And then she said it!

PART 11

  NOT YET!
Sitting in the cab, awaiting my
destination, I felt weird in a positive
sense. Never in my life did I imagine
I would come across something like
this. It was as if tiny bubbles of
happiness were being created in my
heart on their own accord.
Something was changing. But I cared
less for I knew I was happy. If not a
little more than just happy. I was
excited and something like content.
It had been ages since I felt
something like this.
"Saab, we have reached." The cab
driver shook me when I didn't
respond to him. He had a confused
look on his face when I looked at
him. I put up a straight face and
opened the door, only to realize that
mom and Riddhima, both would be
at the college. Thinking otherwise, I
shut the door again and settled in
the seat. I asked the driver to take
me to the college.
Leaning back on the seat, I closed my
eyes and sighed. The first thing that
flashed in my brain was Riddhima. It
was strange the way she had come
into our lives. Especially into my life.
And the events that followed the last
time I had been in Bangalore were a
kind of bizarre. And so were the
feelings of mine towards her. They
had been so unpredictable and
confused. But she just walked into
my thoughts effortlessly, sometimes
scaring me but sometimes just
making me smile.
The last three months had been
immensely restless for me. Now that
I had made my decision, I
understood where that restlessness
had come from. I had my own regrets
of leaving Riddhima just like that
back then. I knew I had been
impulsive but back then I had my
reasons. Marrying an already married
lady was nothing simple. Mom had
been firm on her decision but back
then I was confused and moreover
hurt that mom hadn't told me about
that. In any other case I would have
just shelved the idea out of my
system. But it being Riddhima,
something held me back. In the last
few days, neither did I have the
courage to step head nor did I have
the heart to step back.
But after discussing it with Rahul, I
was able to make sense of her's as
well as my behavior. Now that I was
clear in my intentions, I couldn't
help but agree with Rahul. Very well
aware of Riddhima, I should have
tried to understand the truth that
was buried in her every word. Had I
given her words at the airport a
thought, it wouldn't have been this
messy.
But what still kept me wondering was
the fact that made me take a
decision. I was sure of one thing. My
decision to marry her was not out of
sympathy for her after coming to
know about her past. True, I had felt
bad for her. But that's not it. It was
something else. A mere attraction
towards her wouldn't compel me to
go ahead with such a huge
responsibility in my life. It was
something more than just an
attraction ' be it physical or
emotional. It was something deeper,
something intense. But I didn't
complain. I just wanted to wait and
feel what it was. But I knew where it
could lead now.
I am neither a teen nor a young
adult to just arrive at a conclusion
that it was love. For me, love meant
something pure which we can only
feel. It was too early for me to
examine if I was in love with
Riddhima, because I knew I am not,
yet. May be I was just in the path of
falling for her. That thought made
my heart do a flip. Whatever it might
be, I felt good. That was what it
mattered for me.
I was snapped out of my thoughts
when the car came to an abrupt
halt. I looked out of window only to
realize that I had reached the
college. I paid the driver and
stepped out. I was granted the leave
of only a day, so I didn't get any
clothes. A I made my way towards
Riddhima's block, my heart paced
slightly faster.
I had conveniently decided to marry
Riddhima, but what now? What
should I speak to her? Or to mom for
the matter of fact? Coming to
Riddhima, I better be spontaneous
because that's what worked for me in
the past. But what should I tell
mom, or rather how should I tell
her?
The receptionist passed me a close-
up smile when I walked towards her.
I couldn't help but grin at her when
her eyes turned dreamy looking at
me. I was sure she had been already
fantasizing about me. Well, that's the
effect I had on the opposite sex.
That's to my mom for my features
and dad for my dimple. Only if I had
the same effect on Riddhima! I
sighed. I guess she was the only one
who hadn't showed any signs at me.
"Hie, can I meet Prof. Ananya Mallik?"
I asked her leaning onto the desk,
passing her one of my dimpled smile.
