At Your Worst...

As they stood outside the shop peering down at the crowd mulling around the mall, she looked lost. He knew the reason but dared not to ask. She let out a soft sigh and asked 'So, I have heard all your stories. Now, come on, tell me about the worst thing you have ever done until now!' He was prepared. He knew she was an old soul. Someone who reflected a lot on life. He half smiled and said 'Perhaps, some things are better left unsaid'.

She sighed again. She had wanted to know his worst so that she will have something to hate about him when he left. He was going away tomorrow and still she was not able to accept the fact. He had been her companion for the past three months, always ready with a story to share. She was a good listener and he had very tall tales to tell. He contradicted himself in his tales sometimes which she never pointed out. She loved the teller more than the tales and hence had let it be. She had gotten used to his voice by now and to think that he will not be around from tomorrow caused her immense pain.

He saw her sigh and kicked himself mentally once again. He knew what his worst deed was. It was what he had done to her. He had knowingly let her fall for him. He had been curious about her. She had been everyone's darling. Always nice to people, always eager to help anyone who asked for it.  She looked perfect from outside. He was sure no one could be that perfect.  He had wanted to know if all that was real. And as always, he was right. He found out that she was what she was, not because she was perfect, but because she was damaged once and had managed to keep it together. She had become nice and caring because people had been rude and crass to her. Though he had his answer, he had been reluctant to let go of her. So he had continued with her, knowing it will all end when he had to leave. Their path went in different directions and both of them were too ambitious to let go of their paths. But what he had not anticipated was the feelings he developed. He had grown close to her and to think she will not be around from tomorrow caused him immense pain.

'Okay then. Bye ! Have a great life ahead' She said as she shook his hand with a heavy heart. 'You too' He said while all he wanted to stop those tears that he could already see welling up in her beautiful eyes. He turned away quickly and walked without looking back while she stood rooted to the spot, her eyes following him until her eyes became clouded with tears and he was out of sight.

P.S.: This post is a part of The Write Tribe - Ultimate Blog Challenge - July 2014

Pages

As he turned the pages with his frail arms to show her their wedding picture, he remembered the times when he had a stronger grip. He remembered how he had not let go of their final handshake when he left to US and instead, had pulled her close and whispered 'I love you' in her ears. He had ended up with a very wet shirt and a very happy heart as she always cried when she was happy. He looked up to see the same beautiful eyes, gaze back at him with a question. He brought the diary with him during his daily visit with a hope that his love will somehow win over her Alzheimer's.

P.S. This post is written for Lillie McFerrin Writes - Fiver Sentences Fiction - Pages.

Restless

She could feel it in her. The incessant running that was happening inside her. She could not stop it. Like a bee buzzing, her mind was always on the run. She had assumed it will stop in time. But she was wrong. She was close to losing her sanity. A rainy day had opened her pandora box of memories and she was struggling to close the boxes again. Her thoughts in the dark hour were running wild and she could see where it was heading. She wondered how she would react if she saw him now. Will she run and hug him tight or will she say a nonchalant 'Hi' like she always did ? What would be his reply? She knew she must not have any expectations. After all, he was clearly non-committal from the beginning. They say the worst kind of love is the unspoken one and now she knew why. As she sat in her broken glass house, she remembered all the good things that had happened there and decided to forget the bad ones and move on. After all, he had taught her life is fun and it goes on no matter what happens.

P.S.: I have taken up The Write Tribe - Ultimate Blog Challenge - July 2014 and this post is a part of the same. I have tried something in the post here. Let me know if you can figure out what it is. 

Expectations

Expectations are the root cause for all misery. There is no greater truth than this. When we don't expect anything, every little gesture by someone seems magical. But as we get used to the gestures, we start expecting them and when they change for whatever reasons they might, we end up being miserable. It has been the lesson life has been trying to teach me the past few months. I have been on both the sides, expecting and not expecting, switching sides as my mood swung from one end of the spectrum to the other. I haven't learnt the lesson yet. Like an addict, I always seem to lapse back. 

I think it's time to let go of all expectations and be happy(read denial mode) for while ! 

P.S.: This post is a part of The Write Tribe - Ultimate Blog Challenge - July 2014.

Thoughts in the Dark Hours

She was frantic. She knew it was happening again. She was turning into an insomniac yet again. She tried hard to sleep. She knew dark thoughts haunted her in the dark hours. She remembered all the heartbreaks and the sleepless nights she spent, thinking how to mend her broken heart. She always found a way to stitch it back. She knew she was paying the price for being an emotional fool in this ruthless world. But, she had never let it get to her and change who she was. She was not going to let that happen, ever.

After hours of sleepless tosses and turns, she realized it. She knew exactly why she was feeling this way. She had let someone get close. Too close for her own good. She knew she will feel the void soon. But she had hope. Hope that soon something will happen which will fill the void. Last time, it was party and fun. The time before that, it was long hours at work. She wondered what it will be this time around.

P.S.: This post is a part of The Write Tribe - Ultimate Blog Challenge - July 2014

A Rainy Day

As she sat near her window looking at the rain, her thoughts went back to the time when she was with him. Those were the most beautiful days of her life. She had the most amazing time with him. Though they existed as two different entities, she somehow felt that their souls connected at the most basic level. It is very difficult to find a person who can complete the sentence for you, but it is more difficult to find a person who can understand what is running through your mind even when you don't say a word. She had found one. She remembered how they used to be crazy about rain and will go on long drives whenever it rained. She remembered the long conversations they had, sitting inside the car, stranded and waiting for the rain to let up.

