His Lotus

53

Deva

Tuesday, 8.5 am

"Please stay for another day Thamara. It's Christmas tomorrow. Thus we have a day off..." I squint my eyes, pleadingly, as I stare at her thoughtful self hunched on the couch.

Technically, Thamara had to start in the evening along with her two friends as per the story we had made up to deceive her parents. However, I don't want to let go of Thamara. I understand that I'm being way too clingy and lovesick but I cannot help it. I need her to feel alive...

"Mama, you are putting me in a very difficult situation. I already am feeling guilty for betraying my parents and here you are asking me to extend our deceit? That doesn't seem right mama," I sigh a breath and stand upright from my kneeling posture.

"Fine! Get away as soon as possible then," I give her a cold look and grab my office bag, ready to head out of the apartment. "Mama, wait!" Thamara hugs me from behind just when my hands wrap around the knob of the door.

"Don't be so stubborn mama. I want to stay with you for as long as I can. Yet at the same time...I don't want to fool my parents more than I had already done. It doesn't sit well with me mama," I turn within her hold and grip the sides of her hips.

"Sorry ma. I can understand how you feel, we can meet on the weekend as usual," I plop a kiss on her forehead and seize her beauty for a long moment before leaving.

Later, when I get out of the apartment, a thought suddenly dawns on my head. All the tickets would have been already pre-booked on the occasion of Christmas. Neither trains nor buses would have any available seats. How did I not think about this earlier!?

Scratching my forehead, I walk back to the apartment and just as I open the door, I see Thamara stressing as she views her mobile screen. "Seems like you have no choice but to remain here," she looks up at me and nods sadly.

Howbeit, I was immensely happy.

"Inform it to your parents, okay?" She bobs her head again and I smile to myself as I shut the door.

In the office, the environment was as usual except that there was a lack of two people who I've come to despise extremely. Harsh and Lali. As for Iniya, she is behaving normally and ignoring my presence as If I'm non-existent, which I'm grateful for honestly.

I'm content with how my life is at present even though most of the past has hurt me beyond words. Now that I think about it, I could only conclude that I had been too blindly kind to every person I met without acknowledging their bad traits. I had always believed that a person should neglect the other people's negative behavior in order to see the good within them. Which is why, I had turned a blind eye to Iniya's materialistic words, Harsh's sexualizing mouth, and Lali's obsession with the latter person.

Cause of these three, I've come to realize numerous things embedded within the experience, that is, life.

I am still too indignant on them but I wouldn't yield anything in taking revenge or holding grudge over them. On the contrary, it will only cause more damage to each other, which I don't prefer to happen. Thus I let everything be as it is...

This is serene.

After a prolonged time, when the office hours came to an end, I quickly drove off to the apartment. The clouds were murky and it hinted at the possibility of rain. Fortunately, I reached the apartment before the clouds could burst out the raindrops.

Inside the flat, Thamara was sluggishly laying on the couch and was watching a western romantic movie. Upon discerning my presence, she shoots up from the couch and embraces me in a tight hug with a gleeful expression.