Chapter 3

Ishaan must have lost his mind or Jiya must be a witch. The possibility of the last statement weighed better than the former. She was definitely a witch. He would do whatever she wanted and she didn't even need to lift a finger to command him. It had happened a lot in past and it was happening now.

He must have seriously lost his mind for not taking her home like he was supposed to. "This is crazy!" Ishaan muttered as he drove the car towards a destination only Jiya knew. Definitely crazy.

Jiya giggled. "This is not funny, Jiya!" He commented sharply.

"Of course not! This is fun.! We are on a long drive.." When the memories flooded her mind, she looked out... "Do you remember Ishaan-"

"Stop! Jiya... Don't-"

Ignoring his warning, she continued to speak. "You... Me and Aman... We used to go on such long drives. Impromptu weekend trips. It was so much fun.."

Ishaan gripped hard on the steering wheel. "I miss Aman.. Do you miss him too Ishaan?" She asked. He swallowed the lump in his throat as his muscles tensed. Did he miss Aman? Good question.

Aman...

Ishaan had met him at the Military Academy and they had been training buddies. It didn't take them too long to become best friends and they had vowed to keep it that way for the rest of their lives. After graduating from the academy, both welcomed the life of challenges with high spirits. They had each other's back all the damn time. Even fate seemed to be happy at their bond that they were often part of the same troop.

Aman was lot like Jiya. Full of life, free-spirited and impulsive. But he was also a bit more grounded and disciplined than her. Nothing in the world could ever come in between them.

Except for death.

When Ishaan's parents relentlessly insisted, he took a vacation and went home for the Navratri festival. It was 25th October 2015, and while Ishaan was enjoying his holidays in his native, Kerala, he received heart-wrenching news. It wasn't just him, the devastating incident had shaken the whole nation!

Somewhere during the dawn of 25th October, a military truck carrying essentials for a local shelter camp at Gurez Valley came under sudden attack by a group of terrorists. There were six soldiers in the truck, who were caught off guard, and it took them a moment before they retaliated with full force.

Aman, who was in that military truck, hadn't just fought with his comrades but also helped his fellow injured soldiers in moving them to a safe spot. If it wasn't for Aman who had alerted the nearby Army base right on time of the attack, the civilians who were on a bus behind the military truck would have met with the horrifying fate too. When the defending army troop arrived, It took nearly 10 soldiers to kill all 30 terrorists who besieged them.

Unfortunately, eight soldiers died that day, including Aman. He was cthe aught in middle during a grenade explosion, where he tried to deviate the terrorist's aim from hitting the civilian bus that was behind the truck. His body, torn apart into millions of pieces, was scattered around the valley. They had only managed to get a piece of his teeth and his burnt uniform to identify the body, or whatever remained of him.

It had been four years since Aman died.

Not a day goes by where Ishaan doesn't blame himself for taking the damn vacation. If he wasn't away, and if he was with Aman that day, perhaps he could have had his friend's back. Maybe, Aman wouldn't have been dead. Amajeet wouldn't have lost his son, and Jiya wouldn't have lost her brother.

A soft but cold touch brought Ishaan back from the memories. Jiya held onto his hand that was clutching the gear in a death grip. "You miss him too.." She stated with moist eyes. He refused to look in her direction.

***

When the silence became unbearable, Jiya started to speak again, "So how is Army treating you, Major Saab?"

He looked at her crossly, and wondered, was she joking? Didn't she know? "I am a captain now."

Jiya frowned. "Huh? Since when did Army ranks start to go backwards?"

"I got demoted Jiya for insubordination." Ishaan was exasperated.

For a brief moment, she watched him in shock and then broke into fits of giggles. He didn't find anything funny. Not his punishment nor the current predicament. If anything, he should find a big rock and start slamming his head against it. "I am glad my life is a big fat joke to you"

"You know... Dad always said.." She started to speak taking a break from the giggle-spree, "Ishaan is so morally bound that... One day, he will definitely go against the orders and will pay a hefty price for it. Seems like that's exactly what happened?"

