Scent of the Rain- a SwaRon-TanHa story [COMPLETE]

This is a SwaRon story written to celebrate the 200th SwaRon AT. This has become rather long than I intended it to be- hence I shall post it in two parts as the following.

Scent of the Rain

1

"What? Why can't you kiss me! This is humiliating. Damnation!"

Swayam got up and started collecting his things.

"But... What? Are you leaving? Don't you wanna show me the sketch? Swayam... Swayaaam..." Sharon pleaded in vain.

Swayam took his cycle and began to walk away. She called out to him but he walked with big, determined steps. Soon his figure disappeared in the darkness of the night. He left her alone, abandoned her, beside the rail tracks.

An approaching beam of light blinded her. It was a train, a fast one. Sharon stood up to read the name. It was an express and with great difficulty she managed to read the yellow nameplate with blue letters- 12303 Howrah- New Delhi Poorva Express. She was familiar with this train- Didi took this train sometimes when she left for college, if she didn't get the Rajdhani.

It was gone in a few seconds. Everything was pitch dark again. A hush fell upon the place, making the merriment of crickets the only audible sound again. Sharon sat down. It was true. Swayam had actually left her. Deserted her. It was sinking in now. Swayam left her all by herself in this enveloping darkness, beside the railway tracks and now she had to walk home alone. She didn't even bring her cycle. She had to walk through those dimly lit lanes alone. Her unusually big hazel eyes were beginning to moisten, and her throat choked a little.

It is no place for young girls to visit in the evening. Always full of drunkards and criminals. Maa had repeatedly told her. But she didn't listen to her. She loved coming here with Swayam. It was their sanctuary. They have been coming here since they were eleven. Both of them shared a fascination for trains. After school, they would come here and count the trains they had seen pass by till it was dark. And sometimes they would come after tuition. Like today. They were in high school now and it was okay to return home a little late. And Swayam was there. He was always there.

But today he had left her, to walk back home, and deal with the drunkards on the way, and the mad woman Betty, who sat before the mandir every evening and threw things at people who passed. Sharon heaved a sigh. People say that Betty used to be a teacher once, but she went crazy after her fiance left her, and her family moved elsewhere. Sharon was sad for her even though Betty made nasty faces at her and cursed her sometimes. What if even she became like Betty someday, and started tossing empty cola bottles and stones at people, especially at Swayam? Swayam would repent, he would cry himself to death!

Okay stop being dramatic!

Sharon composed herself and decided to walk home. She didn't really have an option, did she? She took her heavy sack of a bag and started walking careful not to make a lot of noise. She was taught to not make noise while walking- it wasn't lady like. Sister Stella said so and so did dida (granny) and maa and pishi (aunt). A lady was not supposed to laugh loudly or talk loudly or walk noisily or be loud in appearance, whatever that meant. Basically women were not supposed to exist; they were not exactly a part of the grand divine plan- eventually turned out that the world can't really do without them. Tsk tsk! So turn them into ladies and let them be in some corner and not make a fuss about existential crisis!

She laughed out loud in the moral science class sometimes, and Swayam would invariably join her. Usually Sister Stella would throw both of them out of the class- they were the rotten apples, the ones beyond repair!

But tonight she chose not to make any noise- she did not want to challenge the lust in the minds of rapacious drunkards or political goons with her un-ladylike arrogance, not tonight.

All this, only because she said NO, to the... Kiss!

Sigh!

She recollected the chain of events that led to the unpleasant incident of Swayam leaving her alone, for the very first time, in the seventeen long years of her life.

Ah, the blasted kiss! She shouldn't have brought it up.

An hour ago...

"I think I'm a conformist," Sharon declared staring at the sky.

"A what?" asked Swayam as he sharpened his charcoal pencil.

"A conformist. Didi said I'm being a conformist!"

"She might have told you the meaning as well."

"Duh! A conformist is a person who abides by societal rules, social codes of conduct, and never questions the social order and conforms to traditionally accepted behaviour etcetera."

"I see."

"So she thinks I'm a conformist." Sharon shrugged.

Swayam looked up at nothing in particular and brooded for about five seconds.

"But I don't think you're a conformist."

