Undefined Love

June’08- Love Undefined…

It was quarter past ten o'clock in the night, there was a huge thunderstorm and it was raining incessantly. He was waiting at the IGI airport for her and she was nowhere to be seen or heard. He looked at his watch again, "sixteen minutes past ten" he murmured to himself.
Then he said, "Another few minutes, you have waited all your life, it’s alright, don’t worry." He consoled himself. [1]
He just took his phone, flipped the cover, looked at her picture on the wallpaper. Her brown- blonde hair tied gracefully behind her head making her huge forehead a little too obvious. He smiled; every time she behaved kiddish he wanted to kiss her forehead, though he could never do so.
"Ah!" he sighed.
Then he looked at her eyebrow that scarce eyebrow, more like Monalisa's Italian beauty than any Indian beauty. He was looking at that small screen of his mobile and was admiring her innocent non-made-up beauty. Then he looked into her almond shaped hazel eyes, surrounded with dark circles.
"Ah!" he said to himself “A devout professional."
Then he looked into her eyes, those hazel eyes, again, not to mention, not made up, not even a line of kajal. Those eyes were still searching for something as they had been for past three months on his computer screen. He remembered how every night after work he used to sit down infront of his computer screen look at this picture for hours together, hoping to see himself in her eyes and waiting for her lips, oh so beautiful lips, to say something, something really nice.
Something that his heart yearned to hear.
He looked at her lips again and felt, the very first time I saw them, I knew they were the best lips I had ever seen. Though I have had girl friends in my past, even girls who had been with me, just over the weekend to refresh themselves of their hectic work schedules. Girls who were air-hostesses, upcoming models, all kind of charming faces. But I ve never ever felt the way he felt looking at her lips the very first time. They looked poised. They were like a blend of brown and pink without any artificial cover over them.
He thought to himself, what was it that attracted me to this girl.
He smiled to himself as he remembered that she was the youngest of all girls he had been around and the most kiddish. Even at this age, all her fantasies were about chocolates and stuffed toys. Whenever he talked to her about anything that was adult-ish she would frown and he would feel like adoring her.
" Ah she is a darling! A sweet little girl."
He always knew that all his feelings for her were very pure.
Yes he wanted to touch her, he wanted to adore her, caress her tresses and maybe kiss her on her forehead.
He loved her, he definitely did.
For him she had become the reason for his life. She was his inspiration to do things that he otherwise would never have done. He remembered how he had quit smoking for her, though she never asked him to. All she said was
"I definitely know that you understand how bad cigarette is for your health, and if even after knowing this, you choose to smoke, who am I to stop you?? It’s your life. If you want your lungs to be co-angulated, I don’t have any issues."
And he knew what she wanted.
Just as a three year old would tell you, her friend has the best doll in town, "but I don’t need it."
He again smiled, for no good reason. This smile brought him back to the present,, he started staring at the entrance, ...... no one was even coming towards the "domestic arrivals". He looked at his phone again.
“10:36.”
Uhh!! He has never waited for anybody for so long. Why is she making him wait?? He wanted to get mad at her, but........ He knew he could not get mad at her, she was not just a beautiful girl, she was a small baby...
”Ammu" as he called her.
He loved her, he definitely did.
There were times when his past haunted him and hers haunted her. He again was swayed into past, when he asked her about the first kiss of her's and she proudly said,
“Guess what?? It was nt him, it was me who initiated the first kiss, that too in a park." And he heard her giggling.
“Lucky him!" he always felt.
And when she told him that, in a party that they had organized, it was actually her who bend down on her knees and proposed him, infront of the entire city.
And her ex chose to ask her to "stop this drama."
He always felt had it been me, I would have picked you up, would have sealed your lips with mine and would have said
"I love you too ammu." But he couldn’t, because he knew, she didn’t believe he was her boyfriend.
As she said they were companions, emotional and intellectual companions. And even for him, it wasn’t too bad as he has had enough in his life to not think about a physical relationship with her.
He loved her. Yes he surely did.
