207 Exposed (Part 3)

Himprayag

Shaurya hadn't wanted to be spotted roaming around the marketplace, three nights in a row. Even though he had visited different spots, he didn't want to risk undue exposure. To change his look, this 'horse mane' inspiration had struck him. And it had been really effective. To top it, his task had been more or less successful, providing him with enough ammunition needed for his meeting ahead.

Looking out from the window, after the eagle flew away, he saw a stream running behind the lodge where he was currently staying. Bela had suggested this place to him. Not only was it secluded, but also extremely scenic. The old caretaker of the place had taken a look at his face and smiled in delight.

His cryptic 'Welcome to Himprayag' had been enough to hint at the guy's roots belonging to another country. No wonder, Bela had asked Shaurya to stay here.

The water was cold in it through the year round but it was almost freezing at this point. But Shaurya wanted to scrub the grime away from his body and a soak in the tub or a wash with a bucket didn't seem to be enough for it. For all his disguises and close interaction with dirt, he was a meticulous guy with cleanliness ranking high on his priority list, only when he could afford it though!

Braving the weather, Shaurya jumped out of the window and walked towards the stream in his thin kurta and pajamas which were flapping against his body as the onslaught of the biting wind hit him.

Giving a cursory glance to his surroundings, he stripped off completely and dived into the near frozen stream.

"Ahhhh!" he couldn't stop the scream emitting from his lips at the first contact with the icy cold water.

Teeth chattering, he submerged his head and swam under the surface where the temperature was slightly warmer. Ten minutes later, his body couldn't take the torture anymore. Gripping the grassy bank of the stream with his hands, he pulled himself up. The water fell off the supple muscles and trickled down his legs, pooling on the grass.

A weak sun was peeking out of the overcast sky, making the day look slightly less bleary than before. He raised his hands and squeezed the excess water out of his scalp.

"Oh!"

Shaurya looked up at the startled voice. A young woman perched on her horse was staring wide eyed at his naked form in what seemed to be a horrified fascination. It looked as if she had stopped in the middle of a ride at this place.

She was pretty, with angular features and currently her cheeks were tinged with pink, either due to the exertion or the tableau in front of her. As Shaurya thought all this, he hoped that the woman would make a move sooner than later. The wind was teaming up with the water droplets on his body, making his shiver slightly.

But both the horse and the owner seemed spellbound by the sight in front of them.

Sinewy muscled with a mild scattering of hair across the body, the man seemed to have not a single ounce of fat on his body. Well-formed shins to the sharply defined knees, the bunched-up taut thighs to the, uh… currently shrivelled organ, he was definitely a specimen worth a nude drawing.

His chest had a few faded scabs on it, proving that he hadn't led an idle life. But the face… ah, it was the face that wouldn't let her take her eyes off him. Chiselled cheeks, a sharp nose and those dreamy eyes which held an aloof expression, he resembled a proud, wild horse.

Shaurya was acutely disconcerted as the moment stretched but he didn't want to show his nervousness by doing any sudden action. Had the woman gone in shock? Had she never seen a man before?

He bent down slowly, almost nonchalantly and picked up his pyjamas from the ground.

He looked up enquiringly at the woman and asked with an arched eyebrow, "Now that you have seen me naked, do you intend to see me get dressed, as well?"

Taken aback, she frowned at him. How dare he speak to her like that? Did he not recognize her?

Nonetheless, she was the one intruding in his space so she didn't say anything and spurred her horse into action.

Shaurya had covertly brought the pyjama up to cover his nether regions while talking to her. Now as the horse galloped away, he quickly wore his clothes, not bothering to wait for his body to completely dry.

"What a peculiar woman!" Shaurya shook his head and rubbed his hands together to make them warm.

"Oh God! What an embarrassing moment!" was Ahilya's first thought.

Ahilya pressed her hands to her heated cheeks as she brought the horse to a stop as soon as they cleared that secluded spot. It had been one of her favourite places for a long time now. She discovered it when she had just learned to ride the horse all by herself. Unaccompanied for the first time, she had lost her way and reached this place. With grassland rising on one side and trees covering from the other three sides, the stream's bank was the most tranquil place for the fifteen-year-old, gangly, Ahilya. That time onwards, this became the place where she came when she wanted to think or mourn or simply relax. Even Gayatri had not accompanied her to this place, till date.

It was supposed to belong to her and her only!

So, who was this rude hunk who barged in, and that too without a stitch on his body? Ahilya regretted running away from there. She should have stood ground and asked him to move away.

"I didn't know that Himprayag had such lookers hidden away. But he didn't look like a native," she mused to herself.