It was dusk. Tea was being served at the table and everyone was present there again to relish the beautiful dusk except shreya. she was absent from the scene...Daya though was geting worried for her but didn't express himself until Purvi asked:" sir, Shreya to ghar pe hai nahi...aur abhi tak na ayi.."
daya tried to be composed,:"hmmmm...haaa... kisi ko phone kiya tha woh?" he asked now, failing to repress the tension inside him... sachin and nikhil exchanged a little amusing glances perhaps nurturing the very thought inside their hearts that 'why would she bother to call someone else?'
sachin: woh... (fumble) nahi sir... pata nahi kaha gayi hai akeli...
daya thought something deeply before divulging,:" thik hai.. tum log chay piyo... main beach me dekh ke ata hun... shayad... woh... waha pe ho..." his face turned a little abashed before he turned back and jumped through the stair to search for shreya... he silently reached at the previous coconut tree where he met her in the afternoon, but there wasn't anyone..Daya peered ahead with worried face and kept walking. Though he wished to call her by her name, but one thought intruding into his heart stopped him that might it be possible that she was enjoying this beautiful dusk with the cool blowing breeze and the constant drone of the sea, might it be possible that if he reached her silently then he would be lucky enough to see her glancing at the moon, mesmerised by its beauty. he tiptoed and his anticipation was proved right, as shreya was riveted leaning herself at the thick trunk of a coconut tree, staring deep at the half orange moon ...A tender chuckle rippled through the face of Daya and he murmured behind,:" shreeyaaa..."
:"haa" replied shreya as if under a deep ocean...
:"kya dekh rahi ho?" daya asked it very softly gently
:'aap ko...' shreya replied fervently,:'aap is chand ke jaise ki komal aur ujjwal hain...aap ke ujala itna zada hai...ke...woh...aap ke aspas rehnewalo ka dilo ko bhi roshan kar dete hain...' she closed her gleaming eyes with intense bliss and sniffed a deep breath...her whole face was illuminated with the moonlight while it seemed as if she was shuddering a little as the cool breeze fanning her face...Daya now touched her shoulder a little with an inexplicable content over his face, while shreya turned back with a start; crimson hue of the sky rushed over her shy face and unable to conceal herself she drastically snuggled up against daya, temporarily taking refuge at his broad chest... daya found himself in sheer bafflement blended with electric shock of intense delight and undefinable embarrassment. With trembling hands he kept his palm over the straggling hair of shreya and then rumpled the hair with care, until shreya rose her face and for just a moment kept her hazy fervent glance upon daya's flummoxed ones and then disengaging herself from him she ran away like a shy yet fidgeting little sparrow. daya gazed mutely at the running shreya with a blank expression until she disappeared wholly behind a big rock. and then very slowly yet steadily a coy smile touched his lips thinking about what just happened. he shook his head perhaps to alleviate the clyclone inside him and at the same time appreciating shreya's deep heart...his darting eyes were wandering through everywhere until it fixed at a certain place at the sand from where a glow was coming out.. daya's face became sombre as he approached towards it...something was peeping from the sand, daya cowered down and tried to tug it and realised at once that it was a piece of cloth and that something had been buried at the place...He stood up and called Sachin hurriedly
sachin: yes sir...
daya: yaha...beach pe aao... sidhe ake thora sa daine jaha pe bohut sara rocks hai aur bas teen char naryal ka per...
sachin: ha sir... magar... kya huya sir? shreya thik to hai na?
daya:(a little embarrassed) ha woh... ek serious baat hai... aur haa...Nikhil aur Pankaj ko bhi leke ana...
he cut the line in haste...and looked at the place with investigative eyes...Within two minutes sachin along with the male members reached there with worried face:' kya huya sir? koi problem?'
daya: bohut problem hai Sachin... yaaha pe kuch garha gaya hai...
sachin: yaha pe? kya garha ja sakta hai yaha pe?
daya: shayad koi gunny bag ya... he paused for the reason that he felt bad to spoil everyone's vacation without being sure that they would have to work here instead of relaxing...he resurrected back with a sigh;' zara khod ke dekhte hai ye jagha...waha pe kuch lakri para hai... chalo us se khod ke dekhe...'
everyone engaged themselves in digging the sand...while in the resort shreya returned,lisening to the drumming of her own heart and when she tiptoed into her room she found purvi tensed,:' thank God ke tum agaye... kaha the tum? itni der se Nikhil aur Pankaj ko phone laga rahi hun magar koi phone utha nahi rahe hain...main to abhi soch rahi thi ke sab lock karke beach ke taraf jaungi...
shreya was extremely surprised:' phone matlab? sab kaha gaye?
purvi: sab beach pe gaye ... daya sir sab ko bulaya ...
shreya felt a ripple in her heart listening to the name of Daya and then she tried to compose herself,:" sab ko bulaya? tum nahi gaye?'
purvi: main to ja hi rahi thi.. Sachin sir mujhe mana kiya...aur tab se mujhe tension ho raha hai... kyuki... Daya sir to tumhe hi dhoond ne gaye the...tum tea adda me nahi ayi.. is liye...
shreya's glance deepened remembering what accidently happened between herself and daya sir...she turned back to hide her flush and tried to veer to other topic,:' shayad beach pe baith ke koi jaroori meeting karna tha..." she started changing her attire from sari to jeans and short kurti,:" mujhe to lag raha hai ke hume bhi waha pe jana chaiye tha..." a loose smile of satisfaction adorned her face...
purvi on the other hand added quite gravely,:" agar meeting hi karna tha to Daya sir waha pe nahi bulate... yaaha pe baith ke hi ho sakta tha... nahi shreya.. mujhe lagta hai ke kuch aur hi baat hai...
shreya was still in trance and she resumed,:' bohut sundar chand uga hai asman me... shayad... daya sir... sab ko... wohi... dikhana chahte hain...
now purvi smelt something unusual and with a wry smile she hugged shreya from behind saying,teasingly,:' agar daya sir ko chand hi dekhna aur dikhana hota ...to woh tere sath hi dekh leta na... sab ko kyu bulata?' she continued smiling while shreya closed her eyes as the friendly razz of purvi nudged her sensitive and soft heart making her felt a stream of delight...purvi tightened her hug and now shreya came out of her sweet trance realising that indeed it might be a serious call from daya sir and that she should slip herself into the role of a stout officer at this moment. she turned back with a grim face and suggested,:' haa purvi... tum thik keh rahi ho... chalo hum bhi ja ke dekhte hain... ho sakta hai ke... koi serious baat ho..."
purvi gazed at her a little quizzically for a minute before frowning at shreya funnily...
shreya smiled endearingly and hastened,:' chalo Purvi... jaldi..'
purvi teased her again,:' is se pehle ke daya sir sab ko chand dikha de...'
shreya chuckled shyly growling at purvi and then the ladies started for the beach locking their room...