"Really?" Sharon's face lit up in the fading twilight.

"Yeah. You're not."

"But, how do you know?" She frowned again.

"Umm... I don't know... You don't shampoo your hair everyday or paint it in hideous colours, you don't smell like incense sticks, the other girls, they all do. You don't even go to the chapel during break. And you don't bother about all the nail paints and the perfumes and all those stuff. Getting my point? And you just don't care if your hair makes you look like a scare crow or if you're getting a tan under the sun. You don't care."

Swayam spoke confidently with a smile but Sharon did not reflect his confidence.

"So basically you're saying I'm untidy."

"Did I say that?" Swayam looked squarely. " I'm sure I didn't say that."

A pause ensued as Swayam searched for the correct phrase.

"Okay maybe... that, going by the standards of general tidiness. But this is not about personal hygiene. You're different. You don't smell like shampoo or coco butter. And I love how you never say no' to a good game. You are... you! And that's so cool."

Sharon smiled. "You think I'm cool?"

"I think you're supercool! In fact all the guys at school think you're cool, even the one you punched last week. And... and you know what's the coolest part about you? It's like, when I'm with you, I'm with another boy. I don't have to worry about being mean or vulgar or about etiquettes. And you're so much smarter than the rest of the boys too."

"So you think I'm like a boy?" The smile had disappeared from Sharon's face again.

"Yeah." Swayam nodded.

"But I'm a girl Swayam! Why can't I be me and be a girl at the same time?" Sharon complained.

This was a difficult question to answer.

"I don't know," Swayam said honestly, "but I'm really glad that you're not like the rest of them."

Sharon wasn't satisfied, but she appreciated Swayam. She had never heard him say nice things about her before. In fact, at times she doubted if he considered her human at all, the way he hit her, fought with her all the time, pulled her plaits in a savage fashion, or took delight in drawing a big ugly moustache on her face when she slept.

She felt nice.

"And I definitely don't think you're a conformist. You know you need to stop listening to your didi. She reads all kinda weird fat books. You can read those books yourself when you go to college."

"You know how much I hate studying. I can't wait to get out of school." Sharon said dreamily.

"You think that'll be the end of it?" Swayam laughed at his compatriot's naivety. "They are gonna drag you to a college even if you don't wanna go."

"But your father told me he'll give me a job at the cycle repair shop after I finish school. Or I could be a bus conductor."Sharon gleefully replied.

"Yeah right! And please don't believe a thing my dad says. That man is a congenital liar!" Swayam said angrily.

"Ok forget that. I'm keener on the bus conductor's job." Sharon quickly said.

"Let's get practical, your dad is never gonna let that happen. His elder daughter is a friggin IITian. You think he'll be okay with you being a conductor? We don't even have female conductors here."

"I don't care, I don't care what he wants!" Sharon shouted. "He has to understand that Didi and I are two very different people. She is a genius, I'm not. I hate science or engineering for that matter. And I could be the first female conductor, don't you think?"

"Yeah. You could be anything you want to." Swayam smiled.

Sharon smiled back at him.

"But before that, before all of this, there is something I want to do, before I go to college." She spoke determinedly.

Swayam was curious.

"I hear the girls talk about virginity and stuff all day. Shruti says she wants to do it when she goes to college, and Jasmine says she would only do it with the right person and Priyanka is scared and Jyoti would wait, and didi thinks that the notion of preserving one's virginity till marriage is a very conformist thought..." Sharon spoke in one breath.

"And what do you think?" Swayam interrupted her.

"I... I think didi is right."

"So... you... wanna do it?"

"What? NO!" Sharon screamed. She couldn't admit before Swayam that she too was as scared as Priyanka and her thoughts were similar to that of Jasmine.

"I... I don't wanna rush things. I will do it only when I want to and not under peer pressure," she declared.

Swayam shrugged.

"But I... I would like to kiss before I go to college." She confessed.

"Oh..." Swayam made a grave face and cleared his throat.

"You mean you'd kiss a boy right?" he inquired.

"Of course I mean a boy. I know you think I'm a boy myself, but I'm not!"

"No no. I just wanted to... So you have anyone on mind?"

"Not really..." Sharon looked sad. She bit her lower lip.

