Of Mosquitoes And Madness
Chapter 2
The smirk on Randhir's face was a source of constant nuisance for Sanyukta. Being subjected to the torture almost ten times in a day, she had gotten accustomed to the nuances, the differences in that one annoying little expression.
Smirk with flushed cheeks--Contentment
Smirk with widened eyes--Amusement
Smirk with flaring nostrils--Sanctimonious
Smirk with upturned chin--Contempt
But the one directed at her at that very moment was the most dangerous (not that she was afraid! No siree!) of all. The Smirk with Twinkling Eyes sent warning signals flashing through her.
MischiefMischiefMischief--
The clatter of the half-eaten plate being set down made her sit up, shoving aside the uncomfortable jitters in the pits of her stomach. She did not, did not, like those twinkling eyes. They were not, were not, appealing. No, nope, nada.
"You're doing it again."
Her eyes flashed to him, confusion and those damned jitters at war within her.
Get a hold of yourself, Sanyukta!
"Staring off into space, woman. Like a--"
"Randhir."
"Okay. Then answer me this, you loony bird. What is the meaning of all this?"
"A village, Randhir, is a group of houses--"
"Sanyukta. Shut it."
"--situated in the country si--"
"Thank you, Captain Obvious--"
"--de, according to the Collins Advanced Dictionary--"
"Bloody hell."
"--edition 2005-2011."
For a while, the chirping of crickets was all that could be heard. The hush of the placid night was, then, quickly permeated by a quiet giggle, slowly increasing in its crescendo to transform into hearty laughter.
Complete with her shaking shoulders and tears in her eyes, Sanyukta looked up at Randhir--his face thrown into sharp relief by the bonfire lit beside a nearby house, its heat warming her right down to her fingertips.
Smirk with flushed cheeks. My favourite.
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For the life of him, Randhir could not even begin to understand the girl, practically epileptic with laughter, in front of him. If it weren't for those recurrent cackles, he would have been concerned.
She was clutching at her stomach, the hysterics seemingly too much for her to hold in. Sanyukta--the light from the blazing wood nearby causing shadows to play across her face, and her ebony hair tousled due to the breeze--painted quite a comical picture.
After ages, Randhir could feel the faint traces of mirth bubbling inside him, threatening to break free. Involuntarily, a smirk slowly spreading across his face, his eyes scanned her contours.
The straight, aquiline nose; the smooth, supple skin of her cheeks; wisps of hair brushing against her neck; dark eyes, gleaming with amusement, piercing right through him--
He shook his head, the mirth draining away, leaving unanswered questions and incredulity behind.
Did they just share a moment?
Frazzled, he blurted out, "How the hell do you know that?"
"I got bored often when I was younger."
"So you gobbled up the whole dictionary?!" he exclaimed.
She shrugged.
A feminist and a know-it-all. Figures.
"Demented in her pre-teens and loony in her youth. Can no one see the pattern forming?" he grumbled.
"I heard that!"
"You were supposed to, you to-be serial killer!... Or not."
"Shut up, Randhir. Your food's getting cold. Stuff it in that mouth, why don't you?"
"With pleasure."
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A/N: The overwhelming response to this fic inspired me to write more. Brilliant, what a few kind words can do, isn't it?
A note of thanks to all those who commented: 100littledevils, nampi, rabia297, Sarunforeva, daisydee425, -silhouette-, unishaz, shiningstarz, themockingblue., PERFEQXION, dola_cute, MitraAvinash, .scarlet., srividhya68, ..nams.., Dancindoll8, soumeesg, ArushiKotecha
And loads of love to those who 'liked' the post or even read it. It is humbling, truly.
For future reference, I shall be sending PMs to those who 'like' the post or who simply Buddy me. It's just easier for reference :D
Thank you for reading!
Udne Ki Aasha
Kumkum Bhagya
Arjun
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