Hey all, I'm sort of a butterfly in this section... come and go type of thing. Sometimes I linger... the only reason being MeeT. That is also the only reason I will watch the show as well. In any case, here is a two-part piece for the cute jodi. I love the "friendship" angle in their relationship. Will post the next and final part in a few days. Sorry for mistakes, I don't really edit these things much... Please leave any comments and crtiticms please!
** Hey guys, please note this will actually be a three-part, or perhaps four depending on my ramblings… sorry!
~MEET~
"A Perfect Fit"
Part 1
"Dur fitteh muh!" she muttered under cold breath as she watched the papers slip teasingly through her fingers. Her hands automatically went into the air in a fit, before landing agitatedly on her hips. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was going right today. Her mind was driving her heart to an edge... and she feared the betrayal of her buoyancy. Throwing a hand against her forehead while at the same time bending to the ground, she paused for a minute, trying to calm her nervous breathing. Closing her eyes, she let her mind sore for a pause in time... It was as though the thoughts were given wings, rising to the zenith of the blue skies. In all, she could picture only a single thought... yet that thought seemed to make up for everything. She could see a world untouched, unexplored... a world captured in a set of impish, dark eyes. They looked at her with a mysterious smile, as though hinting at something beyond her immediate reach. Intrigued, she felt herself pour into them with everything... everything. She knew them, those eyes... They were staring at her now, with that ever-present twinkle, questioning her... Questioning her? She could suddenly feel a rush of colour sprinkle her cheeks as they burned in embarrassment. Catching up to the present, her gaze fell to the momentarily forgotten... the blank leaves of paper sitting oddly still on the tiled floor.
She could sense him mapping her, as though nothing beyond her existed. She hated when he stared at her thus, it was as though she was at the mercy of his eyes... yet a part of her secretly appreciated it... this ability of his to capture her, the only one do so in this manner. The thought made her skin tingle with almost a childish excitement... making her forget the source of her previous anxiety.
"Preet, tum... tum kab aaye?" she wondered aloud, while stupidly fumbling for the papers. Damn papers, she thought with a current of annoyance, it was as though they were laughing at her... as if they knew something she didn't. There was something in their blankness that the depths of her knowledge could not grasp. Hai sayapa, why were her hands shaking... so violently. Her eyes were dancing wildly now, trying to steady her nervous hands, in vain... until she felt the light touch of another upon one of them. Immediately, the quivering dulled, presently dying off. As soon as she felt the warmth of his hand hovering over own, she felt her attention rise towards his smiling face. Normally, she would want to rip that foolish grin off his face for being such a nuisance, but this was different... It wasn't just a touch. It was a whisper of assurance, a promise of protection... She didn't even realize when his hand removed itself to gather the remnants of her forgotten uneasiness... until they hovered under her nose, neatly stacked, and demanding of her attention. Again, the colour raced into her face, and she momentarily allowed a wave of her hair mask it, before pulling it behind her ear and getting up while taking the papers from his... Yet again, her fingers brushed against his, sending her nervous system into a disorganized organization.
His hands fell into his trouser pockets in the usual, knowing Preet Juneja style. Soon, one of them rediscovered the open air as he turned calculatedly around her, stopping to the right of her back. The neatly gathered leaves threatened another chase round as she felt his tall figure tower behind her. Shifting her weight lightly, she realized that the papers weren't going anywhere... not as she held them so her fingers left their imprint on them, just like...
"Preeto darling, tumhara chota dost tumhe bula raha hai..." his breath whispered mischievously in her ear. His head hung low, in the nook of her neck, making her significantly conscious... excitement running through each second of her existence. "Dost... kaunsa dost?" she wondered innocently unaware of her new "friend."
"Cockroach," came the stimulating answer... "Cockroach! Kahan...Ahhh," she let out a squeal, jumping to the nearest source of safety. Her heart pounded in her ears and tightened her eyes, hoping for escape... Instead, she heard a bubbly sound, literally shaking her out of her fear. Squinting into reality, she felt herself caged in a moving, but solid grasp... the bubbling sound began to clear in the presence of her foggy mind... and so did the fact that he was laughing, at her!
