Chapter 5:- Sacred Dreams

And unforgettable memories 

“It’s all your fault!”

The wind howled erratically while she grimaced in annoyance.

He flicked her hair before giving her a piece of his mind, “It’s not.”

“Oh really, you were the one who was so engrossed in whatever book you were reading.”

“It’s Madhuri Patel’s Unhappy Endings, not ‘whatever’.” He defended while she rolled her eyes.

“I’ve never heard of her.” She brushed off sardonically.

“It’s been a long time since you’ve read a worthwhile novel then.” His words seemed to have offended her for she blared an intense gaze at him.

“Did that burn?” He smirked contemptuously, his hands firm on his hips.

“Not as much as memories with you.” His face contorted at her rebuttal, his tightened jaw pleasing her.

He inched towards her, his teeth gritting in fury when he began, “You..”

“Don’t even start, Sameer. We’re stuck here because of you.” She regurgitated, much to his frustration.

“No.” He battled succinctly.

“Yes. You took so long to break your reverie from that book of yours.” She said dismissively.

“You came here in the first place.” He counterattacked.

“You followed me.” She accused meticulously, suddenly realizing his presence hadn’t bothered her but rather gave her a sense of comfort and solace.

“I didn’t. I just happened to come here at the same time as you. It was pure coincidence.” He spoke perjurious, his fingers crossed behind his back.

“Lies. You wouldn’t have known this place if not for me.” She scoffed, pointing her finger at him with raised brows.

“We discovered this place, Naina.” He reminded her with an intense glare.

“No we didn’t. I did. And I regret showing this to you.” Naina relented.

“Don’t force me to remind you of the past.” He threatened, oblivious to the ache it revived within her.

With a grim expression, she sustained in absolute hysteria, “We need reminders for those we forget, Sameer. And our past is something I can never forget, no matter how much I want to.”

“Do you have to blame me each time, Naina?” He cast a refuted glance, his shoulders however drooped.

“You deserve the pain, Sameer. Especially after everything that happened.” Her voice cracked bitterly while her eyes glistened. Blinking away she controlled the rage of vulnerable emotions, maintaining her firm composure.

“Oh just get over it, Naina. It’s been three years. I did too.” He huffed in exasperation.

“Oh how I wish I were you, Sameer Maheshwari.” She retorted before demarcating herself from his wrath that led to utmost vulnerability.

“Unbelievable!” Sameer muttered under his breath, his hands rubbing his forehead.

She seemed to have heard that for she turned on her heel and blasted, “To hell with you, Maheshwari.”

“To hell with you too, Agarwal.”

Minds battled leaving wounded hearts and a fresh new set of tears for two broken souls.

Her breaths quickened, racing past each other and for a second she wondered how many of these had God destined for her. She wished they were numbered, wished she’d be free from this ostracized life soon. Each second seemed claustrophobic for her, each day a burden on her feeble shoulders. She needed closure, and a permanent one.

Clutching onto the last bookshelf for survival, she let her vulnerability wash her facade, succumbing the slightest sound. She couldn’t let him know, Naina Agarwal couldn’t let Sameer Maheshwari snigger at her pain.

“Ma..” She whispered amidst sobs as she slumped to the floor, her head leaning against bookshelf, her orbs glistening at the setting sun she witnessed from the window while the trees continued to roar in agony.  

It hadn’t even been two whole days. Not even 48 hours and she had been distancing herself from him already. Further away from where she already stood. Far from the reality, choking each dream, strangling every hope, obliterating every moment in some era they had spent together. All he wanted was a hopeful reconciliation, cleared misunderstandings, a certain friendship, and maybe something more. But all she did was vent out. And only at him. Her anger, her pain, her problems, her complicated family, her tormented past, her demarcated present, her dark future. Everything only lurched around her. What about him? Had he been enjoying everything they had been through?

He kicked the nearest wooden bookshelf on the other end of the hall, discovering a familiar pain agonizing him. He threw his Patel’s novel, the one he could relate the most to, to one corner as it landed shoved between colorful cushions. The book cried out to him, defying his initial intentions. Walking up to it in guilt, Sameer crouched against the cushions, hugging the book. He leaned against the window with lifeless cushions around him, as his eyes closed to an embarking sunset.

A difference of six rows of bookshelves. Yet a distance of three years.

Naina scrupulously peeped through each row, unwillingly looking for the only other person who could break the unsettling silence. She repeatedly checked the time on her watch which now showed 6:58 PM blaring in neon. It had been nearly two hours since their dispute and she couldn’t stop her curiosity from wondering what he had been doing. Each step she took defied her mind’s reprimands and couldn’t stop her heart from winking in glee. Her black sneakers clanked against the rusted wooden floor, while her army green shirt and black baggy pants clung onto her back as sweat beads rolled off her forehead. It wasn’t the darkness that intimidated her, or so she coerced herself, but the silence that was slowly killing her with each gulp she swallowed.

Naina’s head tilted to both sides, scanning every end of every bookshelf, all in vain.

“Where has this stalker disappeared to?” She muttered to herself, rage seeping through her veins at the last memory she shared with him. Naina suppressed a chuckle at the new name she had given him, and more at his constant annoyance towards it. When she imminently though she lost track of his whereabouts, in one corner of the hall echoed a light snore, taking her feet towards the intruder who attempted at breaking the silence. Past the last bookshelf amidst vibrant cushions lay a slumped Sameer Maheshwari, oblivious to the reality in the world of his dreams, with his head tilted on one side and arms lightly crossed over his chest, encasing the book he so dearly loved. Her lips broke into a surprising smile before she warily changed it to a monotonous frown. She gently crouched in front of him like a police officer conducting an interrogation. She observed the change in features, more closely now that he immersed himself into a slumber. His hair had grown, the ends reaching his nape and partly covering his eyelids. They seemed irresistibly silky and her fingers itched to feel through his hair. Naina noticed the faint stubble on his face, which seem to suit him more than his clean shaven look three years ago. His eyelids, although hidden by his lashes couldn’t wipe the dark circles off of his face. He probably was used to long nights, and evening naps, perhaps. There were slight signs of wrinkles near his closed eyes, insinuating stress, she thought. And yet he had a soft smile on his lips that created a comforting havoc within her heart.

Naina heaved a sigh, a breath in relief escaped her lips as she reached out for the book in his hands. On the cover were a couple with joined hands, their backs facing as they walked towards the rising sun on the peak of a mountain. Shades of pink, orange and yellow sprang upon the cover, delighting her heart in joy. Her lips curved automatically as she predicted an optimistic read. Her fingers tersely traced the title written in cursive with a painful edge to it as her brows furrowed in wonderment. She glanced at a sleeping Sameer, wondering what made him choose a book with juxtaposing meaning. Quietly turning the cover, she found the answer she dreaded. The back of the novel held the same picture as the cover, only portraying their blurred images from the front. One couldn’t completely make out their faces but her eyes remained fixated on the one striking clarity that distinguished between dreams and reality; the tears on their faces. She looked back at Sameer, trying to decipher him, however in vain. Her vision blurred, her fingers surreptitiously wounded around the book as she brought it close to herself.

“I’ve remembered you each moment I’ve lived…” His words echoed in her head.

She didn’t stop the tears from falling. Because she knew no one was watching. Not the people who’d mock her as weak. Not the person who’d instantly wipe hers and protect her in his embrace.

He remembered.

And she wished to forget.