This is for you Bee.
The Chase:
She stretched mournfully and let out a long, tediously forced sigh. No reaction. Zilch. Nada. Nothing at all. He was in the exact same spot as two minutes ago, crouched over his MacBook, confused about Holy Hell knows what. She looked over at him, at the far end of the cafeteria. So, basically, none of her supposed 'sexy' histrionics had resulted in even a murmur of attention. Shaarya was getting tired of this hide-and-seek. Why couldn't he give her even the tiniest of reactions? Just munch quietly into his cookie and look at her and smile? She would die a happy camper. She remembered him from her dream the earlier night; as the rain pounded on the window-shutter; and their conversations grew into a building crescendo of energy. She'd woken up with a tickle in her brain and a pattering in her heart. A 'Ten with a brain', as someone had once described this particular sub-species of Male, and what she wouldn't do to get on the inside with this hottie. The boy of her dreams, literally, with not even an ounce of interest in her. Yet. No wonder she was confused about faith and the whole God business. She thought back on what her Philosophy professor from college had once said. "God is the figment of a weak man's imagination." Or was that Freud? Well, pish-tosh, figment or not, this proverbial 'God' seemed not to like her very much, what with him letting her scourge her every heartbeat on Mr.Hot Corner Dude. And she didn't even know his name, she realised with a tiny jolt. But then again, she would try again tomorrow. Faint heart never won fair lady, and the tables were certain to turn in her favour some day. After all, feminism wasn't just for Sister Orgasm's classes! Till then, she would chase. Because the chase was pretty damn good for now, the thin red line between dreams and reality fast blurring into nothingness. She wondered when she would wake up.
Chapter 2
Morning people are an anomaly. Sure it’s a new day, possibly even a beautiful day. But waking up to find out that that phenomenally sizzling kiss was only a dream is just infuriating! Mr. Hot Corner Dude was still on her mind. He had built a mansion in her brain and refused to share the space with a single other thought. She spent a few minutes lying in bed, wishing she could turn dreams into reality or reality into dreams. Whichever works!
As usual, she was running late. She had to make a presentation for her Photojournalism class. The white satchel kept slipping off her shoulder, while she tried to arrange the papers in her hands and to make things even more difficult the angry breeze blew her hair all over her face. The levels of frustration were rising rapidly. “I hate you Morning!” she muttered, while almost running towards her class. Suddenly, BAM, she collided into something and was falling backwards, the papers flying all around her. It was all in slow motion, just like in the movies. She felt warm hands grabbing both her forearms and pulling her back to her feet. She found her bearings in no time and looked up to see the owner of those warm, strong hands. MR. HOT CORNER DUDE. Shit! Shit, shit! She was a mess, she was embarrassed, she was blushing, and she was LATE. This morning couldn’t possible get worse. Could it?
“Are you okay?” he said. His voice made her legs jelly and the butterflies were like enemy soldiers causing utter havoc in her belly. She stared at him, her eyes concentrated on his lips, remembering the sizzling kiss that never happened. He was speaking to her again, looking concerned now. After a few more seconds she came out of her first daydream of the day to answer him. “Yeah, I’m fine, thanks!” He helped her gather the fallen papers and after handing them to her he smiled, turned around and walked away.
That’s it?! He just walks away. No conversation. Nothing. Ugh! Men are exasperating. Feeling dejected she walked towards her class. The professor berated her for being late and then asked her to give her presentation. She had worked so hard on this presentation but Mr. Kiss me in my Dreams totally ruined her mood and enthusiasm. She doesn’t even know this guy and yet he has this power over her, she mused. She was pretty confident that no man could ever have such intense power over her. And no man ever had. Until now! Until last evening in the cafeteria! It took him all of one day to house himself in her brain and her heart. Every fibre of her being was on fire when she saw him yesterday. How is that possible? Who is he? The whole ordeal was beginning to upset her. She wasn’t used to being so out of control of her emotions.
She finally ended the raging battle in her head and concentrated on her presentation. She had chosen Robert Capa and her presentation was a slideshow of his most captivating photographs with Wilfred Owen’s poetry recited in the background. She was quite proud of it and even got praise from the professor as well as a thundering applause. She had no idea that a pair of eyes was watching her in admiration and those kissable lips she had dreamed of were smiling. Back in her seat, her thoughts drifted away from the class and she turned to look out the window. The sun was still high up in the sky and it was still morning. Not bad, she thought. “Mornings!” she chuckled.
Considering she hadn’t had a morsel to eat since she woke up she headed straight to the cafeteria. After purchasing a plate of pancakes she sat down on her table. She always sat at that table, it had become her corner, where she pondered over things and found solace. Somehow it was always available when she came to the cafeteria. A happy sigh escaped her after she took her first bite of the pancake. Pancakes with chocolate always did that to her. That was the thing about food…it never disappoints. It always makes you happy and satisfied. It can’t reject you or ignore you. And it’s always ‘available’, almost always. This train of thought obviously traveled to the mystery man who made her insides squirm in delight. She munched furiously and stabbed her pancake as anger at her unusual behavior escalated. Where was he even from? She had never seen him before yesterday and she had been here for a month. Ugh! Just stop thinking about him. Stop it. Now.
The more you want to stop thinking about something or someone, the more your mind concentrates on that thing. It’s like when you’re meditating and you have to wipe every thought out of your mind, but you just can’t. You try to look at that flickering candle flame in your mind, but the candle flame quickly transforms into the face of someone you were thinking about or food you feel like eating or the book you just read. That’s the mind. Constantly in motion, drifting from one thought to the other, candle flame all but forgotten. So when she looked up from her tortured pancake, the first thing her eyes landed on were him. This cannot be happening to me, she silently yelled. But then something happened that made her heart stop and her abdomen pained with the flurry of butterflies. He had just smiled at her. And before she could react she saw him get out of his chair and walk towards her.
dude I love ittttt!
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