Aashiqui - Winner's Anthology

The First Date

We present to you the winner of July Prompt "Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein" in our monthly contest series "Mohabbatein".

Here's "The First Date" by Shreya_VA

The water drops hit the glass steadily, obscuring my view of the city lights in the distance. The whole sight blurred in and out of focus, as my eyes struggled to contain the sudden gush of unbidden tears. Thunder rumbled from somewhere and a faint streak of lightning cleaved the sky in half. I closed my eyelids for a while, letting my anger and disappointment ebb away slowly as my shoulders slumped in defeat.

I love the rains, but when it's your first meeting with your long-distance lover, monsoons are nothing but an inconvenience. Here I was sitting in his favourite red dress, all decked up and ready when the rain came slapping down on my happiness. Knowing the weather in my city, the showers would go on for over two hours, and my date was spoiled anyway.

I stared at the unread text lying on our chatbox.

"I'm sorry, this might take a while."

Oh, how I wish I had learnt to drive. Three cabs had already refused to take me, owing to my location on the outskirts of the city. So I had no choice but to stare at the rain and wait when every passing second seemed like an eternity.

The skies cracked in bright white anew, making my heart jump in my throat. A knock sounded at my door simultaneously.

"Who is it now?" I grumbled, hoping it wasn't the landlord's annoying wife coming for casual gossip.

"Who's there?" I called out loud.

"Hey," a voice answered from the other end, a deep tone that seemed familiar.

I opened the door just as the lights went off with a pop and at the same time, a deafening thunderclap sounded from somewhere very near. I screamed and without a double thought, threw myself at the silhouette on my doorstep. My whole body was shaking as my fingers gripped a wet shirt tightly. The person stiffened for a second before his posture relaxed and a pair of big arms engulfed me in a hug. His arms felt like home, and I was barely aware of the sprays of rain hitting us, drenching my dress.

The lights fluttered to life as suddenly as they had gone, and I noticed my surroundings.

"Sorry." I jumped back, my face flaming red. In the little yellow light that strayed from my hallway, his smile looked angelic.

"How did you?" My words were lost in my throat as I felt warm tears slide down my cheeks.

"You're afraid of thunder. How could I let my date be alone and scared tonight?" His voice was coffee and sugar. It seemed to pump life into me. I just stared at the man in front of me. Those deep onyx eyes, the untamed beard and moustache with that slight smile playing on those beautiful lips. And he was wearing a light blue shirt which had dark blue patches on the shoulders and sleeves now because of the rain. His adoring eyes grazed over me like I was the most prized possession in the world.

"You're drenched," I said finally.

"Yeah..." He blinked. It was as if he was noticing himself for the first time, too.

"Omg, come on in, you'll catch a cold," I shrieked, holding his hand and dragging him in. "Just open your shirt and let it dry here and I have some loose T-shirts you can wear meanwhile. I will make coffee for you. Oh, you like tea, right? A warm cup will prevent you from getting the chills..."

"Shreya!" he interrupted my nervous babbling. "I'll be fine, relax."

"Sorry," I blurted, looking down.

"That blush," he breathed, taking a step towards me. "That's the reason I came all the way here, to see that blush for real, to hold you, to convince myself that I hadn't been dreaming all these years." He stretched his hands towards me as if asking for permission.

"But you are drenched..."

My protests were drowned in his chest as he dragged me closer. I breathed in the wet scent of rains mixed with sweat, a heady concoction that titillated my senses. My arms encircled his broad chest, my head finding its own safe space on his damp shirt. In the comfortable silence, the only sound heard was the rise and fall of our breaths and the pitter-patter of the rain outside. His heartbeat raced as I placed a gentle kiss on his chest, over his starched shirt.

"Omg, you're wearing a shirt!" I squealed.

"I know you like shirts," he breathed.

"But you don't." I raised my head up to look at him.

"That smile on your face is worth dressing up any day." He bent slightly, bridging the few inches gap between our heights, till his face was directly above me, his eyes boring into mine with a promise of a lifetime.

"But the rain wrecked our date," I whispered.

"It must have spoiled your date," he grinned, "because my date just got better."

His lips were on me so suddenly that I froze. The kiss was just a whisper, like a lingering whiff of the wind. He drew back and surveyed my face, seeking permission. My lips parted slightly in response. His lips crashed on mine again, hungry and passionate. His palms cupped my face, and I threw my arms around him, deepening the kiss like a drowning woman gasping for the last breath of air. I didn't know how much I needed him until then. All those years of waiting and wishing for this one moment of union seemed worth it. I would do it over again just to relive this experience.

That night we ended up perched on the narrow ledge of the window, me leaning against him with his arms around me as we spun poetry in the embrace of each other, his fingers lightly combing my hair. I was enamoured, enchanted. The euphoria was almost like falling in love for the first time again.

"I still can't believe you're here for real," I breathed.

"Shh, I'm here to stay," he nuzzled against my neck.

"Can I ask you out on another date?" I giggled.

"If it's like this, sure," he grinned, stealing a swift kiss again.

🖤 🖤 🖤