Swayam didn't know how to respond. The atmosphere was dense with heat emitting from the soil. He looked at the sky. Dark clouds of monsoon were beginning to form.

"I could kiss you," he suggested, trying to sound casual but one could say that he was nervous.

"What!!" Sharon stood up. "I can't kiss you! I...I was thinking of Nitin." She was perturbed. This was out of the blue. She had never thought of kissing Swayam. This was such a revolting thought. She didn't know if she should be worried that she revealed her secret crush in front of Swayam or about the fact Swayam wanted to kiss her.

"What!! Nitin, you want to kiss Nitin! That buffoon! Why does every girl want to kiss Nitin?" Swayam sounded frustrated.

"But... why do you want to kiss me? We're friends." Sharon sat down.

"I thought I could help out a friend."

"But I can't kiss you!!" Sharon shouted.

"What do you mean by can't'? You can kiss that loser Nitin and not me!" Swayam yelled back.

"NO I CAN'T!"

"What? Why can't you kiss me! This is humiliating. Damnation!"

And with that, Swayam plucked a few strands of grass, then stood up, picked his things, and hurried away with his cycle beside him- ignoring Sharon's pleas and without casting another glance at her.

2

It was darker than ever, the clouds shrouded the moon. It was going to rain. Sharon hurriedly trudged along the dimly lit footpaths. The winds were growing wild as coconut trees danced back and forth, swishing against each other. It was April- the month of unruly tempests and tender mangoes. The weight of her bag was bogging her down but she had to walk fast. The last thing she wanted was to get stranded or drenched in the rain.

She still couldn't grasp the fact that Swayam had left her, alone. Also that she told Swayam about her wish to kiss Nitin! Why did she do something like that? Did she really want to kiss Nitin? Sharon scrutinised the prospects of that kiss. Why would she want to have her first kiss with Nitin, who although cute, was nobody to her? Why Nitin? All the girls of her class wanted to go out with Nitin, how was she any different? Who was Nitin? Would she like kissing somebody she doesn't know at all? She'd rather pick a random guy at a bar when she's old enough. And she made up her mind, she does not want to kiss Nitin, at all.

But would she kiss Swayam? This one question buzzed inside her head ever since Swayam made the outrageous suggestion. And the thing about propositions as tasteless and blasphemous as this one was that they don't leave you, they get inside your head and mess with it. Would she like kissing Swayam, even a tiny bit?

The turbulent wind now left her stranded in front of the mandir in the very popular Marylin Monroe posture. Desperately clutching onto her navy blue pleated skirt, Sharon prayed that it doesn't rain till she gets home. Dogs barked at her. Betty cried and ran inside as she was scared of thunderstorms. Sharon cursed her ill fate. In a Shakespearean play, this would be considered an omen before a mishap.

It was all because of Swayam, wasn't it! Enough of feeling bad and guilty! She now thirsted for revenge. How dare he leave her like that and walk away! He had to answer. And of course, there was no question of kissing that unscrupulous idiot. He must suffer!

3

Sharon reached home. It wasn't yet raining, thankfully. As she was about to enter their house, she drew one look upon the neighbouring house of the Bannerjees'. The grand early 20^th century house with intricate neo Gothic architecture, stood like a ghost now. Its exquisite chandeliers were covered in cobwebs. More than half of the house remained in dark with the exception of 2 or 3 rooms. The attempts at restoration were visible in some parts of the house but not entirely. Mr. Bannerjee could not afford the renovation work of this huge palatial building alone with his unsteady earnings and there were far too many court cases to be dealt with. The other legal occupants of the house lived in other countries or other parts of the country, what they considered better living conditions.

Their house was old too, but not as old as the Bannerjees'. Sharon's grandfather had bought a decrepit factory shed in the 60s, on the strand, and turned it into this spacious 3 storied house that it is now. Sounds of evening prayer came from within the Bannerjees' residence. Sharon looked up. The cast iron railings of the balcony on the 2^nd floor reflected light from one of the adjacent rooms. Swayam was home. Sharon now saw his cycle parked near the gate. Blood rushed to her head as she picked up a few stones and hurled them at the cycle. Then she took a few steps forward and targetted a certain window. The stone hit the green wooden part of the window pane as she had planned. She was contemplating on throwing another one when the window opened and Swayam peeped out. He then came out to the balcony. He had changed from school uniform into a tee shirt and cargo shorts.

