'Footprints': Adi-Metz FF, Ch.7 up! 06/16 - Page 4

Great FF neetu di!

** Hey all, sorry for the delay... Heres the next chapter, a little slow but its a part to progress the story. Please let me know what you all think and thanks for the patience, much appreciated!

Chapter 6: "Tanhai"

The sound of glass echoed against the silent walls of the room stirring her into consciousness. A moment of blankness followed as she stared from the mixture glass and deep red scattered across the floor, to his hand.

The flash of paralysis fell through as her feet reacted automatically to the unforeseen event. Panic filled her veins as she ran towards him in a hurry.

"Adi… ye… tum bhi na… Kitna khoon bheh raha hai… Oh God… Adi…" For a few precious moments, her incoherent phrases began to eat away at the awkward silence separating them…

Finding her next to him in such fright, for a bittersweet second, he felt the pain take on a soft tone… She was examining his wound, so lost in his hurt to notice the greater reality. Her eyebrows arched in growing anxiety, while creases of worry lined the rest of her features so radically, as though the pain belonged to her… A low, scornful chuckle bubbled in his chest at the thought. He watched with a disinterested wonder as her lips pursed together, blowing a feather of soothing air on his injury. Removing the visible particles with utmost care, she used the end of her dupatta, trying to calm unfelt waves of pain on the inner side of his hand. The physical pain trying to catch his attention felt little when he realized the ache in her expressions. It was a sick, disgusting pleasure… Yet, he savoured it… savoured it with a taste of bitterness in his mouth.

He watched her eyes dance wildly from his wound to her surroundings… looking… searching… And finally, she lifted herself still bustling in anxiety, running to his right side. Frantically, her fingers opened and closed drawers… settling shakily on the white box, imprinted with a red cross.

The feral look in her eyes quietened as the last of the cuts were covered with the stretchy white band. The mumbled words also dulled down, while she cast a suspicious glance over the finished work… As if looking for assurance, her gaze shifted towards his… freezing in their movement. There was a gentle tremble in her lower lip, and he felt a bizarre urge hold his finger to it… to allow it to dim under his spell. But then the moment was too precious. Somehow, the open wound seemed to bring an unexpected, almost forgotten, sense of vulnerability. His eyes shifted nervously at his hand for a second before he pulled it away, cocooning himself tightly, defensively… casting away the enchantment. Getting up, he turned his attention to the bundle of red roses immediately attacking his senses, while remaining stiff in their presence within the black vase. He could sense her stare at his form, adorned in a sleek midnight suit, hovering over the deep, seductive, red of the flowers. Her expression would be tender, but not surprised… hurt, but not demanding.

Red roses, they never appealed to him much on their own… not even in those days. Their fragrance was too pungent… demanding… a clash to his nature of things. He much preferred a mixture with white ones… their subtleness was layered with mischievous allure… Much like…

"Adi… Kaisi hai woh?"

Silence.

His back was turned to her, but he could sense the twitch in her cheek muscle… the absent-minded twirl of the end of her veil as it danced to the air… the changing tones in her face… the increasing depth of her big eyes… the whitening of her knuckles as his response took its time…

It was inevitable, the question… but now that it lay before him, he found a wrinkle of doubt crease inside.

"Sunnah hai, jahan who rehti hai… wahan sabh ache hote hain," (I've heard, where she lives… everyone lives well) he stated with a hint of pensiveness… The sensitivity of the moment was not immune to him, nor the subject.

Saya bhi saath jab chodh jaaye… aisi hai tanhai…

After years, she had escaped through his lips… Shalini. It wasn't that he had ever forgotten her, he never could… even if he wanted to. The thought of the person behind him had always kept his deceased wife alive…

Rona chahoon toh… Rona chahoon toh… aansoon na aaye…

Aisi hai tanhai…

A distant part of him wished to turn around, knowing her eyes to be turning into stone… the crumbling of her figure, as the Earth began to slip from beneath her uncertain feet… the tenderness of so many feelings flush her existence… Instead, he remained firm… refusing the past to flood the present, drowning him from himself…

The breath caught in her throat as she tried to unwind this information… trying to make it a figment of her imagination. But even her imagination was not so strong…

