The Date
"You are asking me to have dinner with you tonight? Me, a girl who throws herself at men?" thundered Shivani, studying him intently.
Mrityunjay's eyes turned stormy. "Shivani! I am not responsible for the assumptions you make in your head. Now, will you have dinner with me or no?" he asked her bluntly.
She looked at him hard. "See you at 7:00," she replied with her head held high, before making her way out of the stables.
Mrityunjay watched her go away from him. What would it hurt to steal a few moments away from time? He may never be able to give her what she sought, but he could at least make a few memories for himself while she was still there. Sooner or later, Shivani would know, he would never be able to fill the gap between them, rather he did not want to, and will leave him and go away forever. Until that time, he had her to himself....
That evening at 7:00 p.m., Mrityunjay was ready for her, checking around the house to see if everything was as he had wanted. He heard a faint knock at the door and darted to open it, but stopped dead in front of the door, taking in a slow, deep breath to calm his pounding heart down. He didn't want Shivani to know how much he was looking forward to the evening. After a few seconds, he opened the door.
She stood there, her face showing her nervousness, uncertainty. As he opened the door, she blurted, “Hello, how are you?”
But Mrityunjay gaped at her with a strange lethargy in his eyes. She wore a brick red saree with some tribal design on it. There was a thin strand of corals around her neck and her lips glistened with the same coral shade of her saree.
Mrityunjay just stood, wordlessly studying how the saree had transformed her figure from that of a girl to a woman. He had suddenly become aware of the potent hold her beauty had on his senses.
His open admiration was not helping Shivani, who stood unsure under his steely gaze. She looked from side to side, not knowing what to say, her teeth biting the insides of her lower lip, to help control the lack of confidence coursing
through her. She was entering the lion's den and she was not sure if she would come out alive from here.
Barely recovering from her captivating beauty, Mrityunjay said, "Ah... come...come in."
Shivani gave a taut smile and entered the house. He closed the door,latching it and Shivani turned around, looking at him, her eyes wide in panic.
A moment of tense silence followed and neither said a word. Mrityunjay moved first, going towards the living area wordlessly and sat on the couch. "Make yourself at home," he told her, looking at her, waiting for her to come and sit.
So far, whenever they met, she had always been chirpy, exuberant. But today she was uncharacteristically quite and reserved. He wondered what had happened.
"All OK?" he asked her formally.
"Umm," she reverted, avoiding his gaze and looking around the house.
In the orange glow of the evening lights, in the sombre settings, Shivani was struggling with herself. These were the last few moments she would get to spend with him. Her father's job in Nagpur had been confirmed and she would be going away to Nagpur tomorrow. She had kept it a secret, so no further complications arose in her equation with him. Besides, they would never meet after that day anyway.
"Shivani!" Mrityunjay called her name so softly, that she jerked her head to look at him. His brows knotted as he discerned that something was definitely wrong. He got up and walked towards her, coming to sit close to her.
She watched wide eyed at the liberty he took, sitting in close proximity to her, her contours gently touching his, facing her. "What's wrong?" he probed, scrutinising her. "I've not seen you so quiet whenever we've met before," he commented.
She needed a diversion. "I'd like to see your latest paintings," she bluffed, looking away from him, her fingers intertwined into each other. Mrityunjay caught her fingers, as she jerked her head up to look at him.
"Come," he held her hand, his other hand coming around her waist and
took her to his sanctuary.