Sweat trickled down his forehead as he vented all his frustrations on the punching bag mercilessly. He rained punches on the punching bag which swayed from one direction to the other, imagining it to be his arch-enemy. Today, this night, Abhimanyu Modi was going to permanently wipe that smirk off Armaan's face in the boxing match.
Nikita slowly entered the dark gym-room, afraid, for the first time, to face Abhimanyu. She had seen him angry before, but his fury today had burst through the rooftop. That fire in his eyes as he challenged Armaan…it was scary, and unnerving.
She saw him hit the punching bag hard, as if he was fighting with his inner devil. He looked like he was trying desperately to regain his calm, but he had lost all his self-control. There was something about the way he moved…it was almost as if he was overcome with certain madness.
She gingerly walked inside the dimly-lit room, her eyes fixed on him. In spite of being so nervous, she still couldn't help but notice how good he looked…the way his muscled flexed with every punch, his body glistening with sweat, his vest clinging to his body, his brows furrowed in concentration and fury…he looked like a raging Greek God.
He noticed her come in, but continued punching. He was scared that if he stopped, he might throttle her.
She meekly stood there beside him, her eyes fixed on the floor, unable to meet his livid gaze.
Her silent company seemed to calm him down, and he steadied the swaying punching bag and rested his forehead on it. His head was reeling.
He suddenly sensed her presence even closer to him and turned around. She lifted her eyes up from the floor and met his. The naked play of emotions in his eyes scared her. She took a deep breath and started talking, her voice hardly above a whisper. "Abhimanyu…I…I wanted to talk to you."
Her simple but nervous statement broke his dam of control. He advanced on her and grabbed her upper arm, making her gasp slightly with the pain of his grip.
"Oh really?" he taunted her, his voice dangerously low.
"Tell me. I want to clear all our misunderstandings", he spoke, his tone laced with sarcasm and hurt.
"I-", she gulped, losing her voice.
"Come on. Tell me. I want to know what you have to say", he whispered roughly. "Or else, you'll probably shout from the rooftops again…for everyone to hear", he added as an afterthought.
"No. I…I didn't mean…" she fumbled, and winced when his grip on her arm tightened. "Let go", she pleaded.
"Why? Am I scaring you?" he asked roughly, inching closer to her.
"I…what you're doing…it's…it's not right", she told him.
He suddenly released her arm. "Is it all right now?" he questioned.
"I-I didn't mean that...I was-"
"Of course. We never talk about what we should be discussing, right?" he taunted her.
Too scared to talk anymore, she quickly turned to leave. He grabbed her and pushed her to the wall, trapping her between his arms.
"I'm not finished Nikita. I asked you something. Answer me", he said, his voice still low and rough.
She stammered incoherently, unable to meet his eyes.
He came even nearer, and she trembled, her eyes staring anywhere but at him. She looked like a caged bird.
"Answer me", he repeated.
Her eyes met his again, laced with fear…and something else which he couldn't quite put his finger on. He gazed into her deep black pools as they spoke volumes to him silently, begging his to stop.
"I-I didn't say anything against you…I never meant to", she said, regaining her composure once his eyes softened slightly. "Abhi, please-"
"Abhi?" he questioned her, the fire in his eyes vanishing only to be replaced with a glacial chill. If there was anything more frightful than his anger, it was this unnerving cold gaze. It chilled her to the bone, and brought tears to her eyes.
She looked down at the floor, making her uneasiness apparent, and he released her from where he'd trapped her against the wall.
She immediately ran away, creating distance between them. Still with her back facing towards him, she spoke in a trembling voice. "I meant…Dr. Abhimanyu. This match…it's just wrong. I'll be a part of the project, I promise, of my own will. You two are just fighting because of me…and…and when I'm agreeing to work for the New Sanjeevani Project…then…this match is meaningless…please…please don't fight", she pleaded with him, praying he would see sense.
The quiver in her voice softened him. He could feel his anger slowly wash away. Her softness touched him. He knew she meant well, but he was so full with negativity at the moment that despite seeing the sense in her words, he could not stop himself.
Leaning against the wall, his arms folded over his chest, he surveyed her for a few moments, then, he said, "But one thing is bugging me Nikita. I don't see why…" he walked up to her small frame. "…you would have any problem with this match", he finished.