"What on earth!!" Swayam shouted angrily.

"See me upstairs," Sharon shouted back and ran inside without waiting for a response. Throwing her bag on her bed she ran towards the terrace. Her mother was about to ask something but Sharon quickly sped upstairs, not willing to answer questions. She needed some answers herself.

Once on the terrace, she climbed the right wall and jumped on the other side, landing on the slanting roof of the Bannerjees' attic. She was used to travelling through this passage from a very young age. She had seen her grandfather and later on her grandmother do the same. The two houses nearly touched each other at the roof, a mark of friendship between the owners, which had deteriorated, ever since Sharon's and Swayam's fathers had become the masters of the houses. Once upon a time they had been best of friends apparently, Sharon's mother had told her.

The winds were still hostile and seemed to tear everything apart. The trees bent down in reverence with the exception of the palm tree that stood like a stalwart, embracing the force of nature.

Sharon got off the roof and reached the terrace, where Swayam impatiently waited for her, next to the big, rectangular water tank. It was dark and the only source of light was a lamp post afar. "What is it? I don't want to see you," Swayam said as Sharon walked over to him.

"How dare you!! How dare you abandon me like that?" Sharon yelled.

"Shhh... stop yelling. My mother will hear you."

"I don't care! Tell me why did you walk away, and leave me all alone..." Sharon was seething with anger but she could feel that her anger was soon going to drain itself into a pool of tears. She struggled not to break into tears in front of Swayam, as he maintained an impassive face, something she always hated about him.

"It was dark... and there were dogs," she continued, "but that's not the point. Why did you leave me and walk away?"

"Dogs will always be there. And you're a big girl, I knew you'd find your way home." Swayam's reply sent her over the edge. She grabbed the collar of his tee shirt and pulled him towards her. "WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?" her nails clawed into Swayam's neck.

"Alright, now there's no need to be violent," said Swayam who was nervous that his mother or grandmother may come up.

"This is not violence. This is you pissing me off! Now answer my question," replied Sharon, still clutching onto his tee.

It was drizzling now.

"Let go off me!" Swayam freed himself, forcibly removing her hands. "You know exactly why I walked away. You insulted me."

"How is me not willing to kiss you an insult exactly? I've the right to say NO' I think."

"Yes and you said it. So what's all the fuss about? Just let it go already."

"Stop digressing from the actual argument. How the hell is it an insult to you?"

"You wanted to kiss that fool Nitin. Every chick in school wants to kiss him. I guess, I just expected better from you." Swayam shrugged, and turned away from Sharon.

"I don't want to kiss Nitin. I don't even like him," said Sharon. She walked towards him and faced him, "but you wanted to kiss me. Why?"

"I don't know okay!" he sharply turned away from her again. "Will you just please go, dida is gonna come up any moment. Just go Sharon!" Swayam was going bonkers. He was willing to jump off the terrace if that allowed him an escape from her questions. The girl had so many questions, always, infuriating him enough for wanting to kill her at times. Why do girls think so much? And why don't their heads explode with all that thought!

"I will not, till you tell me." Sharon stomped.

Swayam took a deep breath. The drizzle had turned into large drops of rain now, hitting the ground with great force.

"Look Sharon, I already told you, I don't know why. And if it makes you feel any better, I no longer wish to kiss you. It was a stupid mistake. I didn't think when I said that. Now please go, will you? It's raining for Christ's sake!"

"What do you mean by you no longer wish to kiss me? How can you be so fickle about your wishes? It's irresponsible behaviour!"

"What??!" Swayam was at a loss of words.

"Kiss me now." Sharon demanded.

Swayam stared for two seconds. "No way!" he protested as he almost involuntarily, took a step backward.

"I want you to kiss me. Now. This very moment," Sharon ordered.

"I don't wanna..." Swayam was agitated, exasperated, confused.

"You don't have a choice." Sharon calmly said.