But he never knew how, or what he wanted from her. Her just being there was enough, in fact more than enough, he smiled to himself and looked at the timer at the airport, it said 10:54. Now it was too late, she knew his plane landed at 10, why is she so late.
He started calculating, her shift starts at 2:00 pm and being Friday its just eight hours, so she should be free by 10:00 PM and its just 10 minutes drive from her office as she told him , then ? Why is she so late, she should have been here by now. He felt restless picked his phone up, scrolled through the contacts list for her name......................."Tinka.....tinka..... zaara zaara......" went on the phone and then his phone told him, "The airtel customer you are trying to reach is currently busy......." He looked at the screen again and frowned.
"Why why why??? Why are you busy now ammu?"
He wanted to send her a text but decided otherwise. She needs to know I am worried and now angry that she hadn’t turned up.
But again, he could not contain himself, clicked on menu, messages, create new......
"Hey baby! Where are you and why arent you here I m waiting. Love u".
He waited another few minutes as he knew she always reverts to messages, but to no avail. No reverts. He knew she was a mischievous kid she might have decided to make him mad at her. He wanted to say, I hate her, but he could not as he knew he could never say this to this cute lil baby doll of his.
“Why aren’t you coming sweetheart!! I am waiting."
I have never seen you, not even once but I ve seen your heart, your soul and that’s what I m in love with. If need be, I can wait for you forever without getting mad at you. Darling I love you. I love you a lot. He looked at his watch and sighed "11".
************************************************************************************
She had just finished documenting and looked at the "system time"......."8:00 PM IST, hmmm just another two hours to go for my ultimate weekend" She thought to herself and looked at her mobile phone. Scrolled thru the messages...."I am in the plane now and have to switch the phone off, will message you once I land in Delhi. Love you a lot sweetie pie. And hey my heart is pounding against my chest I m really excited to meet you. C u"....Hmmm another one hour and he should be here and if things go well I should be there too. She smiled to herself and looked back at her screen.."Two big hours...................hmffffff" She frowned. But time just flew away and she just looked at her mobile phone that said "10:00" PM IST. "Why hasn’t he messaged or called me?" she wondered. And here came a mail in her inbox...."**IMP::Post shift meeting**". "Uhh how I hate these post shift meetings and that too especially on a Friday like this." She opened her messenger and pinged her manager..
"Abhi please not today, I got to go home early"
"Hmm someone's coming over to pick you??"
"Nope, why???"
"Then there is still time for your cab babes".
"Hmmm I know."
"Hey can you drop me off??"
"Where to princess??"
"To the airport my friends are coming I need to escort them"
“Gals???"
“Nope a guy :D"
“I won’t give him a lift"
" Ohk just drop me please"
“Alrightie but after the meeting. We need to discuss something and I need you there, your reports will be most useful, please get stuff ready."
“Sure , will do. Thanks Abhi, you are a darling. "
"I know I am ;)"
She opened her reports to check stuff. Productivity was fine "done", she scribbled something on a notepad. Surveys are fine too, "done" again. "Revenue generated ---- oh oh, the data is not complete. Ahh How I hate Vaiby" She opens her messenger again....
"Vaiby data please"
"Sure sweetie two minutes, it will be in your inbox."
"Thanks : @"
So I am all set, she looked out of the windows, it was raining cats and dogs, she smiled and looked at her phone again "quarter past 10". She smiled...”I know you have reached, I too am desperate to meet you." It was the same her she knew she was going to meet him, the only person who is her intellectual companion. She knew she loved him, she definitely did but as she always felt love for her meant- to care, share and just be there. Never in her life after her last relation did she think of love in the way most people perceive it. For her, llove was a feeling that originated in her heart and started flowing; she never was the receiver of love but always the deliverer. And the best thing she never hesitated to say "I love you." She remembers the first time when she tols him "I love you" she heard his heart pounding, his voice went softer and he just couldnt speak for a minute or two. She smiled and flew a kiss to him and said "Well now you owe me six chocolates." And giggled. Later that evening he said "You know what...." and before he could complete his statement she said "Yes I do, you have fallen for someone and all of a sudden someone's voice has become very sweet, you just want to talk to her. Right?" She did see him smiling. This guy who used to make her uneasy by talking about the adult-ish stuff was blushing. She could actually see his face flush and then she giggled. The same naughty kid giggle. She looked at her phone again "10:36"
"Uhh Abhi please lets finish this meeting I gotto go. :@"
"Two minutes princess, please."
