Lumanti (Memory)

Memory Flood

Then few other memories made themselves known in front of her. Both of them singing their favorite songs out loud inside a car with each other, dancing in his house, playing charades with friends and then just laughing and staring at each other deeply like falling into each other.

And the night of New Years Eve, she remembered now. As the firework ended and they wished each other Happy New Year, she leaned towards him with confidence and drunkenly said, "Hey, I heard people kiss after clock strikes 12. We should kiss." But he politely refused, and her ego had never been so bruised. He later took her to her best friend avoiding her for the night.

Not able to process what happened, she confronted him as soon as she woke up in the morning. He was looking fresh and handsome in his unbuttoned white shirt, perfectly showing his ripped body. She was at loss of words when she saw him approaching towards her.

"Good morning beautiful," he said in his beautiful voice, tucking her loose hair behind her ear. She inhaled sharply as he came close to her. Not knowing what to do she took a step back, pretending to find something in kitchen counter and asked trying to sound casual, "What happened last night?"

He cocked his eyebrows and said, "You don't remember? Well, it was fun night. You were dancing and jumping around. Oh, and this dude tried to grope you, but you pushed him away so bad that he didn't dare come close to you".

"I did?"

"Yep."

"Oh my god. I must have been acting crazy."

"No not really. He deserved it."

"No, I mean the whole night, I must have been so drunk," and to confirm her confusion, she asked, "Did I try to kiss you?"

He smiled and said, "Umm yes but we didn't kiss and I took you to Ri, instead." She lowered her head in embarrassment, but he put his hand under her chin to make her look up and said, "hey, I didn't kiss you not because I didn't want to."

"Then why didn't you?"

"God knows, I wanted to. I didn't because I didn't want our first kiss to be in your drunken state or to be forgotten the next day, I wanted both of us to be sober and you to be okay with kissing me. I didn't want you to regret it."

Her heart fluttered at his words and warm smile coveted her face and so did his. He asked, "Can I kiss you now?"

She nodded and lean towards him when Rianne decided to enter the room.

Then the moment moved towards the night by the lake, where they sat under the star embedded sky talking about their life when he gently traced her lips with his finger. Slowly he cupped his hands around her face and lean towards her. She didn't hesistate. She moved towards him and as the stars shone upon them, both of their lips met with one another. Later that night, they both reached his home unable to keep their hands off of each other. As they stumbled towards the couch, their body danced in same rhythm as if each knew other's move. His hand started tracing her body while she planted kiss on his chest moving towards neck and then his earlobe. And their lips met once again and several times more that night. The made love with each other for the first time that night and every touch felt equally new and familiar as they moaned and sighed.

This beautiful memory was suddenly replaced with their first fight.

"I don't get it what's your problem with that. Yes, he is my ex-boyfriend, but he is also my friend. You are very aware of that. Why are you acting weird?"

"Then why do you think I am? What are we T? What is it between us?

"Why don't you tell me?"

"I want more from this. I don't want to be your fling. The guy you hang out with."

"You are not my fling. What made you think that? You know, you are more than that."

"What is it then? I love you T. I want us to have a proper relationship."

Lumanti was delighted to hear those words coming out of him and there was their first I love you right after their first fight. She responded back with, "So do I B. I love you too B, I love you so much."

He carried her by the waist in happiness and went around and round. They both were very happy. There were few squabbles here and there, but they would come out even stronger. And then he had to go to Nepal for a month. Due to time difference and network error time and again, they had hard time communicating with each other, but they surpassed that as well. When he returned he brought her all the things she had asked for but he was always somewhat lost in thoughts since his return but he said that it was nothing. Since his return, they started getting into arguments and some arguments were never resolved. Aaron seemed more withdrawn, so Lumanti kept on asking if there was something troubling him but her concerns and questions were left unanswered with simple answer like, "T, it is nothing alright. There is nothing going on. I will tell you if there is something that you need to know. I love you." Just like that, she stopped pressing him. Things were starting to get different but their commitment to each other was still intact.

And the final memory erupted from the darkest corner of her mind. Aaron's face was delighted. He was genuinely surprised and feeling blessed by the party his girlfriend managed to throw for him. She was ecstatic to see him surprised and happy. He blew his birthday candles and gave the first bite of cake to Lumanti. They started catching up with friends, dancing, laughing. She was returning from restroom and walking towards lounge when he overheard him talking with Samantha in a corner of room.

"I don't know how to tell her ...."

Her eyes fluttered open as the final memory came to close in her dorm apartment.