He wanted to look into those cute
eyes. He wanted to touch those soft hands. He had understood the meaning of
bliss the day he had held his girlfriend’s hand for the first time. Today was
different, though. She was no longer around. Fate had done them apart. But
today, he could sense a similar bliss again. Someone beautiful was sitting with
him, right by his side. Neither had he exchanged vows with her, nor had he
dreamt of a life together with her. All he had done was get mesmerized;
mesmerized by her innocence. And mesmerized even more he was that night as the
music started to build up. Slowly but surely people were putting their dancing
shoes on. She was lost in a world of her own though; lost, but irresistible. Was
she really so beautiful, or was it the alcohol? He turned his eyes away lest he
lost himself there.
His eyes fell on the clock. The
needles- He could see, sense and feel those. Those needles moved nonchalantly,
and cut through his heart slowly but surely.
Those moments were not going to come back again, and so he got up and
took her along to the dance floor. He held her and danced with her; a dance
which he could remember for his life. The music was loud, but the feeling was
mellow, and yet there was fire in that mellowness.
The needles meanwhile had moved
with their nonchalance. They had reached a point of no return. His heart had
been cut through as the music had stopped. It was time to drop her back to her
place. He was high. May be it was the alcohol. May be it was her. As the cab
drove towards her home, he felt as if he was going to come crashing down. May be
it was the alcohol. No! It was definitely her. She was leaving for her parents’
place next morning. She was getting engaged 2 weeks later.
That is why; he had chosen to
remain silent and he had been successful till then. Her home was now near, and
he was feeling the desire to blurt it all out to her. This, for once, was
definitely alcohol! He fought within. He was not the one for her. He was not
part of the plan. Her destiny was going to get sealed with someone else. With
someone she loved. So why wreck her ship now when it was all set to sail. A year
ago, someone had wrecked his ship. So much so that it eventually sank. He was
not going to do it to someone else. As
she departed, she gave him a warm hug. He turned away and left, daring not to
look back. He knew that if he looked back, he would go weak; that his strength
would dwindle away, and that he would as well, end up in tears.
And thus he went away, far away
from her. He was in pain. But this was different. It was not the despairing
pain he had felt a year ago. The pain that night was a sweet pain. It writhe
his heart, but made him smile. This was neither she nor the alcohol. This smile
was all about him; the incorrigible optimist. Till next time!
