Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

14) The Date

At the sight of Dharma, Maurya halted. She allowed a faltering smile as their glances clashed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, Shankaran's words echoing in his head. Looking at her, Maurya did his utmost to conclude that there was no undeniable attraction like the older man had implied. It was apparent that Shankaran had a way of convincing people with reasonable persuasion however, it did occur to Maurya that Shankaran had not taken any name and it was only Maurya who presumed that his source of attraction was Dharma.

"I came to meet Mitali and Nikhil to discuss our trip to Modhera."

"Oh yes, I wanted to talk to you about it," he checked his watch, "Right now, I can't. I have a meeting. Why don't I meet you in Index?" he asked

Dharma nodded, "I will wait for you then."

"Yes, I will be there around six," he confirmed and strode on.

The clock struck six and Dharma waited with bated breath. Should she go down or would Maurya come up? She was pleased with the choice of her dress because, when she had checked her collection of clothes that morning, she had opted for this simple long dress, keeping in mind her visit to the corporate office. The A-line dress in mulberry purple reached up to her calf. It had a white lace pan collar and three-four length sleeves.

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Chaitanya waited eagerly for Dharma. It was almost eight and normally, she returned around this time from work. He hovered near the park, monitoring every auto and bus. A few of the hostel girls were dropped off by their colleagues, some returned in autos and a few others arrived by bus. Chaitanya planned to talk to her first and then if she refused to indulge him, he would drop the bombshell. Grinning with glee, he lit a cigarette and blew the smoke into the air. From somewhere nearby, he heard the loud throbbing beats of a marriage procession. He perceived it as a good omen to set his plan in motion. The stretch of the road that led to Dharma's hostel was dark and deserted. On that particular evening, the street lights were turned off, and consequently, the road was overcast with misty shadows. It was the perfect setting he desired.

************

It was eight. Dharma closed her desktop and cleared her table. Collecting her things, she went down. Except for a few people in the accounts department, most of the staff had left.

Stepping out into the open, she absorbed the undertone of the night. It was that time of the year when the days and nights fused with one another without a clue. At the cusp of seasons, between the Winter and the Spring; sunlight and twilight merged into a long spell; the day shrinking from the dazzle of the Sun and the night obscuring the glow of the Moon. Subsequently, the evenings were dark and windy while the mornings were dry and brittle. The chilly evenings had not yet subsided and Dharma wished that the Spring would bloom quickly, allowing the days to stay longer.

Dharma considered taking an auto and she sauntered towards the main exit. All at once, a car screeched to a halt in front of her and she jumped back startled. The window glass was wound down and Maurya leaned from his seat to open the door,

"Get in, we will talk on the way," he directed while she dawdled indecisively. He looked at her pointedly and she slid into the car clumsily. Clicking the belt into place, she smoothed her dress down as the car moved ahead.

"Have you eaten dinner?" he asked. In response, she shook her head. Then realizing that he was driving and not seeing her, she answered, "No..."

"Good, then we can discuss over dinner."

Dharma sat stiff, stifled by the enclosed space.

"So how was your day?" he enquired, stealing a glance at her.