I sat at my desk buried into my laptop. There was some problem in my code and I couldn't figure out what.
The train of my thoughts derailed as I heard Priya squeal, 'Oh it's raining so much!!!'
I looked out and it poured so much that the hills beyond were barely visible. I got an eerie feeling in my stomach I always got whenever I saw the rain. I got back to work.
'Let's go downstairs!' Priya said excitedly.
'Naah! I don't want to see. Besides, I have work.' I replied, already looking back in my code.
She muttered something that sounded like 'geek'. I gave her a stare. That was what she called me. The one who associated me with that word was 'he'.
She sniggered and I got up in slow motion, my fingers hovering reluctantly millimeters above the windows and L, my eyes still looking for the bug.
She made an impatient noise and I locked it.
We went downstairs with Deepa who joined us just outside the exit. It was crowded with all the crazy people who loved rain. It was cold. And wet. I hated it.
I never liked rain. Not even when I was a kid. It gave me a creepy feeling. Whenever black clouds gathered in the sky, I'd get an inexplicable feeling of melancholy.
In the crowd our eyes fell upon them. He was there with them, with his face gleaming with the child-like joy and hair disheveled as usual.
'Looks awesome, doesn't' it?' he asked me, winking at Priya.
Hmmm… It was awesome indeed. Everything looked fresh. Everything looked lovely, well everything except the rain, which ironically had been the reason it all looked lovely. I stood as far as possible from the stair where the water poured from above and leaned against a wall.
The rain subsided after a while and he suggested we go to tapri. After hesitating a little, I finally agreed.
Maybe the rain knew I hated it and it came back with double energy to tease me like a notorious child. I hated it. I ran for a shelter, Deepa and Priya followed.
The guys stayed in the rain. Almost dancing like kids. Rain certainly reduced age. As well as tensions, I thought. I was looking at him. These days I had seen him in some tension I did not know. I wondered what was ailing him. He would tell me everything. After all we texted each other all the time, even late into the night till one of us went to sleep halfway into typing a reply. We had an unusual comfort level that we did not have with any other person in the world. I was confident he wasn’t hiding anything from me. If he had something to worry about, he would have told, I kept explaining myself. Maybe it was the job, the mundane work, besides he hated coding. It just wasn’t his cup of tea.
Anyway today he seemed happier. That pleased me. He looked like an innocent child full of glee. But I couldn't let him get wet in the rain for long. He had got fever a day before. And he was utterly careless. He still wanted to go into the rain at the breakfast the other day.
'Shut up! Where is your umbrella?' I asked him.
'Umm… I forgot it at my room.' He admitted guiltily.
I wondered whether he had conveniently forgotten it to get an excuse to go in the rain.
'Come on in! You are not getting wet in the rain!' I said.
He made a face but followed meekly. Like he always did.
It had been a while. I stared at him, suggesting 'enough now!' Apparently he got the message and came back.
The other two stayed in the rain dancing. It was really funny. Priya and Deepa laughed hard clutching at their stomachs as they clicked their pictures with the funny poses. I thought he must be upset at me for not letting him enjoy. I looked at him only to find him already looking at me, smiling. I was perplexed. He smiled again shaking his head. Something pleasant tickled inside me; I did not know what. It always tickled whenever he smiled, argued with me logically leaving me flustered with anger, teased me, made me laugh when I would be annoyed after coding.
'Ahem!' The Small Voice Inside My Head started again.
'There you go!' I muttered.
'So much care! What's happening to you?' it asked slyly.
A shiver went down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold breeze that played around. I shuddered.
'Isn't it confusing? All this?' The Small Voice Inside My Head just wouldn't stop.
'No. Not anymore. GO AWAY!' I tried to shoo it away like some irksome fly.
'It is not possible. You know that. Bear it in mind.' it made another nasty comment.
'What are you talking about? What is not possible?' I stuttered.
It had already left as usual on an enigmatic note.
