Road to the Ocean

Serendipity part 2

Niti's clumsy limbs made her stumbled on the welcome mat as she walked into her apartment, her previously soaked clothes almost dry.  She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to ease out the avalanche of feelings creating a turmoil in her mind. Frustrated, she kicked off her shoes, threw her satchel on the marble floor and rushed to her bathroom. Her fumbled hands found the knob of the shower and she welcomed the gush lukewarm water pouring over her body.

She stood still for a few moments, still clothed, finding solace under the running water. The shower scene was still haunting her thoughts and she couldn't help, but reminisced how both of them were oblivious to their surroundings  while they clasped to each other like magnets. When the water slid from her head, to her full light colored lips, she stroked its movements with her index finger down her collar bone, across her shoulders, and at the areas where Parth had caressed her. She closed her eyes and swirled under the shower with her arms wide open to her sides, tilting her head upwards towards the shower's nozzle. She recalled the first time she felt the rain in Mumbai, when she barely settled down. She remembered how she immediately fell in love with the city, explicitly known for its monsoon weather. The images of the shower scenes morphed into her mind and froze on a particular one: Parth's smouldering eyes gazing at her quivering lips. She blurred out from her thoughts flaring in her mind and stopped spinning.

"What is wrong with me?" She thrust her head back, hitting the wall and collapsing on the floor, disheartened. "This was not me. How can I turn so weak in just few months?" A shadow of grim engulfed her pretty face as her thoughts sinking into obscurity. She was indecisive what exactly she wanted and expected from him. Having enough of this mental battle, Niti decided to be dismissive from his thoughts and ceased the growing feelings which continued to distract her mind. She hopped on her feet, got rid of her damp shooting clothes and rinsed herself. She gently dapped her body with a dry towel and went outside to change.

The situation was equally wobbly at Parth's residence. His laughs and gestures were not as mirthful as it was before. He sat on the sofa alone, staring outside towards the balcony from its glass doors. He could easily sight the moon as its whitish-blue luminescence was dispersing over his laminated floor. On the other side, across from him, his friends were quietly speculating and observing his melancholic eyes and dejected look. He seemed inconsistent whenever he spoke or any meek attempt in any playful discussion among his friends became a lamentable failure.

"What's wrong babe?" Parth felt fingers running through his skull as he heard a soft whisper in his ears. He held perfect manicured hand and saw  her painted red nails. She had limited accessories, only a small ring on her ring finger and a branded golden bracelet on her wrist. She wore a black lace dress which reminded Parth of the dress Niti was wearing on the first day of the audition where Parth met her the first time.

"Eh... Noth.." He murmured. Before he could put his thoughts into proper words, he was interrupted by Tina, his best friend's new girlfriend.

"Parth! I have been pestering Gaurav so many times to take me to meet you. Finally we met" Tina said with a warm smile spread around her heart shaped face. "I am such a huge fan of kyy. And of course MaNan. Your exhilarating chemistry with Niti never fail to leave me speechless. Hey I was wondering what's cooking between you and Niti? Any plan to get hitched soon?" Tina added with a mischievous grin.

The room was filled with an eerie silence for a brief moment. Parth felt his heart jumped to his throat and an intense heat creeped at the back of his neck as he felt a sudden jolt of adrenaline in his veins. All his friends burst out laughing. His first reflex was to turn around to the girl behind him but his best buddies dropped on the couch next to him and started teasing Parth to distract his mind from being too focused on his work.