":@"
"Peace"
Now then again she was thinking, has he not yet arrived?? No messages as yet. No calls either. What’s the matter?? But she couldn’t take her hands off her keyboard, how she wished her eyes could type things and send the message over to him.
"Abhi, I am calling the team out for the meet, please join us in next 5 minutes. Thanks" She held the "windows" key down and pressed "L"
She just picked up her laptop and set off for the meeting. Meeting started at 10:45. She knew she had to finish it asap. She called up everybody and using the projector told them their individual scores, improvement shown, if any, targets and the strategy for the same. The team clapped. And then she announced..
"Pizza on the house, from my side if all the matrices are in green next week."
Team clapped again. She just smiled and winked in affirmation.
Reached into her purse and pulled out a few chocolates gave to the best performers. By then, Abhi reached the meeting room.
"You are late abhi." She said and smiled sarcastically.
"Data has been discussed, anything else that you would want to address?? Abhi "
“Yes team we have shown a fantastic traction as a team and I m proud to be leading this team."
She looked at her phone and gave Abhi one of those pleading looks of hers.
"2 mins please babes."
And her phone started Vibrating, she looked at it, her heart started pounding and her face light up, it was Him, she knew she could not talk but she knew he was here and waiting. She wanted to pick it and say
"Hey sweetheart please wait I will be there in a few minutes."
But she couldn’t do that and had to disconnect the call. She stared at Abhi from the side of her eyes, he just stood up and said
"Rest we will discuss on monday. Had to discuss all this today only because you won’t be here on monday."
He said looking into and her eyes and smiling. She could understand him, he was right. This smart and complex woman at work was a small lil kid when she thought abt him. She asked Abhi to hurry up and went to the elevators, pressed the "Down" button, Abhi was there with his baggage so was she. The elevators took them to the car Park; they drove off in his car.
"So who is coming to meet you?? Some boyfriend?? As I know you don’t have one."
"No sweetheart, he is a friend a very special person, we share a lot and we love each other. He isn’t a boyfriend though."
“Alright, if you say so..." said Abhi.
They didn’t talk much later. He played the music and she just looked out of the window. It was still raining and she loved these rains.
Another 10 minutes and she will be with him, she was so happy. She has never felt this earlier in her life. When she looked at her phone it said
"1 new message received"
The message read "Hey baby! Where are you and why aren’t you here I m waiting. Love u"
She wanted to tell him she will be there in a few minutes but decided not to. It was 10:54 when she looked at her mobile and bid a bye to Abhi hugging him and kissing thanks on his cheeks. " C ya on Tuesday" She winked reassurance. Abhi just smiled and said “Bye, have nice time and a good weekend." She just smiled to him and he drove off.
By the time she reached near the "Domestic Arrivals" it was already 11. She looked at her phone and sighed “Eleven."
She entered the airport waiting lounge she walked past the sitting area to the enquiry.
He saw her and walked towards her, she just walked by. He thought she didn’t recognize him as she has never seen him and sat on the chair, his gaze followed her. She just walked towards the "Enquiries" and then all of a sudden she just vanished; he could no longer see her. He stood up and walked towards the enquiry counter...... she was no longer visible he went aghast, cursing himself why didn’t he stop her if she dint recognize him, he could not wait now, after seeing his little ammu, she was so close to him a minute ago. Uhh how could he?? And then he just felt a tap on his shoulder, there she was with the same naughty smile. He looked at her still confused and concerned. She walked ahead, hugged him and said
"Hey you know what I love you."
He put his arms around her waist and said
"I would‘ve been dead in another few minutes."
She giggled and stamped a kiss on his cheeks.
“My chocolates??"
She asked and both of them laughed........