Or maybe I'll post today instead!
Part 5
Her feet screamed in agony as she stirred the attention of on-lookers… Unknowingly, her pace quickened… feeling the rage of her heartbeat… the blood pulsating in her ears… his mysterious musk very much holding her senses captive… while the dark eyes still penetrated her open ones… Now almost running, she held the file closer… hugging it… trying to get a grip over herself… whilst the acidic liquid stung at the edges of her wildly behaving eyes… as they jerked from one end of the passing ground… to another… Finally, she stopped nearing the metallic doors… Three… Four… The breath in her throat seemed ablaze… Desperately, her eyes searched for the stairs… finding them alas… Quickly… she ascended them… Perhaps afraid… the past might catch up… Standing afore the glass of her cabin door, she held the stony wall for support… Her chest heaving… as though having barely escaped a lethal experience… Releasing the hand, she turned her back towards the wall… her head rolled back… as her chest continued to calm… while flashes of the close encounter relayed behind her closed eyelids…
~*~
He stared emptily at the dancing glass… as it slowly settled to a stop… His gaze still fixated to the space she had just moments before occupied… Underneath the mask of indifference… flashes of the past marked his grief… guilt… and gratitude… After what would seem like eons to another… he took gentle strides forth… nearing the plate… "Prachi Mishra"… His hands explored the oak… the golden-penned letters… relishing the moment of sweet rediscovery… of feeling… Handling the object with utmost care, his heart fluttered… as though it would break if held slightly in the improper way… Settling the nameplate down… he turned towards the seat… that had the pleasure of her occupancy… Slowly, his fingers caressed the leather… breathing of her sweet aroma… smouldering his senses… After uncounted minutes… he lowered himself in the seat… His eyes willingly closed… as a small part of the burden he quietly carried… now lifted slowly… "Prachee…" his whispered breath lingered in the silent airs… as though a devoted prayer…
***
She looked stealthily towards the miniature timepiece at the corner of her desk… 1:03pm… Two hours had passed… Two hours at the mercy of unblinking thoughts… thoughts she wanted desperately to relieve herself from… but thoughts… which were too stubborn in their stay. Lifting her hand, she released the wave of black hairs… shaking her head… allowing them to cascade down… while she rushed her hands through them… Massaging her temples lightly, she squinted her eyes… staring blankly at the pages sitting afore… The same sentence… she had read the same sentence for at least 20 times… and nothing was filtering through to her head. Frustrated, she decided she needed a break… Putting the papers aside, she grabbed her coat and turned to switch off the dim lamplight… when her beeper went on… "Ma'am you're scheduled for a meeting with MICHI Industries tomorrow at ten o'clock." She stared almost unbelievably at the waiting machine… After a minute, grabbing a hold of herself, she shook her head slightly… whilst pushing on a button… "Thank Shelly, I'll get to it." With that, she disappeared through the hall… not paying attention to the looks of surprise on her colleagues' faces… seeing their workaholic boss leave so early… a rare phenomenon…
***
As soon as she stepped out, she was thankful to the icy breeze, which caught hold of her mild skin… immediately, the chaotic touch allowed a sense of soothing… Walking quickly towards her vehicle, she suddenly stopped… as though contemplating something… A moment later, she silently tread the streets of London. The day had grown as the streets bustled with life… Even the hazy sun had decided to smile bright today… while far in the distance, the squawking of birds filled the open air… What a strange day it was… For the first time in three years… she felt the connect… It felt good… as she dared take a deep breath of the air… It felt… different… Slowly, she wandered the streets… observing… taking it all in… forgetting… all for a few moments of bliss… Even in that, she felt the hesitation… the fear of letting loose… it marred the satisfaction… And soon she felt it all sink through her again… Finding herself now afore the black machine, she pulled out her keys… Her fingers gripped the wheel… a smidge lighter… Lifting a hesitating hand, she turned the dial… Immediately, the empty space accompanying her now filled with words…
Heaven bend to take my hand
And lead me through the fire
Be the long awaited answer
To a long and painful fight
Somewhere… in some lane… of some street… A man sat… in some vehicle… the tinted windows let loose the frenzied breeze… as it raged upon his silky layers… throwing them off-guard… The chill was enough to melt the heat… yet the man appeared unmoved… His eyes were dark… as though set ablaze… fixated on the path ahead…
Truth be told I've tried my best
But somewhere along the way
I got caught up in all there was to offer
And the cost was so much more than I could bear
His posture firm and confident… while the eyes now flickered with a darker fog… as though in heart, he had reached upon a resolution… Taking a barely noticeable, yet luxurious breath… He turned the dial… engulfing himself in the words…
***
Minutes had now turned into an excruciating hour… the affect of which she felt under the unwavering eyes… Slowly, she felt the vulnerability foil into a tinge of anger… as she felt herself being mapped… His throaty voice was across the way… but felt as though breathing down her neck… sending a chill to her bones… His eyes although addressing a group, seemed to corner her… Silently, she cursed herself for still feeling this meek in his presence… Her heart thudded against her chest with a violent beat… as her ears caught hold of his steps… that torturously made their way towards her… She wanted to stare into his eyes… let him witness the result of his impulse… But her gaze refused… Suddenly, the air stiffened… as she felt him near her now… slowly… as he bent over… setting the white sheets before her… stirring her composure… as his hand fleetingly brushed upon her own… recapturing distant memories… awakening the dormant… Her eyes shamelessly followed his as they briefly met hers whilst he straightened himself… Dumbfounded, she stared at the papers… After a minute, she looked up… the pairs of eyes staring at her… coaxing her to do the deed… Trailing her gaze back at the papers now, she felt a rush of relief sweep over as it was finally announced… and on behalf of Depth Industries, she lifted the steel object skilfully between her fingers… Lifting it over the awaiting leaves of white… she abruptly lifted her eyes… immediately met with the avid dark pair, which boasted of a deceptive passive glaze… Her mind fogged, and quickly she drew in her identity on the dotted lines… the curving lines somewhere holding, Prachi Mishra… A breath of relief left her slightly parted lips… an unnoticeable gesture by all she knew… but she was not immune to the gaze still penetrating her. The loud encounter of one hand with another filled the room and she the dishonest smile on her lips there once more… grazing each face with unfelt warmth. Alas, today's ordeal was through… the thought relaxed her tensed muscles for a blissful moment as she watched the bodies file out… Quickly, she gathered her stuff to escape the almost claustrophobic situation… when her urgent strides were disrupted. Her eyes closed as her chest silently heaved… She waited with despair as his feet stopped afore her… After an endless pause, she slowly reopened her eyes… watching his skilled fingers release the forest green of her dupatta… which had found a corner of his watch… As he lifted his eyes… hers followed… Her mind turned a wretched blank… as he stepped close… close enough to feel the rapidity of her heart… thudding nervously against her chest… His face inched close hers… her inside screaming… yet her lips unsealed…
As his fingers teasingly caressed her soft skin… he could feel the chill it unleashed through her… Amused, he felt the strange inward smile again… Rubbing the base of his thumb against her lower lip… he let it linger seductively… amazed at his own audacity… Finally lifting the finger to her forehead… while peering into her again closed eyes… Seeing the crimson in its place, he trailed his eyes sumptuously over her face… caressing each feature with painful affection… "Kuch cheezein kabhi nahin badaltee…" (Some things never change…)… he whispered assumingly… more so to himself than his dazed companion…
Cheers,
dc
