S8 39 Circar Express - part 9

continued from part 8

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We started out of the class, back to our homes.

On our way, I felt like I heard something. I turned sideways, “I'm sorry, did you say something?”

She said ever so softly, “Can you show me that Casper painting you mentioned?”

Her voice was still raw with holding in the tears. Sensitive yet strong. I'm getting inclined to her more and more.

I dashed to one of the exhibit boards of school, where my Casper painting has been lying around for a few years.

To make the moment light, I added, gesturing melodramatically, “Casper, meet Sonia; Sonia, meet Casper.”

This time she gave a real laugh, slowly leaving her inhibitions.

“It’s so nice & lifelike”

“Technically, it should be after-lifelike, I mean, theory suggests Casper is a cute little ghost.”

*A bigger laugh this time*

We walked out, and when we were just outside I looked at her with a contorted look in my face, and said, “Can you wait here for a few minutes?”

“Where are you going?”

“I need to pee really bad”

She nodded her head, giving a soft chuckle and left my hand free.

                                                              

----O----

We were slowly walking towards our homes. There wasn't any sense of hurry, sun was setting & the air around was coming in a light breeze as if it’s trying to blow a soft melody into a flute. Quiet, cool, and low whistle hum kind of breeze.

Trees turned to silhouette, as the reddish-indigo sun bid farewell for the day. 

The only sounds were occasional vehicle horns, flocks of birds flowing back to their sweet homes, with food & fun facts for their young ones, & that of our breath with the soft music of the night breeze in the background. Her dupatta was just following the wind & fluttering slightly, in cute ripples, rhythmically blocking the distant street lamp light that fell on us, making a mosaic of orange black shadows behind us.

My hands were grazing the surface of the back of her hand. Then suddenly I felt my palm was touching her palm. I wanted to grab it, then & there, but I'm not sure if that's accidental or accidentally-on-purpose.

Of course she had taken my hand once, but that was when I was comforting her.

After a small debate between emotion and logic, my heart won the race. I gently laced my fingers through hers.  Neither of us spoke a word, and it felt the natural thing, nothing out of place.

Sometimes silence conveys more than what an intricate vocabulary can. A silence which was so satiating.

Her grip tightened. We were just walking, and then we crossed my home, but I didn't tell her out of fear of leaving her hand.

Holding her hand gave me a sense of contentment & fulfillment and a whole new reason for my life.

----O----

We were almost at her home, she asked “Coffee?”

“I'd love to, but let's have some other day, it's too much for one day, I’m not sure whether all this really happened”

She acquiesced with a small nod.

And just when we were about to part, “Hey, I thought you might like it”, I handed her the painting.

Her eyes turned to saucers, clearly puzzled, “You stole back your own painting?”

“I've a feeling Casper likes it near you than in that exhibit board”

Without warning, suddenly she threw her arms over me & hugged.

*lub-dub*

*lub-dub*

I can feel her heart beat, while I found my own missing.

I'm breathing contentedly, with the sweet smell of Jasmine, her soft hair all over my face giving the tickling sensation.

I don't how much time we were like that, before she relinquished her hold on me, suddenly aware of the surroundings.

“So..”

“So...”

“Meet you tomorrow, Sonia”

“Mahi”. “My close niche calls me Mahi”

“I thought you said I was stupid & mean”

“That you definitely are, but I think I can deal with that”, she winked & left.

I kept looking until her moonlit profile faded into the distance and the door of her house was shut behind her.

And I was walking on the road lost in thoughts when suddenly a car's hooting & screeching sound made by its tires, as it suddenly came to halt inches behind me, brought me back to reality.

“Hey, did you tell in your house before you came?” Yelled the driver.

“Oh, sorry! My bad!”

Now, where am I?

The realization hit me like a truck.

I should go back to my school. My cycle was back at school, along with my friend Rakesh who would be waiting for me there.

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click here for part 10