She stiffened when his voice sounded right behind her. Her breathing quickened. "No, I-", she lost her voice as soon as she found it.
He lips twisted in a sudden humourless smile, and he went and stood beside her.
"I fail to see reason, Nikita. How could you have a problem with this match?" he asked, his tone slightly hurt. "I mean, on one side is your best friend, Armaan, and on the other side is…your enemy."
Nikita looked up at him sharply, his last two words echoing in her mind, and her heart aching for some unknown reason. "You're not my enemy," she clarified quietly.
She saw a whole myriad of emotions play in his eyes, and the sheer passion in them scared her. Yet, it felt so nice, when his expression changed to one of softness and something else…which she couldn't quite place. It suddenly felt so much safer in the room.
He took a step closer and whispered, "Really?" There was a child-like innocence in his voice, as if asking for confirmation of her words; she nodded silently, choosing not to speak.
"Then what am I to you?"
His sudden enquiry startled her, and her head snapped back up at him. She wasn't prepared for this.
"Tell me Nikki. You said I'm not your enemy. Then I must be something to you…you never treated me as your boss…am I your friend? Or something else?" he asked her softly, all sign of anger having vanished from his eyes.
Taken aback at his question, Nikita, much unprepared, uneasily looked here and there, unable to find an answer. Yet, her heart gladdened at his personal way of addressing her- Nikki. It felt good. Finding her voice, she stammered, "I…I…it…we…no…I mean…" she stopped, at a loss for what to say.
"Tell me Nikki. What is it between us? You said we're not enemies. So that means we don't hate each other. Then is it friendship? Or maybe something more than that?" his voice had a trace of hopefulness to it.
She looked at him, at his innocent but probing gaze. It felt as if he was x-raying her mind. Yet, his tone was sweet. There were conflicting aspects in his voice, his eyes, and his posture. He had openly asked her the question she'd so desperately been running from, but there was a certain restraint in him. His voice was sweet and soft, it made her feel comfortable. But the naked play of emotions on his face, the undisguised raw passion in his eyes…and somewhere deep down; a feebly controlled desire…it sent shivers through her. It touched the depth of her heart,
He came closer till he was standing here inches from her.
She knew she should run. She shouldn't be here. What was she doing? She had come to talk some sense into him, to stop him from fighting. And now she was…what was happening? Why was it happening? It wasn't supposed to.
A battle raged between her mind and heart. Her mind screamed at her to turn on her heel and run…to run far away from this room…to run far away from him. Her heart refused to do so. It told her to stay…to give him an answer…something…anything.
Eventually her heart won over her mind. Her legs numbed, and she lost all control of herself. She couldn't have run even if she had wanted to. Her legs seemed to have glued themselves to the spot.
"I don't know," she whispered, surprising herself at her honest answer. Where did that come from? Yes, she had no idea what existed between them. But just like him, she too wished to find out. Whatever it was, it was special. It scared her. But she didn't want to lose it.
He closed the remaining distance between them, and her breathing quickened. A feeble voice in her head urged her to run, but her heart hushed it up.
Her answer satisfied him. He hadn't expected that she would reply. He wanted to define whatever it was between them. It was special to him.
He put his finger under her chin and lifted her face up. Her eyes closed of their own accord, and her lips parted. He had intended to look into her eyes and say something more, but her parted lips seemed top beckon him. He lost all his control. She drove all the remaining sense out of him. She drove him crazy.
He bent down and touched his lips to hers, softly. She responded to him, much to his delight. But before the kiss could turn into a passionate lip lock, he moved away.
She opened her eyes and looked into his, searching. A small smile graced her lips and he traced it with his thumb.
The kiss hadn't been deep, neither had it been passionate. But they had felt the electricity flow through every fibre of their bodies. It had been soft, simple, and sweet…perfect. It had been their small moment of senselessness. And they both loved it.
They gazed into each other's eyes, savouring the moment, relishing the aftermath of their sudden kiss. Their lips still tingled with the feeling.
Nikki let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and touched his cheek with her fingers. His eyes lit up at her touch, the child-like innocence back in them.
"Don't fight", she requested him, her voice a soft whisper, and she saw his expression change.
Anupamaa
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