I knew it was not a visiting time, nor
was I visiting officially as a HR on my
company. So to get my work done,
why not take advantage of my
physical appearance.
"May I please know who you are?"
She asked me in a sugary tone.
"I am her son, Armaan Mallik." I
replied in the same tone. Well, little
flirting is harmless, isn't it? "It's a
bit personal emergency." I added.
"Oh, okay! Let me check if she is in
any of the lectures." She told me
checking the schedule of the
professors. "Ma'm is free now. Please
wait in the visiting room sir, while I
inform her of you." She said after a
minute.
"Thank you." I thanked her and
walked towards the visiting room.
As soon as I entered the room, I let
my brain work on my script to talk to
mom. But before my mind could
prepare anything, I heard mom's
voice.
"Armaan?" By the look on her face I
knew she wasn't expecting me
anywhere soon.
"Hie mom." I wished her and hugged
her. But she was too surprised to
respond back properly.
"What are you doing here, all of a
sudden?" She asked me as I guided
her towards the sofa. I made her sit
and sat opposite her.
"Mom, I am here with a proposal." I
told her and her eyes grew wide.
"Will you agree now if I want to
marry Riddhima?" I asked her
straight away.
"Huh?" She stared at me bewildered.
"Are you serious?" She asked.
"Because I don't want to make a fool
of myself and Riddhima once again."
Her tone was soft, but I knew the
meaning of its softness.
"I am sorry for that mom, but now I
am sure of my decision. So tell me,
will you agree?"
"What made you come back Armaan?"
She questioned.
"Riddhima." I admitted. "She came to
meet me at the airport that day
when I left for Hyderabad."
"She did?" She asked amused at that
piece of information. "Oh I guess
that's the reason why she ran out of
my cabin when I told her you were
leaving." She recalled. "What did she
say?" She probed further.
"She-" I swallowed my words realizing
what I had to say. I wasn't
comfortable sharing our private
moment with mom. "She- she just
came to say that- she just said good
bye." I stammered looking away.
"Is it?" Mom raised her brow, smiling
at me and I knew she had caught
me.
"Mom!" I whined and sat beside her.
"I had been thinking about her for
the last three months involuntarily.
Rahul talked to me about her past
and I realized I regret my decision
back then." I said leaning my head
onto her shoulder.
"So?" She asked again.
"So what?" I looked at her. "I want to
marry her. And this time I am sure."
Mom just smiled at me.
"Talk to her first." She replied. "But
don't hurt her." She added.
"This time, I won't." I smiled at her.
"How is she?" I asked her for the first
time in the last three months.
"You will get to know about it when
you meet her." She answered. "In
ten minutes, they'll have lunch
break. Meet her then." She added.
"Are you happy now?" I asked.
"Riddhima is the best you could
get." She replied smiling.
"I love you mom." I kissed her cheek
and got up. "I'll go and meet
Riddhima."
"Armaan?" She stopped me. "Are you
in love with Riddhima too?" She
asked smiling, while I stared at her
perplexed for moment not expecting
that.
"Not yet!" I replied smiling back at
her and left the room.
Amidst a few bunches of girls in the
canteen I spotted Riddhima without
much difficulty. That's because of her
attire precisely! She was the only girl
who wears a cotton chudidar among
the girls of the college, who prefer
mini-skirts or hip hugging jeans.
That attire of hers adds a whole new
dimension of dignity to her persona.
Riddhima walked with her class
mates to an empty table and they all
settled in the chairs available. I
chose to stand far off and observe
her for a while. Her friends had been
busy in talking; I guess gossiping.
But she just put her laptop on the
desk and rested her cheek on it and
stared into space, not interested in
their banter. As I observed her
closely, she looked tired and worn
out and may be leaner than the last
time I had seen her. Or maybe I felt
so as I saw her after a long duration.
After a couple of moments she got
up and sat at the other table which
was isolated. She placed her laptop
on the floor beside her chair and
stared at the empty chair beside her.