Sharon moved forward as Swayam stepped back looking at her in awe. The clouds no longer covered the moon. The moonlight along with the rain conjured a strange ambience and he saw a very different Sharon as she stepped closer. This Sharon was determined, confident, and had a magical mysticism in her eyes as she approached him. She was not human. She was a chimera or a nymph, an enigma or an illusion. And she was coming over him, like the nor'westers, the ruthless unapologetic kalboishakhi plundering her way through, to claim him, regardless of his volition. And the only way to respond was to give in, submit him to her, unconditionally, let himself be blown away like a straw or a leaf by her hedonistic revelry, till she calms down. And the world will be a better place to live.

Swayam's back was now against the firm, cemented tank with the rain drenching him. Sharon was close to him now, very close. So much so that he could feel her breath flame his skin even in the cold monsoon rains. Water was pouring all over her making her white shirt, almost transparent, stick to her body. She looked in his eyes, and then at his lips and leapt forward. She stood on her toes and sucked the rain water from his lower lip. Swayam shivered slightly at the contact and became stiff. Sharon was suckling on his lower lip, slowly steadily making her way to his mouth, invading his lips and pushing her tongue inside. She clutched on his tee shirt for balance as she became voracious thrusting her petite frame against him. And although her jaw ached a little and she struggled to stand on her toes, her violation of him was not yet accomplished.

Swayam felt some intense explosions inside his head that obstructed his thought, the voice of reason. He closed his eyes and kissed her back. He could hear the incessant thudding sound produced by mangoes, prematurely dropping off the trees, accompanied by lilting rain droplets on the asbestos roof of the attic, as he kissed her. He couldn't be sure if the sound came from the mangoes or his own pounding heart. Slowly, he found some sense in his limbs that had been too stiff earlier. He moved his hands to her waist, pulling her closer, kissing her with a deeper intensity. Then he moved them upward, caressed her cheeks and not sure where to place them, and careful not to move them anywhere he was not supposed to, placed his hands back to her waist. Sharon's hands were on the nape of his neck, her nails painfully digging into his skin. On an impulse, he held her by the waist and pulled her up a little and saw her eyes open in surprise as she gasped. She was amused. They continued to kiss staring at each other a while longer, till they both fell short of breath.

The storm had passed. The rain continued with a cool breeze that carried the scent of wet mud with it. They panted, leaning against the tank.

"You molested me," Swayam spoke with short breaths.

"And you enjoyed it. Shame on you!" swiftly replied Sharon wiping her mouth.

Footsteps were heard and contrary to Swayam's apprehensions, it was Sharon's mother who was calling out to her from their terrace.

"I have to go," said Sharon, "but remember, I hate you. And I'll kill you if you leave me alone, ever again."

"Yeah, likewise, and I won't leave you alone, again, not if you agree to kiss me," Swayam said with a grin.

Sharon had this sudden urge to grab and pull the wet locks of hair that hung on his forehead, but she had to run before her mother suspected any illegitimate activity behind the tank. As she moved away from Swayam, she took a long deep breath, filling her lungs with the smell that emerged from the floor when first showers of the season struck the earth. A smell that she wanted to remember for a long, long time, in its exactness.

Res

u know why i totally look forward to ur updates! it is because u come up with totally new and unique ideas
i totally love these teenagers that u have portrayed. it is something different and i am totally looking forward to the next update
p.s. sharon here is hilarious!

First of fall , I am extremely sorry yaar .. I took long time to unres here , n u already complete this work . Well , I res here for first chapter ... So I will talk about that only . When u say that u are going to write in teenager . Me very excited for that because u are awesome writer n but still how awesome writer are teenager love story is not simple as in films . I expect more from u n happy to say u that u are awesome , mindbolwing writer . Wow wat a start !! Just loved it ... Well I like swaron conversation , their kiss theory ... Awe swayum want Sharon kiss him but unfortunately Sharon don't ... Well I like ... 👏 u describe so nicely , that I feel , I am not reading ... It is actually happen infront of my eyes . Ofcourse excited for next part , n last u don't mention but still I feel , it is only swaron / Tanha story .. I don't have to imagine yaar , while reading it gives Tanha favour ... Thanks for pm n lovely story ... 😃

Awsome One :)

Oh wow waiting for the next part