Posted:
Hey Guys! I read Manu's topic last night about missing SD and ever since then this story has been tripping in my head and ideas racing in my brain. So instead of doing the smart, sane thing and ignoring it while I updated EOL, I gave into the madness and started another SS. But let me warn you up front, this will be a verra short, short story. Part One, which hopefully you are about to read, and Part Two, which will be posted as soon as I finish it. So please excuse my mistakes and forgive any descrepancies I might have missed in my haste to get it written. I hope you enjoy! 😊
Love in Flight
~❤️~ A Short Story ~❤️~ Part One:
Excited, and even a bit apprehensive, Divyanka felt like a huge bundle of nerves ready to burst at any minute. She hadn't told Sharad she was going to meet him at the airport. She wanted to surprise him! It seemed like he had been gone forever, but in actuality, it had only been a few weeks - but very long weeks! But now, she was jittering like a caffeine addict jonsing for a large double-double espresso at the idea of seeing Sharad. She pressed a hand to her stomach trying the calm the jitters and told herself this was her "buddy". It didn't work, in fact, it only made the jitters worse, as if her tummy was telling her not to try to fool it with such silly nonsense! She paced back and forth, looking every few seconds at the arrival board. When the people around her began to stare at her agitated walking, she went over to the small cafe and ordered a chai she didn't want. And thought about the last forty-eight hours.
He had seemed so excited and happy, and even, content in some way in Los Angeles, when he called, which hadn't been often. She had missed him so much, and truth be told, worried that he might not want to come home. So when he called to chat and mentioned he would be heading back to India in a two days, she had been relieved and so happy. After she hung up with Sharad, she went in the kitchen to make some chai. Waiting for the kettle to boil, she thought again how his homecoming would bring back the sunshine. Her life had been dull and grey since he left. She had been really surprised by that thought too, realizing that the fun and joy she always felt had dimmed for her while Sharad had been gone. When she had gone home to Bhopal to visit her family and friends, it just didn't seem the same. Because she knew, now, because Sharad wasn't going to be there, in Mumbai, when she returned. Even now it gave her pause to think about how those feelings and emotions had so suddenly swamped her. She had slumped into a chair abruptly, as they hit her wave after wave, and really sunk in, her knees had been so weak. It had made the breath catch in her throat and her heart thump like a drum out of sync. She recalled with a short wry laugh, how she almost jumped out of her skin when the kettle shrieked as the realization she was in love with Sharad gob-smacked her like a ton of bricks!
She and Sharad had known each other for years now, they were pals, friends, colleagues. But in that one clarion moment, Divyanka realized all her feelings for Sharad. They had grown and matured well beyond just being "good friends". Sharad had become so much more important to her than someone she could have a casual dinner with or lunch on set, or even just to hang out with on the odd weekend. Her feelings were so much more intense - so much deeper and more intimate than she had been willing to acknowledge - until now. And it scared her. What if her feelings were just that - hers only. What if Sharad only thought of them as friends? Her face screwed up at an even more terrible thought - or as brother and sister.
He had always been attentive when they were together. Treating her like a princess, giving her flowers, surprising her with her favorite chocolates and candies, leaving little gifts for her when she least expected. Like that statue of Ganesh he found on his trip to Kashmir. It was small, carved out of a beautiful piece of amethyst. He had given it to her to remind her that Lord Ganesh was the God of Removing Obstacles. And she had needed it too. Between her back problems and the eye problems, and just feeling worn out from days, and sometimes nights of non-stop shooting on the set of Banoo Main Teri Dulhann. Of course, he always behaved the perfect gentleman when they were together. And when men got a bit too enthusiastic and "friendly" with her, he always stepped in to make sure things did not get out of hand. He would give them this, this "Sharad" look, she didn't know how else to explain it. His cocoa eyes would darken and narrow slightly, his mouth would thin for a brief moment, but then he would smile. But it wasn't his normal happy charming smile. It was sort of a partly friendly smile as he threw an arm around their shoulders, distracting them as he guided them away. And it was partly a - don't touch - warning smile too, when the guy didn't get the hint. Then he was bit more forceful, stepping in between. And instead, his arm would encircle her shoulders as he smiled that smooth sexy crooked smile at her. He would nod with an eyebrow raising pointedly in a "back off dude" way. But she had just assumed it was because they were friends, and of course he cared for her, so he felt protective.
Now that she understood why she had always felt so happy, and secure, and contented to be with Sharad. And why when he flashed that sexy smile of his at her, her belly had clenched and her heart jumped. She wondered if those gestures had been more than those of just a close friend. If his stepping in when a man seemed to be getting overly friendly with her was more than just his being protective. That maybe, and her stomach flip-flopped suddenly, he was actually ... jealous. And letting those men know that they were infringing on his "territory". But she was getting ahead of herself, she hadn't even talked to Sharad about all this. "And I don't exactly know how to even begin to approach him, or the subject" she thought, sighing pensively. She stirred the chai and looked at the arrival board for what seemed like the hundreth time.