I was amused at her action. Who on
earth keeps staring at an empty
chair?
Taking a deep breath, I walked closer
to her table but she didn't seem to
notice me. She was still looking at
the chair. When I was about to call
her, something was lit in my brain. I
looked around the canteen and tried
to recall. And the realization brought
a smile to my lips. She did miss me
after all; for she sat at the same
table we sat on the day of her
campus hiring- my first day at
Bangalore when I had dropped her
to the college. And the chair she was
staring was the exact place when I
sat that day while waiting for mom.
That action of hers made me wonder
about Rahul's words that she might
like me. That mere thought filled my
heart with unknown warmth. But
then immediately popped up the
question, why doesn't she say it? The
answer was just as simple as that;
she was Riddhima. May be her past
held her back from showing her
feelings towards me. May be we both
were along the same path, trying to
understand what we feel for each
other. If so, then we had a long life
ahead of us to understand ourselves.
May be that path would fill our lives
with beautiful moments that we
would cherish forever.
"Hey Riddhima?" I called out for her
with a little more than just cheerful
voice which startled her.
She looked around her frantically and
the moment her eyes landed on me,
she was more than surprised. I stood
still letting my presence sink into
her. After a couple of moments, her
face broke out into a bright smile.
She took a step towards me and then
stopped abruptly. The smile on her
face disappeared and something else
took its place; something like
despair. But the she forced a fake
smile and headed towards me. By
now, I could clearly differentiate
between her genuine smile and a
fake one. She should have known
that. Nevertheless, the emotions
depicted by her facial features
amused me. Didn't I say she had an
expressive face with equally
expressive eyes?
"Hi Armaan." She greeted me when
she stood infront of me. But her
voice was painfully low. "What are
you doing here? Aunty is in lecture I
guess."
"I came to meet you." I replied, my
voice calm.
"Me?" She was puzzled. "I-" Before
she could complete, a girl came and
stood by her staring at me strangely.
"Any problem Riddhima? Do you
know him?" She asked Riddhima
skeptically. Her voice was
intimidating and so was her attire;
something like phoolan devi- khaki
colour fitted shirt and a pant.
"No. nothing Devi." Riddhima
answered that girl. And I chuckled at
how my thought turned out to be
right. May be her first name was
phoolan. "He is Armaan Mallik." She
said and I waited to see how she
would introduce me. I smiled
inwardly remembering the last time
she tried introducing me. That had
been hilarious. And that smile of
mine faded away as I recalled the
events that followed that day. "He-
He is- my-" She fumbled.
"Hi, I am Riddhima's fiance." I did
the honors myself. I didn't know
what made me say so. And Devi's
mouth fell open and so did
Riddhima's. I couldn't help my grin
at their faces.
"Oh my God Riddhima, you were
engaged!" The girl exclaimed and
hugged her tight. And a couple of
other girls joined us. All the while I
felt Riddhima's eyes on me,
questioning my actions. I just smiled
at her.
"Is that why you appeared so lost for
the past couple of weeks?" Someone
asked her and Riddhima averted her
gaze from me. And the grin was back
on my face.
"Guys, please excuse us for a
minute." Riddhima pulled me by my
sleeve away from her friends, while
her friends giggled behind us.
"Invite us for the wedding!" One of
them shouted at us.
"Sure thing!" I responded turning my
head towards them and waved at
them while Riddhima pulled me to
the indoor shuttle stadium beside
the canteen.
When she left me and stood infront
of me, I found her eyes moist. "What
happened Riddhima?" I asked her
wary of tears in her eyes.
"I am already a laughing stock
amidst them. Why do you want to
make more fun of me?" She asked,
her voice depicting hurt and pain.
But her words stunned me. Is that
what she had been thinking of me?
That I would make fun of her?
"Riddhima, do you think I was
making fun of you?" I questioned
her, taking a step towards her, but
she stepped back when I raised my
hand to touch her. That stung my
heart. May be she had lost that trust
in me.
