"You okay?" She stood just behind him smiling.
He turned back and looked at her with stoic calmness. Usually, he would feel jittery and uneasy in her presence.
"I was looking at the bridge over there." He said calmly.
She moved closer to him. She inhaled his clean, wholesome scent. He smelled of freshly laundered linen and some exotic body wash and the hidden passions stirred.
"Let's walk" she held his hand.
They walked through the pavement of the park. While walking, she turned and looked at him. The touch of mischievousness on his face always confused her. She could not read his true feelings. Suddenly she pressed herself close to him and put her hand on his hip.
"You are silent today. Don't you like me to be with you now? She asked, feeling tense.
"No. It's not like that. I feel different today." He was shy as usual, trying to loosen her grip.
"You are always dreamy. You never seem to be where you physically are... but I like that..." She sat down pulling him with her on the nearest bench.
"You know what I like about you?" She asked.
His eyes widened.
"No. Don't say it. Don't kill the mystery. I want it to remain abstract. Drawing the innermost feelings and emotions in words melt away what is experienced." He frowned, looking surprised for a second.
She looked at him and laughed.
"Eugene, I am famished," she whispered.
"You always are." He pulled gently at her hair fallen on her face.
"We will go to a good restaurant today." He smiled.
He rode his bike slowly, as usual. She felt the heat of the sunlight on her exposed palms. She kissed softly on the back of his neck. He shuddered.
He could hear her giggling.
"Hey. We are on the two-wheeler." He warned.
He heard her giggling again and felt the softness of her cheek on his neck. She had a sense of contentment and fulfillment.
The restaurant was half empty.
They sat near the window and spoke nothing as if they have spoken everything that they wanted to.
"Are we lovers?" she asked suddenly.
"Are we?" He said looking away.
"You never like to give a name to this feeling." She looked down at her hands.
"Yes. I never liked to give a name to things unexplainable. As easy as a pie." He was still looking away from her.
A couple walked in talking loudly. They looked at them for a second and moved to the other corner.
"We have to live together. I am tired of this tricky situation." She said, looking upset.
"Tricky situation?" He looked annoyed. "Why do people try to lock themselves into concepts and imaginations? Why do you want to kill the freshness and mystery of life by conforming to conventions?"
There was aggression in his voice.
"I don't know. Sometimes I feel insecure and lonely. Often even in your presence, I feel that you are far away from me." She felt a pang in her chest.
"I need time. I don't believe in institutionalizing feelings and emotions. We have strong feelings towards each other and I want it to remain so always." He looked serious and irresistibly attractive.
She watched the smooth skin of his cheeks and wondered about his transformation from a carefree man into a much more boyish personality. This was the face that has won her heart at the very first place.
After the meal, they went back to the park and sat on the same bench.
"Have you ever gone there?" He pointed towards a patch of grassy land right next to the park like a green carpet.
"No, but I would love to." Taking his hand, she stood up and walked to the land.
Suddenly she laid down on the grassy ground and took a deep breath. The sky was clear with innumerable stars glistening above them.
"Hey, Mr. Artist, come to me." She whispered.
He moved closer and turned to her.
"So you really wanna hear that?" She asked, and her eyes sparkled.
"Hear what?" He took a deep breath.
"What I feel about you."
"No. I already know that. I think what we feel about each other can never reach its culmination." He paused.
She rolled over to him and found his lips.
"You must've read Mr. Grey's stories again." He chuckled, trying to release her.
"You know what I think? I wish to be yours." She sighed, staring into his brown eyes.
"You want us to be together- get married, have kids, shop grocery, cuddle under the blanket. Is that what you think?" She could sense a bit of horror in his eyes.
"What if I think it that way?" She hugged him tightly and felt that she would need him more than anyone else. For the first time, she felt this surge of feelings inside her.
"I may sound like one hell of a crazy girl, but I do have to utter that overused statement. That will probably reflect what I really feel for you. I love you, Eugene." She felt much lighter, saying that.
The tightness of their hug was loosened immediately and he pulled away, leaving her behind like a crumpled paper bag.
