“An empty page was laughing at me. Arranging the 26 letters into some meaningful sentences attached by bits of words was turning out to be difficult for me. The more I tried to end it up into something simpler, the more a vacuous mind welcomed me. I was dazed. I didn’t have a story running in my head but yes, there were visions of my life. Some snippets which I often stole to form a storyline. You think that’s an easy task for me? Not really. Not at all times will your thoughts create magic. Not at all times will you come across parts of yourself to form something out of it.”
The time was running faster that day, while Prajalita sat in front of the empty word screen with the cursor blinking at repeated intervals of time. She was done with one paragraph but nothing seemed to work ahead of it. She sighed resting her head over the table while the crepitation of the door left ajar made her alarmed. She checked the time. 5:55 pm, it was almost time that Raghav should be back. She walked outside towards the balcony and stared outside. The gate was left open, his car was resting against the shade, but the person himself was out of sight. She tried calling him but in vain. She was about to walk out when he showed up.
“You scared me” she said looking at him holding on to her breaths
“Did I? But at times you scare me Ms. Writer” he smiled and walked inside.
He kept his bag over the table and made his way towards the bedroom. She switched on the lights and stood leaning against the door. She watched him complete his regular chores and once he was about to open his buttons when she took it over to her. She smiled, as gracefully as she could. Her dimples made him adore her even more. It was an instant attachment that he felt with this girl whom he met 3 years back. Prajalita and Raghav were the happiest couple since they met.
“What makes you scared Raghav? I am not someone who is a ghost or someone you should be scared of” she said while she unbuttoned his shirt. Seductively she rested her tempting gaze in his eyes. The depth of his eyes spoke an unknown story, and the writer in her tried to decipher it to use it as the best inspiration she can come up with.
“Everything...” he said after a pause while he moved his finger down her cheek.
She smiled mysteriously while she left. He sighed as he watched her disappear right in front of her. He sat down checking his phone this time. A few missed calls waited for him. He thought for a moment and dismissed all the notifications at one go and walked out.
Prajalita was standing in the kitchen while she was humming a song from their favourite collections. He walks closer to her while he held her by her waistline from behind. Kissing her nape he inhaled her fragrance into his system. She turned to face him while she spoke out,
“I am still searching for it”
It didn’t amaze him this time. Prajalita had been searching for her next clichéd tale since two months now. Towards the end of each day, all that he could hear from her is just that her story is still incomplete. She needs one single chapter to conclude the book and that however, was something difficult.
“You will get it soon” he said pecking her forehead.
They sat together by the balcony with two cups of tea. He lighted up his cigarette and puffed it out while Prajalita looked thoughtful. She looked at him. He was lost in his own new world. She knew what he was thinking about but didn’t care to ask anyway. She smirked at the thought that it had been months and she successfully kept it a mystery. Had it been other days, she would have narrated him the complete story of the book. But since their 4th anniversary was around the week, she kept her book as the best surprise she could gift him. Yes, she wrote about them. Their story. She smiled at the thought while his phone rang.
“Excuse me” he said and walked away inside the room.
She waited for another fifteen minutes and when he didn’t come back she walked inside. She was about to make her presence felt when she overheard a brief conversation,
“Why don’t you understand? I will come to you I promise....Please try to understand I don’t want Prajalita to doubt me in any way....yeah it will be done don’t worry...yes love you, bye”
The call disconnected while she rushed towards the balcony and sat there. He smiled and she smiled back quite normally.
“So? Thought anything about our anniversary?” she asked this time.
She could understand his eyes and the facial expressions this time. Maybe it was the story she was waiting for but, this might kill her as well. She tried to be as casual as she could be.
“Um...Yeah I have a few plans” he said, but she knew well of how worst he was at lying.
She nodded and stood up.
“Where are you leaving?” he asked curiously.
“I think...I have got my conclusion...catch you later”
.............
8 Months Later...
“Taxi...”
The car stopped while there was someone else too who was about to open the door. She raised her eyes when their eyes met and time swept by.
“You? Here?” he asked while adjusting his spectacles.
“Nice meeting you Mr Raghav” she passed a blissful smile.
“Um, can we meet somewhere round there?” he pointed towards the coffee shop behind them.
She looked behind and nodded while they walked towards the café. Seated opposite to each other, they made an awkward silence between them. Their eyes did had a million queries to be entertained but their lips sealed it in the most beautiful way, in a smile which didn’t mean a confession or a complaint.
“Thank you” she said to the waiter as he served them the cups of coffee with their favourite type of grilled sandwich.
She looked at him. She was amused at how their favourites still match but not their hearts. Anymore.
“So...how is life?” she initiated the conversation.
He paused while he left a deep sigh. The silence between them was making both of them suffocate.
“Why did you leave writing?” he asked directly this time.
She stared at him. A few moments passed by while she withdrew her gaze and simply answered,
“Because I realized that I already had the conclusion to my inspiration which prodded me to write back then. When the inspiration itself died long back, how could I do such a hectic work of arranging those 26 letters to form something so deep that the reader dissolves in it and drowns to the deepest core while leaving the realms of reality...” she said.
“But Prajalita...”
“Have a nice day Raghav...I hope this is the epilogue to our story, which won’t have a sequel to it any given day...”
With that she left. He saw her disappear while she hired a cab. He sighed when something caught her attention. It was a napkin which had her handwriting on it. He picked it up while the line read...
“You were scared of this writer, now I am scared to write anymore. I am scared of my own stories now. Who knows maybe the fictions will come and scare me in reality?”
He read it while he placed it in his pocket. His eyes welled up while he walked out hiding all his guilt concealed with a plastered emotion, which was all blank. Just like his heart after she left.
© Sheena