"Then what were you doing there?"
She asked, her voice muffled as she
leaned back on the wall of the
stadium.
"I meant what I said, Riddhima." I
said softly taking a step ahead
towards her. And her eyes were filled
with tears fast.
"You didn't want to marry me. You
would never want to." Her voice was
a hoarse whisper. A big fat tear
slipped out of her eye and rolled
down her cheek.
"I never said that to you, did I?" I
asked back, taking another step
towards her leaving a distance of one
foot between us.
She shook her head negatively and a
few tears made their way down her
cheeks again. "You might just leave
me again without a word when you
come to know about something about
my past." Her voice was broken.
I felt my gaze turning watery at her
words. Ofcourse that was what I had
done earlier. And I felt something
pricking my heart. "Riddhima, I can't
undo my actions in the past. I,
myself, regret having done that. I
never meant to hurt you. But I just
needed time then." I said slowly
trying to read the expressions on her
face. "Can you trust me, again?"
"Armaan, I-" She tried to speak
holding back her tears but in vain. "I
was abandoned by my in-laws back
then, because they were ashamed of
the fact that I am an orphan." She
spoke slowly and I let her. "Sohail
couldn't ignore their taunts and
pressure for long and he left me. Can
you stand by me throughout all that?
Because though I am used to
rejection, I don't think I have any
strength left to bear one more from
you."
I heard her and assumed Sohail
might be her ex-husband. But I felt
sorry for her. And I also felt little
happy somewhere. May be it was
because of him leaving her that she
came across our lives.
"You were an orphan Riddhima. Now
I am ready to give you a family of
your own. And I truly mean it." I
whispered wiping her tears with my
thumb while she just stared at me. I
was happy she didn't yank my hand
off her.
"Why do you want to marry me? Is it
because aunty asked you for it?" She
questioned back, her voice a little
below whisper but I managed to
hear.
"It's true that I thought about you in
that prospect when mom asked me to
think over it. But I wouldn't marry a
person just for mom. I took the
decision of marrying you now
because I want to." I said uttering
each and every syllable carefully
looking into her eyes. "I realized I
am attracted to you Riddhima- both
physically and emotionally. And I like
you. May be a little more than like
but I really do." I didn't hesitate
admitting my feelings because I
wanted her to understand me. "Will
you marry me?"
But I didn't get any response from
her. And my heart sunk low with
each passing second, the mere fear
of rejection gripping my nerves badly,
squeezing me out of breathe. And I
wondered how Riddhima stood by
this feeling every time. I admitted it
to myself again; She was hell strong a
woman.
I was snapped out of my thoughts
when I felt her body against mine.
Looking down I found her hugging
me, her face against my chest and
arms around my waist.
"I thought you would never come
back." She mumbled into my chest
and I also felt her warm tears
soaking my shirt. She was also
sniffing.
That brought a smile to my lips and I
wrapped my arms around her. Like
every time, this hug was different. It
was warm and cozy but not quite
physically intimate. It was just like
assuring each other of our presence
in the other's life. Something like an
unsaid promise.
"I take it as a yes." I whispered into
hers ear. "Because I am not used to
rejection." I smiled and I was sure so
did she.
She drew back immediately after a
moment. I found her smiling and
blushing looking down; like actually
blushing with her cheeks turning
slightly pink. It was the first time I
had seen her blushing like this and I
had to admit, she was beautiful. For
the first time in my life, apart from
my mom, I found a moment with
another woman I would truly cherish.
"Mom, I had barely slept" I drawled
when mom shook me trying to wake
me up. We returned home from the
college at around 4 in the evening
and I booked my return ticket for the
midnight flight. After returning back,
mom and Riddhima went to her
room, probably to talk I guess. I let
them be and planned on catching up
on my dear sleep than I am going to
miss tonight owing to my journey. To
be frank, I had hardly slept for the
last three months. Every time I
closed my eyes, something or the
other used to come infront of my
eyes not letting me catch a wink.