"Preet!" she scolded, trying to hang on to the ice dripping in her voice. Shoving a few round of fists in his chest, she turned away from his laughing figure.
"Meher" he returned her call in the midst of a laughing fit. Releasing her folded arms, she bent down irritatedly again, gathering the feathery sheets and turned now to face him with a glare... a hard, sensitive glare. The laughing had dimmed now, to the all-too-familiar Preet Juneja signature smile, as he lifted his hands to get a hold of those naughty ears. In spite of herself, she felt something of a smile touch her lips and soon enough... the air erupted with their merriment. Somewhere in this unforeseen moment, she faintly recalled her head find solace at the edge of his chest... the anxiety previously known to her now overshadowed by content...
Now if only she were a bit taller, the thought crossed her mind a little later. It always did, whenever she found herself that near him. Everything was perfect, their friendship, and their lives. Then why didn't she compliment his frame? Biting the inside of her cheek, an old, yet vivid reality entered the slate of her mind... a picture of someone who did fit well. Absentmindedly, her fingers entwined themselves with the cottony textured bed sheet as the picture of the latest re-entrance in the Juneja House cleared in her mind... Ashlesha, her cousin, and her husband's ex. She wasn't exactly insecure, her faith in Preet was more than any other, yet she still couldn't refute that nagging detail of the past. Especially, after witnessing Ash seeking forgiveness from Preet the other night, something kept bugging her about it. Ash had, what looked like with great sincerity, folded her hands in remorse... The truth of her mother and her intentions had finally found her conscience, and more so, the fact that she had treated Preet, the one who had showed her the meaning of love, with so much disrespect. It wasn't a habit, but call it fate or whatever, she had wandered past the balcony that starless night and seen her cousin fall into Preet's arms while crying... she fit. Preet told her later, that he had forgiven Ashlesha, afterall, they did have a relationship of friendship too at one point. She had smiled in an understanding way, assuring Preet that he did the right thing, which he did, but the assurance on her own end was weak... It was driving her crazy lately, this one thought... she fit.
Part 2
From behind a distance, she quietly observed a satisfied Heer Di, smiling at a remorseful Ash in the kitchen, while extending a soft had of reassurance towards the latter's cheek. Ash's features were always so predictable, even to her, and perhaps that is why, the restrained smile on her cousin's lips did not go unnoticed. It was not hard to recognize the discomfort Ash was feeling, especially after the sour events of the past. But despite that, her newly acquired composure expressed a sense of her sorrow.
A part of her loosened, letting go of a pressure held within, a pressure she didn't even know she had withheld for so long. Shrugging out of its cocoon, the weight deflated into a soft breeze… extending in warmth towards the two embracing ladies, quite unaware of her presence. A subtle, slightly hesitant smile briefly crossed her lips as she headed towards the one place that provided her relief… her room, their room…
If anything, she knew and appreciated her husband's taste. Indeed, that is why they lived in one of the most quiet, and bright sections of Juneja House. Without knowing each other, it had dawned on her soon enough, at what depths by which Preet and her were alike. It was evident in the serenity of the white interior… the dreaminess of the long drapes, hovering transparently over full-length windows… the central position of their feathery, comfortable bed (which they shared still as friends)… the luxury of space not hindered by overcrowding furniture… Whenever she stepped into it, her mind momentarily went blank like the walls, allowing her a sort of freshness… except when it was in its current state. Her muscles tingled with fire as she looked around the area strewn with clothes, a noisy television boasting of some new saas-bahu adventure, and cluttered toiletries accompanying the no-space on the blanche love seat. Preet, she thought between gritted teeth. It was moments like these that she wished she were bald, because seriously, she wanted to pull out her hair! Or her husband's to say the least.
