First Meeting...... Or the Last!!

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely incidental and not intentional. So, treat it lightly :)

His Story

He sat there in the cafe fiddling with his mobile. A calm demeanor had enveloped but deep within there was a tempest of emotions. He couldn't believe that the day had finally arrived. A moment long awaited was finally about to engulf his senses. Will things turn out to be just the way he had imagined them to be. Will he live up to expectations? A cold sweat broke out as he walked out of the cafe. The weather was hot and humid. Should he just sit there and wait? How long would he have to wait? He was supposed to be there at 7:00 but he had arrived a good 15 minutes earlier. And that seemed to be lasting through ages. He stared at his mobile. A simple one with nothing but the basic functions that one would need! But, it had led him to his source of joy, his elixir of life. He thought of calling but what if the line on the other end was busy, what if the voice at the end said it would take a little more time. He knew the voice worked hard, very hard. At times he thought it was killing her, but then he couldn't do much about it, not when he is 2000 km away. But today he was just a few hundred meters away, and they seemed to stretch beyond the horizon. Time was passing about so slowly. He noticed his clammy hands and wiped it against his pants. He checked his reflection in a glass. He did seem alright. Not weather beaten, given the weather of this city it was natural to look that should one be using the public transport to commute. And this was his first visit to this city as a grown up. And definitely a first to this part of the city! He glanced at his watch. Still 5 more minutes to go before the BIG moment arrived.

His thoughts took a time travel back to their first conversations and marveled for the umpteenth time how things had changed between them from casual conversation to flirting and finally much beyond. From just another friend, she became his most essential reason for living, his very essence of existence. And surprisingly all this without ever meeting each other!! He couldn't believe his luck for as per him he had found his dream girl, accidentally but he had found her. And She would be walking through the parking lot in front of him any minute now. They had got on with each other like a house on fire right from their first words. A call supposed to last for just 10 minutes had gone on for more than a few hours. As this became more of a norm than an exception, they started spending virtually every moment awake with each other. Every aspect of the other person was clearly etched in the other’s mind. “Can this be real?” he often thought! Guess it was, else he wouldn’t have been standing here in a distant land just because of a girl who was the perfect woman in his eyes. He thought back to the moments when they had their tiffs and how she had fought back to claim him more ferociously than ever. The fiery little girl had everything that he had ever asked for in his prayers.

His prayers were answered. His search was over; there she was calmly walking towards him across the empty parking lot looking radiant, a shy smile playing across her lips, her eyes twinkling (or were they really shining bright??), her beautiful mane falling over face. She tosses her head to one side and finally stops in front of him. He was rooted to the spot. He shook her hands to confirm that he was not dreaming. And as they walked back to the coffee shop, he pinched himself to be assured once more that he had finally met her. The heart was really set alight to hover miles over the earth into a different world of its own.

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Her Story

She couldn't believe that after months of talking she was finally going to meet the very guy who had swept her off her feet, without ever setting his eyes on her. The very thought that in a few minutes he would be staring straight into her eyes was making her knees go weak. Will he be as subtle as he had always portrayed himself to be? Will be the guy she had imagined him to be over the past few months? A dozen questions chased each other across her head. He had called a few minutes back. He was here. She wanted to rush out immediately and meet him, but something kept her rooted to her seat. This seemed to be so unreal. It still felt like as if they’d come to know each other a few days back, yet it had been many a months since that day. The butterflies in her stomach had gone into an overdrive. She got up, checked into a mirror, was she looking alright. It had been a long day at work, and she just hoped that the fatigue didn’t show. But would he really care about that? After all, this fellow simply knew how to cool her down after the most horrendous of days. And his voice…….. She simply loved his voice. Somehow it had the ability to keep her on her toes, and at times soothe her when she had frayed nerves. Would he be just like that in person? She checked the time, 5 more minutes to go before she met him. She started walking towards the meeting spot.

Her mind went back to the first time she had called him up on a cold winter night. Right from the very beginning it was like he knew everything that there could be about him. Did he fit into her idea of the perfect guy?? She was surprised that she was asking herself this question. And the first thing that she fell in love with him was his voice. It was just the way she had always thought a guy should be having. And the way he modulated to allow the maximum impact of his words. Very early on she realized he could play with words and twist things to his advantage. A fighter to the core, she loved losing to him. It was perhaps a silent submission from her end, but then neither of them realized it till they had gone far ahead into a relationship which was perhaps the sweetest that could ever be. She couldn't forget all those times when she had gone extremely disturbing phases and how the fear of losing him had gripped her a few times. Yet he had never gone, he had stayed around, assured her of that soothing her frayed nerves and made sure she was alright. He was always patient with her. And the way he knew her made her think he was some sort of a magician. Yet, it was he who called her a Black Magic Woman, for according to him; she had cast her magic on him, and didn’t want to break free of it. Yet, she felt, he too is guilty of the same. Else, how could a fiercely independent girl be so much in awe of a guy she had never met? After months of planning to chalk a free schedule thanks to their busy schedules, they were meeting today. Looks like her search might be over.

And then she saw him, standing with a lost expression on his face, staring straight at her. He was the splitting image of what she had imagined him to be…. tall, dark and ordinary looking fellow, nothing special about him except perhaps his voice and his intellect. As she walked towards him, he stared at her as if she was a dream. Was this really the first time they were meeting? It sure did feel awesome, but definitely not the first time. Yet, the realization had to kick in. And it did, when he shook her hands. The very sense of his gentle touch sent a shiver down her spine. It was him. Finally, the fellow who had made her smile at the most stupidest of things was there in front of her eyes. And when he said “Hello”, the same voice that had mesmerized her all these day threw her into a tizzy and she felt like saying a hundred things. Yet all that she managed to say was, “So, finally our first meeting.”

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And Then…

And then their story flew into the deep abyss of the night, to be shared and known only by those two souls. Moment which would leave them longing for each other more than ever would perhaps never be known by anyone, but then some things are to be experienced and not shared.

And Now

But then some love stories were never meant to be. The needle pierced her soul one day and tormented her beyond imagination. Unable to take in the pain she sought to break away, but then he was not a man to give up. A tumultuous period followed during which they came together and then apart, until one day the the thread snapped. Ironically their first meeting was their last, and perhaps the moment of their greatest avowal of love that they could be capable of. They still love each other but then the phones never ring now. She lives with a remembrance of a sweet love... and he with the hope of her return. Will things work out in the end? We'll never know, until they script their story again.

Love never dies...... circumstances do

P.S. Well this one is to tell you all that this story was written about 3 months back. So don't fret and link me to it. However I'll continue a little for the sake of a happy ending!!

Currently

They patched up... Yes!! They did... the phone rang... she returned... He had set free what he loved the most and she came back.. stronger than before. Life seems smooth and the future beautiful. The regular shades of uncertainty will remain... but then love truimphed and ruled their hearts!! And they are now happily enojying the onset of the Indian winter.

Love honestly..... and you shall not be deprived of it.