CHASTE GANGES
{4}
Surya was sitting at the
table and speaking to Nityhayuvani animatedly. Ronav searched the banquet hall
meticulously to find her. At last he saw her with the man he hated the most at any
given moment. He clenched his fists. The company for which Ronav worked had
launched a new tablet computer model and arranged for a grand party after the
launch. Nithyayuvani was a part of the press team who would be the pillars of
publicity for the new tablet. Surya was Ronav’s manager and the man who was
behind the grand arrangements for the evening. Without deliberating even for
another moment, Ronav walked up to their table. He smiled at Surya and beamed
at Nithyayuvani.
‘Hi Ron! I thought you were
lost in the crowd. What took you so long?’ she asked excitedly. Her enthusiasm
was clearly overdone.
‘I was held up with my
colleagues. I hope you are enjoying the evening.’
Surya frowned at Ronav.
‘Looks like, you both are
well acquainted with each other,’ he said giving a cursory glance to his subordinate.
Ronav nodded.
‘Yes indeed, Surya. She
is close friend of mine. Shall we?’ he asked turning towards her. Nithyayuvani
gave a dazzling smile to Surya.
‘Kindly excuse me.’
Ronav and Nithyayuvani walked
towards the mini bar and sat down at the bar stool.
‘One Foster’s.’
‘One breezer please,’ she
politely told the bar-tender.
‘What was the need to
flirt that swine?’ asked Ronav casting a bitter glance at Surya who had joined
another group of eager subordinates.
‘Well, he pays for my food
and drinks tonight. By the way I was not flirting with him,’ she replied
cheekily.
‘Oh really? What was that
1000 watts smile for?’
Irritation was writ large
on his face.
‘It was sarcasm. But I
can see that people here simply don’t get it. Anyway thank you for saving me.
One more minute with him and I would have given up on all earthly pleasures!’
Ronav could not help smiling
at her words. Her wit and sense of humour was unparalleled. For the first time
in the evening he looked at her costume. She had draped a deep navy blue
chiffon sari and teamed it with a heavily embroidered red blouse.
‘You look very beautiful
tonight,’ he said letting his eyes roam over her.
‘Thank you. I am hearing
it a lot this evening,’ she said winking at him. They chatted for some time
over drinks and later ate dinner. They mingled less with others and spent most
of the evening with each other. Several cabs were hired for the night to drop
the guests to their homes safely. Ronav and Nithyayuvani shared a cab.
Strangely they spoke nothing in the cab. He was finding it humanely impossible
to keep his hands off her. Yet he put maximum distance between them as much as
the car’s backseat allowed. They got off the cab at the entrance of her
apartments. It was half past one. He insisted on accompanying her till her
doorstep and she did not refuse. This was a huge risk! Two beers and an
enticing woman – Deadly combination! They got into the lift and he pressed the
button for the tenth floor. The lift was regularly serviced and therefore
smoothly moved up without making any noise. He stared at the buttons indicating
the number of floors and not even once did he look up at her. She was barely
one feet away from him and occasionally her bangles clinked when she ruffled
her hair.
2nd floor.
‘What are your plans for
the weekend?’ she asked casually.
Damn!
Your voice is a big turn on…
4th floor.
‘Ron? Are you alright?
Why aren’t you speaking?’
Nithyayuvani asked him
with concern. Ronav’s fragile self-control cracked under the whiplash of her
words. He grabbed her by her waist and crushed her lips under his. For a few
milliseconds, she was paralysed with shock. Once she was back to her senses,
she pushed at him with both her hands.
6th floor.
He held her right hand
with his left hand and folded it at her back. Her one-hand protest was no match
to his iron grip around her waist. He was trapped in the tempestuous desire aroused
by her lovely curves. He insanely kissed her soft lips, but she did not kiss
him back. Never. The bittersweet taste of beer soured her mouth. She did not
stop fighting him even for a moment.
10th floor.
The elevator doors opened
with a beep sound. That insignificant sound blared in his ears like a truck on
the highway. Instantly he let go of her and stepped back. Nithyayuvani glared
at him with blazing eyes.
What
s#%$ did I do???
Ronav wished the elevator
floor would open and gobble him, right at that moment. He was dreadfully
ashamed of himself. Death was better than looking into her eyes. Anger, disgust,
shock and anguish were writ large on her face. She stepped out of the elevator
and stared back at him. Her fiery gaze was a cold slap on his male ego. The
elevator doors closed.
I
will never forget those eyes…
***
Nilanjali cursed under
her breath and switched off the alarm. She yawned lazily and woke up from her
cosy early morning sleep. Her 12th standard exams were fast
approaching and she religiously woke at 5 every morning to revise her subjects.
She visited the bathroom for basic needs and came with the sleep wiped clean
from her face. Turning on the table lamp, she accidently looked at her sister’s
bed. It was empty.
Where
did she go early in the morning? She came back home very late last night. Did
she go back to work so soon? That’s impossible!
The balcony door was
unlocked and she went out to solve the mystery of her missing sibling. Nithyayuvani
was sitting on the floor and gazing up at the sky. Her hair was damp and her
eyes were closed.
‘Why did you wake up early?
What time did you come home last night?’
‘Around 1.30,’ replied
Nithyayuvani without opening her eyes. Nilanjali widened her eyes.
‘You came home at 1.30
and you have already bathed before 5! What is wrong with you, Nithya?’
‘Nilu please don’t disturb
me… just go away,’ she said feebly.
‘You are crazy,’
commented the young Nilanjali and walked back to her study table. Her exams
were more important than her hare-brained sister. She could afford to live with
an insane sibling but she could not risk scoring less than 95% in her board
exams!
Nithyayuvani did not open
her eyes and continued to shut her mind to the previous night’s tormenting
memories, but it was just not possible. No matter how much she tried to divert
her mind, it kept going back to Ronav’s behaviour.
Why
did he lose control with me? He is a gentleman and until last night behaved
like one. Not once had he even tried to flirt with me like the other guys… that
was exactly what I liked about him! What the hell happened to him yesterday?
She opened her eyes and
saw the crescent moon which would disappear very soon in the harsh sunlight.
We
always like the moon more than the sun. Although the sun is what keeps us alive
every single day. Moon is never a necessity. We could go on forever without
having one. Yet there is something mysteriously enchanting about the moon which
makes us fall in love with it.
Suddenly, a disturbing
thought sneaked into her mind.
Did
he lose control because of me? Was it my dress or behaviour? Was I very
outgoing with him? I spent a lot of time with him yesterday… did I send him any
wrong signal? Who should be blamed? Him or ME?
Her rational brain
vehemently opposed against accusing her. Yet in a corner of her mind many
questions rose which led to the conclusion that she had provoked him. Nithyayuvani
wanted an answer. She picked up her phone and texted Ronav.
4pm, Semmozhi Poonga
She did not wait for his
reply. Yet the next moment she received his message.
Okay
His one word reply
disappointed her because she was expecting an apology. This day was an end to
their fortuitously forged bond. She stood up and gazed at the early morning
sun. She marvelled at its power to make the world go around it. Yet she was
still in love with the powerless moon which was no longer visible…
To be continued...
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