Limerence 2

A/N: This is the second part of a story am writing.  Do read the prologue before this.  It can be found in my profile :)

Chapter Two - Petrichor

The sun had set an hour ago, casting away the day’s troubles only to bring in ominous forebodings. The crisp monsoon air had a bite to it. The sky was darkened by the regal looking thunderclouds. Though her college lay near to the city, its lights and sounds seemed almost muted. It was the fifteenth of August. Fifteen days since that fateful day; fifteen days since her gran had passed away. A tear slowly kissed her lips, leaving behind that slightly salty after taste. She had been close to her gran. Her childhood was spent listening to the tales of mighty Gods and Goddesses, lapping up all that fell from the wrinkled lips like Amrit. In days of trouble, she had rushed to her Gran’s side, that child-like faith always giving her the veil of protection from the ire of her parents. Her Gran had always been there for her, listening to her talk non-stop, without correcting or judging or even teasing for being too fast. And now, she was gone.

She sighed and turned around. It was a Sunday and the hostel was eerily silent. She didn’t miss the hubbub of activities that always seemed to be the part of her hostel. She liked the lively atmosphere, but right then she needed some peace and quiet. Zafrah, one of her roommates had tried to coax her to come and eat. But she was feeling restless and not in a mood for food. She turned again, and laid back. The red canopy of her bed was strangely comforting. It was a left to her by Heer, her ex-roommate. Heer had hit it off with her, as soon as they were introduced to each other. Zafrah made the third of their trio, though being in another department reduced the time they spent together. Thus she and Heer became much more closer. But then, Heer had gotten in to a prestigious institution in another state and left. They didn’t get to say good bye, since she was in her ancestral home due to the death of her Gran. Heer had nevertheless left her some knickknacks to remind her of their brief but meaningful time together. A bookmark she always stole from Heer, a tee-shirt she once commented she liked, the torch with which the trio used to read after the lights were switched off and this red canopy they had shared.

A familiar sound brought her out of her musings. She sat up abruptly, throwing the comforter off her and quickly rushed to the nearby window. It was raining!!! She felt joy bubbling up inside her. Though it was Monsoon, till then rain had failed to make an appearance in the city her college was located in. She had keenly missed the opening in the heavens. Nothing like the light spray the chilly wind always brought in, to make her feel refreshed. She closed her eyes, smiled, and breathed deeply in. A moment passed and then she frowned. Once more she tried breathing in. No. it didn’t feel right. It didn’t smell right.

It was the first rain of the season. The parched ground should be soaking up the elixir and sighing contently, gifting the world with its special fragrance. The smell of soil right after the first drop of water touched it. She felt like cursing the city. She felt confined and cloistered. Quickly rushing out of the door, she raced down the stairs. Down, down, down she went. Past the bewildered looking fellow hostlers, past the ‘dragon’ guarding their fortress, who screamed at her and flew out in to the courtyard. She looked everywhere. The rain had come down with a vengeance and she was soaked within seconds. The wind was howling around her, her hair swirling in the dance it choreographed. Again, she breathed in and again she was disappointed.

She was never once ‘homesick’ like her fellow batch mates. The adrenaline rush that always came to her when she thought of her new adventures prevented such a malady from affecting her. She was excited to be out of her quaint little village; she was excited in pursuing new horizons. But right then? Her heart was screaming to be back home. To look out into the mountain, to watch the purple lightning that was special to their village, to sit in her armchair, near the window with her favorite book and cup of hot coffee, to hear her mother chiding for daring to come outside during a thunderstorm. For God’s sake, she even missed the power off’s that always came during monsoon. Here it was always bright, artificial.

She looked around and felt eyes upon her. She must have been a sight, drenched to the bones and panting like a dog. She couldn’t suffer their scrutiny anymore. She ran. But the moment she began running, she knew there was no where she could go. The college was frustratingly small. But even the short run helped her clear her chaotic mind. She calmed enough to sit in veranda of the Elysium, the entrance to their auditorium. With both her hands, she wiped her face clean of excess water. Though it didn’t prevent the rivulets from her hair from running down, it did help to give her better vision.

From her vantage point, she could see the main gate; a small wall of shrubs would have barred her way had it not been for their height. She could see the commuters rushing hither and thither, hurrying back home. The rain made beautiful patterns in the cement paved ground in front of her. She sighed. Of course, there was no smell because there was no soil! The whole college and even the Hostel were done in a modernistic style that didn’t leave even a patch of land bare. It was cemented all through. She tried to convince herself that it didn’t matter. The smell was not that great. She was fooling none.

“Hey Cricket, you all right there?”

She smiled hearing the name she was dubbed with the moment she stepped inside. Cricket. Not the game but the insect. All because her voice was a bit shrill. Ya….right. A bit.

“Zafrah.”

“You are gonna catch a cold sitting out like that. You are dripping, girl. The bat better not see you.”

