Star Crossed Lives

They stepped out of the auto rickshaw into the wintry night. The wind was whipping wildly, as her hair danced all over her face. He handed twenty bucks to the driver, exchanged pleasantries and said good night. She looked at him and smiled. The kind of smile that is warm and sad at the same time, the smile that says I am sad things are this way, but I am happy you’re happy. He remained expressionless, the way he had been all night ever since Diana had shown up at the party. He led her into the building, apologising once more for the headache that caused him to leave the party early.

She shrugged, and the words “you seemed fine until she showed up” almost spilled from her mouth. Instead she filled the cold silence with “it was nice to finally meet your girlfriend.” No reply came her way. They arrived at their destination on the third floor. He fumbled with the keys.

“She’s pretty.”

“You could have stayed back at the party, you know. You didn’t have to come back with me.”

“I know.”

Aditi and Manav had been family friends for as long as they could remember. In fact, neither of them could remember a time when they hadn’t known each other’s families. And in spite of the fact that they lived in far flung cities and met only once in two or three years – mostly when there was an important occasion – they had developed a kind of comradeship that did not go unnoticed by anyone around them.

Her phone buzzed. When she saw who was calling, she ignored the call and tossed in her bag as she entered the impressive yet humble apartment where Manav had spent most of his childhood.

“So your parents are occupying the guest room,” he mumbled so inaudibly that one would be inclined to assume that he was talking to himself. “Make yourself comfortable in the room next to that. I’ll be down the hallway if you need anything.”

And then they turned around to go their separate ways, but Manav couldn’t help himself. “What were you trying to tell me?” he blurted.

She stopped in her tracks, her heart almost in her throat.

“What are you talking about?”

“At the party, you know, when we were talking on the terrace. You were telling me something, about...about why you broke up with him before we got...interrupted.”

“I wouldn’t call it interrupting.” Killing the moment would be more apt a term, she thought, but didn’t dare say aloud.

“Why did you break up with him?”

“I don’t know.” Her gaze dropped to the floor. This was the first time she had trouble looking him in the eye.

“You know.” He edged closer. “Let’s stop playing games. Let’s get it out in the open.”

She searched for words in her chaotic brain to string into a sentence. “Get what out in the open?”

“This.” He said motioning to the empty space that hung between them.

“What this?” she said, her calm composure doing very little to hide the storm of emotions bursting inside of her.

He closed in on her, covering the distance between them, until his nose was almost touched hers. His sturdy gaze pierced her liquid brown eyes, and she felt weak and strong at the same time. Her insides were leaping about – thrilled, exhilarated, absolutely terrified.

“This.” His breath was warm.

“You have a girlfriend.”

For what felt like the world’s longest thirty seconds, they both pondered over that last comment, neither of them moving an inch, both comforted by this odd proximity.

And then for a fraction of a second, a flicker of decisiveness crossed his face. Before she even had time to contemplate it – leave alone question it – his hands were wrapped around her neck, and his lips were on hers. Stunned at first, she gathered her thoughts as best as she could, and felt her own hands creep up on him. They moved all over his back, as he continued to draw her in gently.

When he pulled away from her, his forehead was resting on hers. Both of their eyes closed. She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, he felt like years of unspoken words had finally been conveyed in this one moment. This enlightening, refreshing, illuminated moment in their lives.

In her bag, her buzzing phone went unheard.

Without opening her eyes, she once again repeated, “you have a girlfriend.”