Once Upon a Time in London

Chapter 48

I used to dream about drowning. Blue everywhere as I plunged into the darkness below. At first it was just that, the falling, as if my hands and feet were frozen in place and then I'd wake up panting with my heart threatening to tear out of my chest.

And then after being haunted by that dream every few months and helplessly falling into the depths below, there finally came a hand that reached out for me, my frozen limbs free all of a sudden as if they had been that way for ages and I had simply overlooked that detail. And just as quickly I had grasped for it, clutching desperately at it, waiting for the hand to pull me out.

And it did, a silhouette of a man came into view, and perhaps due to the water all around me, I couldn't make out his face. And then finally, as if the curtains had been pulled back, a stream of light came pouring in, blinding me. I closed my eyes, waiting for the harsh light to fade away.

"...jali?"

"Anjali...?"

But it did not, my skin felt warm, I was out, away from the dark sea that grasped at my legs pulling me deep into its turmoil, I could feel sand between my toes and the wind rustling in my hair.

And slowly, I opened my eyes, afraid that the warmth would fade away as if it were a mirage and I would be back into the depths of the unrelenting ocean, falling and falling to my death.

But it did not, and through my wet hair I looked up to see him, the one who had pulled me out and there he was, with the warm sun streaming down at us, his dark hair shining a dark brown as water droplets trailed down his face, "Anjali are you okay?"

I gasp, shaking out of my reverie.

"Anjali are you okay?" Rahul's eyebrows are knitted together as he stares at me.

Oh. I feel as if I can't breathe, the room feels suffocating. 

"Yeah...my head hurts a bit, I think I'll go get some fresh air" I mumble, stumbling out of my chair, hitting the corner of the dining table on my way out.

"Ah careful, Sharma...I" Rahul stands up as I hurry out of the room, clutching my hip as a sharp pain surges through it, I don't turn around, just wave a hand around in reassurance.

I rush out of the side doors and only slow down to a walking pace once I'm outside into the gardens, the cold air immediately making a shiver run down my back. I take a deep breath, my chest rising and falling, my eyes watered up and I couldn't find a reason why.

I hear something snap behind me but find my eyes enclosed by warm gentle hands before I can turn around.

And something about that, a gesture so intimate and personal unravelled me to my core.

And there I stood, lifting up a hand gently to trace the fingers shielding my eyes, wrapping my own two hands around the hands that felt familiar.

My warm tears tickle the hands of the one that stands behind me, cutting off the chilly air that was biting at my bare shoulders. I think about saying something, it would be good to say something, anything. But for some reason the words that pooled inside my chest, my oesophagus seemed unwilling to come out. And so I simply stood there, until I could find my voice again.

"Zain" I brushed the fingers that were warming up my face, wrapping my hand around one of his index fingers.

"How do you always know it's me?" he smiles as he turns me around to look at him.

"Who else would it be?" I smile, not quite meeting his eyes, still holding onto his finger, "It has always been just us."

"It has been, at least for me anyway" he smiles softly as he traces the lines on the palm of my hand.