Nadia just couldn't stop beaming. She looked at her mehendi laden hands. Her life was just beautiful. A silent tear escaped, a long sigh later , she looked at herself in the mirror. She was Happy.
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2 Years ago
If someone had told her she would meet someone like Harish, she would have just laughed it off! No ways, guys like Harish just existed in Romantic Films and Books. Not in real Life, never.
He had just saved a puppy, must have been barely months old, from being squished under fast moving vehicles. 'Weekdays aren't going to be kind to you , just because you are a cute little adorable puppy with those big, melt my heart away eyes' he chided the puppy, cradling it in his arms. He left it safely near the footpath and stared at it long and hard. The puppy sat down and stared right back. He laughed and scooped up the puppy, and walked away.
Nadia was watching all of this from a distance. She smiled to herself, and kept smiling the whole day recounting the episode.
The next day she saw
him again. Almost sprinting, and shouting away instructions on his phone.
Later in the evening, Nadia bound by her routine, headed towards the Parking lot, ear plugs firmly placed, humming away a tune. She barely had any sensation whatsoever of a person following her.
It all just happened very quickly, Nadia barely registered what happened. It took her half an hour to regain herself. her Lips quivered, her breathing heavy. She looked to her left, and saw Harish. He was talking to the cops. She hugged herself, and closed her eyes shut.
She recollected his strong arms around her waist , lifting her up. He tried to cover her mouth, but she screamed as loud as she could, trying to push away her attacker. She was too weak. But someone else was there too. He hit her attacker, she fell on teh floor, hitting her head.
'Hey' , she felt an arm on her shoulder. She shuddered and opened her eyes, to see Harish sitting besides her. Overwhelmed , she hugged him and cried. She did not know for how long. But she felt him shifting from kneeling on the floor to sitting next to her, cradling her in his arms. he did not say a word, but instead sat next to her, and held her.
She heard him giving away his number to the cops, saying he would call them and will get her when she is better.
After what seemed like hours, she let go and straightened up. She cupped her face with her palms. She breathed deeply and looked towards him. 'Thank you', she muttered. He just smiled back.
She trembled while getting up. She knew she couldnt sit there all night. He helped her, and quickly let go.
'Can you drive home? , i could drop you home' , he offered. She just nodded her head.
He made her sit , and jogged towards the drivers seat. He steered the vehicle out of the lot, and waited for her to tell him . She sat there all curled up, lost in the distance. He cleared his throat to get her attention. but she just looked out.
He decided to take her home.
It was around 2am, when he heard muffled screams followed by prolonged howling. She had a nightmare. That incident definitely changed her. It made her weak, it brought out her vulnerability.
8 months later.
Nadia was doing better. She kept in touch with Harish. They met often . Harish was in a relation and always found solace in Nadia when it came to sorting out his problems.
2 years later.
It was a year after he Harish broke up with his girl. He was completely over her. He wanted to start afresh. Nadia had moved on to another city, however their friendship blossomed . Harish had planned to surprise Nadia, by turning up in her city unannounced . Surprise would have been an understatement. Nadia was overwhelmed and ran into his arms .
They spent a week together, catching up, shopping , clubbing and enjoying everything that the city could offer them.
Nadia still remembered that day. How could she not. It was a day before he was to leave. It was raining. They had just returned home after shopping, and were dripping wet. They laughed over some incident and ran home.
Nadia went to her room and came back with a towel, to wipe his hair dry. He sat down and asked her to wipe it dry, laughing away at a previous incident. She sat down in front of him, and started drying his hair with a towel. His laughter ceased , he caught her wrists and lowered her hands, looking at her face. She gave an awkward smile, and tried to get up. He pulled her back towards him. Her hair covered his face. Their breath was in sync with each other. He loved the way she smelled.
'Hari , we ... we shouldnt ..' , she hesitated.
'sssshh' , he silenced her , and kissed her . There was no stopping them both. Passion overtook their senses, and they were two wild animals clamoring for attention, exploring and satisfying each other.
They lay in each others arms.
'Why did I wait so long, Nadz' , he whispered . ' I have been in love with you for so long'
She looked up and kissed him ' I thought you would never feel this way for me'. A silent tear escaped. he kissed her, and their bodies responded to the rhythmic music their hearts made.
Harish went back the next day. They stayed in touch via calls, texts, whichever was feasible. Each others routine was etched firmly in their minds. They couldnt stay a minute without texting or talking . They had become a necessity for each other.
It was 6 months later into their relation. It was time to take it further, she told him. 'I need more time Nadz, im not settled' She understood. 'Sure'
Two years later - He still wasn't settled. Fights became more prominent. He just wanted 'Space' . He wanted time to settle down.
"The biggest Coward of a man is to awaken the Love of a woman, without the intention of Loving her".
Nadia just couldn't stop beaming. She looked at her mehendi laden hands. Her life was just beautiful. A silent tear escaped, a long sigh later , she looked at herself in the mirror. She was Happy.
She met Nitin at a friends wedding, and he couldn't wait to be married to her. He proposed . She wanted time. He waited . She finally fell for his Love towards her.
"One day, someone is going to hug you so tight that all your broken pieces are gonna stick together"
