Gone By (24 page)

“See those birds” pointing my finger at them.

“They are beautiful” she said.

“Just like you” I grinned. She smiled with her lips locked and pressed together.

Her eyes gleamed out into this bright Monday morning.

“I never knew you are so different from the other guys” she added her tone.

“Why that’s so”.

“You stay firm, alone wondering about with your dreams, chasing them, thinking good thoughts, spending time with nature” she said softly.

My lips slightly widened and broke out a smile. I could see Anannya constantly watching me very close. Just a space between us, she was seated beside me. I was held strong on my seat neither my feet nor hand made a movement. The silence walked over us and suddenly my voice cracked to speak out.

“I don’t know how much I’m precise by your saying”.

“No..You’re.....you don’t even talk to your own classmates..except for me. You are completely different but amazing” she said.

“Am I that way?” I inquired casually.

“Yeah!..One who gets to know you....then you’re wonderful soul to hang around”.

“Actually I love involving myself rather than involving others who would not worth to me”.

She gazed very close into my eyes. In fact, I felt the burn of her strong gaze. So tempting and inevitable was she that morning that I couldn’t leave a sight of her. The silent ambient and cool breeze added to our company watching those hill tops across far distance. The place had a wonderful access viewing the mist of clouds covering the green hills. So was our bench just close to such wonderful sight.

“So, you don’t trust anybody” she asked.

“I trust myself”.

The reflection of her natural beauty followed with the nature and I couldn’t believe she was seated beside me with her lips moving out of words. Heart beats racing higher, hands started to shook, treating each other like the love birds enveloped in one cage.

“You should trust yourself at first” said Anannya. I gave a close smile to her.

“So, how’s your boyfriend”.

“Well, he’s good and caring”.

“So, you have been in love with him since a year ago”.

“Yeah! It was a love with tragedy” she said.

“I never had the experience of falling in love”.

“Why”.

“It’s maybe I give more time to love myself than loving others”.

She smiled and looked around. Her eyes spoke silently and gestured tenderly towards me. “There’s something more in you, I can’t evaluate who you are but you’re someone I wouldn’t want to lose” she muttered softly.

“I appreciate your concern for being my good friend” I said.

She smiled and patted on my head. We were still seated outside. Neither of us concerning about the class to attend. I didn’t knew why I felt something different with her that day. She was much more casual and verbal. All my inner chords of love for her I could gradually release with no protest against myself. I began to grow as friend with her. Somewhere deep into the ocean of heart I threw the emotions of love and feelings for her. But I could give birth to new quest of happiness and joy. Perhaps, I was destined to fall in love with endurance of pain and sorrow. I began to reconsider myself into new creation with new philosophy of living style. I could hire the trial lesson that taught me the earlier year with those worldly roars of love which never paid me. That strong obsession for Anannya, I dimmed somewhere far across the oceans of Love where her name would fade away under the saline water. Maybe now I lost the reason to persuade her. She was completely into her relationship with her boyfriend. I could be more like a friend than lover to her.

“According to you what sort of Girl Is I” asked Anannya.

That was definitely not a kind of question for a guy like me.

“I think you’re good, lovely and wonderful” I muttered out in short sentence.

“Thanks for your such compliment” she said.

Our conversation began to grow bigger and bigger. We were so much engrossed with the natural beauty that surrounded us. Every words she spoke out made an impact on me. I stood and walked forward towards an edge, below I could see the greenery of trees covering the hills and the white clouds passing against each other from all directions. The distant hills dimmed in size and some vehicles passed on through the road which was fiddly visible from here. She came up and stood beside me.

“Look at those clouds” Anannya muttered very close to me.

“How beautiful they are”.

“They make a shape of a bird” she said pointing her finger up into the clouds.

“Yeah! Which bird do you think?”I grinned.

“Must be a dove...a symbol of peace and prosperity” she said casually.

“Is dove a symbol of peace” I inquired with some misconception on my mind.

“Yeah....I guess I’m right” she said.

“I never knew that..there’s a bird symbol for peace” said I.

She shifted inch closer to me. I could grasped the smell of her perfume. She glanced at me and muttered out, “You’re looking different today”.

I didn’t except such complimentary words from her but I had to thank her for those comment.

“Thanks”.

“I mean what sort of difference that took birth in me...could you elaborate” I added.

She looked at me with some amusement on her face. She began to smile wide.

“I don’t know..what to elaborate. I just said you’re different today” she giggled.

“What made you think you ”.

“I don’t know” she said.

“Want to hang around somewhere” I asked her.

“Sure..skipping the classes today”.

“That wouldn’t matter for one day” I said.

We began to walk down through a slope that led us to the school gate. She walked beside me. We were so close to each other. I could feel at some instance her finger touched my hand. Our steps added together down the slope until we reached the main gate.

“Let’s move into this direction” she urged.

“Sure..anywhere” I compiled my voice softly.

We began our steps slowly with no gestures of any movement of lips from each other. Her face managed to glance at me. I peeked her at once and spoke out with my soft voice “I never thought you’d be so nice to me”.

She looked at me like she was raised with surprise. Her eye brow raised quickly involving a sharp look at me.

“Why you thought I would be nice only to my boyfriend” said Anannya.

“No..that’s not the thing”.

She smiled and peeked around as we were moving ahead through the by lane. Few steps ahead there stood a stall with jars of biscuits and tea pot. We were moving towards it. We stopped by its side. The shopkeeper served us with cup of tea. With every sip of my cup, I could taste the sweetness that gloomed on her face. I watched her very close that day. She stood holding her cup before me. Unlike me, she was slow enough to take a single sip out of it.

“I liked the taste of the tea” she murmured.

