Diwali treat
A treat to all my buds here is an OS by Kanchan
THE KISS OF LOVE
Nothing but wedged layers of ice lay before them, more ominous than the blinding blizzard of yesterday and the stretch of frozen river they had crossed in the beginning.
Damini shielded the fragile texture of her face with a cupped hand, searching the horizon for a fragment of the lost sun still held captive by the equinox.
The other two members of the team, Jeet and Nitin, stood anchored in the near distance gathering their breath and binding what strength was left within them for the journey ahead.
Damini felt she had been better prepared than the two males who both seemed on the verge of collapse. Her soul had been forged within the vast icy tundra since youth and she was accustomed to the frigid climate and intermittent eras of darkness and light.
Nitin called out to her, his deep voice sounding exhausted. Damini turned in the blinding wind, her blue eyes focusing upon him amid the twilight.
"Have we much further to go? My legs are turning into popsicles and it's getting hard to think. Are you certain we're on the right trail? Even you, Damini, are entitled to a mistake!"
The blue depths of her eyes fused with his troubled face, knowing that he greatly resented her authority. She considered him very dominant, unaccustomed to letting a woman take the lead. But he'd had little say-so in the matter for their commander had placed Damini in charge of the operation, his decision based upon her experience and knowledge of the land.
She told him, her tone resolute, " We're on track, Nitin. We should reach the wreckage within a couple of hours given our current pace. Maybe less as the weather is shifting to our advantage."
He grumbled, then began an intense conversation with Jeet who also wasn't pleased that Damini was in command. At least he had made an effort in respecting her lead, although he had done such begrudgingly.
She jerked her head to Nitin as he suddenly announced, " We're setting up camp on the other side of the ridge for the night."
Damini shook her head and asked, " Since when are you in charge?"
Nitin dusted the side of his nose with a heavily gloved hand, then eased out, " Since now. Jeet and I think you've lost us and we're not going to die while you try to figure out the trail."
Rather than display shock - because she knew that's exactly what they expected her to do, Damini told him, " It's not safe - setting up camp there. The area is ripe for an avalanche."
" Yeah, right," Nitin mocked, going over to reorganize his gear in a level spot on the white terrain.
Jeet came to stand by Damini and as he spoke he avoided her face like a guilty child in the cookie jar. " Look it, Damini. Nitin's right. We're two days behind schedule and I, too feel like you've lost us. So I'm with Nitin on this." He paused, then under his breath he softly mumbled, " Women have no sense of direction. Never did, never will."
" I'll need the first aid kit," she told Jeet before he completely slipped away. He appeared anxious to join Nitin so they could go set up camp.
" Why?"
Damini neared him, and pulled the kit free from his belt before he could protest. " Because I may have need of it when I find the survivor."
Jeet turned to gaze at her in disbelief. " Survivor? Damini, don't you get it? The guy couldn't have lasted out this long. He's dead - just like this mission. We're all returning to the base after we get some well-needed sleep." He shook his head at her, his irritation over the situation obvious. " If the radio hadn't played out, the Commander would have already ordered us back. To go forward is suicide."
Damini was busy rearranging her pack, finding a spot for the first aid kit. She told him as she worked, " If you want to talk suicide, I'll tell you again that if you stay here you're risking your life."
Nitin called out to Jeet, " Over here, bud! She's gonna do what she's gonna do. She's a woman. I'm ready to hike to the ridge."
Jeet shook his head at her again and she told him, " If I were you, I'd advise Nitin not to yell once you reach the ridge or he might set off an avalanche." Damini hoisted her pack onto her back, then relayed, " I'll be back this way in a few hours with my survivor."
" We won't be here - don't you get it, Damini?" Jeet tossed out, his voice mirroring frustration but his tone rather soft after her caveat. " We're heading back after we catch a nod. And then we'll probably be sent out again on a mission to find you. You're lost and you just can't accept the fact."
" You'll be here alright, probably buried in the snow," she eased out. Then, " I suppose it's best anyway because the Commander would have had both of your heads for mutiny."
" Then so be it," Jeet countered and then he turned to join his friend Nitin, bored of the conversation that was going nowhere.
She calculated it would take them about twenty minutes to reach the ridge. Eyeing them through the bitter winds, she knew that there wasn't anything that she could do to change their minds. They were signing their own death warrants.
In a last-ditch effort, she told them, " I'm ordering both of you to continue with the rescue-"
" Save it, sister," Nitin bit out, then he and Jeet turned and headed towards the ridge.
Damini had done everything possible to alter the situation and it was done. Finished. Her thoughts shifted to the rescue, knowing that a diversion in focus could mean death in the icy arms of the tundra. She must keep her wits about her for it was the code of survival.
One-hour and a half hour into her journey, the winds had settled further still. She had just cleared a tiny slope when she saw the figure treading through the drifting snow. It must be him, the focus of the rescue, Prithvi Saxena.
He looked warm, dressed in a heavy parka, his eyes shielded with dark glasses. Smart man, she silently commented as the snow was blinding, literally. His feet were capped in snowshoes and he looked like he was walking on tennis rackets, a bit like her own self.
They met mid-way, Prithvi reaching out his gloved hand to her as he inquired, " Damini Gujral?"
She nodded, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. " Yes. It's good to meet up with you, Mr. Saxena"
She was stunned as he moved to her, then lifted his face mask, then hers, planting a warm kiss onto her shocked lips. A touch of fire. He pulled back, assuring her, " Prithvi will do. Thanks for saving my life, Damini."
His voice held a tone of relief and it boosted her confidence. It was good to be appreciated and once her pulse stopped racing from his unexpected kiss, she'd acknowledge that.