And at the sight of the bed in my
room, I sighed happily. I know I can
sleep peacefully now; for both my
heart and mind are at peace too. So
I jumped onto the bed immediately
and I don't think it was much time
before I dozed off.
"Get up Armaan." Mom hit my
shoulder when I didn't budge. That
made me sit on the bed though with
my eyes partly closed.
"Mom, it's hardly two hours that I
slept." I did a quick math glancing
at the watch which said 6 pm. "Let
me sleep na!" I whined and before I
could fall back on the bed, she hit
me again.
"Shashank wants to talk to you. He
is waiting downstairs. Come fast
else I'll send him upstairs." Mom was
right on the target. Shashank uncle
was the only person in my family who
could scare the hell out of me, till
now. So no quite interested in facing
his lecture, I dragged myself to the
washroom.
Coming downstairs, I found Shashank
uncle and Padma aunty talking with
mom, all of them seated on the sofa,
while Musi was standing beside
them. My eyes automatically darted
across the living room searching for
Riddhima. Muski raised her brow
when she found me scanning the
house. I smiled at her sheepishly
and moved to the elders.
"Hi uncle." I greeted him. He smiled
at me, hugged me and sat back on
the sofa. "Hi aunty." I added but
didn't get a response from her which
was quite weird.
Right then Riddhima stepped out of
the kitchen with a tray in her hand. I
took the tray from her and placed it
on the table infront of the sofa.
"What happened to aunty? Why is
she upset?" I whispered into her ear
when she passed by me. But she
just shrugged her shoulders and
stood beside Muski.
"Oh, hi Muski." I said and hugged
her. But she passed me a very big
smile which wasn't a good indication
for sure.
I raised my brows at my mom, asking
her what was on my way. She
shrugged her shoulders and smirked
at me. So I pulled the bean bag that
was at the side and was about to sit
on it when,
"Wait Armaan." Uncle almost shouted
and I jumped at his voice startled. I
stared at him perplexed when he
stood up. "Riddhima come here." He
called for her and surprisingly his
tone was equally stern. Riddhima
came and stood beside me but only
after stumbling on her way once.
"They look good together Padma,
nahi?" He declared after a moment
smiling at aunty and I drew my
breath out. I thought mom
exaggerated about Shashank uncle
for the lack of humor but now I
understood the truth underlying her
words. He really had zero sense of
humor. Who on earth remarks that
statement in such a voice? And I was
not alone, I felt Riddhima sigh too
along with me.
"You decided to marry Riddhima but
didn't tell me." Aunty whined at me.
"And here I was still searching for
potential brides for you." She looked
at me accusingly while I mused at
her. "However Riddhima would stand
above all of them. I am happy for
you both." She added patting our
cheeks. I glanced sideways at
Riddhima. She was smiling which
automatically brought a smile to my
lips.
When they settled back, I looked
behind me and pulled the bean bag
yet again to sat on it, but was
interrupted again.
"Arre Armaanji, sit beside Riddhima
na!" Muski giggled at me as I looked
around to make sure she referred it
to me. She made Riddhima sit on
another sofa infront of them. "So this
was the conspiracy that had
happened behind my back, isn't it?"
She remarked as I sat on the sofa
beside Riddhima. "Oh, now I
understand papa, that was why
Riddhima appeared so lost for the
last two months. She had missed
Armaan already." Muski went and
settled in between mom and uncle.
But her words caught my attention.
Even Riddhima's friend said the
same about Riddhima in the
afternoon. And I almost grinned at
that piece of information. But then
why didn't she call me even once? I
thought amused. But then neither
did I call her.
"No Muski, nothing of that sort. I was
just disturbed due to exams."
Riddhima said slowly, shifting her
body away from mine slightly, on the
sofa. I looked at her and knew by the
expression on her face that she was
nervous.
I held her hand slowly and squeezed
it gently. "Relax" I whispered in her
ear before letting go of her hand.