The bat being their warden sister, who, in their defense, did resemble a bat with her nun’s wear and stern countenance. She laughed.

“I will be careful or better yet, I’ll sit here till I’m dry.” Zafrah scoffed, looked imperiously down at her, sighed and then sat in the puddle of water she had created.

“Zafrah!”

“Now I know why you like being wet. It’s comfy!” She laughed again. Zafrah was so strange at times.

“ What are you doing here, anyway? “

“ Well, I heard from a trusted source that my roommate had gone insane and was seen flying away. I came to investigate if the claim is true. “

“Ah…. your incessant curiosity rearing its head again.” Zafrah was teased mercilessly by her and Heer for her never ending curiosity that was often shrouded in a cloak of sarcasm.

“Can you blame me?”

“I guess no.”

“Wanna tell what made that irritating smile disappear?”

“Hey! My smile is not irritating! It’s actually my best feature, if I say so myself.”

“Ha! Your best feature have made the seniors dub you Undesirable No. 1”

“What?!”

“Yup. The grapewine is flying with speculation as to what your fate is going to be. If I were you, I would keep my best feature to myself for the time being.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“You are awfully well-informed.”

“I have my Snapes.”

She smiled hearing yet another word from the sacred slang only understood and talked by crazy Potter fans. Zafrah was a breath of fresh air among the glamour-obsessed girls of her batch. Both of them liked looking good but was not keen on hours talking about it.

“Petrichor.”

“Is that a disease?” Zafrah seemed genuinely concerned. She laughed.

“No…no. Its what they call the smell of rain. ‘Petros’ meaning stone and ‘ichor’, the golden blood of gods in…”

“Greek mytholgy. I know.” Zafrah completed. “So the rain doesn’t smell right? It feels mighty fine to me.”

“It’s just…I have always associated the first rain of season with the smell of wet soil, to put it lightly. I miss it.”

“Ah…” Zafrah looked at her like she had gone complete bonkers. She smiled sadly and then resumed watching the commuters.

After a while, Zafrah got up, her wet clothes making a squelch sound and walked away. She didn’t mind. It was nice to be alone, though she was sad, for Zafrah didn’t say anything or even give a wave. The rain was still falling, though the force had weakened. Even vengeance seems to run out of fuel after sometime. She sighed and closed her eyes. She was sure if she concentrated enough she could re-capture the scent from memory. She didn’t know how long she sat like that. Her thoughts were silently trudging through the sludge her consciousness had made. Suddenly a heavenly smell drifted beneath her nose. She breathed in deeply and realized it was no memory. Her eyes flew open and she reared back.

A handful of dirt was shoved beneath her nose, with Zafrah grinning crazily down at her. Her face was smeared with dirt, her hair had pieces of leaves and twigs and something that looked suspiciously like a spider crawled along them. But her eyes were alight and her hand was holding a handful of wet soil. The smell came from them.

“Whaaa….?” She was clearly speechless.

“Well Cricket, though your smile is irritating, its absence is even more. A bit of dirt is a small price to bring it back.”

“But…how?”

“You know me. I’m a Sherlock at heart. Seems like the only bit of soil we have around here is in the shaded corner at the back of Elysium. You know near the fish-pool…. The rain doesn’t reach there. So I just scooped a handful from there and just held it out in the rain. Voila! Cricket’s petrichor is on!”

She just stood there dumbly, listening to Zafrah complain about the insects that had taken a liking to her. The smell was still wafting around them, and she felt enclosed in a private cocoon of their own. Her eyes were welling up. No one had done anything like that for her. She was always alone, insecure even in relationships she called BFFs. But now? A virtual stranger had tried to make her smile, expecting nothing in return. Overwhelmed by the emotions coursing through her, she quickly jumped up and grabbed Zafrah in a bear hug. Zafrah’s rant was cut short and she squeaked from the force of her hug. At first, she stiffened, and then relaxed, awkwardly patting her back, seemingly at loss. Then smiling wickedly, she started tickling her captor.

“WHaa…wait! No! Ouch! Zafrah stop! Ugh…. You witch! Stooooop!”

She was laughing hysterically. She was supposed to be immune to tickling. No one had succeeded in tickling her before. Her eyes started filling with a different sort of tear- the happy sort. Zafrah doesn’t seem in any way intending to give her a break. She was chiding her Cricket for daring to make them both dirty. The handful of dirt was now spread all over them. There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other.  Digging through the dirt just to bring a smile to her face seemed to be one.

A/N:  I didn't know you couldn't add chapter to a story already launched.  if there's any way to do it, do inform.  Anyway, I have decided to include the past as well what happened next.  There's is a lot of character building I'm planning, so the romance won't make an appearance soon.  Hope that's all right.  If you have any suggestions do tell.  And thank you for all those who launched, reviewed and started following me. Enjoy!

Amrit - An elixir believed to give immortality to those who imbibe it.  Indian Mythology.