Arakshi SS - Between the Pages of a Book - *Complete* pg 50 - Epilogue - Page 13

Chapter 4 - The Night of Freedom

"We will get lost."

"So what if we do? Besides, don't you trust me?" She asked.

"It's a little too early to trust you. You are just an acquaintance, remember?" He replied with a smirk.

They had been walking through the Thames path, following the music as it drifted towards them through the wind, filling the air with its sweet melody. They were certainly closer to the source of the music now. But it was getting even harder to judge the direction as they closed the distance between the music and themselves.

She stopped and glanced to the right of the path. Dark and deserted streets illuminated with the golden streetlights stared back at her. She crossed over to the next street on the right and wondered if she should turn. They all looked the same. They all turned in the same direction. So, they should lead to the same road, right?

She turned back to him and asked, "Pick a street."

His eyes shot up in surprise as he replied, "You must be joking. I thought you knew London."

"Well, London has hundreds of streets. You cannot expect me to know every street. Besides, this is meant to be an adventure! It's no fun if you know what street to take. The excitement is in the anticipation of it. The curiosity of what's around the corner! Are you picking or should I pick?" She crossed her arms and leaned against a streetlight.

She didn't know why she was doing this. She had never done this before. But some part of her had always wanted to wander out like this, with someone. She hadn't, however, imagined it would be with a complete stranger.

But then, he didn't feel like a stranger to her. He was like this missing piece of jigsaw puzzle that she hadn't been aware of losing. Until now. And it fitted in perfectly.

He smiled at her words and said, "Fine. Let's take the second one."

"See, it's not that hard." She replied, hiding a smile that had unknowingly crept into her face.

He could only stare at her in wonder as she followed the path ahead of them.

***

The music got louder as they walked through the streets, one leading into another. Her pace quickened as the music poured through the street ahead, like invisible waves created in the air. He realised now, that the music was originating from an accordion; its melody sweet and ancient, transporting him into a surreal world. He tried to keep up his pace as she walked faster through the streets, as if time were following her. He kept glancing at her face now and then, watching it change expressions with each passing minute. Her cheeks were flushed from excitement and her eyes glittered in the darkness. She looked vibrant, so full of colours, even under the dim streetlights, that he felt cheerful just by looking at her.

Their pace had quickened into a run now and he could feel the wind blowing hard across his faces. But the cold didn't seem to bother him anymore. He felt something loosen inside him, leaving him with a liberating feeling. As if he were finally released from the grips of a tight chain that had bound him all this time.

And he felt free.

She ran, her arms outstretched, her hair flying wildly in the wind and her laughter echoing through the deserted streets. She flew like a bird, alive, carefree, as if nothing mattered but the moment. The moment that she created from a handful of the dark night with a pinch of happiness sprinkled onto it.

The street slowly gave way into a square that was buzzing with life. The square was glowing with soft white light emanating from the fairy lights hung on the trees. There was a strong scent of chocolate and cinnamon lingering in the air, which seemed to come from the Christmas market set up in the corner. The centre of the square was so crowded that they could barely make out the accordionist hidden within the scores of people. And that's where the music was coming from.

The transition from the darkness full of silence to the vibrant and lively square was so sudden that it almost made him run back into the shadows they had left behind.

She glanced towards him, her face lighting up with a smile and said, "See, sometimes you have to risk getting lost. It's so worth it."

She grabbed his arm and started pulling him through the tide of people before he could utter a word. The crowd parted as they walked through to the clearing in the centre, where they got their first glimpse of the accordionist.

The accordionist was an old man with salt-and-pepper hair, clad in a maroon coat and trousers that he wore with a crisp white shirt. His eyes were closed as he played the accordion, his body gently swaying with the music that flowed out from it.

The music filled the square and penetrated into his soul, instilling in him a belief that anything was possible.

He felt himself looking towards her and their eyes met for a brief moment. They smiled as the music weaved its magic around them, hugging them with its invisible hands.

He watched her as she slowly made her way to the accordionist and just out of the blue, she started dancing to the music.

***

She didn't know if it was the music or the lights or the people around her that brought about the sudden change in her. Or maybe, it was the fact that she was surrounded by strangers who didn't judge her or knew anything about her. She felt free. She forgot who Sakshi Anand was. She forgot everything that made her the person she was. This was her story, her moment and her life. Her body had started responding to the music before she even realised what was happening.

She felt the stranger's intent gaze on her as soon as she started spinning to the music. She met his gaze, her hands frozen in mid-air and saw the glint of freedom that she felt at that very moment, reflected in his eyes. And somehow, at that moment, he became a part of her story. A part of her soul.

The realisation deepened the smile on her face and she felt herself grasping his hand and pulling him towards the centre of the crowd. He didn't hesitate nor say anything to question her actions. And she wasn't surprised when he offered her his hand, a faint smile on his face.

Together, they twirled around the accordionist, his hand tightly holding hers.

She laughed as he hastily spun her around and she nearly tripped as his feet came in between. But they continued to dance, clapping their hands now and then to add to the rhythm. The accordionist glanced at them, his face bearing a warm smile, and joined them as they danced together, under the stars. The accordionist's music got louder and more rhythmic and she couldn't help but dance even more frivolously in the stranger's arms.

The music had made its way into their souls and held them captive. They danced for the moment. For themselves. For each other. And, for the music. As if it was just the music that defined who they were, not their names.

***

They were standing halfway across the Waterloo Bridge, listening to the sound of the cars and buses whizzing past them. She peered down to look at the Thames River that flowed beneath them, dark and daunting.