Joh aise chodh ke… mehboob jaaye… Toh jeene se kyun na dil… oobh jaaye…

It seemed like yesterday, but as his voice echoed in her head, she realized it was not. It was years ago, years ago… In the subconscious end of her mind, she again wished what had been her sole desire since the day she had left… She wished it were her. But no, it wasn't. In these years, the possibility of this loss had swept past her, but she had always guarded her hope with an iron fist. Now, everything seemed… lost. She felt an emptiness stare into her, an emptiness that was absolute. With leaded feet, she found her body function on automatic… outside the office… the building…

*~ Hours later~*

A long shadow of remorse fell across the soft floor in the form of her distorted shadow. Her body ached with the unmeasured amount of time she had sat there, in a crouching position behind the sofa… hiding. She allowed the physical pain drain her, hoping for it to overwhelm all other sources of soreness. But hoping was a dull affair now, only isolating her further. She was hiding, yes. Hiding from the truth, the memories, her, him… the accusing eyes. The loss was too much to bear… Life hadn't betrayed her wholly, but she had completed the unfinished task. It was her fault… this emptiness… this hole in her existence.

Woh bhi toh humse kho gaye hai… Aisi hai tanhai…

Underneath this veil of darkness, it seemed she stood in a centre with nameless fingers pointing towards her… She hadn't cried at all. But it was her only desire right now, just to let is escape through the tears… but they refused to oblige. And so she sat… hoping for the night to last… so she could hide under its darkness…

Ab toh dil rooteh, dard manaye… Aisi hai tanhai…

Saya bhi saath jab chodh jaaye… Aisi hai tanhai…

An even greater truth hid in her chest every night and she silently cradled it… rocking it into innocent slumber… hiding it from the unseen…

(Song lyrics from the movie the movie "Dillagi", sung by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)

Comments/ Criticism/ Suggestions all much welcome!
Cheers,
dc

Originally posted by: k-ekta fan

1ce Again huge around of a Applause 2 u 4 wondeully puttin up ur part.....

It's beautiful yet passionate part 4 me...

ishhh mine dirty mind thought of sumthng else at dat point.. but i can c fire in bth of dem

Mona, you're such a darling! Thanks for always keeping me on my toes... 😳 And about your "dirty mind" ahem... Lets not go there!😆😉

Cheers,
dc

@ Koolaries... Thank you so much! I really appreciate your comments and time:)

@ Tashu, thanks babu! I'm glad you enjoyed... now please oblige to your floating ffs on this forum! ... Please, of course hehe.

Cheers,
dc

amazing... mindblowing.. fantastic!! do continue sooon.. i just love adi-mets n ur ff is gr8...

Originally posted by: koolaries4

amazing... mindblowing.. fantastic!! do continue sooon.. i just love adi-mets n ur ff is gr8...

do continue soon!

Thanks bud, I will continue very soon, pakka!😊

Cheers,
dc

"Lagta hai bheegne kii addat padh gayee hai tumhe," the comment reeked of exhaustion. Nothing out of the ordinary…

She wondered for a few seconds at the cold darkness contained within the white china in her hand, before taking a quiet sip. Instantly, her lips puckered as bitterness struck the inside of her mouth with an unexpected anger. She held it there, in her mouth for a few lingering moments, calming it, just like every time. Swallowing the liquid, she brought it again to her readied lips… bracing them for another round. It was after the third sip, when her taste buds finally reacquainted themselves with the flavour that she turned around, focusing on the doe-like eyes of Riyaza Mehmood Ali, the second balancing factor in her life.

Her lips parted for a brief second… but then the thought drifted… and so did her will to recapture it. But then again, it was too late as her friend had a particular expression on her face as she gingerly arrested her with her distant gaze. Within this pause, she studied Riya's features, outlining them with her eyes as though seeing her for the first time. Their life was so perfect… Maithali/Metz, Riyaza/Riya… Shalini/Shalu. Lacking words, she turned back towards the cup, a solitary figure on the large marble island. Curling the middle three fingers around the handle, she quickly jugged back a few sips. It was a feeble attempt in trying to avoid the familiar pang cut into the left side of her chest as she recalled the images of times spent together.

