This is my attempt at a fiction, after almost 15 years. I had this written for a fiction contest. It did not qualify for winning though. Hence self-publishing at my beloved blog 🙂
Slender fingers with a little hair lined up on them. Long arms, upright back, sturdy shoulders and then those ears – Ah! How I want to pull them mischievously. A little above stands that face; the face that has occupied my entire being in the last thirty days. It’s a serious one, but when it smiles, handsomeness gets defined all by itself. Sharp eyes that has hardly met me once or twice, but when it did, I got paralyzed.
That long nose – how often I’ve wished to pinch them! Neatly cut hair – Why can’t my hand do a rhythmic brush on them?! White shirt – surprisingly he is in formal today; Fridays usually find him with his shaggy grey T-shirt on. Left hand writing – everything is special about him. Ufff! Oh my Viki…..………….
THUD!
I got back to the class when that grey-haired mentor made a sudden loud explanation of some math on the board. Nonsense! Doesn’t he know anything about love at all? Why does he have to teach the same dry algorithm day after day?
The training is coming to an end today and we would move to our allotted client teams from Monday. When I received the final batch list yesterday, I nervously opened it only to find that Viki and I are put into different teams. Phew!
I’ve always envied friends who fall in love. How magical it would be! For the first time, this magic has happened to me. I met Vikram here, in this training. I really don’t know what love feels like. But I don’t know why the hell I secretly admire his being. It’s as if he has tied a rope to my eyes, trying to pull it against my resistance. I follow his fingers as it tosses his pen, brushes his hair, goes to the chin and comes back again to the pen. Sometimes, like when this man shouts about his math, I come back to reality to feel ashamed of what I’ve been doing. My eyes would quickly scan the room to make sure I’ve not been noticed. A little while pass and then once again I dream of pulling his ears and pinching his nose! If love from one side is so much thrilling, I can imagine how mad a two-way love would drive one.
He is as quiet and withdrawn as me. A couple of times, I’ve tried to take a seat near him in the cafeteria, hoping I might strike a conversation with him. Nothing has ever worked. No hope either that anything will work after today. Monday will find him in another building after all.
There is another story unwinding back at home. My sister-in-law has suggested one of his distant relatives as the best match for me. Good job, good salary, good family – people at home are impressed for these three reasons and they will be at my place this evening. SILs are another kind of nonsense! However, I don’t have a big reason to say no. My wedding is almost in the air.
At last that evening is here. Home is under tension and excitement. My mom has been praying since morning that the other party should feel ok about me; about us. I am not dressed up traditionally like film heroines though I was told a little touch up could make me look better. No bit of paper or dust is left to settle down at any corner of the house. Plans about what should be answered for their probable questions are discussed and declared to everybody. Looks like those people are already near our gate. I am instructed to be inside my room until called. And I am waiting……
We are at a cozy eat-out. I am seated so close to him that I can feel the warmth of his breath though we’ve not been touching each other. As always, I am mesmerized by his dignified looks. We do not speak anything much but there’s a lot that we’ve been conversing silently. My eyes, for the nth time, reach him. Those ears – How I want to pull them mischievously! That long nose – how I wish to pinch them! That hair………
’Priyanka……..’
Oh My! I am called! I looked at the mirror one last time before leaving the room. ‘Oh my Viki, you wouldn’t even know that this girl secretly admired you for thirty days of your life.’
I stepped out. That embarrassing moment in a girl’s life! I slowly looked up and the first person my eyes fell at was that GUY.
WHAT????!!!!!#######&&&&&&******%^>@!%$<?+_?
I wanted to run to him, pounce at him, slap on his face, hit his head hard, scratch his cheeks, tear his white shirt apart, bite his fingers, fall onto his feet and cry aloud ‘Oh my Viki…..!!!!!!!!!’
All was controlled. For the first time, I gathered all my guts in the last thirty days; I smiled at him and said ‘Hai.’ He looked surprised as well at the familiar face. And then the heaven opened, he smiled and said ‘Hello Priyanka.’
That was enough!
Did I call you nonsense, my dear sister-in-law? You are an angel from above. Even the grey-haired mentor seemed nice for some reason. My eyes are now jammed. It wouldn’t move away from Vikram. My goodness! I can pull his ears, pinch his nose and brush his hair in a few days.
It’s No Longer a Dream!
Photo Courtesy
My Secret Love 1 – www.abc.net.au
My Secret Love 2 – www.dreamstime.com