna capture karna hai kar." Sidharth said finally holding his hand out for her.

Shehnaaz held it happily in a second without even thinking and went back capturing the beauty of the surroundings with her phone.

Sidharth held her hand tight making sure she doesn't fall as they reached the end of the ridge.
The valley view from this point was spectacular. The clouds had already started descending and the entire atmosphere was so calming and so peaceful that one would not want to move away and just soak in the beauty of nature.

"Haayee mere toh samajh nahi aa raha kaunsi jagah zyada khoobsurat hai. Sab ki sab kitni pyaari hai naa?" Shehnaaz asked admiring the beauty of the place and Sidharth nodded.

"Bahut khoobsurat hai." Sidharth said while looking at Shehnaaz.

"Chalo chalte hai. Boating bhi karni hai. Baarish shuru ho uske pehle kar lein toh acha hai. Thand bahut badh rahi hai already." Ayesha said after sometime.

They all agreed and headed to Venna lake. Venna lake is a beautiful man-made lake surrounded by lush greenery. They settled for a 1 hour boat ride in a rowing boat with an oarsman. It had been only about 15 mins into the boat ride when they were literally surrounded by clouds and it started raining. It became incredibly cold. Initially they enjoyed the experience but eventually it became extremely difficult to bear. The girls literally started shivering. Ayesha was clinging to Rishabh already.

Sidharth pulled Shehnaaz closer and rubbed her back and hands.

"Are you okay?" Sidharth asked gently and Shehnaaz nodded.

"Bhaiya aap wapas le lo boat ko. Thand bahut hai. Bimar padd jayenge aise." Sidharth told the oarsman.

"Ji sahab. Aap logo ko aadat nahi hogi iski. Sardi lag gayi toh nikalna mushkil hota hai." said the oarsman as he started turning the boat around.

By the time they reached the shore, Shehnaaz was freezing. Sidharth held her tight and close. He walked her up to a small stall which served tea and coffee. They ordered for tea and the hot liquid managed to get some life into the pale looking Shehnaaz. She felt a little better after gulping down a couple of cups.

"Sidharth." Shehnaaz squeaked.

"Haan baby? Theek hai tu?" Sidharth asked concerned.

"Haan main theek hoon par mujhe woh bhutta khaana hai." Shehnaaz said pointing at the corn cob vendor.

Sidharth hit his hand on his head.

"Kya cartoon hai bey tu? Do minute pehle kaanp rahi thi thand se aur abhi tereko bhutta khana hai." Sidharth said.

"Ab mann kiya dekh ke. Toh kya karu? Marr jau?" Shehnaaz said dramatically.

"Muh band kar pehle toh. Bakwas karti hai. Gaadi mein baitho pehle. Leke aata hoon main." Sidharth said dragging Shehnaaz to the car.

Sidharth and Rishabh went to the corn cob vendor after they made Shehnaaz and Ayesha sit in the car. They were waiting for the vendor to grill 4 cobs.

"Umm...Sidharth ek baat puchu?" Rishabh asked.

"Tu kabse permission lene laga?" Sidharth asked.

Rishabh smiled. "Bas aisehi thoda personal hai. Isliye." Rishabh said.

"Pooch naa bhai." Sidharth said encouraging Rishabh.

Rishabh wanted to ask Sidharth if he liked Shehnaaz but then decided against it. He remembered how Ayesha had told him that they should let things happen naturally. Confronting Sidharth about his feelings may just make him conscious about it and that may affect what they were building. He didn't want to in any way hamper the bond they were creating.

"Tujhe thand nahi lagi kya? Meri toh khud ki kulfi jam gayi." Rishabh said making up whatever he could think about at that time.

"Yaar tujhe pata hai naa mereko thand pasand hai. Garmi nahi jhel sakta. Thand enjoyable hai." Sidharth said.

"Yeh tera personal question tha?" Sidharth asked.

"Haan... I mean woh personal hi hai naa.. Ayesha ko nahi bolunga main yeh... sochegi kya fattu hai." Rishabh fumbled to reason.

"Fattu toh tu hai. Teri fatt ti hai Ayesha se." Sidharth said.

"Beta apni wali se sabki fatt ti hai." Rishabh said. "Teri bhi fategi Shehnaaz se." Rishabh murmured under his breath.

"Kya?" Sidharth asked.

"Kuch nahi chal." Rishabh said as they held the grilled corn cobs in their hands and moved towards the car.

They enjoyed munching the corn cobs and then drove back to Panchghani through clouds. There was no visibility since they were literally driving through the clouds but it was an experience that neither of them had ever had before and an experience they'd always remember. They were tired by the time they reached the bungalow and decided to order in. They had picked up some rum and thumbs up on the way back along with some snacks to munch on.

They freshened up and asked the caretaker if there was a possibility to have a bonfire which the caretaker gladly agreed to set up for them in the lawn next to the pool area. The four of them sat together to chat a little as they munched on the snacks they bought on the way while sipping their drinks.