He sighed pursing his lips without answering her.

"What happened, Ishaan?"

Ishaan recalled how utterly disappointed Brigadier Saab was with him. When he got demoted from being a Major to Captain, Amarjeet said, "Ishaan, you have let me down. I had high hopes for you. Aman left our lives... But I hoped you would be more responsible... you would live diligently for yourself and for Aman."

It happened during his last mission, almost a year ago. During a surgical strike, Ishaan refused to follow his superior's orders. One of his soldiers was fatally injured and was on the enemy's line of attack. Ishaan's orders were simple - retract. They were short on soldiers and his commanding officer wanted to regroup, plan and attack. But that would mean, one of his men, who was still breathing would die.

Ishaan at no cost was ready to let his soldier die in the hands of the enemy. That's why he went against his orders, got the injured soldier away from the enemy's reach and successfully completed the mission by destroying the enemy's checkpoint and killing them all. Even though Ishaan wanted to be a lone wolf in his attempt, his troop had tagged along much to his chagrin.

But Army saw the 'success' of the mission differently. According to the board, Ishaan had put all of the soldiers at risk and almost exposed the operation. He was punished for his insubordination by demoting his rank and sending him off to Army Training School as a combat trainer. After the demotion, Brigadier had gone mum and refused to look in his direction, let alone talk to him.

For the last year, Ishaan felt exhausted. Creating reports, checking up on anonymous tips and most importantly convincing Army Cadets that his 'creative punishments' were the best thing that could happen to them, all of which had started to drain Ishaan's energy out. He had fought battles, and counter-insurgency missions and also spent half a year at Siachen previously, but none of that ever faltered his energy like this.

Jiya smiled shaking her head. Her father was right. Ishaan and Aman always thought with their hearts first and heads later.

"He also said, they need people like you in the army. To balance everything."

A faint smile touched his lips. He looked too adorable like a little baby appreciated for learning to walk. Jiya couldn't stop herself from pulling his cheeks "Aww!" and soon regretted it when their eyes met with a surprising intensity. Biting her lips, she withdrew herself and sat back in her seat.

"How far?" Ishaan asked. They were on the road for nearly 2 hours now and reached the Kupwara district. She gave him instructions to take a muddy route away from the main road. Through the rough terrain, they travelled with grumpy Ishaan behind the wheel and excited Jiya for another half an hour. "Stop! We will have to walk from here." She said before jumping out excitedly. A troubled Ishaan followed her suit, all his senses on alert for anything unusual.

Navigating down the hill, they reached a small valley of the Talri river. At a distance, tucked surreptitiously between the deodar and blue pine trees was a beautiful wooden cabin. The view of the water flowing to one side, and vast trees covered with snow on the other took away Ishaan's breath. Ishaan was a Paratrooper in the Parachute Regiment, of the Indian Army. He spent most of his postings at Srinagar and once at the Siachen border. He was very much familiar with Kashmir's breathtaking beauty and yet, it dazzled him every time. Like he was seeing the snow-capped trees for the first time.

"Jiya! Are you sure-"

"Yes. Aman bought this cabin long ago... He planned for a weekend trip for the three of us. But.. Well, he left us before we got a chance to go.."

Ishaan sighed, taking a step closer, he stood in front of her glancing at the cabin at a distance. Soon, the fog started enveloping them and dropping the flakes of snow down the hill. "Aman's distant friend's aunt stops by once in three months to maintain it. Nobody knows about this Ishaan. Trust me."

"Okay."

Jiya smiled and then pulled him in for a hug. "Aman would be happy seeing us here, right?"

He didn't know what to say. He hugged her back, whispering "He should be." Jiya smiled in his embrace and so did Ishaan as the snow dripped over drenching them. A shiver ran down his spine. More because of the thought that crossed his mind, it felt so perfect and yet so wrong!