"Meher, kahan chali gayee thi tum? Meri wohe white shirt nahin mil rahi…" Speaking of the devil, she thought in the midst of holding a bundle of clothes and turning to face him with an utmost angelic expression. He certainly wasn't as shallow as he made it, so effectively dodging her venomous glare masked behind an overwhelming smile. He was staring at her with a shamelessness she had gotten used to after witnessing him so often coming out of the shower in nothing but a towel… at least he had some shorts on this time! And of course, the tenderness of his features revealed the cleanliness of a boy stepping directly into mud just after a shower. A muscle in her jaw twitched in ache between gritted teeth as she continued to stare at him as if he were to say something important, once in this life! She waited with false patience as he came to her calculatedly, like a child caught in a lie. His face was bright as ever, outlined with a smile borrowed from the vibrant sunlight knocking on her doors, but she refused to let it in… not this time.
"Meher… wohe kya hua na…" She waited, as the explanation for the disaster around her began, cautiously… His eyes cascaded naughtily over her face, as though trying to simmer her fiery ones. She could feel his hands now grasp the sides of her arms gently, "Wohe kya hua na… mujhe wohe shirt…" And that's when the dam broke and she released herself with force from his grasp, while letting the bundle fall to the floor like the leaves… Irritated beyond measure, she crossed her arms and turned her back towards him. He knew, he knew, she how long she spent cleaning things the last time he did this, which was not even long ago… and the time before. Each time, he had artfully deflated her anger, replacing it with a smile. Perhaps it was because of her still cluttered state of mind, but the mess seemed to aggravate her slightly more at the moment. Even though she recognized this, she had a hard time trying to calm her gyrating nerves. Standing behind her thus, she noticed two shadows cascade across the carpeted floor… the one seemingly shorter than the other. A flicker of anxiety crossed her, and she turned away, again, aware of the fact… Caught between the varying reasons for her bitterness, she hadn't realized the puppy-face of her husband trying in vain to cajole her. Lifting her hands in "stop" she took a step back before crossing the arms again, not facing him.
"Har baar Preet… tum jaante ho kay mujhe…" She wasn't able to finish as she felt herself being turned to meet his dark, handsome eyes. In a second, she felt herself begin to melt… She hated him for it, that excessive charm he had, it possessed her like this each time. But still, she kept calm and unresponsive. "Acha teekh hai, do minute… main abhi ye sab utah tah hoon…" he called between picking up the scattered items and placing them in a messy-neat pile on the side sofa. She watched him with a soft amusement, hidden behind a cold, unimpressed stare… and then he was back in front of her, sighing deeply as though trying to convey the tough work he had just done. Laughter bubbled within her at this point, the previous anger, again dull against his bubbly presence. He had his hands on his hips now, while one briefly rubbed across his forehead to exaggerate his situation further. Staring at her now, he smiled lightly, hopefully. "Ab toh muskurah do na," he asked with a hint of doubt. But she decided it just wasn't the right time yet. Afterall, he needed to know that this was not to happen again… "Ab tum muskuraati ho yaan phir main…" her arms instantly fell to her sides as she recognized the threat in his firm tone. "Preet… nahin…" she warned, bringing up a hand to cease his forwarding steps towards her. "Preet… dekho tum… main…" she never did get to finish as her feet danced around various pieces of furniture, and over the marbled areas of the floor, trying to get away from her overly smiling husband. "Preet!" she protested while making, what she thought was a swift move from behind the sofa, around the ottoman and to the bed. But her thoughts were not always in line with reality, she soon realized as she struggled with laughter while her husband pinned her down and tickled her. "Preet…" she mumbled between fits of laughing, and trying to move away. Alas, tired, he collapsed next to her, and she slapped his arm in mock anger, while calming her breathing. After a beautiful pause, she turned her head to the side, noting him to do the same, at the same time… The lazy smile on both their lips erupted suddenly as she hit him playfully on the chest while unknowingly hiding herself within it…In this moment, nothing else seemed to fit into the picture...
