Episode 6

…..”Karuna”


He thought for a moment if he did the right thing. But there was no time to contemplate on the judiciousness of the choice. It was time to act impromptu. He tried to recall a lot of things. Scenes from clichéd bollywood flicks, sequences from love stories hitherto unknown to many crossed his mind and he knew almost in an instant what this was all about. Since the day he had understood the chemistry between the sexes he had waited to talk to a girl to win her. Prashant had no clue if he was up to the task but he knew one thing for sure. In the solace of the vacant arts room he would script something unnerving between them. He knew there would be moments more mushy and mellow than this but the beauty of this one moment will remain eternal in its nascence.

“Hmm…??” She turned inquiringly.

And as he looked at her from the distance of around five meters, he felt fearless. Calm. Peaceful.

Prashant was neither worried nor awed by her mysticism today. He was thinking trivial things. The most important agenda on his head right now was if she always wore her hair this way??

And he asked it out aloud.

“Why haven’t you tied your hair in the set of plates as you always do? ”

This was out of the blue. This guy is so reserved and he is so silent and yet he notices the way I comb my hair!! This was irksome. This was odd.

“Ahh!! Well I shampoo-ed my hair today morning. I guess that’s why! ”
“Oww…!!”
“Do you notice ??”

It was a soft sound. The one you can tell from normal dialogue. The one that lets you know “I know what you want to say”. This was nice. Prashant felt comfortable.

Prashant felt the cold of the bench on his butt. From where she was standing she could notice his every move. For some seconds there was an eerie silence.

“So…??” She knew he was too shy to start a proper conversation.

He looked up, scratched his head, adjusted his spectacles, cleared his throat and said
“There’s something I have been wanting to tell you. ” he took some time to gather his voice and continued “This might take some time. Why don’t you sit down ?”

He pointed to two vacant benches in the right corner by the window. As he got up to position himself on the benches his arm brushed hers. It was a momentary touch. Nothing sensuous about it but the lack of purpose made it even more delightful.
This really is going in a purposeful direction. He smiled with innocence.
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Seated comfortably, he could now see her more appropriately. He felt nervous now. She was staring at him with perpetual enquiring eyes. And he was thinking “Yaar!! Ye nili aankhen marwayengi!!” . he took a moment to realize that this was plagiarism and the punch didn’t fit her eyes either.

“So…??”
He gulped the spit in his mouth and began his first ever proposal.
“Would you be offended if……. I sai..d I find you beautiful??? I mean to say that you won’t hate me if I said I find you attractive..right??”

Lame .Lame.Lame. His inner voice shouted. Something inside shifted. There was uneasiness. This is by far the worst way to open up against your loved one.

Silence. Her eyelids dropped. She looked down on the ground. And she kept looking.

Look up. Look up. For christ’s sake say something . Swear, hit , push, kill, move. C’mon do something . He waited desparately.
But she didn’t!
He followed her move and gazed down on the ground. From the corner of his eye he saw her feet shivering. And before he could react he saw two symmetrical drops glistening in the dreary light from the window, plummet down her golden cheeks down onto the floor.

‘I love her. And she is crying.’

Someone somewhere in this universe smiled and uttered “Ahh!! The miracle of Lava Canyon!!!”


********End of episode***********