Taking the last sip of the now cold chai, Divyanka grimaced and stood to take the cup to the trash receptacle. Then she took another quick look at the arrival board. She felt her tummy sommersault when Sharad's flight was listed as on time, the plane should be landing any minute. And then butterflies took off, mammoth butterflies, swirling in dizzy loop-de-loops when she thought about seeing Sharad. Taking several deep breaths she left the cafe and headed towards the arrival gate. On her way there she stopped and bought a garland of red and orange flowers. "It looks so festive and the colors will suit Sharad" she thought with a soft smile. Nervous and anxious once again, Divyanka curled the garland gently around her wrist and brought it to her nose, taking a delicate whiff. It didn't really calm her, but at least it was better than chewing her nails, or on the greenery, while she waited.
Just when she thought Sharad must have missed the flight he appeared in the gateway. He looked ... absolutely gorgeous. He was dressed in a stark white pristine dress shirt and dark blue, snug jeans, His dark brown leather bomber jacket hanging over his shoulder by a crooked finger. His hair had gotten a bit longer and he had brushed it back away from his face. He had a light stubble, which she loved, it gave him a ruggedly handsome look. "He looks tough and dangerous" she whispered as a shiver zipped up her spine when he spotted her and flashed that sexy crooked smile at her. The shiver zipped back down her spine to her belly and exploded in a ball of heat. Her smile wobbled the tiniest bit before she got it under control. And then she was in his arms. He grabbed her, folding her against him, squeezing tightly. And for a brief moment she thought he nuzzled her hair and whispered a kiss across her neck. But then he pulled away and she was left feeling curiously bereft.
"Divyanka! What are you doing here? I didn't expect you to meet me!" his surprise evident. "But I'm glad you did, I didn't relish trying to get a taxi into Mumbai in this rain!" Then he just stopped and looked at her, his dark chocolate eyes gleaming with delight. Almost as if he were memorizing her face, or comparing it to a previous memory. She stood frozen in his gaze, her knees starting to feel as wobbly as her smile had been. She could feel a blush starting to wash over her cheeks so she tipped her head down a bit and saw the garland. Feeling silly for forgetting it, she slid it off her wrist and lifted it to put around Sharad's neck. As he lowered his head, the oddest glint appeared in his eyes, darkening them for a second to a deep rich cocoa. But then he smiled softly and the glint was gone. Murmuring "shukriya Diva", Sharad lifted her hand to his lips and gently brushed a kiss over her knuckles.
Sharad seemed as startled by the gesture as she was as she watched a sort of unexpected awareness flash in his eyes. Suddenly his smile was sheepish and boyish as he shrugged his shoulders awkwardly. It was Divyanka's turn to be surprised, because Sharad seemed, well nervous with her for a moment. But when he slung his arm over her shoulders in his usual friendly fashion, she was sure her over-active imagination was taking a poke at her. "Come meri pyaar - his voice snagged for a nano second before adding - pyaari dost. Let's go grab my luggage and brave the rain" his voice smooth once again. They picked up his luggage and dashed to the car. Sharad had asked to drive and Divyanka was only to happy to let him. She disliked driving in the rain, then she smiled softly, because Sharad knew it too. He was trying to relieve the tension he knew she was feeling at the thought of driving home and put her at ease. A fleeting thought flicked through her head "just another example of how he looks out for me." And then it was gone just as quickly as Sharad pulled out into the congested traffic on the Mumbai-Pune highway.
Sharad chatted about the flight, the weather, how much he had missed Mumbai, what he did in film school. Almost as if he needed to keep himself distracted and keep the silence between them to a minimum as their drove into Mumbai. And while she loved hearing about film school, she had to know if he had been seeing anyone while he was in L.A. "Tell me about some to the people you met." Sharad talked about his fellow students. How excited he had been to learn some of the instructors were actors that had been in Hollywood films for years. And what a fount of information and wealth of experience they offered. Divyanka smiled and nodded, all the while gritting her teeth hard to stop from blurting out "were you seeing anyone over there? Did you meet anyone ... special?", so hard that her jaw actually hurt. "Did you go out with, with wom, err friends? What you did with, ummm, in your free time?" hoping she sounded casually interested.
