51. Green And White
I stared at the ceiling of my room, recounting the events of the day while a small smile played on my lips. Sure enough, the day's mood had taken a hundred and eighty degree turn since it began. It was hard to believe it was still the same day that I had taken the flight on. The journey from being all gloomy in the morning to being so contented as I lay in my bed, retired for the night, was exciting. I recalled the dinner I had come back from just an hour ago as I turned sides.
It had been a wonderful time, to say the least. No awkwardness, no bitterness, Maan had kept the atmosphere so comfortable that I could easily say the time I spent with him was one of the best I had had in a while. After the dance request which we had unanimously turned down, we talked about various topics, anything but work. I laughed as I remembered that I had tried to begin a conversation about work again and he had strictly refused to talk about it. His new nephew was a hot topic because he had launched into telling me about him and how Ameerah was coping with the divided attention, without needing any prodding from me.
"I love his eyes, I had blurted out when he had proudly claimed that Aarish's eyes were like his. Realising I had given away some information, I quickly took a spoonful of the custard we had ordered and stuffed it in my mouth, keeping my gaze strictly away from Maan, who had the arrogant smirk on his lips. "Why, thank you! He had said with humour in his voice. "It's a pleasure to know you love our eyes. Although I had felt embarrassed, I wasn't going to let it leave me speechless. "Snob! I had muttered loud enough for him to hear which earned me a throaty laugh from him.
When we had walked out from the restaurant, none of us spoke until I noticed that it was cloudy.
"It seems like it's going to rain. I had pointed out. "Do you really think going to the waterfall tomorrow is a good idea?
He had raised his face to the sky before turning to face me. "It'll be fine. He had smiled while opening the door of the cab which stood waiting for us. The drive had been silent again and I kept my hands tightly restricted to balled fists hidden under my crossed arms, in fear of my earlier senseless wish resurfacing. Sneaking a glance at Maan, I had discovered he was mirroring the way I had crossed my arms and was staring out of the window, just like I was trying to.
As soon as we had stepped in the hotel, I felt warm enough to take off my coat, which I had kept on throughout the time, allowing Maan to take a look at me. When I had caught him looking at me while we waited for the lift, instead of averting his gaze, he had grinned audaciously, making me raise my eyebrows. It hadn't dimmed the grin he was flashing as we stepped into the lift.
"You look gorgeous, by the way. He had unexpectedly commented, taking me off guard as I smiled slightly and thanked him awkwardly.
"You ought to compliment me too. He had said when I didn't say anything, which made me turn to him in surprise.
"Oh, you look... I had let my gaze wander from his handsome face to the broad shoulders to the snugly fitted shirt, which emphasised his body, to the dark jeans to the shining black shoes and back to his face. "Fine. I had finished callously and turned away, although that word was not even in the list that I wanted to describe him with, but not at the expense of increasing his already inflated ego.
"Huh! He had grunted as the door opened to my floor. "I'm sexy and I know it! I had given a look at his haughty smile.
"You're snotty and you should know it! I had said laughingly before stepping out of the lift. The last thing I had seen before the door dinged shut was his body shaking with laughter.
I turned sides again as I realised I hadn't even thanked him for the dinner. Deciding that a formal text might be better, I quickly picked my phone from the nightstand and typed up a message.
"Thank you for the scrumptious dinner and the good time. Enjoyed a lot! Good night!
I wasn't expecting a reply but it came in a matter of a few minutes.
"The pleasure is all mine. Good night!
P.S: Be ready at 9 tomorrow.
P.P.S: I'm sexy and I know it!
I laughed out loud at the P.P.S. Snob! Putting the phone away, I switched off the lights and slipped into a sound slumber.
Streaks of sunlight streaming through the curtains of the window woke me up. It took quite a few minutes to recall where I was and when it did dawn on me, I sprang out of the bed. I had slept a lot later than usual. Was it 9 already? Was Maan waiting? Checking the time, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was 8 and I had exactly an hour to get ready. Not wanting to be late, I hurried to the bathroom and took a shower. Putting on an olive green turtleneck paired with the good ol' jeans, I let my hair fall on my back and air dry, instead of blowing them dry again. Wearing my usual makeup, I accessorized minimally before giving myself a once over and deciding I was ready to step out.