Riya had always been the practical one, the one who made the decision of where to go when the other two were indecisive, the one who told them that A was better than B because... She was always the "thinker" and they put the plan into action. Then Dil entered her life and Shalini left the picture, literally. That is when Maithali and Shalini recognized another side to their friend. Riya was always frank, sometimes, too much so. Her blunt manners did take a low seat, but only in the presence of close ones. She was never one to embrace new people smoothly, until Dilbar Khan stepped into her life. Maithali always felt that Riya was insecure of herself, a topic she had daringly touched in conversation with her friend once. It was that day, when she learned about the man in her friend's life… She was afraid to lose Dil. All this information sounded so distant, clichd, even ridiculous to her at moments, until her own dil wandered into untried waters… Riya and Dil were in love, something so pure, untouched by her own heart… she admired her friend's relationship, secretly wondering if such a path would lay before her one day. It had been five and a half years since Riya and Dil were brought together by a traditional nikaah, and the last two had passed as they tried fruitlessly for a child. Although her friend rarely spoke of it, she could feel the mist of pain edge her unsettling eyes.

It was Riya's frankness that allowed Maithali and herself to keep from falling completely apart after their irredeemable loss. Maithali had always admired her friend's composure, her ability to listen and assess and... Accept. But somewhere within, Maithali knew, even Riya had not been fully able to accept Shalini's physical absence. She was a tough shell, but the event had punctured her in a place she had not ever expected... and as much as she tried to cover it, the hole could never be entirely covered.

Riya sighed, tired, both physically and emotionally. Her hands had reached out pull in the large rectangular frame of the glass, but fell to her sides when a flicker of giggly air met her skin... For a few reminiscent seconds, she stood facing the outside. For the first time, she found herself looking for more than the obvious... finding it surprisingly easy. It was a warm autumn day, the vibrant sun making itself present between scattered spaces not occupied by the leaves on tall trees. The atmosphere was relatively quiet... while the light drizzle came down randomly, but sweetly. Laughter could be heard in some unseen corner, an escatic, bubbly laughter… and then her eyes fell towards the three colours dancing in the rain. Shalini, dressed in a vibrant orange, Maithali in a lemony yellow, and herself in a sea green…

"Kissi ne shayad kaha tah… Coffee should be black as hell… strong as death… and sweet as… love…" (Author unknown)

The reverie broke away as she turned now to face the back of her friend, still holding the cup in hand. Her arms crossed briefly, she walked casually towards the other side of the counter, pulling out a glass. "Tumhe toh coffee kabhi pasand hi nahin thi, ab chahe wohe kaali ho, tez, yaan meeti…" (You never even liked coffee, whether it was dark, strong, or sweet…) she responded nonchalantly, feeling oddly relaxed. Now opening the fridge, her eyes settled on the jug of water, before scanning other contents disinterestedly. Filling the glass, she replaced the jug and went to fill the empty seat across from her friend. Taking a long sip, she finally looked up to see Maithali still engrossed by the dark liquid…

Silence provided companion for an unknown period of time.

"Mujhe coffee aaj bhi nahin pasand… Ye toh sirf ek bahana hai," she began, oblivious of any ears witnessing her awakening past…

Flashback

Mumbai was in the midst of one of its strongest monsoon seasons. The vast sky was coloured grey, while Mother Earth lay drenched with the muddy imprints of her ignorant children… Through flashes of windshield wipers, he caught an old man yell a few angry words at a hurried cyclist, a cluster of bodies huddling under the mini roof of a bus stop, while heads popped out randomly through the line of cars ahead of him.

Leaning back into the leather, he loosened his grip on the wheel, while rolling his head back into the headrest… Closing his eyes, he felt the pungent smell of dark, strong, sweet coffee. Voluntarily, a tender, reminiscent smile touched lightly upon his lips… and slowly, he opened his eyes, appreciating the looseness of his muscles. In the same tune, he turned the dial in the music compartment, immediately caught off guard by the ease with which the air mingled him… He was never much for mushy-soft Hindi solos and duets, but he felt even in a disinterested way, the melody tugged beyond his crust…

Ishq tere ne hume khoob nachaya… mar gaye hum hai rabba…

Ishq tere ne sariyaam lutaya… mar gaye hum hai rabba…

Ishq tere ne har baar churaya… mar gaye hum hai rabba…

Ishq tere ne hume yoon sataya… mar gaye hum hai rabba…

The beginnings of thunder tried in vain to break the inexplicable tranquillity overwhelming him…