A few drinks down and they were having a ball singing and dancing. Rishabh played a song on his phone and held is hand out for Ayesha to dance with him.

Rishabh and Ayesha were completely into each other as Sidharth and Shehnaaz looked at them fondly.

Kehte hain Khuda ne iss jahan mein sabhi ke liye
Kisi na kisi ko hai banaya har kisike liye
Tera milna hai us Rab ka ishara maano
Mujhko banaya tere jaise hi kisi ke liye

Sidharth looked at Shehnaaz who had a beautiful smile on her face. The dim lights outside and the light from the flames of the bonfire made her look even more pretty, if that was even possible.

Sidharth didn't even realize when he was standing in front of Shehnaaz with his hand held out. He had a smile on his face.

Kehte hain Khuda ne iss jahan mein sabhi ke liye
Kisi na kisi ko hai banaya har kisike liye
Tera milna hai us Rab ka ishara maano
Mujhko banaya tere jaise hi kisi ke liye

Shehnaaz smiled back at him as she put her hand onto his and got up. Sidharth put her hand on his shoulder and held her by her waist and they started swaying to the tune. Their eyes conveyed a thousand words. Words of trust, words of assurance, words of belonging. They were intoxicated, and let their guard down and still felt safe with each other. As if they had reached a place where their little broken hearts could be healed. They're hearts felt happy, contented and at peace. And that's all that mattered in that moment.

Tera milna hai us Rab ka ishara maano
Mujhko banaya tere jaise hi kisi ke liye
Kuchh to hai tujhse raabta
Kuchh to hai tujhse raabta
Kaise hum jaanein humein kya pata
Kuchh to hai tujhse raabta

Sidharth held her hand and swayed her around and twirled her and held her close again.

Tu humsafar hai, phir kya fikar hai
Jeene ki wajah hi yahi marna isi ke liye
Kehte hain Khuda ne is jahan mein sabhi ke liye
Kisi na kisi ko hai banaya har kisike liye

"Khana order kar le yaar. Bhook lag rahi hai" Rishabh said finally.

"Bhukkad." Ayesha said as she fun boxed him.

"Soup?" Sidharth asked Shehnaaz. Shehnaaz nodded happily. Soup did what nothing else could. It always made her feel better, like it warmed up her soul. But right now, somehow her heart was already filled with warmth.

They ordered for some soup, hakka noodles and chicken gravy which they quickly gobbled up and hit the bed.

On Saturday they went to the Mahabaleshwar market to see if the local shops had something to offer that they could carry back. The girls ended up buying some crochet tops and ponchos while the guys didn't find anything for themselves.

They then headed to the Mapro Garden from where they purchased jams, squashes, crushes and chocolates. Shehnaaz was excited to see the wide variety they had and had already started thinking about the different mocktails and desserts she could make. Sidharth was happy that he would get to taste all that she would make and encouraged her to buy the products.

"Inko dekh ke koi bhi bolega they are married. Just look at them. Shehnaaz woh happy wife ke tarah shop kar rahi hai aur Sidharth aise diligent husband ke tarah usko encourage kar raha hai." Ayesha told Rishabh as they walked behind them observing the two.

"I know. Kal bhi jaise Sidharth Shehnaaz ko protect kar raha tha, dekh ke aisehi lag raha tha. I almost asked him if he likes her." Rishabh said.

"What????" Ayesha was shocked.

"Relax. Nahi poocha. Topic change kar diya maine. Poochne ka mann bahut tha but then I didn't want to make him conscious." Rishabh explained.

Ayesha sighed. "Thank God. I want them to realize it themselves. Hum realize karwayenge toh denial mein chale jayenge. Khud se realize hoga tab hi samjhenge dono. But ek baar conscious hogaye toh they may change their behavior, especially Sanu. Woh toh pakka uss cheez se bhaagne ki koshish karegi." Ayesha said.

"Relax Ayesh. If they're meant to be toh woh khud bhi chahenge toh bhi door nahi jaa payenge. So stop worrying." Rishabh said and Ayesha nodded and gave him a quick peck.

"You're the best." Ayesha said as Rishabh blushed.

"Ahem ahem. Log hai beta." Sidharth said turning towards them. They were done picking up all that they needed.

"Koi naa yaar. Lage raho. Pyaar kiya toh darna kya." Shehnaaz said and winked.

They had some grilled vegetable and cheese sandwiches and fresh strawberry cream at the restaurant there and then moved to go to visit a few other points in Panchghani.

They were a little sad that evening since their vacation was coming to an end but they decided that they would soon plan for another weekend getaway.

They headed back to Mumbai the next afternoon with a lot of beautiful memories and a determination to create some more real soon.

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Hello!! Hope you all are doing great. Do let me know your thoughts on this chapter.

Stay safe! Stay blessed! Stay human!❤