Part 3
Inhaling deeply, she could feel the air rush to fill her deflated lungs. She hadn't realized until the moment, that she had been withholding the measure of her existence. Filling in the blankness, the hazy distance now cleared into a familiar reality. As the picturesque details of Juneja gardens unfolded afore her momentarily deprived eyes, she filled them hungrily with the colours. For a moment, she felt overwhelmed, not sure if her senses were fooling her… such was the affect of the previous state of her mind. Finding herself standing in the center of an unseen line, her heart thundered at the prospect of stepping over either side… One could lead her towards the picture-like reality, while the other threatened to consume her in frozen aloofness.
She could faintly make out something in the near distance… a vibrant dash, like life caught in the lens of a camera. Her heart began to thunder in its cage… noisy silence erupting in her ears. She wanted to scream, call at the colourful movement… as though it were her sole grasp at reality… the reality she so desperately thirsted, needed. A thin thread of relief interrupted the chaos as she managed to slowly lift a quivering hand… As the cool texture of glass met with the mildness of her palm, it was as though the earth lay clean and quenched after a mid-summer shower… Her straining eyes now focused on the vibrant patch of movement earlier known to her… Preet. The name escaped as a soul-filled prayer from her lightly parted lips. In this period of transition, she realized… this was it. The certainty of this moment, this precise second, lay in the smiley figure waving to her. All the doubts of the world and otherwise ebbed in the truth of this moment… this realization. That no matter where she was in life, her soul rested in the content written over his upturned lips… She couldn't care any more of the past, the present, or even the future… it all came down to this. A small, but heartfelt smile tingled upon her lips as she met his eyes with her own… holding them there for a moment, relishing the taste of his presence in her existence. Distantly, she recalled what he had said to her once… Aankhein kabhi choot nahin bolti Meher… The line stood so true in front of her now.
Standing under the rare, shaded section of the large space, she observed her cousin such genuinely, something she had never before experienced… until this moment. A part of her glared with envy, while another was quite satisfied. The serenity, the truth of the scene slowly gained momentum over her and she found her steps forward towards the unaware shadow cascading across the white floor… Looking from Meher, to the window, she noticed Preet waving with one hand, while loosely struggling with a water hose in the other. Typical Preet, she thought with an internal smile. But there was something more to the scene. Even at this distance, she could see his dark eyes twinkle in something she had searched for so many times… So many times she had poured herself into those pungent reservoirs of his, hoping to see but a glimpse… just a glimpse of herself. But the desire had always left her empty-handed and withered. Today, as she looked into them however, the distance between them could not betray what she saw in them. Momentarily, she swayed her attention back to her still aloof cousin. Her hand, she had noticed earlier, was quivering, yet now, it rested completely still… There was an assurance in her stance… a coyness in her reminiscent smile… a realization in the rosy hue touching her cheeks… a meeting of the sky and earth lay in her head touching barely against the glass. A pause ensued as she gathered all the ache within her heart, throwing it aside in the life of this epiphany. The picture blurred for a moment as water slithered across her eyes and she blinked a few times before turning back to the tall window and the world beyond.
