Rustling leaves against the wind was music to her ears since it marked the arrival of him. The one who stole her heart the day he encouraged her to follow her dreams. She lifted her eyelids in slow-motion, trying to capture the exquisite sight before her, like a tattoo engraved on her heart.
"He's so handsome!" she whispered in a hoarse voice. That's when she realized that there was no saliva to wet the dryness of her mouth.
His brisk steps on a cold Autumn evening spoke volumes of his physique. The coolness of the air did nothing to hamper his strides. A dazzling smile plastered on his striking form, showing his perfect set of thirty-two, acted as a greeting to her as soon as she was visible to him. Hiding behind a yellowing tree with its thick trunk did not manage to conceal her small frame well.
"It must be my dupatta flying with the wind", she thought ruefully.
"Rachna?" his musical voice interrupted her train of thoughts.
No, wait! That was her cousin-sister, Gunjan.
"Rachna!" Gunjan almost shouted this time.
"Yes!" she replied in a playful response.
It was one year since Gunjan was introduced to her, but she felt as if she knew the girl her entire life. They may be as different as chalk and cheese, but they share everything, from as small as makeup and as trivial as a boring lecture in College to as big as a bedroom and important as life's experiences.
"I see, you're daydreaming about Rajeev again," she said in a matter-of-fact yet teasing tone.
Before Gunjan had time to think, her abdomen was being assaulted with soft hits from the pillows being thrown at her. She tried to find refuge behind the cupboard but to no avail.
"Were you daydreaming about your meeting this afternoon at the park?" Gunjan asked more seriously this time.
Her tone immediately made Rachna calm down.
"Yes," she sighed, "I'm very excited yet so nervous".
"You should be!" Gunjan added, "you're doing this in secrecy, after all."
The mention of the word "secrecy" transported her back to the day Rajeev had called her at the restaurant. Although that day was not a pretty memory, it did make that the first of many meetings. He was very concerned about her growing affection for him, but nevertheless, he could not ignore the pulling of his heartstrings at the sight of her innocent face. He could swear he saw a halo appear whenever he saw her. But he had to be strong for them both. They could not get swayed by emotions. He clearly and patiently explained to her, the dynamics of their relationship. He ignored the nagging fang of pain at his heart when streams of precious tears escaped her eyes as his ruthless words sank in. His emotions were threatening to break free. Luckily, he got a grip of himself and came to a solution. They could meet once a month, as friends, just the two of them. It was not what she was hoping for but it was more than she can ask for. The key to life is contentment.
"I happily agreed to the solution," she told Gunjan, "just for an hour of his time per month, I'm hiding so much from everyone".
But she was happy, maybe it was selfish of her, but somewhere inside, she always knew this happiness will be short-lived.
"Might as well make the most of it," she said more to herself than her sister, as she started carefully applying her make up as flawlessly as possible to meet him.
So how was it? π³
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