She immediately pulled her hands
into her lap and looked down, which
amused me. Where was that
Riddhima who hugged me tight
infront of a few hundreds of people
in the airport? I couldn't help my
smile.
Mom had been the lone spectator of
our communication. She smiled at
me when I looked up at her. I gave
her a sheepish smile, partly out of
embarrassment. She blinked at me
assuringly and got up and made her
way towards her room.
"So Armaan, when do you plan on
getting married?" Uncle asked me out
of blue and looked at him
bewildered.
"Huh. Anytime I guess." I spoke on
the spur. "I mean after Riddhima's
exams or when she wanted to get
married. I don't have any problem." I
added hoping I didn't sound
desperate. But somewhere deep
down, I was desperate.
"Great! Our papers will be over by
next weekend." Muskaan said
excitedly. "You can get married
then."
"Yeah?" Aunty smiled at Muski's
excitement. "Then we have to call
the Pandit and fix a date." She
added joining Muski.
"Uncle, but-" Riddhima stood up.
"You have to know something." She
added and looked at me. I knew
what was coming. So I stood beside
her and held her hand assuring her
of my support. "I was married already
once before. But then he left me
long back. I didn't had any contacts
with them since then and-" Her voice
quivered as she stopped. But her
initiation made my heart swell. That
only added to the respect I had
towards her. I know it's quite painful
to live the life with a troubled past.
But the way she accepted it as her
part was commendable.
"Riddhima, we know about that
already. Ananya told us." Uncle said
softly running his hand over her
head. "And when we accepted you
into our family, it meant the whole of
you. We love you for the person you
are Riddhima. And that past of yours
will never come in the way." He
added.
"I-" Riddhima opened her mouth but
then her voice didn't come out.
"Thank you!" She whispered and few
tears slipped out of her eyes. Aunty
hugged her immediately rubbing her
back, while I smiled at uncle
thankfully.
"Now stop this emotional atyachaar.
It doesn't go with the occasion."
Muski butted in, charging up the
atmosphere again. Riddhima drew
back and stood beside aunty. I
looked at her. She smiled at me. I
smiled back at her. Mom came
downstairs with a tray filled with
something.
"Riddhima, come and sit beside
Armaan" She told Riddhima and then
made sit on the sofa with Riddhima
beside me. Aunty took the tray from
mom while Muski was ready with her
camera that she brought out of
nowhere.
"Mom, what's happening? I am not
even in proper clothes." I whispered
to mom, suddenly conscious of my
attire. I was just in a T-shirt and a
three-forth pant. Riddhima was in
her usual chudidar but it was way
more decent than mine.
"Ssh. Nothing's happening. Shut up
and sit properly." Mom hushed me
and signaled aunty to go ahead.
"Mom but-" I shut my mouth when
aunty placed kumkum on my
forehead. She then placed it on
Riddhima's. Muski already started
clicking pictures. I glared at her to
stop but she giggled at me.
"Don't worry Armaan, your legs
wouldn't come in the snaps.
Promise." She chuckled at me and so
did everyone out there.
Mom then passed to aunty, a saree
with few dried fruits on it. I
wondered what was happening
silently. Riddhima got up suddenly
when aunty offered the saree to her.
Taking it as a custom, I followed her
and stood up too.
"Aunty, why this?" Riddhima asked
skeptically looking at mom.
"It's a shagun from us Riddhima.
Something like roka. I don't know
when this budhu would be back from
Hyderabad. So thought of getting it
done now, in his presence so we can
go ahead with other rituals." Mom
told her and made her sit again. I
sat down too.
Aunty offered her the saree and she
took her blessings. I bent down
immediately to take aunty's blessings
following Riddhima again, but inturn
got a smack on my back from aunty. I
glared at her while she patted my
cheek and hugged me. Riddhima took
blessings from mom and then uncle
while they hugged me later. I sat
down on the sofa, waiting for my
present. I mean if Riddhima got one,
I should get it too, shouldn't I? But
then I frowned when mom took
Riddhima to her room.