It wasn't until I reached the reception that I realised I had taken only twenty minutes to be ready and that I still had some time before Maan would show up. Considering what I could do with the bonus time, I thought of getting something to eat but then ditched the idea. Instead, I went to the restaurant and got myself a good coffee. All through the time that I stayed there, my eyes searched for the one person who wasn't there. My gaze automatically travelled to the door whenever it opened, just to see who entered. Taking a good ten minutes to drink a small cup of coffee, I stood up and made my way back to the reception area. Scanning the place for any signs of Maan and not finding any, I made myself comfortable on one of the sofas and pulled a magazine from the rack to pass my time.
I was hardly two pages down when a voice demanded my attention. "My, my! If it isn't the excited little Miss Handa all set for her voyage!
"Good morning to you too! I gave a tight-lipped smile, putting the magazine back on the rack as he came to sit beside me, careful to keep some space between us.
"Ready so early? He commented, and I pointedly looked at the giant wall clock in response. He got the message and shrugged. "Still got some time to 9.
"I have a habit of being punctual for my commitments. I jutted my chin out.
"I'm well aware of that. He said dismissively and sipped on a cup I hadn't noticed before.
"No breakfast? I inquired.
He shrugged. "Coffee makes me good to go.
"You shouldn't skip breakfast, you know. I said, suppressing a smile and not feeling wee bit guilty for not practicing what I was preaching him.
He rolled his eyes and stood up. "Shall we?
I got up and followed him out where a car was already waiting for us. When we were both buckled in, I heard him instruct the driver to take us to the train station.
"Train station? I asked in confusion.
"Yes. He turned to me. "It will take us around two hours to reach the place if we take the road. If we take the metro, it'll save us almost forty five minutes.
I quickly did the math. "It'll still take us over an hour to reach. He shrugged with a slight nod and I suppressed a sigh, preparing myself for the hour long journey. I just hoped it would be worth the commuting time.
The station was only a few minutes away and we bought tickets before getting on the next train. Metal seats lined either side of the train and loops were suspended from the ceiling for people to hold on to if the number of passengers exceeded the number of seats. We didn't find seats so I stood in a corner, holding on to one of the loops. Naturally, Maan stood at a little distance from me. In a matter of a few minutes, the train jerked to a stop at a station and since neither of us was ready for it, we lost our balance. Thankfully, I held on to the loop and stood firm but it wasn't the case with Maan. Since he hadn't been supporting himself with anything, he stumbled and his weight fell on me, slamming me against the wall behind my back.
The impact of the moment stunned me into stillness, just like him. For a few moments, neither of us moved, our bodies pressed together, his warm breath brushing against my neck, his hands pressed on either side of me and mine bunching his shirt tightly. I could feel my heart racing as our position began to dawn on me. In a matter of seconds, I tried to pull away from him and he realised it as he pulled back and gazed at my face before quickly straightening up. This time, he kept a little more distance between us, still not bothering to hold on to the loop while I tightly held on to mine and turned my face away as the train set into motion again.
It was a few moments before I heard Maan mumble something and when I looked at him, he pointed towards a couple of seats that were empty, so we took them. The rest of the journey passed in silence as Maan indulged himself into his phone and I stared out the windows, watching the populous areas thin and give way to more and more greenery. I could not believe the feelings his closeness had stirred within me and I did not want to mull on it either, especially when it was only Maan and me for the whole day.
A few stations later, we got off the train. I craned my neck to see all around me if I could catch a glimpse of the waterfall as soon as we stepped out of the station on to the edge of what seemed like a forest, so it came as a shock to me when Maan said we had to trek for some time to reach our destination.
"But you never mentioned anything about it. I protested when he started to walk towards the trail leading into the forest. He turned and shrugged, claiming he didn't think I would mind walking so much.