Sajni hooo… sajni… hooo…

Behind the cover of his lids, now rest a forest… a silky black forest… A forest that whipped in the presence icy breeze, sending another wave scatter across a face… Distantly, he could hear the thunder begin rage with a stronger force. Curiosity interrupted the softness of the flow as he tried to penetrate the forest…

Sajni hooo… sajni hooo…

Alas, he caught a distinctly outlined pair of eyes… sharp, incisive eyes… As another whisper of the breeze breathed against the layers of the forest, he couldn't help but wonder…

Teri yaad mein sajna… subhaa shuru ho jaati hai…

Teri yaad mein sajna… raatein mujhe tarpaati hai…

The eyes were dark… so dark, they seemed unusually light…

Saathi yaan tare bina… mora laage na jiya…

Tere bina meri raat hai… tarpan din raat hai…

The chords of his mind churned with one another… He knew them… those eyes… Again, he saw them smiling back at him… striking… Within the next beat he realized he could recognize those eyes anywhere… They reminded him of…

Sajni ho… Sajni… hooo…

Opening the curtains, he allowed his surroundings to melt him again with reality. As he lifted them, his eyes caught a familiar face… Or so he thought. Could it be? Na, turning his attention back to the front, he remembered the traffic line, which seemed to have loosened… with him… And then it came flashing through the abundance of sky… a demanding stroke of… lightening. He bore into the place where he had seen the deadly flicker moments before… and then allowed his gaze to wander back in the direction of the woman shedding what seemed like a stream of curses. Her strong features gave an air of irritancy.

Sajni hoo…

The tune had somewhere lost against the lightening bolt, and found a sophisticated smile tingle at the edge of his lips. Turning the volume dial low, he continued his distant observation.

"Beep… beep!" Jerking into movement, he realized the traffic had dimmed and it was his go… Smile still intact, he swerved cautiously, but coolly, to the right.

"Aaj toh Bijlee pe bhi bijlee gir padi…" (Looks like a lightening bolt struck Lightening herself…) he commented while putting his machine into park, and giving her an amused expression to judge. Her eyes were violent, like the thunder shaking the earth, and striking like the lightening. As they found him, he was surprised to notice the fire dim, giving way to a impish twinkle.

"Mr. Mehra…" The name rolled off easily from her mouth, a memorable tone to it. She was approaching his window… or so he had thought. Instead, she turned to the right door to her car, her hand on the handle… her face turned towards him.

"Aisa din kabhi nahin aayega… aur aap toh who aakhri insaan hoge na, jinneh ye baat mujhe samjhani padey…" (Such a day will never come… and you're the last person I should need to explain that to…) With that, she ran a few fingers through tangled bits of hair. The lemony-yellow chunri that had fallen off her head, now found its destination again with the help of her precise fingers. As she lifted her arm, he watched with unexplained interest at the clear drop cascading down the side of her cheek… the length of her neck… and lose itself somewhere…

"Chaho toh main tumhaari madat kar sakta hoon…" (If you want, I can help you…) he offered nonchalantly. Immediately, her attention shifted to him. He could feel the friction race each breath that passed between them…

"Shayad aapko yaad hoga, maine aapse kabhi kaha tah…" (Perhaps you will remember, I once told you…)

"Jiss din mujhe tumhaari zaroorat padehgi na Mehra…uss din waqt toh kya, saari kayanaat ek pal mein tham jaayegi…" (The day I need your help Mehra… that day, not only will time stand still, but so will the entire universe…) Her attention paused entirely on him for a moment. "Mujhe bhi koi shaunq nahin hai… but tum chaho toh iss madat ke badle… mujhe coffee pilaah sakti ho," (Not making a habbit of it… but if you want, you can make me a cup of coffee in exchange for this favour) he offered. If she was surprised, she knew well how to mask it… Instead, all he caught was the smile spreading to her lips before she walked to the passenger side of his car.

The drive was strangely comfortable… It amazed him how easily conversation threaded between them. They talked about their recent meeting, which was a breezy affair, still fresh in his mind… And then the unexpectedness of this one. "Lagta hai upar waale chahta ke hum phir milein… tabhi toh baar baar…" (It seems the one in the skies wants us to meet… that's why we keep…)

As they came to a stop in the parking lot of her apartment residence, he watched her turn herself completely to face him with a complicated smile… "For your information sweetheart, ye sirf doosri baar hai… aur waise bhi, coffee mujhe pasand nahin…" (… this is only the second time… and besides, I don't fancy coffee…), and with that she was outside, waiting for him, while adjusting the lemony veil… playing with her tendrils.

