Right Time

"Thanks for coming! My phone battery is about to die and I couldn't think of asking anyone else for help. You are a life saver!" she said as she stepped into the car.

I was seeing her after three long years but I could bet she never looked lovelier than tonight. For a fraction of a moment when she was busy wiping her mobile phone, I stole a glance at a lucky water-drop that had rested on her eyelashes.

"God! What's with this unshaven look! Bangalore doesn't seem to have agreed with you!" she laughed, "Some girl left you!?"

"You did!" I teased.

She only rolled her eyes, "You left too. We both did. Don't put all the blame on me!"

We had come so far over all these years. From being strangers to disliking each other, to having some curious attraction, to being friends and then to being something more than friends, to taking a break from each other, finally making peace with the fact that we couldn't 'sever all ties' in her words.

We had never hit the right time together. We knew that we needed different things in life and even after everything had been said and done, we preferred not to tag our feelings with a name, to keep them from crushing under the burden of expectations.

"You've still got the pen with you!?" I asked her in a surprise, spotting the pen among the various items from her purse spread in her lap to dry.

"Yep! It stopped working ages ago though." she said, clicking it open and close fondly.

She had saved the pen for so many years... It was my favourite pen that I had given her away during our school days when she'd said she loved it. Twelve years, I counted.

"You are so crazy about me, aren't you?" I asked her, winking.

"Oh please! Let's not get into that! At least I didn't throw away my favourite black shirt because you didn't like it!" she taunted.

We both smiled at the memory. And then like a colorful and seemingly never ending piece of silk being pulled out from a magician's pocket, the other memories followed.

The Monsoon of the beautiful memories that we had shared and the Monsoon of the memories we couldn't. I had missed her so much. Being around her all the time, talking about any topic, laughing for no reason- why! Everything was so perfect! It always was! How the hell we never managed to hit the right time!! In-between the words and the silences, ambitions and confusions, to be's and not to be's, time had done what it did the best.

I had pulled the brakes a while ago, outside her home.

"Oh I should go. Getting late!" she said, consulting her watch and turning to pull the door knob.

I hated her watch for running so fast tonight.

Even the windshield wipers seemed to move frantically as if gesturing her not to leave.

"What! I came so far on your single say-so! I am getting to see you after three years! I am not even getting a hug?" I asked her, trying to sound casual about it.

She turned around to stare at me, smiled at me serenely and pulled me close in a hug. Several water droplets in her hair fell on my arm that responded instantly with goosebumps.

I could hear her calm breath against the muffled sound of drizzle outside. I did not know how long we stayed like that.

"You had to go." I whispered.

"Mmmm..." She clutched me a little tighter before letting go.

"Bye." she said finally, breaking apart and not really meeting my eyes, "It's too late."