I didn't mind walking, of course. I was very fond of walking. What had me hesitating were my shoes. Oh, what had I been thinking, wearing felt shoes to a waterfall!
"Do you want to go or not? Maan asked irritably and I had no choice but to quietly follow.
The trek was almost uphill and more than once, I had to hold Maan's hand to climb on the surface which otherwise would be too high for me to get on rather gracefully. Although the trail was wide and clearly marked, the forest less dense than it first seemed, the sounds of hidden bugs still accounted for an eerie feeling and I secretly wondered if I had made a wrong decision in coming here. Maan's aloofness did not help much either. He was probably being on his guard after the train incident but he was still helping me through and I was grateful for it.
After what seemed like a long time, we suddenly stepped into a clearing and I stopped short to take a look around. The first thing that my eyes fell upon took my breath away. It was the main attraction of the place and I was completely riveted by it.
The waterfall was probably a 100 meters tall and the water kept rushing off the cliff wildly and freely to fall into the huge pond before taking its route and flowing into the stream. There was something magical about it, like it was a scene straight out of books or movies. I did not realise I had been standing right at the edge of the trail until Maan nudged me a little. Only when people crossed us, did I notice that I was blocking way for more tourists.
The little distraction was still not enough to completely force me out of the daze that the waterfall had pulled me into so I quickly turned to look back at it as if it would disappear if I averted my eyes for long. As I stared wide-eyed at the wild and free water flowing down the cliff, a bird flew from in front of it, pulling my gaze along itself as it soared and then disappeared over the top of the tall trees that surrounded the place. It was then that I took a good look around, turning a full 360-degree in my amazed observation.
The surroundings were as breathtaking as the waterfall. Lush green trees lined the area. It was a natural forest, I could tell by the way the trees were haphazardly standing, tall and intimidating as they were. The pond took up most of the empty space of the clearing but there was still some grass and some dry rocks that could be sat upon. The sky was a patchy blue and it made for a perfect combination with the greenery around us as well as the white, foamy water.
My first instinct was to step towards the pond, with the intent of sitting on the edge with my feet dipped in the water. I was stopped midway with a hand grabbing my wrist. I turned in confusion only to remember that I was not alone there. Maan had probably read my mind.
"The water is too cold. He explained, slowly letting go of my hand.
"How did you know what I was thinking? I asked.
"Telepathy. He smirked and I rolled my eyes, not bothering to drill him.
There were quite a few tourists around. Some sat in groups on the ground while some stood close to the pond and took pictures, some could be seen scouring the edges of the forest while some crazy youngsters stood right under the waterfall, laughing and hooting. I envied them but I knew Maan was right, so zeroing in at a spot, I walked towards it with Maan a step behind. Making sure the spot was dry, I sat down and crossed my legs, knowing when Maan sat beside me.
My eyes went back to staring at the water falling from the cliff. The wildness of it was a stark contrast from the calm of the pond which the water dropped in. The noise of the rushing water was loud, drowning every other sound in its wake, yet it was as soothing as it could get. Soft earthy smell filled my nostrils and only added to the pleasure of being in the place. Small streaks of sunlight fell on the water, creating a stunning play of colors on the colorless water.
Watching it all, I could feel all my worries drift away, all the stress of life fade and calm took its place, just like the calm of the pond, which absorbed the angry splashes of the waterfall in its depths. I was oblivious of everything around me, such was the effect of the moment.
Maan did not interrupt my time. For a long while, he just sat beside me, silently sharing the view with me. Sometimes, I felt his eyes on me, probably amused at the wonderstruck look which never left my face. I did not ask him to confirm it.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? His voice, low and warm, was the perfect blend in the setting we were in.
I looked at him with a smile playing on my lips. "Yes.
Silence followed again, and it did not make me feel uncomfortable. I had a feeling that if we talked, the serenity of the moment would vanish. Maan must have felt the same, for he did not try to make small talk either. I stared at the beautiful view in front of me, conscious that my companion observed me more than he looked at the scenery, and a few memories knocked their way into my head. I was reminded of the times when, with Maan, there was never a need to fill any silences with words. I was reminded of the time when we both just enjoyed each other's presence, each other's company when we were in college. I was content with his presence with me. I hoped he felt the same way for me.