“It’s the aroma of Darjeeling” said the shopkeeper from a side.

I smiled and looked at him. “Fantastic smell..I could ever sniff through my nose” I added softly. There were few empty chairs. I managed to grab one at side. Anannya took one and sat beside me. I could see the dark clouds floated into the sky. Perhaps lightening thunder would warn us before it sheds it’s drops of rain on to the earth. Even the air began to get little wilder and rough. “It’s better you come under the roof sir” said the shopkeeper.

We went in and settled with our respective chairs. Within no time we could hear the outburst of thunder and sudden strike of light reaching to earth surface.

“I just love rainy day” Anannya grinned.

“Rainy day spoils my ride”.

“Oh! Yeah..You got to learn how to ride a cycle”.

“Oh! C’mon Anannya..It slips away from the track. You can’t control that on a slippery road”.

We were seated idle with our talks on. Neither we could return back. We were blocked by the heavy storm. Some people were running in to save themselves from being wet. The rowdy wind still continued to blow. That day maybe I was lucky enough to have her by my side. Even the rain
and the wind wanted us to
stay together. Although, Anannya knew her boyfriend would be waiting for her. All I could just wait the rain to stop and let her safely return to whom she belong. The rain began to slow down. It’s droplets began to get lessened and the winds began to get gentle.

“I think we should hurry to get back” I said.

“Why you want to go so early. We can wait a little more” Anannya said looking at me deeply.

I peeked outside for a second. “Really...you want to wait”.

“Yes! I do” she heckled.

I couldn’t let her words down. Neither I had the strength to disobey at her command. Indeed, I was up to brim of cheer that surrounded my heart for that moment. I settled back at my chair. She was seated. After long wait I muttered out.

“Rain has gone down..lets walk out” I said.

“I think it’s good idea” she said.

The bill was paid to the shopkeeper. And we stepped out to take a walk marching forward. There were still drops of drizzle falling on us but that was not enough to wet us completely. As we walked on the silence came along with us. I was walking alongside very close to her. In every motion of my hand I could feel her soft hand that touched in every to and fro movement. She closed in and I was like letting her come as much as possible. Even the drizzling began to get denser and we were slowly getting wet from top. She clutched my hand. And I curled her into my arm tightly. We stood in the middle of the road that was completely empty from both the end. The wind began to blew normal with the dense addition of raindrops falling on us. She stepped more close to me. I couldn’t wait to hold her hip and press her tight against my body. Her hair was completely wet by now. So, was my shirt under the drops of rain. I could feel her soft palm on one of my hand whereas the other placed at her hip gently. Her one hand placed on my chest, I could feel the small weight with every breath I inhaled. I slowly closed in and kissed on her lips. The drizzle continued and the winds swung hard on us. We stood stable and stiff. Both feeling the warmth of each other’s breath. Until a thunder broke out we dispersed ourselves from such position. We loosened ourselves and took few steps apart from each other.

Anannya looked at me very keenly. Her eyes deeply engrossed of desiring something that reflected on her expression. I kept gazing at her with silence. I could feel my heart beat racing faster. So, was Anannya stood shivering on her legs. She was wholly wet by her hair. I held her hand we started to walk back.

“Hey! Are you ok!” I asked her putting on my concern.

She nodded her head and closed in to my warm breath that run through my body. She rested her head on my shoulder and we added our steps together. The rain began to slow down. We were returning back to school. At some point she peeked her eyes on me. In response I glanced back and she felt the warmth of my smile. I took out a handkerchief from my right pocket. I handed her to dry her hair a little. She wiped out the rain water that fell on her hair. Her dress still looked fine with no shades of complete wetness. Whereas, my shirt was completely wet. We were walking back through the same route. This time the tea stall was closed and the whole way was completely deserted with no sight of any people. We walked silently, just the hiss of our breath accompanied our way. I felt like we were the only two soul that are meant for each other. But then at that moment nothing flicked on my mind about her boyfriend. I didn’t realize it even for a second neither did she. We slowly approached closer to our school gate. I knew for sure her boyfriend would be waiting desperately for her. What reason would she give for that, it began to tangle on my mind.

“Hey! Dear..Are you alright” I asked Anannya again.

“Yeah! I’m fine” she said.

I could perceive the secret touch of love between us in her eyes. She glanced at me for seconds and stayed silence again. We were walking through the corridor heading towards our class. Her steps slowed down before the entrance. She looked at me for the last time that day and went in to meet her boyfriend. I paused for a second and smiled slightly to let her feel easy. I walked back down the way out of school through the gate. I decided to walk back home. I was completely running with hot blood that day. Not because she was gone now but she thrilled me hard into my mind kissing her in the rain. And that was of course the best ever happened till now in my life. I was pondering as I led my way back home. I began to think more concrete and confident.

“I knew I could love her more than anyone else could do” I muttered out softly.

My steps were heading slowly under the cool climate. Streams of water ran down along the sloppy part of the concrete road. Dark shadows of leaves reflected before my eyes that felt on the stagnant water that laid stable on the empty road. Few steps felt splashing on those stagnant water that came across. I could feel the wetness up to my knee level. As I walked on, the picture flashed before my eyes, the scene of kissing Anannya was charming me inside. I smiled and I could gather speed on my steps. I knew the passion of love existed between us. Only we needed sometime between us. But on the other hand her boyfriend which I had no idea about him. I knew there was something she had about me in her mind. Maybe, it because of her present relationship she kept hiding her inner world from me. I almost walked miles away from my school gate. I could see some people and few shops opened  by the roadside. I thought of halting for a while to nourish my inner pouch that cried out for some eatables. I entered to one shop that was placed at the corner side of the junction. I took a seat and the waiter came up to take my order.