“I’d better be going now. It’s already dark and chilled outside.”- said Preet putting his empty cup of tea back on the table, which he’d been holding for long all immersed in that conversation. He was the silent listener though, for the most part of that conversation.
He somehow uttered those words, but deep down he knew he didn’t want to go. The view he had in front of him, he could have stayed there forever just sitting idle, doing nothing but admiring it infinitely. For a moment he felt like he could spend his entire life just by looking at that smile and those bright eyes full of sheer joy.
The girl who was sitting on the other side of the table, was down by high fever until a while ago, just before Preet dropped by to see her and ever since she showed no signs of illness. Rather, she looked very cheerful and happier than ever.
“Thank you, Preet you showed up. This is for the first time she’s smiled and laughed in the entire week, otherwise, she hardly got off her bed due to the constant high fever.”- said her mother emerging out of the kitchen into the living room with a glass of water in one hand and a couple of pills in another. Preet didn’t say anything, but just smiled in response to her statement.
“Here you go Priya. It’s time now, have these pills.”- said Priya’s mother putting the glass of water in front of her on the table while still holding the pills in her hand.
“But Mom, I am fine now. I don’t want to have these bitter-as-poison pills.”- Priya tried to reason with her mother to avoid taking the medicine, but to no avail.
“You’re fine or not, either way you’re going to complete this course of medicines.”- said her mother firmly, without showing any signs of leniency.
“I think she is right Priya. You should take your medicines sincerely until you get over this high fever completely.”- added Preet supporting her mother’s statement.
Priya eventually had to give in and she took all the pills in one go. She grimaced the moment she swallowed all those pills. Instinctively, she drank all the water she had in the glass.
“That was yuck.”- said Priya placing the glass of water back on the table. “You happy now, Mom?”- she added.
“Yes, now I am.”- replied her mother with a chuckle. Preet also laughed at that and got off his chair to leave. Priya saw him standing up and leaving.
“Mom, Preet is leaving now, let me just see him off till the main gate of the block.”- Priya insisted.
“Hey Priya, that’s an absolute no. It’s cold out there and you’re sick.”- interrupted Preet and denied her going outside.
“Yes Priya, you’re not going outside under any circumstances.”- said Priya’s mother firmly, fixing her spectacles.
“But Mom, I am going to be even sicker if I kept myself confined to these walls. I guess I am not recovering fast because I have been inside for more than a week now. I haven’t had the fresh air in all those days. I think I can afford to have some now, when I am feeling better.”- insisted Priya putting her point quite rationally.
Preet and Priya’s mother exchanged glances at her statement, which presumably, seemed right to them as well.
“Ok, if you insist. But ensure that you’ll be back soon, and wait, let me get you the shawl to wrap around yourself.”- said her mother and disappeared into the other room just to be back with a shawl with her.
“Wear it right now.”- instructed her mother giving her the shawl.
Priya stood up and Preet was still looking at her. Even in her casuals, wearing pajamas and a half sleeves round neck t-shirt, with no make up at all and her waistline long black hairs tied in a pony with a strand of hairs dangling around her right temple until her lips, made her look so beautiful and elegant.
She coiled her hairs to make them into a knot just when Preet interrupted impulsively.
“Hey, Priya let it be, you look beautiful in pony.”
But in no time, he sensed the blunder he had done and therefore to cover up he added further – “I mean, let’s get going. Why waste time and effort in tying your hairs into a knot.”- said Preet pretending to be casual.
But as they say it, the damage was done already. Priya’s mother looked at him through her glasses with her eyebrows raised.
Priya, ignoring his comment said - “Oh yes, let’s go Preet, you must be getting late.” and rushed to the door of the living room leading the way outside. Preet bade her mother goodbye and vanished out of the room quickly, shutting the door behind him.
Outside, Priya was waiting for him by the main gate of the house across the lawn. She waved her hand, signaling him to move quickly.
The weather outside was very cold and dark, the streetlights were lit, though. The yellowish hue of light rays dissipated from the bulbs of the streetlamps over their heads had decorated the street magically.
The two started walking quietly in the street towards the main gate of the block which was about fifty meters away from Priya’s home. The fog also had begun to fall, that however, had made the night even more enchanting and fascinating instead of making it unpleasant.
Priya started to talk about random things once again. The two of them, about a foot apart, walking in the street talking to each other as they went along. During that conversation Priya talked, smiled, and chuckled, and Preet just enjoyed every word spluttered out of her mouth and occasionally looking at her face, which glowed even more brightly in the light of the streetlamps.
They’d covered just half the way when Preet felt the anxiety of being parted from her.
“Am I falling for you, Priya?”- wondered Preet, looking at her face. Soon he realized that Priya had stopped speaking, she seemed lost in her thoughts.
“It’s time we finally say goodbye to each other.”- said Preet intensely and stopped walking expecting her to return home.
“Why finally? I mean, this is not the last time we’re meeting, Preet.”- replied Priya anxiously.
“Oh, of course not Priya. I didn’t mean it like that.”- Preet explained himself.
“I don’t know about you Preet, but all these days when I was home, away from you, I felt that void for the first time in my life which I was utterly oblivious about earlier.”- wondered Priya tugging the strand of hair behind her ear.
“You didn’t show up for all these days Priya, suddenly I felt that you’ve already become an indispensable part of my life. This yearning of seeing you just for once made me realize that I’ve already fallen for you, and there is no turning back now.”- wondered Preet nodding his head.
“Did you say something?”- asked Priya seeing him nod.
“Oh, nothing Priya. I didn’t say anything.”- replied Preet pretending to be quiet.
They didn’t realize but they had reached the main gate, and both were standing at the same spot for about five minutes now, without talking much.
“So? Should we take our ways now?”- asked Preet with a heavy heart.
“No. I wish this moment just freezes right here.”- wondered Priya. She, however, replied otherwise- “I guess so. You are late already.”
“But I don’t want to go.”- mumbled Preet.
“Sorry? I didn’t hear you clearly, Preet.”- asked Priya anxiously.
“Oh, nothing Priya, I mean you’d better be going too. I’ll take my way now.”- replied Preet with a smile and moved out of the main gate with heavy steps.
Priya followed him and hung onto the gate for a while, holding the grills of the gate, her eyes stuck at Preet who was walking away with every passing second.
She kept looking at him until he disappeared around the corner and a lovely smile flitted across her face spontaneously.
She, indeed, was sure now that she was in love.
Preet usually was a very quick walker, but that night he was walking slow, rather swaying in rhythm with both his hands shoved into his jean’s pockets, his head looking up and down occasionally with a never-ending smile on his face.
Apparently, he was in love.
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