It was past midnight when he
caught the flicker on his mobile screen. A call from a number which was
glimmering boldly across the screen. A number he once had deleted with a
crushed heart and salty eyes. A number which he had tried hard to forget just
like the person to whom it belonged, but all in vain. A faint smile escaped his
lips as he gently ran his finger across the screen as if touching the woman who
had burnt his heart. It’s funny when you cannot hate someone who left you
shattered, he thought. He picked up the call after a few rings and decided not
to make the first move. Never again, he promised.
She waited for his voice to calm
her racing heart but was invited by a deadly silence. Her heart was the reason
behind the call while her mind had been voting against it. But the heart was a
little child who fell into temptations while the mind like a mature man could
do nothing but watch. She decided to make the first move. For the first and the
last time, she promised. Her voice broke as she tried to speak. She cleared her
throat and softly said ‘Hello’.
He let her voice pinch his heart,
as thousands of memories started reeling right in front of his eyes. He decided
to remain silent and let her voice tingle his senses. She was in his town for a
few days and wanted to meet him before she left. She continued speaking, while
he pictured her face and the myriad expressions that touched her features as
she spoke. He heard her asking him if 4’o clock in the evening was perfect for
the meet. His mind like a prudent soul told him to bluntly reject her plan to
suddenly meet him but before he could give it a second thought, his heart did
the ominous work and said ‘Perfect’.
She was used to waiting for him
and she remembered how his crooked smile would melt away her anger. He would
blow her a kiss and wink foxily while taking a seat facing her. She had always
wondered why he never sat beside her like the other couples did. The same café,
the same time, every Saturday in the 4 years of their relationship. A ritual
they followed until she decided to crush his heart and live according to the
rules framed by the society and for the honour of her family. 3 years later,
she was now sitting at the same café, at the same time waiting for the man she
had tried to unlove. It pricked her that she couldn’t.
He made his way and took a seat
facing her, a place he preferred. This way none of her expressions would escape
his gaze and her smile would forever be his to cherish. She was still the same
for him, deep in his heart, but he realized that even with the sadness in her
eyes she still was the most beautiful thing he had ever known. Silence
prevailed and he decided to break the ice by asking her to place the order. He
liked her to make the decisions and crushing his heart was one of them. He
heard her telling the waiter “One classic burger without cheese or mayonnaise
for me and Tuna sandwich with french fries and tomatoes on the side for him." He looked at
her and smiled knowingly, for she was still the same woman he fell in love with.
The fact that after 3 years, she still remembered the little things he liked,
interested him but his heart continued pricking him moment after moment.
She looked at him and couldn’t
suppress the warm smile that glowed across her face just at the sight of him.
She realised that happiness was stored in moments like these. A smile from him
and her heart throbbed with the boundless love she had for this very man. A
feeling she had tried to corner and subsequently erase but couldn’t. She let
him speak and heard him telling her how his work gave him peace through the
tough times. She couldn’t help but ask him to define the word ‘Peace’ and got
lost in the philosophies he tried to put across to her. She smiled as she
remembered the late night calls where he would talk to her about subjects so
random and philosophical that she would unknowingly fall asleep. He would
always apologize to her the next day and promise never to bore her again. She
jolted back to reality as he said “So this is what Peace means to me. My work
brings peace to me”
It was dusk when they decided to
part ways, again. She left for her hotel and he started walking back home. He
wondered why she had wanted to meet him. It never occurred to him to ask her,
for he was busy getting to know the things that happened in the three years
they were not in touch. He decided to send her a message but then opted against
it. His heart was cherishing the memories of this final meeting and he just didn’t
want to ruin it.
Lying on her hotel bed, she knew
exactly why she had wanted to meet him. This time her mind and her heart were
in symphony for they knew the purity of the emotion and the strength of the
bond he and she shared. They knew time was just an excuse and that something
with such depth could never be erased. She now felt calm as life finally
started to solve the puzzle and she slept with a blank mind after a very long
time.
A day after the meet and he still
couldn’t erase her face from his mind. He had decided not to work today and
spend the day alone at home just reliving the moment. Insanity that what this
is, his mind reminded. A knock on the door and he opened it blaming the world
for coming between him and his solitude. A familiar figure with the familiar
smile he had worshipped for years stood in front of him.
She pushed him away and hurriedly
closed the door. A tear made its way down her cheek as she hugged him. His mind
asked a zillion questions while his heart knew all the answers. One look in her
eyes and he knew she was here to stay. As they lay on bed, she basked in the
smell of the only man she had ever loved. His arms around her, his stubs
rubbing her cheeks and his warmth soothing her soul. She caught him sleeping
while his arms were still wrapped around her as if he was afraid of losing her
again. She nudged him till he finally woke up with a childish grunt and looked
her straight in her eyes only to glow up realizing he still had her.
She finally decided to ask him.
“So define the word ‘Peace’ for me again” she said. He smiled and pulled her
closer, kissed her gently on the lips and then closed his eyes to sleep with
her still in his arms. He now knew what ‘Peace’ was. “I am now at peace”, he
softly said and went back to sleep.
P.S- Not the usual dose of humour
right and bloody long right? Well I am in an Emo mood right now, hence this post. Fictitious writeup
only.
P.P.S- It’s funny how priorities
change with time. The people remain the same but the feelings disappear.
Strange!
P.P.P.S- Been busy with life and
tired of making every post my come back post. I don’t know when I will post
next. Soon or never. Battling a screwed up mind.
