3 Chapter 3

"Sumedha!" I claimed. "What are you doing here?"

"That should be my question. What are you two doing here?" Sumedha asked.

"Well, I had a headache so I was taking a rester. As for Aditya, I don't know why he is here." I teased Aditya.

"Oh, that's rude Anandatara. I thought I had a clear role here." Aditya replied.

"And that was?" I teased again.

"To keep you company in this bored hill, of course. Of all places, Anandatara, why did you have to bring them here?" He quarreled.

"Oh please, Aditya. When I asked about a good spot, you said Khandoba Hills, not me." I folded my arms.

"Oh shut up, both of you. You guys quarrel like a newlywed couple at times." Sumedha said, frustrated.

"Oh, you shut up. I am not a newlywed couple with him and why are you even here in the first place?" I blushed.

"Oh, well, we are back from the photoshoot experiment. The participants this year were good. We didn't have to teach much, other than the aperture and manual modulation along with the lens changing. It didn't take much time you know." Sumedha said quite stunned by my question.

"Heh? So soon. What's the time now?" Aditya asked.

"Around 1 pm," Sumedha said.

"No wonder why I was so hungry," Aditya said.

"That's why I was looking for the both of you. Let's go. Let's make some noodles. All are hungry here." Sumedha said. 

"Go first. We are coming." I said and pushed her head away from the tent window.

"Do you think she figured it out?" Aditya asked.

"What, about us? Not only her but everyone will if you continue acting like that." I replied and stood up.

"Fine. I am sorry. My fault." Aditya said frivolously. "But…" He stopped. "Are you ok? Do you want to leave this place? Do you…?"

"I don't know." I cut in. "I don't. There are so many things going on that I don't know what to do. Should I or should I not… I don't know."

"But if this goes on, it's going to come back," Aditya said.

"I know," I replied in a daze.

"Are you taking them regularly?" He asked.

"I have my alarms," I said.

"Good, then." He said. "Let's go and eat something. Being on an empty stomach is not good for you."

"I don't want to eat," I said.

"You have to. Now come one." He pulled me up and took me to the campfire. The noodles were half done. I took up the charge to make egg scrambles. When we all sat to eat, I took a fraction of what I usually have and made Aditya upset. After lunch, I took my Cannon 700D, and with my telelens and spray bottle, I quietly waited for butterflies to settle down.

Taking photographs of butterflies is a time-consuming process that requires immense patience. One must wait for the butterfly to settle before spraying it with water, and then quickly take as many pictures as possible before the moisture evaporates and the butterfly flies away. While waiting for the butterfly to settle, I had my own chain of thoughts.

"Is this the same case? Are we involved with someone crazy? Even I have problems. Am I the same as him? Am I going to be the next person?" 

The more I had time in hand, the more I tortured myself.

A butterfly sat. I quietly sprayed and clicked a few pictures. It was a southern birdwing. 

I looked up at the sky. Then my surroundings. I realized I was alone.

"Aditya." I said. No answer.

"Aditya." I said again, slightly louder. Yet no answer.

"Aditya." Now I yelled. Still no answer.

I took out my phone. I could find a signal. I dialed his number. He didn't pick up.

I tried again. He didn't pick up. Now, I started feeling early signs of a panic attack. My mind started racing with all kinds of thoughts.

"Ananda, you were calling me?" I heard Aditya's voice.

I turned around to check and saw him with his camera and backpack coming from the temple.

"You." I fumed, "Where were you? Do you have any idea what I was thinking?" My anger was illogical and made no sense yet somehow I just felt to pour all my anger towards him.

Aditya was stunned. He looked at me, held my shoulder, and said, "Ananda, it's alright. It is ok. Calm down."

"Where did you go?" I demanded.

"The spot." He said.

"You went there. You went there. Are you mad? Do you want to die?" I started panicking.

"Calm down, Ananda. They were not there anymore." He said.