When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.
- Kahlil Gibran
As I sat on my seat on my flight to Australia, I put my headphones on and closed my eyes. After few seconds, I saw a girl covering her face with a dupatta with only her eyes visible standing next to me. She was wearing one of those large framed glasses which gives any person a nerdy look and her yellow chatri which was simple but elegant compliment the nerdy look even better. The air hostess was pointing to the window seat next to me, asking her to be seated. I pulled my legs inwards to make way for her. She was holding her dupatta over the face with one hand as if she didn't want it to fall down at any cost. Her eyes were a mystery. I could see happiness as well as nervousness in them. As she sat on her seat, she turned her face towards the window and I put my headphones back on my ears. Just when a song ended and the next song was about to play, I could hear a shivering voice praying something. I looked at the girl next to me, she was murmuring something with her eyes closed tightly. It seemed like she was nervous about something.
"First flight jitters", I thought to myself as I sighed. As the flight was about to take off, I could see her clenching the arms of her seat. I don't know what made me want to comfort her but I put my hand over hers and she quickly gripped my hand tightly still not opening her eyes. The flight took off and she was still holding my hands but her eyes were beginning to open slowly. The second she saw me looking at her, she took off her hand off mine and turned away nervously. People love seeing the world outside through the window and that's one of the reasons people book window seats but that was too much. Her face was fixed on the window that she didn't turn to my side even by mistake. After an hour, she must have got bored or I think her neck would have started paining, that she turned her face straight facing the front. I could see that her hands were fidgeting with one of the dupatta. After few minutes of fidgeting, she took a book from her handbag and started reading it but it seemed like she couldn't concentrate.
***
I was happy and tensed at the same time. I was happy that he was near me. Him, the real him not the poster. I was with him in a plane not just in the same plane but in the seat very next to him. But I couldn't really be happy because I was not supposed be there. The doctor's words started echoing in my heart. What if something happened to him after seeing me? What if he gets his memories back after seeing me but his brain was not capable of taking the sudden shock as the doctors said? So I tried to avoid letting me see my face but it was difficult when he was sitting next to me. I tried facing the window and reading, both didn't help me out as I was restless beyond limit.
"Why should I agree to go to the conference? Why should I board this flight? And out of all seats, why should I be seated near him?"
"Miss", he snapped his fingers in front of my face and broke my terrible train of thoughts. I saw an air hostess looking at me smiling. After surveying the food in the trolley, I opted for the sandwiches. After handing me a sandwich tray, she started wheeling the trolley to the next seat.
***
Few days ago,
"Why don't you write a song from a girl's point of view?", said Purab while Abhi looked at him like he was talking gibberish.
"Come-on Abhi. You can talk about a girl's feelings for her love. You haven't done it before. It will be different from all your previous albums and I am sure you can do it very well."
"How do I know what a girl feels? I should ask Aliya then"
The mention of Aliya's name made Purab's face go pale but he got himself up to reply.
"Well not the kind of girls you see here... I mean an ordinary girl with ordinary expectations. You can imagine a simple girl with small desires and what could love do to her. It would be soulful"
Abhi brushed off the idea as he didn't feel it amusing at that time but somehow after seeing the girl, he felt the idea rather interesting. The girl fitted Purab's description and she might help him with the song Purab suggested, he thought.
"I am Abhi", he extended her hand towards her. She was startled. A part of her was sad that he didn't remember her but that part was only 10%. The remaining 90% was overjoyed with the fact that she was talking to him, the real him and it wasn't a dream.
"Hello!", he waved his other hand before her face causing her hands to automatically went towards his hand and they had their official handshake. She tried to talk but nothing except air was coming out. She adjusted her throat and somehow introduced herself to him after stammering like a nervous kid on his first stage speech.
"I...", she said but her voice fades into whisper and she brings back her voice and she finally managed to tell, "I am Pragya""What do you think about love?", he asked her the next second without rambling and her BP was raising. She didn't know why was he asking her all this. She stowed her fear at the back of her head and decided to live the moment. After all, she was a stranger to him and he wasn't having any side effects because of seeing her. She couldn't afford meeting him again and this might probably be the closest encounter she could have with him. So she decided to take a chance and be his friendly in-flight neighbour for the next 14 hours.
"What do you think?", she asked him and he smiled.
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