It was pouring rain that evening. Passing through the narrow paved road in the forest, their car came to a sudden halt. The battery indicator had been on for a while. “I don't think we can go any further”, said Avi worryingly. He grabbed his phone and made some futile attempts to call Gargi. “No signal”, read the dial screen each time. He couldn't help but notice how calm and unmoved Kavya was. She was staring blankly out the passenger window. “Is she fine? She has not talked much since I picked her up”, he thought to himself. “Sorry for this, Kavya. With the relentless rain, we might have to wait for a while before we can get any help on this road”, he said as he looked around for signs of human life. “I am fine”, Kavya broke her silence, “The clouds will take more time to quieten down. We should stay in the car”, she said with a calmness in her tone. The conversation did not go much further after that. He grabbed a book from his backpack and started reading from where he had left off yesterday.

 

Kavya tied her hair and drifted back into her thoughts still staring out the passenger window. The clouds thundered, she drew a couple of deep breaths in an attempt to calm her inner self, but could not hold back the tears as they rolled down from her eyes. Observing her from the corner of his eyes, he passed her the tissue box. “Thank you”, she said in a shaky voice. He wanted to console her, but he thought it would be best to give her some space. As the nightfall approached, Avi closed his book. The noise made by the raindrops as they fell on the tree leaves was eerily hypnotizing. He pushed back his seat and decided to get a quick nap.

 

He was directly woken up the next morning by the chirping of birds. He felt his phone vibrating. With squinted eyes, he unlocked his phone. 11 missed calls and 23 messages from Gargi. “She must be worried sick”, he said. His eyes opened wide as he read the first message, “They found Kavya’s body in her apartment yesterday afternoon. Please call me when you get this. I am getting worried about you”. He turned his head, only to find the empty passenger seat.