"Ek pal ke liye mera mann dol gaya tah…" she began, momentarily floating into a faraway place and slowly finding the earth beneath her feet. Even as she faced the glass, she could notice the still figure next to her not move. There was no reaction, and she expected none. She envied her cousin, her dreamy demeanor… but she cherished it more so, because it lifted a heavy burden from her chest. "Aankhen kabhi choot nahin bolti Meher," she whispered thoughtfully into the air. Her companion in the room blinked… as though for the first time recognizing her presence. But she knew, although the depth of them had not reached her cousin earlier, each word had touched upon her senses… With each passing second, she felt her own muscles relax. A long, meaningful pause followed. It was as though eternity had swept past between them, without their knowing… such was the serenity…
"Humaare aur uske beech ka faansla… toh uski aankhon ne chura liya… " she stated with rhythmic sincerity. Indeed, for the first time, she found the truth in his eyes without digging the surface… "Gaur se dekho Meher, unn aankhon mein tumhaare ilava kuch hai hi nahin." It hurt, not seeing even a glimmer of herself in his eyes, but she was content beyond measure. She suddenly felt lighter, as though having gained some imaginary wings… lifting her to the zenith of the skies. Finally, she could move on. Freedom spread across her lips in a smile. Turning towards her cousin now, she found Meher's innocent features already reading her. "Meher," the name came flowing through her with an affection she had not known herself to have. For a moment, she studied the girl in front of her, not immediately recognizing her. Flashes of the past came streaming before her open eyes… from childhood to maturity… She didn't realize when her vision had begun to blurr and before she could help it, she felt Meher grasp her… embracing her with overwhelming love. All she could do in return, was return the gesture with equal affection.
Time had slipped away as the two stood thus, forgetting everything…
Smiling with her head still against her cousin, Meher smiled between simmering sobs… "Kuch maang sakti hoon?" she asked, now composed but still holding on to her. "Kuch bhi…" came the smiley answer. She paused, recalling something she had always wanted to ask of her cousin but never really had the guts knowing her. "Main aapko Ashlesha Di bulah sakti hoon." Immediately, she noticed her muscles tighten against her, and she moved away, catching an air of distance in her eyes. But then the impish smile eroded any doubts and she found Ash pull her in her arms once more.
Hardly aware, the dark chocolate eyes, from the greenery below, warmly observed the union…
* A little later *
"Preet, kabse dekh rahi hoon… tum yahan garden mein kya kar rahe ho?" He turned slightly to the right acknowledging his wife's innocent presence. Holding the hose at a levelling angle, he smiled stupidly before answering, "Meher, garden mein koi kya karta hai?" A pensive silence held sway as he secretly caught his wife ponder over the words… Hai rabji! He thought with amusement and affection bubbling in his chest. "Preet, garden mein toh bahut se kaam hote hain…" And so he felt as though he had walked straight into a wall. How could someone be so innocent, dumb and adorable at the same time? A rare combination, he thought, his for eternity. The thought struck another smile on his lips and suddenly filled with mischief, he turned… lunging an open hose right at her!
"Preet!" she yelled in protest. But it was too late, he was already soaking her… and so she stopped struggling, holding her hands over her hips with anger writ over her face. He stopped, the expression on his face… priceless. Like a child caught stealing a cookie from that special jar… And then she moved, swerving to his side and managing to twist the hose back… immersing him in the velvety liquid. "Meher" letting go, she moved to get away, but he had caught her unknowingly from behind. Before she knew it, she was absolutely drenched thanks to her toothy hubby. The world was going around in bliss as he twirled her around… and around… laughter echoing in the air like melody…
Part 4
Sighing, she set the book aside, feeling slightly heavy. Her eyes had poured deeply into each word, and now they fluttered gently, wondering where indeed she had been the last hour… Her attention lingered on the big block letters centred on top of the rectangular block of wealth, A Thousand Splendid Suns… Momentarily closing her eyes, she felt blinded to all else under the sun of a single vision… There he was, smirking at her… that trademark, naughty smile. For some reason, she always felt there was something else to it. It had layers… that smile. Then came another picture… A broken smile sitting silently on Ash Di's lips… She could feel the ache tighten the passageways to her existence at the mere thought of… of separating from him. For the first time, it dawned on her, how much pain had actually sifted from her palms, into her cousin's. That was a while ago, before Raj came into Di's life, months ago. Raj's smile beckoned Ash Di into happiness, and after a critical period, she had hesitantly stepped into those tried waters… the ones from which none emerge untainted. And then all these layers peeled to the first again… the one with his langoorish grin. Her insides exhaled in a vibrant smile… At some point, the long forgotten television screen sung into her ears, throwing her into a sea of confusion…
Koi ye kaise bataye… ke wohe tanha kyun hai…
Wohe joh apna tah kabhi… aur kissi ka kyun hai…
Yehi duniyaa hai toh phir, aisi ye duniyaa kyun hai…
Yehi hota hai toh aakhir… aisa hota… kyun hai…
Lost in the chaos of her thoughts, she failed to realize that her hubby had found her… until the poke on the side, making her jump. "Preet!" she whined, only receiving an echo in response from him. He was laying on the bed behind her now, feigning interest in her previous occupation… the beautifully crafted book. She stared straight ahead into the active television screen, playing melodies on a radio station. Trying to re-focus, and finding it rather impossible, she sighed inwardly. Pressing down on the "power" button, she tossed aside the gadget and combed her fingers through her hair, discreetly aware of their trembling.