It could have been hours, or just a few moments, as we both stared at the water, when Maan spoke again.
"Do you want to take a walk around the place?
I shook my head. "I like it here. I raised my eyes to look into his, and I couldn't turn away. The warmth, the contentedness shining in his chocolate brown orbs was enough to keep me hooked. I felt an unusual urge to touch his face and my hand twitched to act upon my feeling. My hand was mid-air, my eyes still transfixed in his when a group of tourists passing us laughed loudly and broke the moment. I realised what I was about to do and quickly pulled my hand back in my lap. Maan also became conscious and turned his face away. What went on in his mind, I knew not.
Taking a few calming breaths, I focused back on the flowing water.
"Do you want to have some snacks? His voice cut in, so calm and composed like anything had never happened.
"Sure. I said just as callously. "What do we have here? I looked around and spotted a canteen of sorts.
"Not much. He replied as he got up and dusted his pants. "Just some crisps, biscuits and stuff.
I got up too and fell into step with him towards the small stall. We got ourselves some crisps and juice and decided to walk a little around the pond. As I ate, I realised I was hungry, even though my body hadn't given any signs of it until the first bite of crisp.
As we walked, I felt myself falling back into comfortable companionship with Maan. He was exuding a soothing aura I couldn't help but be pulled into. Magic began to fill the place again. The colours of the place seemed darker, somehow. The trees appeared denser than they first seemed and the water of the pond wasn't as clear any more.
We had stopped at one edge of the place without really planning to, both of us not willing to break the calming silence lingering between us. Even though everything was different, it was still just as beautiful. It took me a long time to figure out why it was all different as I raised my eyes to the sky. The patchy blue sky with streaks of sunlight was gone, replaced by thick grey clouds. It startled me.
"What time is it? I asked Maan , causing him to follow my gaze and let out an exclamation himself. He was just as absorbed in the moment as I was to notice the changing weather.
"Quarter past 3. He glanced at his watch and added, as an afterthought. "We need to leave now or we won't reach for the seminar in time.
My lips turned down at the corners at the thought of leaving this mesmerising place but I knew the seminar was important. With sagged shoulders, I followed Maan to the trail we had come from, turning to take in the beautiful place and committing it to memory. Maan sensed my feelings as he watched me silently but chose not to say anything as we began the trek back to the station.
Once inside the train, I let out a deep sigh, preparing myself to get back to work mode. I wouldn't have enough time once we reached the hotel. The best way to feeling enthusiastic about work was to talk about it and my one and only companion was all too busy on his phone. I peeped at the screen and exclaimed in surprise.
"You play games on your phone?! Startled, he missed aiming the virtual ball straight into the basket as he looked up at me from his basketball game.
"Umm... He shrugged. "Why not!
I let out a small chuckle. Maan and playing virtual games somehow seemed too odd to go together.
"What? He defended himself. "It's fun and addictive. I only nodded with a wide grin so he pushed his phone towards me. "Here, try it once and you won't be able to leave it.
Skeptically, I took the phone and, after the basic instructions on how to play it, I began, only to be surprised by how addictive the game really was. One would want just one more game all the time.
When I started my fifth game in a row, Maan spoke up smugly. "See, I told you so! I looked up at him with a wide grin, biting my lower lip.
"It really is addictive. No wonder you have such a high score!
The return journey passed quickly as Maan and I took turns playing the game on his phone. When the train stopped at our destined station, we had to rush out and find a taxi because, as Maan had predicted, we had little time to freshen up before the seminar began.
Upon reaching the hotel, we both hurried off to our respective rooms without talking much since the evening traffic had further lessened our already short time. I quickly changed into formal clothes, applied my make up and raced out of the room in merely ten minutes. It was already 5 o'clock so I was running late now. The speaker had begun when I reached the hall. Murmuring an apology for diverting the attention of the whole room towards me as I made my way to the table, I settled down and took a deep breath. The hustle had left me short of breath so I took a few minutes to unwind and concentrate on the lecture.