Stepping into the small, but spacious living area, he took in a well-recognized fragrance beckon his senses. He wasn't at all surprised at the deep, urbane tones of the interior… blacks, whites, greens and hints of yellow. As he came towards the white ottoman, his curious gaze fell upon a moment captured in the small frame. Three young, smiling faces, only the one which he recognized. Walking past the object sitting solitarily on the cherry side-table, he made himself comfortable on the sofa.

Closing his eyes momentarily, the recent events of his day flashed past his mind. A strange excitement bubbled in his chest… like when one finds something long lost. Along with it, came… confusion. Feeling a tingle on his cheek, he opened his eyes… only to see hers pour into him. The thunder outside could faintly be heard… but besides the fact, he could hear something near him pound… something close… his heart. It was as though he had been caught in the midst of a lie. Shedding himself of the awkward feeling, he gave himself to the beautiful scene afore. Her hair was no longer a matted mess, rather a stunning wave of curling ends… the bronzish tone of her skin highlighted now with loosened skin… the lemony attire retired for a pristine white salwar kameez. He always knew she was beautiful, but that was a fact over-shadowed by the friction dominating between them. It was perhaps one of the rare moments he actually had to appreciate her uniqueness…

"Le loh… main coffe le kar aati hoon," it took him a delayed moment to realize she was handing him something… a towel. Slightly embarrassed, but not showing it, he rubbed his face with his right hand as though judging a long slumber. Indeed, he had no idea how long it had been…

"Thanks," he murmured while taking the towel with one hand and removing his blazer with the other.

The kitchen was attached to the main area, and he could see her deftly, as she worked around to prepare him his part of the exchange. Undoing the first three buttons of his shirt, he loosened the tie snaking around his neck and then proceeded to fold the arms…

"Nice place" he commented to the air.

"Thanks" he heard the response. The smile in her voice was evident. "Tum apni coffee kaise lete ho?" (How do you like your coffee?) He got up and wandered to where she was readying the ingredients. Leaning across the marble surface, the only dividing factor between them, he matched her questioning eyes. "Coffee, should be black as hell… strong as death… and sweet as love…" Her attention did not buzz and it dawned on her after a few seconds how awkwardly close they were… He was leaning in, and she had already been doing so… She could feel the warmth of his breath touch upon her face. Feeling self-conscious, her eyes fell lower to his… His lips were a breath a way… It suddenly felt like he would lean in, and she had no knowing what to do. Her heart seemed to freeze like her body…

The sound of metal meeting marble caught them both off guard. A silent thanks whispered into the air, as she removed her stiff position and walked to the range. As she fumbled with the bubbling pot, he realized how her hands had begun to shake. Quietly berating herself, she dabbed the end of her chunri against her forehead, feeling light drops of perspiration on the side.

Tray in hand, she arrived in the living area and set it down on the centre table… all the while, effectively avoiding his gaze until handing him his coffee. "Umeed hai, aapko achi lage gi," (I hope you like it) she suggested while leaning back with her hot chocolate. She watched interestedly as he held the cup between his firm grasp, his nostrils catching hold of the powerful odour, unleashing a smile to his eyes…

Against the far wall, a round object clicked away at the dials of unmeasured time… as they sat catching up with such strange ease… it made them uneasy…

End Flashback

** Hey guys, I wrote this quickly... so loads of mistakes! And I'm not sure if it made any sense... sorry! The song is from "Teri Sajni" Album... Please leave comments, criticisms, and suggestions.

Cheers,

dc

Fantastic update Neetu! Love the vivid brilliance of your writing. Each detail just comes to life! Love the way you describe Adi's thoughts in the flashback, particularly with the way you talk about how it was "as though he had been caught in the midst of a lie." A perfect preface to the surrealness of the moment to follow.. its strangeness and its dangerous possibilities.. wah! Looking forward to the next one!

Neetu.. azaming Part wid so much passion.. i mean Where Madi 2gether.. dere passion cum on popping out.. hehhehe