I walked back with all the others with my gaze fixed down on the ground.
The train of my thoughts derailed as I heard Priya squeal, 'Oh it's raining so much!!!'
I looked out and it poured so much that the hills beyond were barely visible. I got an eerie feeling in my stomach I always got whenever I saw the rain. I got back to work.
'Let's go downstairs!' Priya said excitedly.
'Naah! I don't want to see. Besides, I have work.' I replied, already looking back in my code.
She muttered something that sounded like 'geek'. I gave her a stare. That was what she called me. The one who associated me with that word was 'he'.
She sniggered and I got up in slow motion, my fingers hovering reluctantly millimeters above the windows and L, my eyes still looking for the bug.
She made an impatient noise and I locked it.
We went downstairs with Deepa who joined us just outside the exit. It was crowded with all the crazy people who loved rain. It was cold. And wet. I hated it.
I never liked rain. Not even when I was a kid. It gave me a creepy feeling. Whenever black clouds gathered in the sky, I'd get an inexplicable feeling of melancholy.
In the crowd our eyes fell upon them. He was there with them, with his face gleaming with the child-like joy and hair disheveled as usual.
'Looks awesome, doesn't' it?' he asked me, winking at Priya.
Hmmm… It was awesome indeed. Everything looked fresh. Everything looked lovely, well everything except the rain, which ironically had been the reason it all looked lovely. I stood as far as possible from the stair where the water poured from above and leaned against a wall.
The rain subsided after a while and he suggested we go to tapri. After hesitating a little, I finally agreed.
Maybe the rain knew I hated it and it came back with double energy to tease me like a notorious child. I hated it. I ran for a shelter, Deepa and Priya followed.
The guys stayed in the rain. Almost dancing like kids. Rain certainly reduced age. As well as tensions, I thought. I was looking at him. These days I had seen him in some tension I did not know. I wondered what was ailing him. He would tell me everything. After all we texted each other all the time, even late into the night till one of us went to sleep halfway into typing a reply. We had an unusual comfort level that we did not have with any other person in the world. I was confident he wasn’t hiding anything from me. If he had something to worry about, he would have told, I kept explaining myself. Maybe it was the job, the mundane work, besides he hated coding. It just wasn’t his cup of tea.
Anyway today he seemed happier. That pleased me. He looked like an innocent child full of glee. But I couldn't let him get wet in the rain for long. He had got fever a day before. And he was utterly careless. He still wanted to go into the rain at the breakfast the other day.
'Shut up! Where is your umbrella?' I asked him.
'Umm… I forgot it at my room.' He admitted guiltily.
I wondered whether he had conveniently forgotten it to get an excuse to go in the rain.
'Come on in! You are not getting wet in the rain!' I said.
He made a face but followed meekly. Like he always did.
It had been a while. I stared at him, suggesting 'enough now!' Apparently he got the message and came back.
The other two stayed in the rain dancing. It was really funny. Priya and Deepa laughed hard clutching at their stomachs as they clicked their pictures with the funny poses. I thought he must be upset at me for not letting him enjoy. I looked at him only to find him already looking at me, smiling. I was perplexed. He smiled again shaking his head. Something pleasant tickled inside me; I did not know what. It always tickled whenever he smiled, argued with me logically leaving me flustered with anger, teased me, made me laugh when I would be annoyed after coding.
'Ahem!' The Small Voice Inside My Head started again.
'There you go!' I muttered.
'So much care! What's happening to you?' it asked slyly.
A shiver went down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold breeze that played around. I shuddered.
'Isn't it confusing? All this?' The Small Voice Inside My Head just wouldn't stop.
'No. Not anymore. GO AWAY!' I tried to shoo it away like some irksome fly.
'It is not possible. You know that. Bear it in mind.' it made another nasty comment.
'What are you talking about? What is not possible?' I stuttered.
It had already left as usual on an enigmatic note.
I walked back with all the others with my gaze fixed down on the ground.
Nice yar!! :)
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