"Where have you been? One of my colleagues whispered, leaning closer to me.
"Out and about. I whispered back, jotting down a few points from the lecture.
"Where's MK? She questioned but I only shrugged in response.
As I listened to the speaker, my mind went back to the day I had spent and I felt tranquility spread within me. In the rush of the past hour, I hadn't had the time to evaluate my day and now that I did look back at it, I couldn't help but be calm and serene. I was content with life at the moment, such was the power of the time I had spent with nature, and if I was being honest, the company I had with me had a lot to do with my inner peace and satisfaction.
Wrapped in my own world, I had not realised Maan was still not at the table. Just as I wondered if he would come or not, I saw him walking through the door. Heads turned to see the latecomer but he kept walking coolly with the typical mask of seriousness on his face. He had switched into his business tycoon avatar as he gracefully sank on his place, uncaring of the eyes on him. Only after he'd settled, did he glance at me. His eyes on me made a small smile appear on my lips which I threw his way before we both paid attention towards the speaker again.
Throughout the time, my eyes met his a number of times and every time, we would both smile a little and look away. When the seminar ended for the day, the crowd dispersed, everyone going about their own directions while I headed straight to my room. I was tired and I wanted to lie down. Maybe I would ring my dinner in as well. The last glimpse I got of Maan before I left was him being surrounded by his staff and a couple of other men. I knew he would be busy for some time.
Once inside the sanctity of my room, I decided to take a warm bath to unwind and relax. Spending a good thirty minutes in the bath, I put on a robe and went into the room. After ordering dinner to be served in the room, I took my own sweet time blow drying my hair, even as soft music playing on the television filled the air. After having done with my hair, I changed into my night suit and had my dinner while lounging comfortably on the bed with my legs stretched and my back cushioned well with the soft pillows. Deciding to surf through the television channels as I ate, I grabbed the remote and got started, stopping shortly on almost every channel to see if I could find anything interesting.
I ended up on the news channel which was showing the weather forecast. Apparently, the clouds that had started forming while we were at the waterfall were no ordinary clouds. They were the hint of an approaching danger.
"...we're expecting the hurricane to hit the city roughly until Tuesday if the speed remains constant. The authorities have activated emergency contact numbers for people to call for help and have also advised the public to remain safe and stocked with the essentials until the storm passes...
A tingle of fear slithered up my spine as the news began to sink in. I was in a city that was about to be hit by a hurricane in about two days. Before fear could overcome me, I quickly eased myself up. We were scheduled to leave the city on Monday so, if the forecast was correct, we would be out of the zone before the storm struck. I prayed everyone in the city remained safe, though. The newscaster announced that some light rain was expected tonight and that the weather would be somewhat pleasant before it worsened so, without much thought, I decided to take a refreshing walk down in the lawn of the hotel. Wrapping a shawl I had brought along securely around myself, I headed out, straight towards the vast lawns.
Upon reaching the lawn, I saw a familiar figure already wandering there all alone, probably lost in some thought. A smile crept up my lips as I walked towards him.
"Mind if I join you? I asked softly, breaking his chain of thoughts, wherever it had taken him as he raised his eyes distractedly. When he saw who it was, he smiled a small smile, the grooves on his cheeks becoming visible as he did.
"Sure.
We fell into step side by side, neither bothering to increase the speed above a leisurely stroll.
"Nice weather, no? I commented. A slight breeze was blowing, making it a chilly night, cooling up my face as I secured my shawl again.
"Umm-hmm. He nodded with a small smile. He was quiet tonight but he did not seem to be unhappy or upset. He seemed content, just like I felt. I recalled the day which had made me feel so and I realised something.
"I never thanked you for today, did I?
He gazed at me and smiled. "What's there to thank me for?