Sharad wasn't sure why, but he had a sudden devilish urge to tease Diva. "Oh well, four of us really clicked together, Alex and Sam and me and Melanie." Divyanka sat up a little straighter in the seat and before she could stop herself muttered "Mel-an-ie?" "Yeah, she and I were in all the same classes along with Alex and Sam." "So Alex and Sam are friends?" she asked hoping to divert his attention from Melanie. She didn't really think she wanted to hear about her. "Actually, Alex and Sam are a couple." Divyanka couldn't help it, her eyes widened a bit as she repeated "a couple? Alex and Sam are - a - couple?" Then mentally kicked herself for sounding so provincial. The US, and especially Hollywood, were a lot more liberal than India and Bollywood. She blushed to the roots when Sharad hooted with laughter and said "Div-yanka!" Then he shook his head, his eyes gleaming with suppressed laughter as he said "yes Alex and Sam - Alexander and Samantha Benson, pati and patni" a teasing smile lifting a corner of his mouth.
Divyanka swatted his arm in embarrassment, her cheeks fiery red. "Sharad, that was mean!" she pouted and turned her head to look out her window. "Div, come one I was only teasing" he said feeling bad that he had embarrassed her when he only meant to tease her a bit. When he reached out to touch her shoulder she shrugged his hand away. "Maafi maafi Divyanka. I was only teasing" he said softly. Then when she wouldn't look at him "please Diva, I didn't mean to hurt you" his brows furrowing as his hand clenched on his thigh. The last thing in the world he would ever do was hurt Divyanka. And he was starting to feel a bit queasy at the thought that he had. Without turning her head from the window she asked "are you really sorry Sharad?" sounding a bit forlorn, her voice so soft, and he cringed, a bit teary. "Of course I am Diva. I would never want to hurt you" he assured her very sincerely. As she turned her head he was caught off guard by the huge smile she was sporting as her eyes twinkled merrily. "Good! You should be for being so mean to me!" her giggle impish and mischievous.
"Diva!" he gritted out in warning. "You started it Sharad" she reminded him with satisfaction and a teasing grin. He sighed and conceded, he had and she got him too. Then he laughed, a loud from the belly laugh. He grinned and said "only you Diva could fool me with that act." Then not sure what impulse had him doing it, he gently pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing against that baby soft spot just below her ear. Warmth and electricity raced over his scalp, making it tighten and tingle, at the feel of her satiny skin under his fingertips. He clenched his jaw and groaned inwardly, as a fierce jolt of arousal shot through him taking him by surprise. Divyanka had pulled in a soft breath at his touch, he had heard it catch in her throat. But when she blushed rosily and hesitantly touched the spot before dropping her hand back to her lap, he had to clench the wheel to keep from reaching for her. And when he glanced sideways at her, saw her touch the spot once more while running her tongue over those lush, tempting lips of hers, he knew a sudden sense of desperation. He felt like he was going to shoot right out of his seat. Clearing his throat, he glued his eyes back to the road, racking his brain for something, anything, to say to keep him from pulling the car over and scooping Divyanka into his arms.
"Hmmm, sooo, where was I? Ahh, ummm, Melanie, right. Melanie. She is something else Diva. She's a pixie, small and pretty, blond with bright bluebell eyes, a soft rosebud mouth, and a firecracker temper! She may look like a little fairy doll, but when she gets mad, look out! She packs quite the punch, and it's kinda of fun to watch. As long as you're not on the receiving end, of course. I really like her Diva" he finished enthusiastically. With each description, Divyanka felt her heart shrink and shrivel. But when he said he really liked Melanie, she felt it die, right in her chest. It was a deadweight lodged inside her, pressing against her until she thought she would just stop breathing. And for a minute, she actually did, the pain was so horrible. She squeezed her eyes shut, her body frozen, as if a sudden seizure had hit her, her fingers clamped so tightly her knuckles turned white from the pressure. It was the only thing she could do to keep from howling from pain as Sharad chattered on about, that woman, Melanie.
Knowing she needed to get control, Divyanka pulled in a quick breath through her nose, then let it out slowly past gritted teeth and a clenched jaw. She forced herself to relax. "Breathe Divyanka, for god's sake just breathe" she admonished herself silently. When she thought she could unclench her jaw without the sob that was stuck in the back of her throat escaping, she nodded and said quietly, "she sounds ... nice Sharad" hoping he hadn't heard her brief hesitation. She tried to smile, at least she felt her lips stretch across her face. And she must have been successful, because when he turned his head briefly, he smiled too, then turned his attention back to the road. Turning her head towards the passenger window, Divyanka laid her cheek against the glass. Savoring the cool feel of it on her hot skin and wishing she could open the window. She wanted to let the rain rush over her, in a vain attempt to wash away the pain. But she knew that was futile and childish, so she let her head fall back against the headrest instead.
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Shukriya! 😊 gg~
Index:
Part One - Pg 1
Part Two - Pg 6
Part Three - Pg 10
Part Four - Pg 15
Part Five - Excerpt - Pg 20
Part Five - Page 25
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