"Preet," she whispered into the air, realizing too late that the air had carried her voice over.
"Hmmm," came the casual response.
She hesitated for a moment, not knowing what she wanted to say. How could she explain? And what was there to explain? "Kuch nahin" she murmured, hoping he would think nothing of it, but knowing his eyebrow to twitch slightly upwards. She could feel the air thicken and her throat suddenly felt dry. Moving towards the side-table, she absent-mindedly stepped over an unseen obstacle.
A momentary pain shot through her ankle, and she found herself fumble for unseen support... finally finding it in him. Briefly catching his concern-laced face, she stepped back to steady herself, pushing into the side of the bed. She watched blankly as he helped her sit back and take her foot in his hands. Protesting lightly, she gave into him… almost literally. As she watched him, other sensations drifted faraway… and she soaked herself in his presence. At some point, her mind had betrayed the stillness… breaking the dam, and letting the waters run loose…
"Jaanta hoon ke tum meri sherni ho. Khud ko yoon takleef de kar saabit karne ki zaroorat nahin." He was softly massaging her ankle now, despite her protests. As the line rendered in her head, she found herself unable to quite understand... "Kya matlab," she questioned with sincerity, unknowingly pressing the power button again, which resulted in another sound breathing between them. He paused after she asked, looking up at her with an inexplicable expression she tried vainly to read. It startled her for a moment, but as though sensing her discomfort, the Preet she knew returned triumphantly. An amused smile slid across his lips now, and he turned back to her unfelt hurt again, cascading a scrutinizing gaze over it, before setting it down satisfied.
She watched in a distant, confused state as he poured the transparent liquid into a glass, handing it to her. "Matlab mein ab kya rakha hai..."
Ek zara haath bada dein tho… pakadh lein daaman…
Uske seene mein samajaaye… humaari dhadhkan…
Itni kurvat hai toh phir... faansla itna kyon hai...
The feathery lines rose above the silence, as she stared at his memorable features, seeing but not reading. Her hand had dug into the softness of the bed surface, as though taken slightly off-guard. It was as though the lightness of the words had threaded into a heavy weight, seated onto her chest. Vaguely, she could hear a name... her name... a voice... a familiar voice... his voice. What is he saying now? "Mehar... Mehar..." she realized he was calling her. "Haan, woh, main..." It seemed as though a wealth of time had swept past without her knowledge… leaving her to deal with the aftershocks. He had taken the glass from her hand and was now again observing her ankle while placing it down softly and steadying her while making her stand. The objective was beyond her…
"Preet…" her tone captured the remoteness of her mind, colliding it with the moment.
"Preeto…" the nonchalantly versed. She would roll her eyes in a typical moment, but this suddenly seemed anything but…
"Aisa kyun hota hai…" She dimly noticed the flutter of his eyelashes as his attention lifted to her face. At the same time, he was bringing her forward carefully, an arm extended gently across her back, while the other holding her free hand.