It has been years since they last spoke. He had met someone who was the one for him. He had been absolutely crazy about that girl. As it always happens, the girl could not bear the sight of her and had told her that she will not commit to him unless they separate. She had seen him go downhill with rejection and depression. Unable to bear the pain he went through, she decided it was time she left his life. She had moved on to another city and pushed him out of her life.

After years of staying away, she was back in the city, at her home, sitting by the window and reminiscing about the old days. She had met people in the years that went by but never found the connection again. The city and the rain made yearn for it now. On a whim, she dialed his number. She was not even sure if he had the same number. After two rings, he picked up and said 'Hello'. She had a smile playing on her lips as she said 'Care to drop by ? Its raining'. And so it began again with a lifetime of stories to share.

P.S.: This post is a part of The Write Tribe - Ultimate Blog Challenge - July 2014. 

From a Recovering Workaholic

I was talking to a friend few days ago and he was inquiring me about my whereabouts for the past year. All I could say was I am a recovering workaholic and you will from me more often. And yes, that is what I am. A recovering workaholic. It doesn't sound so bad now. But believe me, when you are fresh out of college and you turn into one, then you are doomed for life. 

Since almost two years, I have been a workaholic. A person who gets high on work. But yes, I was happy. There was never a moment at office when I stayed against my wishes. I was one eager naive girl who was always inquisitive and working. Once in a while, I had strange conversations with my managers. Normally, the topic would be 'burn out'. They were concerned that I will burn out soon. I even had one meeting with my manager where he was telling that this was his first experience of trying to make someone understand that they needed to work a little less for their own good.

Now, when I think of it, I feel it was completely unnecessary. There are hundreds of things that are out there, waiting to be explored. New hobbies to take up, new eateries to hang out, new horizons to be explored. Yet, I was at office, spending all my time cooped up, in front of a computer. Thanks  to some wonderful people I met, I have now realized the importance of trying out things other than work and yes, thanks to them, I am now a recovering workaholic :)

P.S.: I decided to take a break from fiction and write something light. This post is a part of The Write Tribe - Ultimate Blog Challenge - July 2014

The Broken Glass House

He had done everything he could to stop. Stop loving her so much. Stop from hurting her time and again. He had once even tried to push her out of his life. It ended in vain. She was still there in his life, all flesh and blood. No matter how much he tried to stay detached, she almost always managed to elicit a reaction from him. He knew he was wrong for her. He was a misanthrope, a misogynist who could not complete a sentence without sarcasm. Normal people stayed away from him. But then,  that was normal people. She was an idealistic girl who believed in the goodness of people. She believed in being nice and karma doing rounds. He knew he was bad for her. Things were not what it seemed to be. He sometimes felt she lived in a glass house and hence was afraid to throw stones at others. He did not want to be the one to break the glass. Yet, he had. As he saw her sitting by the balcony drunk and high, he knew he had been the one to shatter it and suck her into his darkness. He had been curious and wanted to know the truth. Now, all he could do was wait and watch her until she went to sleep.

P.S.: This post is a part of  The Write Tribe - Ultimate Blog Challenge - July 2014 

Boxes

People have a fetish for boxes. Everyone try to wrap their thoughts, actions and relationships in a box and label them. Unlabeled boxes are frowned upon by this society. It always tries to cram these boxes into different labels and when they do not fit in, they are looked down with contempt. Perhaps, it is the fear of unknown that causes such reactions.

She had been careful that such boxes did not exist in her life. Then, she met him. There were no sparks or lightning. Slowly, their acquaintance grew. And before she realized, it had morphed into one such unlabeled boxes. She could not name it. She never thought she will be able to fit their relationship in a box and struggled with it. But when time came, he proved it was not the same for him. While she struggled with unanswered questions, he was away packing his boxes. He had neatly wrapped their relationship in a box and put it to sleep while she still wondered why she had even considered things resolved. He will always remain a big question mark to her for life.

P.S.: I have taken up The Write Tribe - Ultimate Blog Challenge - July 2014 and this post is a part of the same.

The Pink Nail Polish

He had always liked her pink nail polish. It made her look feminine in spite of the cold mask she wore. He had heard stories about how she cut through people's weakness mercilessly. People stayed out of her way. Yet, he was intrigued. He had a theory that women were generally born soft and remained so until someone screwed up in their life. He badly wanted to know who screwed up in hers.

She had scrubbed her nails on Sunday and found that she was out of pink nail polish on Monday morning. She had to give a presentation and had to rush with unpainted nails. In the evening, she found a bottle of pink nail polish with a note  - 'To My Pink Clawed Tigress'. Her eyes clouded and memories came flashing back.

She was cowering in terror in the corner as her father went on a rampage around the house, collecting everything pink and piling it up in the back yard. He had pulled apart her favorite doll while her mom stood near him, pleading him to stop. Her father gave a harsh sneer and lit up the pile. 'All she can do is wear a pink nail polish and dress up like this doll. This is why I wanted a son !'. His words hit her more than his actions.

Now fifteen years later, she ran her father's firm as tight as a ship. At 25, she was the youngest chairman of the board, yet the most feared. Her father had long passed away two years ago and she made it a point to wear a pink nail polish every day since she took over her father's firm.

She was furious. She knew exactly from whom the note was.


To be Continued..