His eyes were looking around for someone until he spotted her at one corner of the room. She was buried inside a book as usual, unlike others who were either busy blabbering over a glass of wine or hurriedly scrolling through their phones.
Upon learning she would be attending the party, he couldn't resist coming over. It's been a year since the last Valentine. At first, he thought of approaching her, hesitated, and then kept to himself. He thought he shouldn't disturb her.
He stepped onto the balcony, lit a cigarette, reached into his shirt pocket, and pulled out a folded paper. After much thought, he put it back into his pocket. The sky was dark, only a few stars shone through. He could even name a few. He had often observed them through his telescope.
"Are you still studying the stars, Ashwin?" a familiar voice spoke to him.
He turned back, sighed deeply as he saw Ira staring at him. A wave of emotions, tied carefully until then, deluged his memory. He didn't know what to say. As the cinders burnt his finger, he came to his senses. He surreptitiously threw the butt outside.
'So, you have again started smoking. And on the top of it, you threw it into the garden.'
Ashwin forced an awkward smile, but he still struggled to find the right words.
A strikingly handsome man, Ashwin effortlessly drew the attention of pretty and not-so-pretty girls; something he enjoyed unabashedly. Last year when Ira saw Ashwin for the first time, he was busy talking to someone over his phone. It was a Valentine's Day party just like today. What caught her attention was his calm demeanor; his eyes wide and unguarded, accompanied by a smile that reflected more of sadness—a stark contrast to his otherwise casual behavior.
She had heard of him from their common friends. And Ira being always the righteous one, avoided him and went to the other side of the living room. She had never enjoyed parties- always found them absurd and empty. She would efficiently find a quiet corner and read a book. Others found her strange, but she couldn't care less. She agreed to attend the event at the insistence of her friend Nitu, who wanted to introduce her to her fiancé.
'Hi, I'm Ashwin. May I ask which book you are reading?'
Startled from her reverie, she looked up to answer.
'Umm...The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak,' she struggled to remember the name.
Ira was unable to look away as Ashwin stared intently into her eyes.
"In the eyes lie the art
to steal your heart,
In them lies the art
to break them apart:
Excuse their audacity
if your good sense
starts to depart..."
*********
By Nandini Sengupta
@metaphors_of_life
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