The Damsel & The Damn Distress

Paradox and the Pep Talk (Prologue II)

Chords of the euphonious quietude were cushy and undisturbed. The predominantly occupied chairs around the canteen tables were vacant at that hour. It was way past lunch time. They had ensconced themselves on the not- so-commodious beige coloured chairs on the opposite sides of the ease - edged table - facing each other. The only source of light, switched on at that time, was the one above them. His eyes were glued to the mobile screen. Fingers busy scrolling through the sentences; paragraph after paragraph. He was completely engrossed in reading through her elusive and unfeigned thoughts worded mesmerizingly.

She waited anxiously for his remark on her earnest attempt to pour her heart out. It was the first time she had let him read her piece of writing. She rested her head on the cold metal tabletop, picking at her cuticle skin. She didn't know whether or not he will like it. She had always felt he valued artistry. He understood the depth of words with ease. Moreover he himself was a man of depth; a person who valued emotions and always handled them with great maturity. So, maybe he will actually understand what she wanted to portray there.

He finished reading, removed his glasses and looked up at her. She settled back straight in her chair. He gazed at her in amazement. Seconds passed by. No utterance of words. She tried to read his 'oh- so- blue' eyes, but couldn't pass through his piercing gaze. Her eyes almost asked, with perked up eyebrows, "Did you like it?"; expecting a verbal answer. But instead his lips broke into an impish grin. She interrupted the quietness, " So....?" "So what?" , he said trying to play around a bit. She squinted her eyes. His smile broadened. He finally uttered, "I really don't know what to say. I'm spellbound". She wasn't satisfied. She had expected more than that. She tried again, " Is it okay? Not that bad, right?" Now she wasn't letting him get away with a mere 'I'm spellbound'. "Okay???Did you just use the word okay?", he said, seemingly surprised. There she made him speak. Of course she knew the most effective ways to draw in more appreciation; a writer after all(**wink**). She almost smiled; a wicked one.

"The one I read here is simply captivating..", he continued, "I was lost in it. There is life in each sentence. I could almost see everything happening right in front of my eyes. As if I was standing right there, watching you complete your coffee on that bench. As if I could see the shimmering little ones winking at you, the turf below tickling your naked feet and you smiling to it and then lying down on the luxuriant bed. You are so assiduous in pointing out every little detail, I nearly lived the entire description" "Thank you" she said, completely overwhelmed. She couldn't stop smiling.

"So your Christina has read this?", he asked wearing his glasses back. "Of course. She was the first one to read it. She's my personal critic after all", she said with her cutest grin. He smiled. She was loving the 'Meredith - Christina' version of being addressed. She truly was the Christina to her Meredith. She took her phone back from him and texted her best friend a 'Hellooooo', with multiple 'o's. How she couldn't wait to tell her every single detail of their conversation that day; about all the 'goodie -goodie' remarks she got from him.
She looked up and he was staring right at her "What happened?", she asked. "Beholding the joy of beauty, mademoiselle", he said in a poetic fashion. She burst into laughter. " Then your 'beauty lies somewhere else Monsieur, not in me. I'm no such beauty", said she, still laughing. "External beauty is fleeting dear, but the beauty you hold inside is forever. And let me tell you, you are one of the most beautiful souls I have met till date", said he, in a collected tone. She gazed back into his eyes. She caught a glimpse of her image reflected in his slightly smudged lenses. She smiled. "And you are cute too " he added with a flirtatious smile. She laughed again (**blush**). He thoroughly enjoyed her laughter.

"So why is it that your blog contains only one post? Why don't you write more?", he asked after her laughter subsided. Now that was something she had been asking herself since a few days. What could she write about? What could she write so that her readers found it alluring enough? She did have an endless thought process; but she couldn't put it to a halt to begin with at some point." Well, I don't know. What should I write about?", she questioned back. "Write about anything that crosses your mind. About what you fear; about what you have not been willing to speak about. About all the moments cherished and the lessons learnt. You just sit down and put word after another. I guess that is how it goes", he said.