Silent Song of the Heart!

Sitting under a chestnut tree she was lost in her own reverie; the coffee and the sandwiches lay there untouched on the smooth picnic cloth. It was a calm afternoon as the sun was subtle and the winds too blew almost quietly whispering amidst the deep hills. Some rabbits were busy playing hide and seek in the green lush bushes whilst the squirrels were busy gathering their nuts.

 It was not after sometime that her spell broke and she felt a familiar presence. Lifting her eyelids she stared at the most beautiful pair of dark brown eyes that were gleaming and equally gazing at her and lips that had a smile playing on them.

She was stupefied for a moment and fluttered her eyelashes when it dawned on her that she was not dreaming but he was here in reality. No pleasantries were exchanged as he made himself comfortable across her, pouring some coffee fending himself. He didn’t know if it was just a habit or on purpose that she always carried an extra cup of coffee or even meals with her, though he was rarely able to join her. Yet he liked this fact about her and it allured him all the more.        

Her cheeks had a tinge of red that glowed with her creamy skin, her big almond shaped hazel eyes peered in his and her petal like lips adorned a smile gracing his presence. Unlike other days today she wore a yellow summer dress, the one he liked and her hair were French braided and set on one side of her shoulder leaving the other bare.  

Silence was their ally at this present moment and they were comfortable with it though on certain days it irked her but bemused him seeing her usual calm self seething in anger. He waited patiently for her to break the hush that echoed. He was ideating her possible reaction when she suddenly spoke.

“It’s been long, isn’t it Nathan that we met like this?” she asked in a placid voice laced with sarcasm. He was neither shocked at her question nor her choice of tone but it did puzzle him.

“Almost six months to be precise”, he replied and fell silent. They had known the other since mid school yet it was a strange kind of relation between them neither were they friends nor lovers. It was not a matter of acknowledgement but escapism not from each other but oneself. It was rather weird that even now they studied in the same university but their paths hardly collided. She was training to be a psychologist whereas he was pursuing sailing. They were oddly different yet similar. 

“I missed you, Kate”, he spoke coming out of his thoughts. She was taken by surprise not by his words but with the intensity and depth of them. She knew what he meant nonetheless she replied, “You miss only those you forget, did you forget me?” throwing a question back at him before continuing “I didn’t miss you Nathan, I remembered you every waking second of my life.” The words took time to sink in and when they did he realized how vulnerable and attached they were to the other. Time, distance and even silence couldn’t separate them. That misunderstandings did rise but not at the cost of their relationship; it was not just friendship or mere romance that strengthened their bond but true companionship.

It was then that he spoke, “How can I forget? Can one forget to breathe and live!” her eyes grew moist for a moment as she interlaced her fingers with his resting her head on his heart.

Then all faded but the symphony of the serene heartbeats. 

-Fatima

Brewing Desires!

Brewing Desires!

Though it was too early but she had nothing to do, being Sunday the whole day was spent idly doing chores she didn’t wish to do or reading novels. She thought of preparing an early dinner humming soft songs, she was stirring pots on one hand and kneading the dough on the other almost ready with the dinner. It was time for him to be back home when the winds started blowing and the clouds gathered and it felt that it could rain any minute; when she remembered that some of the clothes were left on the roof and went to fetch them.

The wind blew rashly and it was seemingly difficult to manage her sari and locks of hair that flew. In fleeting seconds the rain started falling in sheets and the very reason of collecting clothes was long forgotten. Lost in her own world she began dancing drenching to the core and reveling in the rains.  

The smell of earth, the thundering clouds and the dark sky with the droplets slashing the window and wallowing trees engulfed her and she basked like a kid.

Her sky blue cotton sari had clung to her like second skin becoming almost see-through with her wet hair cascading down her back. The sound of her bangles and anklets sounded like sweet melody as the bittersweet symphony reverberated throughout. 

This is how he found her when he reached the rooftop himself drenched from the rains and the tiredness in him slowly started seeping away. He was bewitched with his patience slipping away as he watched her from a distance hoping to catch her attention but all in vain. Slowly yet steadily he walked towards her hugging her wet form from behind, when he heard her gasp.

“Zaid”, she stiffened at first but then relaxed in his hold as she recognized the touch and let her head slump back to his shoulders, “When did you come? I didn’t expect you this soon!” 

 “Hmm…just some moments ago”, he replied all the while burying his face in the crook of her neck nuzzling and inhaling her scent. She could feel his warmth all around her and his heartbeats going intense even in that splattering rain. 

She tried to escape his hold and run but he buckled her back to himself holding her securely over the stomach by one hand while he entwined the other with hers.

“Let me go the clothes are soaking”, she pleaded her voice heavy and laden with helplessness and desire. She questioned herself, how could he manage to snap her self-control within seconds and that too just about every time but she never got an answer. 

Instead of leaving her or replying to her, he pressed his body more into her gently trailing his fingers down the entire length of her. The flimsy excuse of the sari she wore did nothing to help; neither did it conceal nor reveal yet it aroused him in ways and made him do things. She felt herself going weak and bit her lips to hold back the moan that threatened to escape.  

He slowly turned her towards him, brushing her hair aside cupping her reddened cheeks kissing her closed eyes and brushed his lips against hers. She fluttered her eyelashes, his gaze intoxicating a mixture of both love and lust that she could no longer resist. She hugged him closely giving herself completely wrapping her arms around his waist kissing his heart.

In one swift move, he lifted her in his arms and raced towards the bedroom with a teasing smile as she buried her face in his shoulder.

The clothes lay where they were long forgotten and the rain got more intense and thunderous with each passing minute.    

-Fatima