"What are you waiting for? Come let's
have dinner." Muski pulled me up
after a couple of moments.
"What? Don't I get a present? A new
suit or a shirt?" I asked them, unfair
at my loss.
"You would have, had you informed
me of your sudden visit." Mom said
coming downstairs with Riddhima
giggling from her behind.
"Oh!" I sulked taking my seat at the
dinner table.
"By the way, when are you leaving
Armaan?" Uncle asked me and
everyone looked at me awaiting my
answer.
"Midnight flight" I replied. "I just
got a day leave." Amidst the other's
'oh's, I noticed Riddhima's face fell
instantly. "I'll come back again after
a week or so with a long leave." I
added.
And the dinner passed by with
everyone discussing about the
wedding. My wedding, I corrected
myself. I felt strange somehow. I
guess it'll take some time for me to
get familiar with this feeling. I was
not used to it, not yet!
"Mom, I'll wake Riddhima while
leaving." I told mom when she made
her way to her room for retiring after
the Guptas left. "To lock the door." I
added immediately.
"Good night aunty, Armaan."
Riddhima wished us before she went
upstairs to her room.
"Thank you Armaan." Mom told me
kissing my forehead. "Just like that!"
She added when I raised my brow.
"Good night."
"Good night mom." I wished her
back and went back to my room.
Laying down on the bed, I sighed
and closed my eyes happily. It had
been an eventful day. More than the
past couple of months. I smiled
recollecting the day's events. At the
end of the day, I was happy. She was
happy. Everyone was happy and that
mattered the most to me. I set the
alarm for 1 am and closed my eyes.
  "Riddhima?" I pepped into her room.
But I was surprised when she was
still working on her laptop with the
bed light on. I got ready to leave and
then thought of waking her up to
asked her to lock the door. "You are
awake?" I asked her when she
switched on the light.
"Umm Yeah. I work online for a
company at night." She replied
straightening her shirt. "You are
leaving?" She asked.
"Yes, I am leaving." I replied and
took a step ahead while she backed
away against the wall.
I took one more step ahead. And I
realized suddenly, that this was the
first time we were in a close
proximity when we were conscious of
it. Last couple of times, when we had
embraced each other it was due to
emotional upheaval. Now that we
were aware of the closeness, I felt
strangely excited. Something like I
feel every time I am up to doing
something I like. It was weird.
"You'll come back?" She asked looking
into my eyes, her eyes depicting the
same thing I felt I had seen in her
eyes at the airport. Something hit
me somewhere. May be she was still
insecure. I contemplated on what I
should do to make it go away. I
looked at my watch. I should leave
immediately else I would miss the
flight. I wished I had woken up
early.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled her to
me with my arms wrapped around
her waist and back. She was stiff, I
could feel that. But I just needed
this before I left. Just to imbibe in
me, her presence in my life. I
tightened my hold on her hoping she
would relax. Which she did partly, as
I felt her hands hesitating at my
back.
"I'll come back." I whispered in her
ear. "For you." I added and felt her
relax completely in my arms as she
hugged me back. And then I relaxed
too. After gently squeezing her in my
arms, I drew back and stared into
her eyes. They were calm and
peaceful now, unlike I had found
them a couple of minutes back. She
smiled at me faintly and then looked
away. I didn't unwrap my hands from
around her. I still held her. I
wondered if I could kiss her.
But from her gestures, I know, she
was not ready for anything further.
Not yet! So I just smiled at her and
left her. "Till then, get ready to be
my bride." I whispered again before
leaving the room. When I was out of
her room I stopped walking and
turned around. As expected she
peeped out of her room. Taking the
chance, I placed a soft kiss on her
cheek. She looked at me flustered
and flushed.
"Lock the door after I left." I winked
at her and ran downstairs when I
heard the honking of the cab I had
called for.
  Sorry for not uploading yesterday.
Please vote! Bye. -Isha