"… ke sach humaare saamne hote hue bhi… dikhaaii nahin deta…" she finished with a tingle of familiarity. She had been looking at him the entire time, yet suddenly felt a familiar anxiety creep underneath her feet. That fleeting sensation of trying to balance oneself on the thinnest of a line… She was there, he was there… but she couldn't recall where… and was he really there? Subtly, panic began to course through her veins… She was falling… falling… falling… "Preet" she screamed, realizing immediately, that it was but a whisper that left her lips… a barely audible whisper. But he had heard it… He could hear her. A rush of relief swept over her, and she realized that indeed, she had been falling… but he had steadied her… supporting her from behind.
"Meher," the softness of his call awakened her, as though she had long been under a spell of dormancy. She suddenly felt stupid… childish… What had been going through her mind? What had she desired? What more could she have possibly desired? She had this moment with him… a sacred moment, yet she spoiled it with her ambiguous thoughts. Why did she always have to confuse things? Colour rushed to her cheeks… she could feel the warmth on them… the wild pulse of her heart… her downcast eyes danced wildly for escape… And then she felt the tenderness of his touch, as he lifted her face to his with his index finger. Almost immediately, the jittering of her nerves dulled, as though they had been soaked away by his simple gesture… Yet she could still not make herself meet his gaze…
"Meri aakhon mein dekho…" his tone was softer still, calming… like the beacon of light left on the porch for the lost, indicating home. She found herself drawn in by the dreamy texture of his request… lifting her veils to the dark reservoirs reflecting…her.
Aankhein kabhi jhoot nahin bolti Meher…
And that's when the missing piece of her jigsaw-like existence fell into place… "Ye aankhein tumse kabhi jhoot nahin bol sakti…" All she could see now, was herself, locked in the abundance of his overwhelming gaze. There was no larger truth than this… Her muscles loosened… radiating with the peace stemming from this realization…
A few seconds past in recognition of her epiphany… before his smiling eyes twitched again in mischief. Time began circulating again, she could sense it in the crispness of her breaths, which she tried desperately to control. He had left her hand now and walked a few steps backwards, causing her to stir into the moment. Back to life… back to Meher… back to Preet… she thought with a smile, before arching her brow in curiosity towards her husband. In response, she got the memorable wink, and a wave of the hand calling her forward. In the midst of the all her haziness, she had forgotten where she was and what had happened. Tapping herself on the forehead lightly, she recalled the pain in her foot… and winked back, before hobbling towards his awaiting arms…
Each step felt like a mile… each second… a lifetime… A silent euphoria bubbled in her chest as she felt his arms enclose around her. She knew then, that this was how it was meant to be… She placed her head contently on his chest, hearing the rhythmic pulsing of his heart… her own pumping into his… she fit. She had always fit. She fit like none other… because no one other held the place in his life, like she did. This was the perfect fit… and perfection, is a rarity. The comfort this position held, was immeasurable… like the content she felt at this very second… a second worth lifetimes…
The sand of time swept into the ocean… All she could hear was the soft humming of heart against her chest…
"Preeto," still encased in his grasp, she could immediately pick out the distinct tone to his voice… the impish touch… Something was on his mind, and she could only guess what it was. "Hmm…" she responded coolly. A pause ensued before he continued. "Mera dost hai na Veer?"… Her forehead twitched in confusion and she looked up at his smiling, hopeful features, "Veer?" Who was that? "Who kaun hai Preet?"… She asked innocently, completely confused… He did that to her, left her hanging on the edge, yet wanting to tip over… knowing he would always be at the other end to save her. "Veer…" he seemed insistent, as though she was supposed to know this Veer? But her mind had taken off with wings and there was no use searching in emptiness…
He exhaled lightly, resolutely almost. "Khair, chodho tum usse, tum meri baat sunno…" he pulled her to him again, and she easily slid into the comfort… "Wohe na, baap banne waala hai…" Her eyes sparkled and she moved back, facing him and beamed with excitement, "Arre wah, ye toh bahut achi khabar hai Preet!"