"No, really. I insisted as we kept walking even farther away from the building, towards the middle of the vast lawn. "What I have witnessed today, I began with feeling, "what I have experienced is just beyond words. I just can not explain what I feel... how... how at peace I am. I haven't felt so satisfied in a long while and this is all because of you. So, thank you!
He was not expecting such a confession from me so it stumped him. "Umm.. I'm glad I could be of help.
We walked a little further in silence so I decided to dispel the heaviness. "By the way, how come a person like you discovered such a place?
He turned towards me, ready to retort, I guessed, but then something above my head caught his attention and he stared wide-eyed, causing me to turn as well.
"What's that? I whispered with tingle of fear ringing in my voice.
At the far corner of the lawn, in near darkness, there stood a man dressed as a joker. He would not have been as scary if it were any other time of the day and he was actually trying to make people laugh instead of his current activity. There lay a body of a man in front of him on the ground. The joker looked up straight at us, a vicious smirk on his face, and still keeping his eyes on us, raised his hands high in the sky. Only then I noticed he had an axe in his hands, and with a strong force, aimed it towards the neck of the body which already lay still. I wanted to scream seeing the blood but I was paralysed, and so was Maan.
The paralysis only lasted a few seconds as the joker jumped over the body he'd just finished with and started advancing towards us with his axe raised high. My knees jolted and I started taking steps backwards, keeping my eyes on the person approaching us. From my periphery, I could see Maan begin to step towards the joker in aggression before he turned too and sprinted towards the hotel as I followed him closely.
The only thought running in my mind was to escape the oncoming slaughter even as fear churned in my stomach that he might be too close to us. When we finally reached the building, our breaths short and hearts thudding wildly, there was no sign of anyone following us. The gunman at the door inquired what happened, to which Maan narrated the entire episode. The man's reaction left us dumbfounded. Instead of going to check into the matter, he smacked his forehead and annoyed, informed us that this was all a prank. Nothing was real, not the joker or the body or the blood. Some local youngsters had been playing the same prank on guests lately and they escaped every time, leaving the hotel's management and the guests irritated.
We were still breathing heavily when Maan started shouting, first at the gunman and then at the receptionist.
"What kind of useless security is this that some local pranksters can easily trespass and play such dirty jokes on the guests and you can't stop them?! The manager was called immediately and warned by the hot-headed Mr. Maan Singh Khurana that if they did not manage to catch and punish the youngsters in a few days' time, they were going to lose all business from Khurana Constructions. The poor manager, shaken from being under MSK's ire, assured us that action would be taken soon.
Even though I felt as angry as Maan, I stood silently before stepping in and politely but firmly supporting Maan's words. After that, I led Maan away and suggested that we go to the coffee shop.
There was silence for a few minutes as we sat across each other in the hotel's coffee shop.
"I can't believe anybody can play such a mindless joke on anyone. I said. "What if something happened to the person who saw all this? What if they have a heart attack or something?
"These people don't think before acting! He said, shaking his head as a frown marred his forehead.
I recalled the scene. Now that the danger was over, we could jest about it. I chuckled, causing Maan to stare at me with his eyebrows raised.
"What's funny? He questioned.
"You! I laughed more openly. "I thought you were going to fight him, or at least, snatch the axe but you ran like a girl. I laughed some more.
"Huh! I heard him grunt. He had eased up. "You should've seen your own face. You were white as snow.
"What else did you expect? I defended myself lightly. "Be all blushing and ready to fight him off? I said laughingly. "What are your big muscles for, anyway?
"Definitely no use fighting someone with a big axe already dripping with somebody's blood! He rolled his eyes.
I shuddered. That was something I still did not want to remember, even if it was all fake. The coffee I had ordered for both of us as soon as we had come, arrived. I took a look outside the huge glass window and observed that it was raining. That made for a good conversation with Maan which diverted the attention from what had just occurred. He was concerned about the hurricane too and he just wanted his team to be safe.
"I hope we can finish off the seminar and be gone from here before the storm hits. He sipped on his coffee.
"Amen to that! I said, my hands wrapped around the hot mug of coffee.
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