Previously-
She was back to her energetic normal self. Actually, at this moment, she was her exciting and highly crazy self. The cute little one-year old baby was all the happiness she could handle. Holding him in her arms felt so heavenly. She looked at his each move with wide eyes as if she herself was a child watching something very interesting. The baby's parents were looking around the party hall at the moment, while she was playing with their son.
"We like this hall, Lisa."
"Great then." She said, looking up and again brought her eyes back to the baby.
The mother bent forward to take him back. "Did he irritate you?"
"Not at all. He's so lovely." She said, looking at him with adoration in her eyes.
The mother smiled widely.
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Whispers of the Waves
Alisa bent her upper body to the ground. Keeping her palms on her knees, she took deep breaths. She was panting and her facial muscles ached with all the laughing and grinning. It was her first day as a basketball coach. There were some girls who knew how to play while others were beginners. She made them stretch, started with layups and went to ball handling drills and dribbling. After that, she made the beginners rest and asked them to observe as she played a match with the other girls. It was super fun. The girls playing were completely engrossed in the game while the other students hooted, shouted and also observed keenly. She was loving it.
2 hours was just not enough. She wanted more but she knew she had to stop. They all sat down for some time in silence and then, started to leave. She took her bag and was about to leave too, when she spotted Chandr!
Her eyes widened. She couldn't believe he was actually here and he was looking at her.
"Hi!" She exclaimed with a huge smile.
He smiled. "Hi. You play well."
She was startled. "You watched me play? For how long have you been here?"
"Just 10-15 minutes, I guess. We finished early so." He checked his watch, before answering her.
"Finished early? You coach too?!" She was flabbergasted.
"Ya." He chuckled.
She couldn't understand what was happening! There were having a normal conversation without anyone's interruption. Would it all end again? Would she start missing him and getting confused about herself again? … Her mind was flooded by waves of doubts but she didn't let him see it in her Ocean blue eyes.
"Hey! You guys already met, ha? I should have known. It's Alisa after all." Deepak's voice interrupted.
"We've met before actually, Deepak." She informed him.
"Oh! Then why call me, when you know the owner of the place!" He announced, sarcastically.
"What?! Even this place is owned by the Dattas?!" She turned to Chandr.
"You know he's a Datta! You guys are pretty close. Well, this one's not a part of The Datta Enterprises. It's just his." Deepak answered, for his college mate, looking at his school mate.
"Ha?" She asked confused, shifting her gaze to Chandr once again.
"I bought it from the money I earned on my own so it's not a part of the Datta's."
"Your own!?"
"Ya" He nodded with a slight smile.
"Wow. What do you do?" She asked, amazed.
"I ... Own a small textile company." He said as if it's nothing to talk about.
"And He writes lyrics for the band 'Whispers of the waves' " Deepak continued.
"What!?...Omg! You. Wrote all those songs?" She asks, completely flattered.
"No. Just a few." He laughs in between.
"Did you write that someone?" She questions excitedly, almost jumping towards him.
He smiles. "Ya."
She squealed and closed her mouth with her hands in awe. "I'm gonna faint now! Deepak!! Asshole, why didn't you tell me before?" She yells at him. Chandr stands there, shocked. She squealed, screamed, called Deepak an asshole and was almost jumping in awe...for him?! He asks himself.
"Aaah...My batch children arrived. Need to go. Bye." Deepak escapes quickly.
"Hey!..." She calls out loudly but he doesn't turn so she turns her attention back at Chandr who had now officially became her new favorite hero!
"Chandr....I need your autograph. Please…" She almost begs, showing her puppy eyes.
He laughs. "...That song's my favorite too, by the way."
"Haa! Don't change the topic. I want an autograph. Serious here." She stresses.
"...I don't have a pen" He checks his pockets and shrugs.
She lets out a breath of regret.
"Do you really like that song that much?" He asks, trying to keep up the conversation, trying to lift her mood and trying to clear his own doubtful thoughts.
"Like it? I love it. It's my favorite.... favorite. I sing it all the time...oh, by the way, it's sad that I sing it. I can't sing well." She shakes her head and laughs at herself, a little embarrassed.
"I'm sure that's not true." He assures politely.
"Oh, it is! My dad loves that song too. He keeps telling me not to spoil the fun but I can't just shut up... you would know that about me by this time." She chuckles and he joins.
"Is your car parked in the parking lot?" He asks, pointing at the right side of the ground. The parking lot was a few buildings away.
"Scooty. Yes, it's in the parking lot."
"Oh. Let's walk there then." They start walking. She sees that he has worn his moon ear cuff again. She really wished she had one too. A sparkling moon whose moonlight would brighten even the darkness, would soothe even the stillness.
"Why a Scooty? " He asks, looking in the front, a little embarrassed of being the first to speak again. He rarely did that, when not in his business mode. She loved it that he's continuing the conversation.
"Well, memories of childhood! My mom had the same model so."
"Oh." He replies, not knowing what else to say. Maybe he had touched a sensitive topic. He knew her mother wasn't alive.
"Wow! There's a gym here!” She gasps, as if she had seen a palace. “…I should tell Kairav...He loves to explore all the gyms. Nice hobby, right?" She says, taking out her mobile and sending him the location.
"Your friend?" He asks, his voice casual but he felt a touch of sadness or was it jealousy?!
He convinced himself that he was asking because he just wanted the conversation to keep going.
That was partly true. He had always felt lonely, especially when he wasn't working. On Sundays, the first half of the day, he would spend lazily, writing lyrics or checking on his textile business, according to his mood. Then he would come here to coach basketball. Sometimes at night, he would go to the beach or to clubs, with his cousin Mehul but the conversations everywhere were either business related or all too short and deprived of enthusiasm. When Alisa spoke, the world around her lightened up. Even the most normal things sounded interesting and colorful. She had that spark in her.
Her smile has that power, he accepted.
"Yaa... And now, he's also my best friend's husband." She declared proudly. "They suit each other so well…He doesn't talk much AND he doesn't like listening to me either! How stupid? But he can listen to Mayu all the time. Oh! Mayu is his wife, by the way..." She turns to him as she explains, before continuing as she turns to look in front of her.
He smiles to himself, enjoying this conversation. It had been so long since he had simply had a conversation, walking around. This feels good, he thought.
"...I tell you that guy treats her like a Queen. She deserves that though. She's the best! Isn't that why she's my best friend?" She smirks at herself.
It felt like she was talking to herself now. He liked that too. She wasn't a woman who would talk to show off her knowledge or act to show off her beauty or smartness though she had all of them. Her heart was that of a child's, living in the present and not carrying life like it's a burden. It inspired him.
He looked at her with admiration as she kept talking, animatedly. It's wasn't just her mouth speaking, her whole body did. Her hands were moving as if she was explaining an experiment. She tilted her head sometimes, she kicked small stones on the road when she talked about something that irritated her and all of a sudden, her pout would vanish and she would jump and turn towards him, showing him the light in her eyes, telling him something exciting. He kept his eyes on her the whole time. Not just because he wanted to, also because he couldn't look away. He was smiling to himself without a break, without even realizing it. She was sparkling in his eyes. She is a gorgeous person, he admitted.