Was it Real?

“"I'm coming, Fatima,"

I finished reading “The Alchemist” and it had a deep impact on my mind. From past few days, I’ve been taking everything happening in my life into consideration, looking for omens, looking for the hints that destiny wants to reveal and many a times, it gets overlooked. I even got my own Urim and Thummim, (they are just rock crystals). I got out of the second floor of the “Institute Library”. I took the stairs and meanwhile I was thinking whether to browse through journals and magazines on the first floor or to go straight to my room. I took out those stones and thought they would guide me.

“First Floor, it is”

As I made my way in, a girl walked out. I didn’t have a good look on her face as I was keeping those stones in my pocket.

“This can never be my destiny, to leave a girl and walk into the library”, I said to myself as I walked into the reading hall.

I was still in doubt. I didn’t know if it is right going after her. Ultimately, I took out the stone and threw them away.

“They can never guide me. These are just stones. Man should make his decision on his own.”

As they hit the floor, a thunder was heard and soon enough it started to rain. It seemed like a movie clip. Me throwing the stone, the sound of clouds colliding and thunder and then the rain.

I laughed it off and went down. She was standing at the portico. She looked towards the sky and then into her book. The book had a red binding and sticker, which clearly said that it’s been issued from the library. The way she stared at the sky gave me the hint that she wanted “Rain! Rain Go Away”.

I took umbrella out of my bag. Ever since, my phone got damaged in the rain, I’ve been carrying umbrella in my bag daily. But I never expected that this would act as a conversation starter someday.

“You can come under my umbrella, if you want to” I said with a smile.

She didn’t even look at me. I started walking again forgetting about her.

“Did you ask just to run away”, she asked.

I didn’t see her face expression while she said this as I already started to walk. I was surprised.

It wasn’t long since the rain started but still the stairs outside were wet. We slowly walked on those and then reached the round about. I took the left turn.

“Where are you going? The girls’ hostel is this way (pointing her hand in the right direction)”,

“I thought you’ve to go to the lecture theater. Seeing the book you issued is a text book, not a leisure reading. I inferred that you’re studious and you attend lectures regularly.”

“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” she smiled as she said this.

“Anyways, let’s go by the long road then”, she added.

We quietly walked together. All I could hear was the raindrops splashing on the cemented path ways. The grasses looked greener than they usually look because the rain had washed away all the dirt and dust from their blades. The ducks were very quite in the lake. I was steeping my foot hard on the ground because this kind of silence was making me feel awkward.

“Don’t your hairs bother you”, she asked all of a sudden.

“I should have asked the same question to you. Your hairs are twice or rather I should say thrice longer than me.”

“Your beard then?” she said.

“Not at all. Not unless the mustache grow. Only when they almost come on my lips, I get irritated. Otherwise, it’s fine.”

“And what about you, you have recently started putting on glasses. Does that bother you?” I asked

“Yeah, they stick in my hairs sometimes. But not much. At least they let me see properly.”

The road between the auditorium and lake is narrow and while we were walking down that road, her hand touched mine a few times. But I tried avoiding looking at her every time it happened. We continued walking together and soon the hostel entrance came.

“It’s time for good bye then” I said softly.

“Not so early” she came closer and kissed on my cheek.

The umbrella dropped off from my hand because of this sudden reaction of her and I was all wet. To take a good look at her I took off my glasses to wipe it clean but by the time I was about to put it on, she vanished.

And therefore, I woke up. I woke up from my sleep.

“God, why do you give such dreams”

I rubbed my spectacles and put it on. All of it felt so real that I even touched my cheek as soon as I woke up. That gentle kiss reminded me of my girlfriend. Her soft lips as if they are the petals of rose.

I called her.

(tring) (tring)..

I hardly would have completed saying “Hello” to her. She interrupted in between.

“I was just about to call you, Piyush. You know what, it rained here today. And while I was walking under the umbrella, I felt like you were walking next to me. The rain drops can be easily heard but still it was so quite all around that I started thumping my feet to make crazy sounds. It felt like you were holding my hand. And as soon as I reached my home, you called.”

“It all feels so great”, she added.

I was speechless. How in the world, would I’ve reacted to this?

“Piyush, it’s so long. I haven’t kissed you. Kiss me over the phone”

“mmmmuuah”

“mmmmuaaah”

(disconnected)