ROMANTIC ENCOUNTERS!

Chapter I

I saw him at BigMart one day; a man with a thin and slender body. He was so tall that his head was conspicuously showing even from a distance. He was lost in the crowd, like a silent bubble in a frothy sea I suppose. He wore those loose khaki trousers with a visibly large sized black t-shirt. His hair was the colour of a chestnut that slightly fell over his forehead just to cover a little Band-Aid above his left eyebrow. He was carrying a red basket in his hand and just as he walked, he would stagger and recover time and again. I last saw him at the caviar section and that was that. He vanished in no time.

That was the first time that a random guy from nowhere made my heart fly and sink at the same time.

It was about a week later that Grandma invited me to her place. So, I went to the book store to grab something to read on my way. I had heard that Dan Brown had just released his fourth book of Robert Langdon series and having read all three of his previous books, I finally decided that Inferno would be my best option.

I went to the ‘Thriller Section ‘and thoroughly searched for the book. I was engulfed by disappointment for there was no sign of it. I asked the salesperson if there was any copy left.

‘The last copy has been taken just a moment ago ma’am’ she confirmed.

With a wry grin I left the store. It was getting late, so I rushed to the bus bay. The bus had already arrived when I reached there so I hurriedly got in. The bus was about to leave just when a lean guy with a familiar khaki pant hopped in.

He walked with a recognizable gait; he had the same coloured hair and similar pair of eyebrows. He was wearing an orange t-shirt. Yes, it was him again. My heart started pounding and my hands and feet felt cold. He walked towards me and sat right in front of me, facing me. I tried not to look but it was hard for me to look away. He was so beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful one.

He was an epitome of perfection. His eyes were big and those long curls of lashes properly guarded his turquoise eyes. His beard grew precisely from his cheekbones while they partially covered his unblemished skin. My thoughtful admiration halted as I realized that he was smiling at me and saying something; I looked up and his eyes met mine. My heart skipped a beat and my lungs lost their function. I noticed that I was frowning and gaping at a man, who was nothing but a stranger to me.

Clearing his throat, he waved his hand across his face and said ‘hello!’ and smiled.

I failed to vocalize, so I smiled back. ‘May I drink some water?’, he asked.

I am partially disoriented at any sorts of accidental encounters. This was an instance. I was baffled. I handed him my bottle and looked outside the window, trying to avoid any awkward circumstance. He gave me my bottle back and smiled again.

‘ I hope he didn’t notice my sweaty palms; this is so embarrassing; I should have put on some make up today; what must he be thinking about me? I should have said something. Was I rude?’ I started juggling between my thoughts and I looked out of the window again.

Few minutes later I heard him unzipping his bag. I stole a look; he was taking out a book. What could be more attractive than a handsome reader? I turned my head and desperately tried to read the name of the author. It was a Dan Brown book; one that wasn’t as familiar to me. Inferno! It was the same book that I was thinking of buying that very morning.

‘Where did you get that?’ I asked without a second thought.

‘Oh this? I..I bought it yesterday, I ordered it online. You like reading novels too?’

‘Yes! I love Dan Brown. I went to buy it today, unfortunately all copies were sold. May I have a look? ’ I asked.

We actually had a two way conversation and that made things a little less uncomfortable. I pretended to read but I was contemplating the conversation we just had a few seconds ago.

‘So where are you headed?’, he asked.

‘I am visiting my Grandma. It’s been months now. She keeps calling me time and again; I finally got some free time to go.’ I giggled. ‘What about you?’

We indulged ourselves in talking. For the next two hours we talked about anything and everything possible; music, books, sports, travel destinations, foods, clothes and anything that stroke our mind. I came to know many things about him and something that hit me was that he had visited my city just for a week, for a seminar and he was returning to his place that day. It made me realize that that could be our very last conversation. That could be the last time I’d see him and the thought of it made me sad.

We got off at the bus stand and shared a cab. He dropped me off at my Grandma’s and left. My heart was pleading for some more time with him but my mouth stayed sealed. I waved him a goodbye. That was when I noticed that I had been clutching his book in my hand all this time. The cab was out of my sight by then. I looked for his name or address inside the book but in vain. ‘May be I would see him again’, I thought.

Chapter II

I would spend hours thinking about him. His voice lingered in my ears all day. His laughter was infectious; his eyes had penetrated my soul. It felt as if his emotion reciprocated mine. I was falling in love with a man whose name I did not know. Yes, we engaged ourselves in hours long conversation never asking each other’s name. It was insane. But love is beyond sanity I suppose.

When Grandma prepared meals, I would stroll in the park; go to department stores and book stores with a hope of seeing him again. It never happened. Probably I’d never see that man again. The only thing I could ever have of him was a fond memory of him ‘Inferno’.

On the day before my departure, I packed all my stuffs and selected my travel outfit to return. I was about to put myself to an afternoon nap when I heard a knock on my door. It was Jack, my childhood buddy. I was absolutely overwhelmed with joy to see him and so I jumped with excitement and hugged him at an instant.

I had been totally soaked up with my own romantic predicament and I just needed a break. I wanted to tell him about this guy I met and how much I liked him but no words could portray my emotion. I decided not to tell him. After all, telling Jack about it would only exacerbate my impossible desire to be with him. And I wouldn’t like it.

We decided to go out for a walk and grab some lunch at the beach. Jack had promised me to introduce me to his new boyfriend. So, I asked him to call him then and there. I took out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and got ready to go. About half an hour later, at the café, Jack’s phone rang.

‘I think he is here. I’ll get him. You just order something to eat’, he said and left.

I was looking for a waiter to place an order when something caught my eye; a familiar face and a familiar pair of khaki trousers. It was him, smiling at me.

Chills went down my spine and my hands started to shiver and I froze. I started feeling my heart pound with nervousness and I was engulfed by euphoria. Just as I rose to greet him, I saw that he wasn’t alone.

Beside him was another familiar face. It was Jack, firmly holding his hand and pointing at our table. And I stood there shattered like tiny pieces of glass, holding back my tears and smiling back at the guy with the khaki pants.

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~Ascharya~