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“Bye Meeta ”
Shivraj called out while moving towards the door. It was already nearing 9 o’clock in the morning and he was contemplating the morning traffic already built up on the road. He opened the door and turned to check whether she heard or not.

“Aa rahi hoon”
Meeta was hurrying up from the kitchen towards the main hall. She was swaying away her disaligned hair with the back of her hand, and removing the pallu end from her waist, which she had pinned up so that it did not disturbed her while washing the dishes.

Shivraj stepped out calling out to her, “ Darwaza bandh karo ok? Mein chaltha hoon.. bye”
By the time, Meeta reached the door, Shivraj was walking away towards the garage to get his vehicle. Meeta closed the door and latched it slowly. It was the starting of another day.

It was 12 in the afternoon, when the calling bell rang. Meeta had completed washing the dishes after her breakfast with Shivraj, which they never miss to have together. After taking bath, she was reading the newspaper. There was news of blasts here n there, and few robberies. The same old news which appears daily, but with different places and names. She had got bored and had turned on the TV. The re-telecasting of famous serials had started as the afternoon streak emerged. Bored from seeing the same old serials, she was browsing through various channels, and had settled for two minutes on the Discovery Channel’s programme, “Forensic Investigators”.

She looked at the clock. “Who could be at this time at the door? Shiva never comes home for lunch.”
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The lighting was perfect. The ambience prodding seductive darkness. They were inches apart from each other. They could sense their breaths in the silence. His fingers were caressing her cheek and his arms enclosed her. A soft tickle was spurting from her spine under the movements of his fingers. She controlled herself. He bended down and kissed her on the cheeks. She closed her eyes responsively…

The flashes of light through the windows reminded her of the bright sun outside. They looked at each other.  She laid her head onto his chest and wrapped herself onto him. It was the awaited moment. The moment of revelation. The moment of acceptance. She raised her head slowly. His eyes bored love and there was the romantic smile in his lips. They touched through their foreheads. And the noses. To feel that they belonged to each other. To reveal that they are one soul and two bodies. Their hearts ached with passion. Their eyes gleamed with feelings and the silence spoke out to each other. And then, they kissed each other on the lips. To establish the right on each other. To water their seeds of relationship beyond the sexual desires. To reveal their sense of belonging. To reveal that they love each other…

In the darkness, she couldn’t realize where all he was laying his lips on her body. She could just sense. And writhe to the sensual movements of his kisses. He was trying to move down to lay his head in her chest. His fingers kept moving, as if to entice her, to gratify her with plethora of emotions and to provide all the worldly pleasures a man could give to a woman.. or rather he could give her. It was his way of showing his love. His way of revelation. She opened her eyes at times when there was no movement. To check whether he is unsatisfied of her responses. She succumbed herself to his arousal of desire, and welcomed him on her. To devour her. To provide him what he sought. To accept his token of love. To establish a new relation. Through the old ways, as always…

The door remained closed… All doors…

It was over 7.45pm. The last bus to my home will start within 15 minutes. I swiftly closed all windows, logged off my machine, and closed my drawer. Taking the bag onto my shoulder, I moved out of my desk, walking towards the corridor swiping out my id card. At the corridor, he joined me, with a blank face. He too maybe going home, in his bike.

..::::..

11 months ago:

It was over 5.30pm. The first bus was at 6.30pm. The new mail notification was smiling at me at the system tray. It was the mail from him.
“Hello, when leaving?”
“Not decided. What about you?”
“Not much work today. I may leave by 6.30”
“Hmm..Ok, catch a seat for me too”.. “if possible..”
“If possible huh??? I will think about it..”
“Keep thinking.. But inform me before the bus goes.. , I wonder what is there to think!!”
“Like whether I need to bear your chitchat whole while in bus n all…”
“..What!!…”
“..hehe…”
“……”
“…”

..::::..
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The rains had just stopped. The sky was getting clearer. The waves was slowly splashing across the shore, as if some storm had passed by. He was looking onto the horizon and the serenity of the sea. He loved beaches. The sea and the infinity tinkled his mind and soothened his brain, or does it make him think? Whatever. She continued changing her gaze on him to sea and after a while onto him again. She loved being with him on his favourite place to enjoy the silent calmness. Maybe cos he is at his best when at beach? Whatever.

Slowly, smiling at one of her alternative gaze, they looked at each other as if asking “kya dekh rahe ho” to her. As if to answer him, she smiled back bleakly.

“Why smiling”
“Nothing…”
The smile portrayed the hidden flirting playing on her face.

