Beach reunion.
Their chance meeting at the holiday resort after the conference had transformed from a fight to a conversation to dinner and coffee on the beach. Sonakshi was feeling really mellow as a result of spending a busy day followed by a delicious meal and coffee. Dev's company, of course, was hypnotic, his voice soothing and his conversation mesmerizing. He could always converse on any topic. At the moment Dev was helping Sonakshi identify planets in the night sky.
"Is that Venus?"
"No that is Saturn. Venus is over there." He took Sonakshi's pointed finger and moved it to the right. Somehow as Sonakshi brought her hand down it remained wrapped in Dev's. Unconsciously or maybe consciously Dev held Sonakshi's hand and started to gently caress it as if to communicate all his unspoken thoughts through his hand. They both started to use their other hand to point and continue the conversation.
Dev was not surprised how much he was enjoying Sonakshi's company. He had always loved spending time with her. Being with her had always been like sunshine on a dull cloudy day. Like a sudden rain shower on a scorching hot day. She always brought out the best of him. He wanted to forget everything and spend the rest of eternity just like this with her.
Sonakshi couldn't believe that she was with the man who had caused her such profound pain. A pain from which she didn't think she would ever recover, at some level, she probably hadn't and never will. She wasn't surprised that he was amazing company; he had always had that calming effect on her. He was like her umbrella on a rainy day or on a scorching hot day. He was her shield against everything negative in the world that is if you ignore the betrayal at the end and she really didn't want to think about that at the moment. What she really wanted was for this night never to end.
As the conversation continued they both started operating in a different plateau where reality didn't matter it was all about thoughts, dreams, feelings and instincts. Sonakshi was lulled in a dreamy world where she allowed her thoughts to go where she would never normally allow herself. She laid her head on Dev's shoulder and Dev without thought moved his arm from between them to wrap it around her and pulled her deeply into him. They both took a deep breath. Sonakshi nose in Dev's throat took in his manly scent that was uniquely his. Dev took in a lungful of air from Sonakshi's hair and took in the scent of a fruity shampoo and something that was her. Each just wanted to get a fill of the other's essence.
As Sonakshi's body relaxed she felt herself sink deeply into Dev but her thoughts, in contrast, were a whirlwind of questions. How can something so beautiful be wrong? How can it be wrong when it felt so right? She knew that she would never see him again after tonight and she would never take him away from his family, but was it really wrong for her to seize this moment, just for tonight? To enjoy it and save it in her heart forever? Tonight she wanted to be the girl who got the boy. Just this once she wanted to pretend that Dev was hers and hers alone. Memories of this night would help her get through the loneliness of the rest of her life. As she accepted the reality she wrapped both her arms around him and felt him squeeze her in response. She rested her forehead in the space between his chin and collarbone and moved her arms under his t-shirt to get a better feel of him. She murmured in satisfaction as hands were successful in reaching the skin of his back. He too moved his other arm around her and started to gently caress her arm to shoulder to face to hair.
"Sonakshi" he whispered in his beautifully husky voice.
"Dev" she sighed.
They didn't know how long they stayed wrapped in each other unaware and uncaring of the world around them. It felt like the world had come to a standstill around them. Time was standing still, the earth was no longer revolving around the sun, the ocean was no longer running towards the shore and the stars were no longer twinkling. There were only two people in this universe and nothing beyond them mattered. When Dev felt Sonakshi relax into sleep he tried to move away but she tightened her arms around him.
"Sonakshi, we can't stay here all night."
"Why not?"
"You're going to hurt your neck."
"When I am in your arms nothing can hurt me."
"Sonakshi!"
"Dev, I want this night to never end. I want to stay here forever in your arms."
"Sonakshi!"
"I want to feel you. I want to touch you. I want to breathe you. I want to gather your smell, your touch, your taste and absorb and imprint it deep into my memory. So that, in the future, I can take out the memories any time I want and relive this moment again and again."
"Sonakshi, you're killing me!"
"Dev, I know it is not forever..it can't be. I just want now."
"Sonakshi."
"How can something that feels so good be wrong? How can this feeling be wrong? If it was wrong we would have forgotten each other a very long time ago."
"Sonakshi, do you know what you're saying because once we start there is no going back?"
"Dev, we both have our whole lives to go back to. That is why I am asking for tonight. I want to spend the rest of the night in your arms. Just you and me, skin to skin. Nothing else between."
In response Dev picked Sonakshi up and moved towards her beach house. The layout inside was opposite of his beach house which coincidently was next to hers. He moved towards the bedroom and put her on her feet beside the king size bed. He picked up her hands and kissed them one by one and said, "Sonakshi, this is your night. We are not going to do anything you don't want to."
Sonakshi took her hands from his and pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it. She then pushed him towards the bed.
"Are you sure?"
"Do you feel the same way?"
"Yes, Sonakshi, I want the same as you. I want new memories of you to help me get through the rest of my life."
With that he pulled the covers off the bed and lay down.
Sonakshi turned off light and pulled her kurta off and tossed it, she then undid the clasp of her bra and a bit shyly tossed it as well. She hesitatingly moved towards the bed and Dev. As she knelt on the bed Dev pulled her into his arms. She landed in his embrace like it was the most natural thing in the world, like they had done this a thousand times before. Maybe they had in their dreams. At the same time there was a sizzle that scorched the air as they finally touched skin to skin. There was a home coming of two lost souls finally reunited. Being in his arms was like heaven. They lay there for a very long time just feeling and thinking on a very physical level. Bodies touching from head to toe and skin from head to waist. Their arms wrapped around each other and legs entwined.
Sonakshi dozed off after a while but Dev was wide awake as he didn't want to miss a moment of the night. He couldn't believe that he had Sonakshi in his arms. He smiled into her hair when he heard her gentle snore. He tightened his arms around her and closed his eyes. He must have dozed off because he woke to Sonakshi nuzzling again chest. Or maybe he had died and gone to heaven when he felt tiny kisses on his chest, neck, chin, and then one landed on his lips. He pulled her away from him to ask, "Sonakshi! Sonakshi, what are you doing?"
"I don't want to miss anything."
"You're killing me!"
"I don't want to regret anything. Especially not this!" She moved back into the kiss.
Dev growled "Sonakshi...Sona! My love! My life!" and flipped her on her back and took over. After that they were beyond thinking. There were only instincts!
