Destiny's Gamble

Coming Home

Manik's POV

I should be wondering as to why Angel is devouring my lips whole; a man who is merely a good friend in her life. But instead, I find myself relishing the taste of her honey sweet lips. Lord, have I missed the sensations only this woman is capable of making me experience. A moan escapes from the hollows of my throat, as my hands snake their way around Angel's doll-like waist. Without thinking it through any further, I bring her closer to me. The close proximity of our bodies will make it tough for a third party to differentiate as to where her limbs end, and mine begin. 

With the way Angel's lips are moving against mine - perfectly in sync as always - I can tell she's overcome with desperation to savour this moment to the best of her ability. Truth be told, for the first time there's a certain degree of roughness in Angel's movements, as if she is ready to push me down on a car's bonnet, and get right down to it without further delay. 

"Easy there, lioness." I say, smiling, as we finally break away from each other. "You can finish me up in the comforts of our den." Angel smiles, as I lean my forehead against hers. For some reason, I wish to remain in constant contact with her as much as I can. If there's one thing that time has taught me, it is not to take moments for granted. At any given point of time, they can be snatched away from you, and by then it is surely too late to appreciate them. 

"I remember, Manik." Angel says, managing to string together a sentence through her heavy breathing. "I remember." Her hand cups my cheek, as she nods, grinning. It's almost as if she is trying to reassure herself of her memory recollection as well. 

"Y-You do?" I ask in disbelief. "F-For...real?" I'm unable to say much else. Grinning, Angel nods her head excitedly. 

"Not everything, of course." She says, her thumb brushing against my cheek. "However, I've recollected enough to know who's my real home, and where I truly belong." I let out a laugh that is a mixture of pure joy, and utter disbelief. 

"Angel!" I yell, throwing my head back, as laughter shakes my entire figure. "You fucking remember." Lifting my wife up, as effortlessly as I always do, I turn us around in a small circle. A circle that encompasses my entire world. Our circle. Angel wraps her arms around my neck, grinning. I can see that her eyes are mirroring the happiness which is coursing through my veins. After all, we are finally home. 

Gently lowering Angel back onto her feet, I cup her cheek with my palm. Lord, even the curves of my hand are the perfect fit for the shape of her face. Tilting her head to the side, Angel places a feather light kiss against my palm. She and I simply cannot get enough of each other tonight. I am a being who has been weakened by a drought for years now. Finally, though, it seems that my feet have staggered upon a lush, fruitful land. Once upon a time, Destiny took Angel away from me. If only I knew the sin I had committed, which warranted such a punishment, I would spend the rest of my life ensuring that history does not repeat itself. But now, Destiny has given me my world back. After all, Angel is my happiness, the hope that I wake up to daily, and the only reason why I believe that this life is worth living through. So I guess, after all, Destiny and I aren't on the worst of terms. I now realise that She is on my side. At the end of the day, in a world of seven and a half billion, I am the lucky caretaker of my Angel's heart. Indeed, I've got a pretty decent destiny.

"Where are you lost, Manik?" Angel asks, drawing me back to the present. 

"Oh, I was just thinking." I say, as I wrap my arm around Angel's shoulders, and guide her in the direction of our car. "I know your mind is not in the best of shape right now, and it does have a certain degree of enmity with your memories. But what do you say to the idea of making a few new ones tonight?"

"I have an even better plan than that, Manik." Angel says, looking up at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "What do you think of the idea about making memories together for the rest of our lives? I'm sure a night falls short in comparison to an infinity." Biting down on her lower lip, Angel wiggles her eyebrows at me.

"I say," I begin, stepping in front of Angel, and locking her waist in my arms. "If there's one thing I've learnt, it's that destiny loves playing with us. So let's gamble with it in return, and reciprocate the favour twofold. You and I, let's treat every night like it's our last, and make memories that are worthy of it." 

"Are you saying we take on Destiny's gamble head on?" Angel asks, raising her eyebrow. 

"You always understand me, Angel." I murmur, tipping her chin upwards. Smiling, I mould our lips into one. 

"Can I confess something?" I ask, as we break away from each other, and resume our walk towards the car. Truth be told, it would be of no surprise to me if we managed to spend half the night here, with the speed we are going at. Especially considering all the mini breaks Angel and I are taking. Entwining her fingers with mine, my wife nods her head encouragingly. "You bring peace to my soul, Angel," I explain. "Because you're the one person who I don't have to translate myself to. You're my very own Google translator. My emotions, my thoughts...you gauge them without me having to explain them to you. Heck, even when my own thoughts are in a wretched mess, you voice them out so perfectly that I wonder if we share the same brain." 

Letting out a bark of laughter, I shake my head.

"No, you and I can't possibly share the same brain," I correct myself. "After all, you're far too intelligent in comparison to me, Angel." 

"You underestimate yourself a little too much, Manik." My wife says, wrapping her arm around my waist, as she draws herself even closer into my side. "Let me tell you about a Greek myth. It states that humans were first gifted with four legs, four arms, and two pairs of eyes. However, one fine day, Zeus got angry, and he divided them in half. So after that day, the entire human race's punishment was that they'd spend their entire lives trying to locate their other half; their soulmate." I listen to Angel's words, nodding along, as she narrates this tale. "Alas, in a world of about seven and a half billion, locating one's other half is certainly not an easy task. What I'm trying to say, Manik, is that you and I must have surely pleased Aiyappa in some grand way to have found each other in this lifetime." She shrugs, as if her shoulders are devoid of any burdens. "I understand you because you're my other half, and who better to understand one's self than another version of them?" 

"We've found our respective, other half," I murmur in agreement. As we reach the car, Angel turns around to face me questioningly. 

"So where are we headed from here, Mr. Malhotra?" She asks, back-stepping towards the passenger door. 

"Firstly, we touch base at Chachi's," I announce. "As much as I'd love to be the sole bearer of this good news for a while longer, and keep you all to myself, I am well aware that it's wrong of me to do so." 

"You're right," Angel agrees. "Let's inform everyone at home, and include them in today's celebrations. The more the merrier."