“Hey do you remember the first time we came here?” She continued.
“Ya.. And that time you were sitting 5 feet far from me!” He said making a sad expression.
“Hehe.. Ya. But you were blurting out all those philosophical crap, and was not at all making me feel that you want me near!” She smiled playfully again.
“Yeah. Thats was the beach effect.. but later on your effect was the one prominent na. ”
He gave her such a smart look, that she blushed and replied, ” Hmm… ”

Both sat in the silence followed. Memories were gushing up as like the blood through the veins. The fate always liked to play the game by rewinding and playing it all again. The times had changed, but the music prevailed in the air.
Finally she couldn’t bear the silence more. It was tearing at her heart. Her face became serious slowly and dark owing to the sadness.

“I am getting afraid ya..” She said it very slowly, looking at his face, as if waiting for him to respond and caress her.
” For what??? ” He was stupid from the beginning in understanding these small girlish hints..
” That guy is coming to see me next Sunday na.. ”
” So…? ”
She glared and stared at him blankly on hearing such a passive response.
” We already decided na, then why thinking of it again n again..” He couldn’t understand why she thinks too much always.
” Hmmmm.. yeah.. but.. ”
She couldn’t look at the beach nor the sky nor at him. She held her heads down at the sands. She found herself in them. Soft and scattered.

” Now what???” He never could see her sulky for long.
After what it seemed to be a long silence, she replied slowly thoughtfully..
” Nothing…”
They sat in that silence with the sea winds blowing onto their face.

.::Epilogue – When you say nothing at all… ::.

PS: From an article in a regional monthly magazine

Laxman was a good looking young man from a middle class family with a well-earning job. In his early youth, he had met with a bike accident which resulted in a severe blow to his head. After the incident, his life moved on without any issues. Few months after the incident, there was a gradual change in his behaviour; he got irritated very suddenly, got angry and violent impulsively, and behaved strangely. His family and relatives considered it as the rage of his age, and decided to get him married. The chosen one was Leela.

The life after marriage was not so smooth as all expected. Leela realized this in the first night itself. She moved on with life adjusting with the occasional violent behaviour of Laxman. In due time, Leela got pregnant but his behaviour never changed. At times, in his rage, he even tried to attack his wife violently.

In the end, Leela’s parents applied for divorce. Laxman himself came to leave her with care, at her home. The case went on in court, and meanwhile, Leela gave birth to a baby girl. Laxman went to see the baby to her house, but her family and relatives did not allow him to see his child.

Finally, Laxman’s family started treating him for his abnormality by sending him to a mental asylum(or hospital), where, after sometime, he committed suicide. His suicide note and last words looked like:

“Leela,
Whom does our child look like? Like mom or dad? Hope you’d bring her up nicely without letting her know that her father was mad, won’t you?”

Everything was over. The sun had set in the horizon. My mind had gone numb with joy or sorrow? I don’t know. As I walked along th hallway, the only sound heard was that of my new anklets bought two weeks ago. I was deeply immersed in the beehive of thoughts and anxiety while my steps took me to the room. The door was partly kept ajar as if it was waiting for me to open it. I opened the door slowly and searched for him. The room light was dim and the sunset coloured ambience of the bulbs added the special effects.
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Friend: Happy birthday!
She : Haan…tha……nk yo….u…was just getting up from the bed.

Friend : Oh! That means I am the first to wish you!
She : Naa! He has already wished me at 12 in the night.

Friend : Who???
She : Come on, who else, Nitin.

Friend : Oh, ok. So, what’s the plan for today?
She : Nitin told me that he has a surprise gift for me for my Birthday. And also we are going to Flower Show today. I am excited! I have never seen the flower show that happens in Lal Baug. Actually that itself is the most wonderful gift for me.
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That night it rained
—————————-

“Lets go for a walk”, said Rahul.
“Yippee. Lets go”, said Swetha, almost jumping out of her seat.

It was yet another boring day in the Mysore training institute. Dusk
was breaking in. Swetha had already taken two breaks since lunch.
Nevertheless, she had been anticipating Rahul’s invitation for another
break.

Rahul and Swetha had known each other for the last couple of months.
They had been together since the training days. People knew them as
the best of friends. Rahul, the regular T-D-H type, who spoke with a
heavy Bengali accent, was a popular flirt in the DC. On the other
hand, Swetha was a chubby sweet little girl, who was always on the
lookout for sorrow souls. They enjoyed being in each other’s company.
Swetha would disclose all his crushes to Rahul, and Rahul would always
be seen taking classes from Swetha, on how to impress a girl in 24
hours. Rahul had helped Swetha to forget her 7-year-old single lane
relationship and Swetha would see to it that Rahul would never be
lonely. Most of the time, they were together. People admired, some
even sneered with jealousy, the relation that these two shared.

The walk today was unusually long.

“This is gonna be one of our last walks”, muttered Rahul in a low
tone.

“I know”, replied Swetha in a soft, almost inaudible voice.
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