Smirks and Words
Three years. It had been three years since he last saw her, and yet, he knew it was her the instant he arrived and saw a woman talking to the bride and groom with her back towards him.
Vidushi.
As if having heard her name uttered in his mind, she turned. A slight widening of her eyes was all he caught of her emotions on seeing him after three years, before her smug smile, which he knew to be fake, was turned on.
"Parth!!"
He shifted his focus to the bride, who was looking resplendent in her red lehenga and warm smile. Sanyukta.
He smiled, as he walked towards her and enveloped her in a hug.
"Hey, hey, no hitting on my wife now," a voice full of mirth said. He let go of Sanyukta and grinned at Randhir.
"Of course, man. I'll hit you, instead." And punching Randhir playfully, he hugged him.
"Bas, bas. You'll wrinkle my sherwani," Randhir said, mock-annoyed, with his eyes clearly showing his mirth.
Sanyukta smacked his shoulder at the remark and glared at him, a look that clearly said, "Behave!"
Vidushi had disappeared during this interaction.
"Something wrong, Parth?" Sanyukta asked, as she saw him look around.
"Huh? Oh, no. No, everything's fine. I'll-I'll go mingle a bit." he said, grinning uneasily.
As he went off, Randhir and Sanyukta exchanged glances. They had noticed Parth looking at Vidushi before he came to greet them.
Sanyukta remembered the day before graduation, three years back. Or night, rather.
She'd been unable to sleep and so had decided to talk a walk around the campus. And on reaching the basketball court, had seen a sight which she hadn't even thought about as plausible. A sight which she'd breathed about only to Randhir.
Parth and Vidushi. On the basketball court. Sharing a kiss.
The sight had rendered her speechless, and she had rushed away, her cheeks crimson. The fact that she had witnessed such an intimate moment not only embarrassed her, but also brought back memories of her own with Randhir.
She'd observed Parth and Vidushi the next day, but they'd behaved the way they did every single day. A mixture of gruffness and cordiality.
There was nothing she could do.
Then Vidushi had moved to the US, and what with so much going on in her own life, Sanyukta unconsciously pushed the memory to the back of her mind.
Only after finally getting together with Randhir and reminiscing about their first kiss, as they lay in bed together had she remembered what she'd seen.
Randhir was just as shocked, but not wanting to waste any time mulling over what their friends shared and possibly felt for one another, he'd kissed Sanyukta again. And all was forgotten.
But Parth hadn't forgotten any of it. His coming to the basketball court at night, spotting Vidushi there, trying to make a basket, helping her make one, her saying something vicious as usual, his anger rising, them quarrelling, her eyes filling up with tears, his shock, her turning to walk away, his catching hold of her hand and pulling her to himself and their kiss.
The shock in her eyes, the shock in his when she wound her arms around his neck, and the shock in both pairs of eyes as they realized what had happened. She'd slightly pushed him and run away and the next day, neither of the two had the courage to talk about what had happened, let alone acknowledge it.
And just like that, three years had passed away.
Three years, that Parth had spent thinking about that moment and Vidushi over and over again. She'd left for the US, and he wondered if she too thought about him and them.
Maybe I'll know now, Parth thought, as he finally spotted her, with her back turned towards him once again, having a cocktail.
"Have you learnt to handle alcohol living in the US?"
He mentally cringed. Of all the things he could say to her, this was what he'd ended up spewing? She'll probably glare at him and stalk off now, away from him, out of his life. Again.
"Let's just say I've learnt to handle myself with alcohol." She was smirking, as she turned and looked at him.
He raised an eyebrow. And then smirked.
The evening wore on like that. There were glances exchanged, hands that touched which led them to fake surprise at the contact. The attraction, though masked from everyone else, was clearly visible to both of them.
Outside the venue, late at night, they finally gave in and their lips met, her arms immediately going around his neck, and his around her waist. When they let go, there was the emotion in their eyes that had been masked by their shock, three years back- love.
The love that had grown during college, which none were aware of, but had stumbled upon the night before graduation. The love, that expressed itself by her being vicious and him being aggressive. The love they had discovered in the three years that they had spent apart. The love, that had always been pushed back, thinking the other was happier without them. The love, that had finally been expressed, without actually having to say it.
Lust, though, was a different matter altogether, which needed words-
"Is your hotel close, Vidushi?"
She distanced herself from him, and without another glance, walked away.
He wanted to stop her, shout after her, something-
"Well, Mr. Kashyap, aren't you coming?" She was smirking, a hand on her hip.
He smirked as he covered the distance between them and took her in his arms again, kissing her.
"After you, my lady."
-and smirks. And more words.
At least, that is what Parth and Vidushi would say to you were you to ask them about lust.
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