But she was capable of feeling only one emotion at a time and she was currently savoring the warmth of his kiss.
Prithvi was a handsome brute, his face vaguely familiar and she decided that the pictures the Commander had shared didn't do him justice.
Many women may have found his kiss disturbing - in a completely different way than she had. It had disturbed her alright, from her toes to her nose which was currently getting frigid from being exposed.
She pulled the hood back over her face as he nodded his head towards the north and told her, " The wreckage is about 100 yards over the drift. I saw you treading towards me over the horizon and thought I'd save you some steps."
" So you're ready to head in?" Damini asked for verification, thinking it best that she regroup her thoughts.
Prithvi's kiss had merely been one of gratitude, so it would be best not to allow her thoughts to rise for they would only ferment. The task presented to her now was to try to backtrack and reach Nitin and Jeet before a disaster transpired.
" I'll follow you," he eased out, a smile touching his rugged looking mouth.
She was a bit disappointed as he covered his face as she had done, for the scenery had been quite nice.
He captured her attention when he inquired, " I was under the impression that you'd be arriving with a small team. Two men, I believe?"
" Yes, Nitin and Jeet. We'll reach them in just under two hours-"
" I had assumed they didn't survive the mission," Prithvi eased out, the tone of his voice as masked as his handsome face. He surprised her again when he accurately commented, " Mutineers, I presume?"
" They decided to make camp in an area ripe for an avalanche. I'm hoping for a miracle," she told him, choosing not to pursue her own assessment of the traitors.
But Prithvi summed them up nicely when he commented, " Idiots." Then, " About a two-hour trek?"
Damini nodded, asking him, " Are you up to it?"
" Sure. If anyone's got a right to rest - it's got to be you, Damini. The Commander assured that you knew your stuff. Lucky for me, eh?" He capped a hand around her shoulder then told her, " You lead, I'll follow, okay?"
Damini nodded, grateful that he hadn't undermined her - and he'd had several avenues to choose from. He hadn't suggested her resting, leaving the decision to her. And he hadn't doubted her capabilities.
What a welcomed change, for the last several days she'd experienced nothing but resentment from Jeet and Nitin. If she hadn't insisted on forging forward with the mission, they would have given up two days ago, leaving Prithvi to an almost certain demise.
" We lost radio contact with the Commander day before yesterday," she passed along, knowing that Prithvi had barely managed to radio in himself right after the crash. And then all systems had gone dead. " But that aside, the weather promises to be kind for the trek back. We ran into some tricky situations along the trek in. Took about twice as long to reach you as it should have, but Mother Nature took the situation totally out of our control."
" It's fine, Damini," Prithvi assured as they walked along. " I'm just glad we're all still in one piece. Hope we reach those two morons so that they'll have a happy ending as well, eh?"
" Right," she agreed, pleased that something was finally going well.
The light wind against their backs, they made good time along the trail leading back to Nitin and Jeet. Although Damini had only just traveled the trail, there was no lingering map of footprints in the snow.
Prithvi made an interesting companion, his mood was light and the conversation flowed easily between them. He appeared to be genuinely interested in her and she was smart enough to realize that his attitude stemmed from something more than gratitude from her rescue.
In fact, by the time they reached Nitin and Jeet he had secured her acceptance of a dinner invitation.
Damini shocked her own self as she had always made it a rule to never mix business with pleasure. But Prithvi's presence seemed to pleasure her so well. She liked hearing him talk his voice was deep and warm, even amid the fingers of ice that desperately attempted to lasso their necks. Although he was undoubtedly strong, he didn't pretend to assume he knew the lay of the land, leaving their route to Damini's experienced eye.
They found Nitin and Jeet buried into the side of the ridge looking warmer than two toads in the mud. Both appeared a bit stunned over the unexpected visitors and not too happy that they had been ordered to pack up asap and vacate the area.
They complained as Damini and Prithvi quickly gathered the supplies, Prithvi tossing a bedroll towards Nitin as he was shooting out warnings to Damini regarding his plans to brief the Commander on her unacceptable leadership. Prithvi told him in a clear voice, " I suppose you are aware that the Commander is my friend."
Nitin straightened, the announcement taking him totally by surprise as well as Jeet and Damini. The Commander hadn't shared that tab of information and she suddenly swelled with pride, almost overwhelmed that he'd trusted her with his friend's life.
She regained control of the situation by telling Nitin and Jeet, " The longer we stay here, the higher our risks of being buried. We'll discuss this later. Now move it-"
Nitin opened his mouth to protest and Damini bit out in a sharp tone that demanded no rebuttal, " Now, Nitin. Move it now."
A half hour later a rumbling torrent echoed and vibrated over the area and as they turned back, they viewed the icy inferno cascading to the ground. They were still close enough to catch the furrows of spinning snow and the feeling was surreal as they were cocooned in the arms of cheated-death. Nitin and Jeet looked a bit shell-shocked and she heard no further protests from them for the remainder of the journey.
Damini received the highest commendation from the Commander Nitin and Jeet were reprimanded and spent the next six months on training duty. During that time, Damini's and Prithvi's romance blossomed and within the space of three months they found themselves married and enjoying a two-week honeymoon in the tropics.
As she lay nestled in his strong arms in the honeymoon suite, he asked her, " Do you know that I fell in love with you the minute that I saw you coming towards me on the day of the rescue? So little, yet so brave and determined. I didn't know where I was, or where you were taking me. All I knew is that I would have followed you anywhere just to be with you."
His kiss was passionate, the familiar touch of fire that Damini knew she would never grow tired of. And this time, he led she followed.
Damini had truly found her true love...
Hope u all njoyed it and seeing ua self grinning😉
Next update is gonna be up shortly
Till then happy diwali play safe
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