Voyage {Drabble}

"Stage II - Steps" Chapter 10

Chapter Ten.

He walked among the crowd, looking for a glimpse of the familiar faces – His friends. But mostly that face of an angel whom he had dearly missed. He was longing to meet her, now. Realizing that nothing in the world would ever be a substitute to her. She was irreplaceable. She had unknowingly created a hollow into his heart that could only be completed by her. Only she could complete him.

His eyes caught the sight of his friends standing at the airport to receive him. He had been reluctant to have them all there. He wasn't a kid. He could travel back home exactly the way he walked out. But his friends were crazy enough to do exactly what he would not want them to do.

He padded towards them, while his eyes still in search of those deep brown ones. Though, he couldn't find that one face he was dying to see.

Cabir stepped forward, engulfing him in a hug, "Hey, bro!" Dhruv joined in as well. But his eyes still trailed behind.

Where is she, were his restless thoughts.

Mukti patted at his back, grabbing his attention. His eyes found her smiling warmly at him. Alya peeped from behind and launched at him along with Mukti. He was squeezed into a group hug by the four of them. Yet, he could feel the emptiness. The missing piece of his life. She was nowhere around. The thought worried him.

Peeling their arms from around him, his lips curled into forced smile. He wanted to ask about her but restrained from doing so. He had already received quite a few suspicious eyebrows raised at him regarding her. Being smooth and casual was a way but he wouldn't be able to pull it off with ease. The feelings he had, would explode with a mere thought of hers.

Inhaling heavily, he stepped aside and said, with utmost honesty, "It's good to see you guys." His smile didn't shine bright enough.

"Stop pretending, Manik," Mukti huffed in annoyance as she spoke while smacking onto his arm, "you wouldn't have gone unannounced, if we were valued."

Alya added, "It was more surprising that you didn't inform Nandini as well," others just nodded in agreement. He wanted to just let it out loud and clear that it wasn't by choice. He just had to clear his thoughts.

Cabir tugged onto his sleeves and whispered softly yet eyed him calculatively, "Is there something wrong?" He answered with a casual shrug and pretending normal while on the insides there was hurricane of emotions.

"Oh! Come on guys," Dhruv interrupted, "we better move, Nandini is waiting for us." He carefully reminded only to grab undivided attention from Manik. Manik had tons of questions at the tip of his tongue but found it difficult to voice.

Everyone else agreed to Dhruv and they padded towards the exit. Manik grew restless with each step.

When they arrived at the parking lot, he found the petite frame leaning against the car. He drank her image. Arms folded across her chest and legs crossed at the ankle with her eyes shut as she had her head leaned back onto the car.

She was there.

As if alerted by the marching footsteps, she fluttered her eyes open to mingle with his and her arms fell on either sides. The way she looked at him made him feel the churning within. He gulped.

Thinking the distance could have suppressed the emotion he held was wrong, he knew. But now, he could sense the intensity in emotions that the distance has created.

His eyes caught the sight of her sighing. She straightened her feet to step forward while her eyes depicted pain. It ached him but even more alarmed him.

Before he could question her, she wrapped her tiny arms around his waist and enveloped herself into his cozy warmth. His arms instantly wrapped around her while she snuggled deep into his arms. Her hold conveyed a few unspoken words.

"I missed you," she mumbled into his chest, unwilling to let go off him. Smiling to himself, he tilted back to unveil her tear stained face. She still looked beautiful to him.

Tucking a strand of loose hair, he held her chin in order to make her eyes stare back at his. He spoke with utmost tenderness to his voice, "I missed you too." He wished, she could realize the pain of being away from her.

She sniffed ignoring his words as she buried her head into his chest. His smile only grew wider. She behaved like an innocent child. Securing her in his embrace, he placed a gentle kiss at the top of her head.

Aware of the presence of an audience that witnessed the scene unfold, he still chose to ignore. He hardly cared. She wasn't just the world to him, she was the center of his world. When he had her in his arms, the world around fades into the thin air and all he cares about is her.

He very well knew his feelings and he was certain of what he wanted. He wanted her, in his life. For Always. Forever.

And for that he had to take the next step. It would be either forever or never. 

📖📖📖📖

Hope this brings a smile across your faces.

Marking an end to Stage Two. We now, move to the Final Stage.

What do you think, would it be his chance for his Forever or would he loose everything he holds dear and end up with a 'never'?