Sarang

Among the worlds, she lived with herself;

Waves hit the shore, broke into bubbles;

Jolted force meets the quivering grace;

Gently forgotten was herself, in his presence!

On the busy road of annoyed commuters making their way through traffic, lied the charming board bearing the name “Psychedelic Hues”. This art café has been her go-to spot anytime she wishes to step out of her boring usual self. When the plan to meet Vihaan sprouted, she could not think of a better place. Vihaan was an artist, who paints portraits that seals in the elegance and speaks multitude of emotions. It was his paintings that were put up on an art website that captured her interest. The women that he drew displayed women from all walks of life – a little child who resides in the safest haven built by her family, a teenage girl standing up to an abuser, a woman losing her identity and a mother protecting her child through all qualms of life. The eyes, the curve of the lips, the colours and every stroke of the paintings communicated his ideas with absolute clarity. She spotted an online interaction portal with the artist on the website and there began the conversation. She appreciated his modest demeanour in handling compliments and how he spoke of his thoughts precisely. Not much later, they found themselves exchanging dialogues of their tastes in art, music, food andtheir perceptions of a bunch of concepts. Their interactions were as natural and easy as they could be, that it required no effort. On a day when both their schedules worked out and he was in her city, Psychedelic Hues popped up for them to catch up.

As she unlatches the seat belt and steps down, she paused for a moment at her image on the flip-down mirror and smiled. She greets the security as she walked past him in her favourite cotton indigo saree which works the best for the summer. That was when her mobile chimed and she looked at his message, “How far?”. When she looked up, she could see him sitting across the table by the bougainvillea tree boosting the appeal of the scenery. His mobile flashed with her message, “You have got to turn!”. She could see him in a simple yet perfectly sized t-shirt and a blue denim that complemented his soothing demeanour. His eyes met hers like a calm breeze, with little to no rush. His smile was charismatic yet bearing a childlike innocence which made her feel immediately comfortable. He stood up and they shook hands, formally introducing themselves. And asking for the glasses of water, he started, “So, Tara, how have your recent travel been?”. Tara, being a blogger had plenty to share about her experiences on wheels. The chit-chat circled around each other’s experiences, paying negligible attention to the food that they were having. Tara had always carried hesitation in knowing new people as she has feared awkward conversations and she cannot tolerate the uncomfortable silences. What she felt with Vihaan was different; a few common factors that they had eased the discussion, getting them to know a little more about each other beyond their career and passion. A couple of hours went by and it was evident that the sun has become warmer reminding them of the time that has passed. Getting up from the chairs, Tara sensed that both of them were enjoying the company and she knew that the next time they meet would be even more pleasant.

Routines and people around them enveloped their days, and they only shared occasional pleasantries electronically. Very few words yet did not fail to light up a smile on her face. Smiles became laughter and pleasantries lengthened to casual conversations, keeping the space of each other surprisingly intact. It felt as if they were a part of the universe that is serene and is not bound by space and time. Through these times, a sense of tranquillity kissed her soul as waves would caress the feet. Tara was found chirpier than usual, carrying around a tinge of freshness. As Tara’s world of books read“Unbelievable is the power of universe, it pulls together the dots of happiness”, and that is how she met him again.

Tara was busy packing for her flight to Goa for her blogging experiences. She was thrilled by the “Global Art Jam” in Goa that dragged Vihaan away from his usual set schedules in the same period. There they were, again sitting across the table, with an increased comfort and a sense of warm togetherness. There were moments during the conversations when Tara went silent, awed by the flair of simplicity and an intriguing charisma that he carried. Inspired by his views and his love towards art, she could not look past his intellect. The chat gradually moved from being casual and generic to the people, things and incidents that were a part of their lives. As the hours extended, Tara began to notice little things about him that was making him look unique. That little ring seemed to add majesty to his long and slim fingers; his bare feet pulled out of the sandals to feel the sand; his boyish grin every time she pulled his legs; water droplets at the fingertips as he frequently washed his hands; the gleam of admiration in his eyes as he spoke about the person he always looked up to… - she pulled her thoughts together and thought to herself – This man is a lot more than what you see!

“How far is your place of stay, Tara?”, and that is when Tara came to her senses that she came to the restaurant directly from the airport. She thought to herself, thankfully, that was a short flight that saved her the exhaustion. Before she could reply, Vihaan suggested that she can share the room in the homestay that his friend owned. Tara relished spending time with him, and a homestay sounded like a better idea than the business hotel that she was going to check herself in. Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice that he was looking at her for her response. Biting her tongue for being silly, she asked him with an animated smile, “Which way?”. Walking alongside him, she knew one thing for sure – that this was going to be one hell of a trip!

This place at the shores of the sea was not gifted just with the sounds of the waves around the clock but also had a warm welcoming atmosphere. “You freshen up. I will take a walk along the beach.”, Vihaan excused himself. She felt oddly safe and comfortable in the presence of another person, as she has gotten used to find comfort in being alone. Tara chose not to feed those thoughts and decided to get on with her day. Not being so mindful about the minutes and hours that were passing by, they even started teasing each other for the silly things that they have done at different phases of their life in the past. Tara found Vihaan extremely accommodating that it wasn’t quite a war to get the not so ‘foody’ Vihaan try the authentic cuisine of the place. During these light-hearted talks that they were enjoying, there were a couple of moments when they found getting glued to the other person’s looks. Tara dismissed that thought, thinking that it was just her imagination. It is at extremely rare moments in life that the reality feels better than a fantasy, that your mind stops wavering around and that is where Tara was.

Confession in unspoken words;

Her eyes when locked with his,

played the song that was long forgotten;

Her sentences when met by his,

embraced the breeze under the scorching sun;

Her skin touched by his,

poured the rain that never was foreseen;

Him and her…

Confession in unspoken words!