The wind was blowing stronger on the bridge, playing with her long dark hair and leaving it in an entangled mess. But she didn't care. She felt like a free bird as her long coat flapped wildly in the wind. She hugged her arms to herself, trying to hold on to some warmth and turned around to face the stranger.

She smiled at his distant expression; as if he were lost within the pages of a book. She wondered what he was thinking at that very moment.

He spoke before she could take her eyes off him, "I have been here before. But never have I found this place so calming. Maybe it's because it is late at night. No one is around."

She replied, "I find London more charming at night. There's something about the city which feels magical. Maybe it's the lights or the missing daily crowd."

"Wish life could just have been about standing here on this bridge, in the middle of the night." He sighed.

"Then you wouldn't savour this moment as much though, right?" She smiled.

He looked at her, his gaze suddenly so intense that she averted her eyes. What was it about him that made her change so suddenly? There was something so comforting and yet, so unnerving about his presence. As if, he could see right through her.

She looked into his eyes, wondering if he could read her expression right then. Something told her, he could.

The realisation wasn't frightening though. Some part of her wanted him to read her expressions. He was a stranger and yet, in just over a few hours he had become so much more than one.

"We aren't strangers any more are we?" His voice suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts.

The words took their time to sink in. Instead of waiting for her reply, he said, "We aren't even acquaintances anymore." His voice seemed distant again, as if he were afraid to say what he wanted to.

"A word cannot define what we share, stranger." She smiled, her eyes stopping at a night bus that was slowly coming up the bridge.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, his eyes searching her face for an answer.

***

He watched her eyes follow the bus and he knew what she was thinking. Before he could react, she grabbed his hand and said, "Let's make a run for the bus."

"What?"

She was already breaking into a run, her eyes sparkling with life. "Come on!" She beckoned him to hurry as she paused for him, her eyes constantly moving to the moving bus.

He took off after her without stopping to think. The chilly wind whipped hard across his face, almost blinding him with cold. But he could only hear her laugh as she ran alongside the bus, trying to signal it to stop at the upcoming stop.

When he reached the bus she had already paid for his ticket and was laughing uncontrollably.

He shook his head in disbelief as he boarded the bus and said, "I shouldn't even ask where we are going right?"

"Actually you can." She walked to the stairs of the double-decker bus.

"I can?"

She turned around, winked at him and said, "Yeah. The answer is - I don't know."

***

They were sitting on the front seat of the top deck, watching the bus snake through the narrow roads of the city through the windscreen. The city looked like a fairy-tale, with Christmas trees adorning the shop fronts, Christmas lights wrapped around the streetlights that blinked in the dark and the faint fragrance of spice in the air. She always loved this time of the year. Not just because of the book sales at this time, but because the city looked so much more beautiful. All the lights, the Christmas trees, the boughs of holly and people dressed in red and white everywhere; it all made her feel warm inside.

She crossed her arms on the front railing and rested her chin on it. She only wished the bus were dark too, so she could stare at the lights outside.

She moved her face sideways to see the stranger sitting in the same way that she was.

"I love sitting here," she said, her eyes suddenly feeling heavy from the warmth in the bus. "I feel like I am flying. Through the streets. I feel like I have wings and I can go wherever I want."

He turned around to face her and said, "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."

She looked at him in surprise, recognising her favourite quote from one of the Dr. Seuss books she had read in childhood, and said, "It's from Dr. Seuss' book!"

"Yeah. It is one of my favourite quotes."

She sat upright and pressed the "Stop" button of the bus.

"Come on, we are getting off." She said and tugged at his arm.

"I am not surprised."

"Then you are my perfect partner." She winked at him and dragged him down the stairs.

***

Her phone rang as soon as she stepped off the bus. He watched her freeze on the spot as she glanced at her phone. As if she were dragged out of her world of dreams.

He realised then that he hadn't realised what the time was.

"Hi, Aisha." She answered her phone.

He saw her shuffling her feet as a girl's loud voice escaped from the phone.

"Yeah... I will be back... No! I know I promised...yeah yeah. Yes, I know...I will tell you later." She looked at him from the corner of her eye and shrugged her shoulders.

He didn't ask her anything when she disconnected her call.

He knew it was time to close their book. They hadn't realised that their story had an abrupt ending.

***

They walked through the street that led to her apartment. She hadn't spoken a word since the phone call. There was only one thing going through her mind. Would she ever see him again? Unknowingly a strange bond had formed between her and the stranger who walked beside her. The thought of this being the end to their short story seemed to fill her with a sense of dread. She didn't know why but his presence had brought out this girl whose existence she had been unaware of. She wrapped her arms around herself and glanced at the stranger beside her.

He hadn't uttered a word since she had said she had to go home. Was he thinking the same thing? What if he didn't want to meet her anymore? What if, this was the end of their story?

She opened her mouth to speak but words failed her.

He paused suddenly and said, "I know we are nothing more than acquaintances. But I don't want our story to end like this."

A smile appeared on her lips and she looked at his troubled face, "Let this be a bookmark then. Not an ending."

His face showed relief at her words and he said, "A bookmark. Until we start our story again."

She hesitated before she uttered the next words, "Friends?"

He smiled and said, "Now I have to ask your name."

She laughed and replied, "Just the name. Sakshi. What's your name, stranger?"

"Arjun."

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Yeah, sorry for stopping there lol.

I think it might have been a slow and boring update (I know I am repeating myself)...to be honest I wasn't satisfied at all and this chapter took quite a while .. and still didn't turn out that well (and i m being really honest).🥺

But, you are the readers so do leave your comments! Will deffo reply to them next time 😃