Hopeless, he thought while giving her a plastic smile and pulling her back into his arms… "Haan… lekin wohe uska naam Meherpreet rakhna chahta hai…" His heart skipped a beat, knowing her to arch her brow, wondering if she had heard him correctly. Indeed, as she pulled away to face him this time, the perfectly-shaped curve of her eyebrow gave off her confusion.
"Meharpreet?" she wondered aloud, too loud, she realized too late. "Mera matlab… ye kaisa naam hai?" He gave her dismissive expression, shrugging his shoulders in the "I-don't-know" way. "Keh raha tah ke usse humaare naam bahut pasand hai aur usse samajh nahin ah raha tah ke kaunsa choose kare." He loved it… A delicious feeling sparkled inside him as he relished her amazed features. She was so damn innocent… dumb… adorable… beautiful… Stealthily, he caught fragments of her eyes mouth her dumbfounded demeanour. "Lekin Preet," her hand had lifted in the air, a subtle act of protest. "Kyun, acha nahin hai?" he probed her teasingly now, hardly letting it past her. "Nahin… aisi baat nahin hai…" her voice trailed, and found himself catch the last bit, piecing it together, "Toh kaisi baat hai?" he questioned with feigned sincerity. She was looking around on the floor now, as though searching for a lost, invisible object… "Mera matlab…" Taking her by the shoulders, he decided to open the doors… "Tum batao, agar Meher aur Preet mil jaaye… toh kya banta hai phir?" The honesty in her eyes made the world twirl for a split second… and then he found himself right where he was… Doing something he had never experienced before… but having no control over it. "Kya Meher?" he asked again… his tone soft, but edged with demand. She paused for an excruciating moment, and he felt slightly vulnerable, much to his surprised relief. For the first time since he had known her, he found her eyes unreadable. The thought made him shiver with tenseness… but he remained firm.
"Meher… Preet… Meet…" she trailed off, as though the rest were irrelevant. Shifting her vision, she noticed the impossible darkness of his eyes unwind to the chocolaty hue. It was as though a tornado had delicately passed by, and they had lost nothing… The unnerving tension in the air relaxed, exhaling with a rush of relaxation. In the moment, she had a subtle notion that the simplicity of his question was layered… She hesitated, as though her life depended on it… and when her mouth opened, the words flowed through like a breath… un-thought-of…
Her simplicity overwhelmed him once more… something so apparent, yet so perplexing. Simplicity, is the ultimate sophistication (Da Vinci), he remembered reading somewhere… How did he remember that, he wondered. But then, she tended to bring out parts of him, he did not even know existed… and he adored her for it. Flashing her a toothy grin, he pulled her back into his arms, before speaking into the air, "Meet?… I like it," he stated as though having contemplating it. In actuality, he loved it immediately… He could sense her tender lips curve in appreciation and let the moment linger.
A soft, humming breeze sifted through the translucent drapes hanging dreamily against the windowpane… It meandered through unseen corners, ruffling the edges of papers steadied by a weight… kissed the white rose petals floating peacefully in a clear bowl of water… But it dared not burst the bubble of solidarity holding the two shadows emerged in one across the floor…
After a while, he loosened his grip on her and noticed her do the same with the same reluctance he felt. Nevertheless, he held her close, whispering something into her ear… something that had cunningly entered his mind… "Toh Meher, wohe kya keh rahi thi tum…" She looked up, slightly dazed, he realized. The image made him beam inside. "Kya Preet?" she asked as though jerked awake. "Wohi… wohe… Meet ke bare mein…?" he asked nonchalantly, while taking light steps to close the distance her retreating steps were creating. "Meet?… Kaun… kaun Meet… Preet… tum…." But it was too late, by that time, he had filled her in his arms with her lips singing some protests he effectively ignored. He loved the way she fit in his arms… it was perfect… just like that night… the night that ebbed any doubts… seamed fraying edges… A night witnessed only by the shameless moon that peered occasionally through the dancing drapes…
The End, and the Beginning!
Cheers,
dc
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