The wait

It was a bright sunny day, and he was breaking out in sweat as he scanned the expanse in front of him. He tried to stay cool in the shade, but to no avail as the lack of trees in the empty construction lot made the place seem hotter in the afternoon sun.
Once again he mistook the passing car as the one he was looking for. Quite a bit of blue sedans these days, he thought. He got out of his borrowed car, a real banger that rattled and bounced on a straight road. In this neighborhood, a Kompressor would be extremely out of place, and to be recognized was the last thing on his mind.
He saw yet another blue sedan come by, but.. was it? He felt his heartbeat start to race. The car turned off the main road and entered the driveway slowly and towards him. It stopped a short distance from him and a familiar figure half alighted from the car. She saw him and stood there, holding the car door, standing on one leg with the other still inside. She flashed that smile he so loved to look at, and motioned with her head to get in.
He hurried to the car, after a cursory look around, dived into the passenger side seat. He slouched in his seat, hoping that no one can see him, as she pulled the car out of the drive way into the road.
She drove through the country road, occasionally peering at him through her sunglasses. It had been such a long time since they sneaked out like this, and the whole idea was rather thrilling, yet frightening. They drove off the country road, into the city street. She turned into a deserted part of town, found a cool spot and parked.
She turned to him and took off her sunglasses. He looked at her, admiring her face as she spoke. In breathless whispers, they conversed, trying hard to keep their voices down, yet unable to contain the excitement of being together. He held her hand and stroked it with his thumb, feeling the soft silky skin on his. He stroked her cheeks, and pushed away the sliver of hair from her face. He admired her baby smooth face, lightly made up. She hesitated for a moment when he leaned forward, then she closed her eyes and let him kiss her with long, loving kisses, caressing her lower lips with his. She let him pull her closer, his hand stroking the back of her neck, moving down her spine in long, broad strokes. She pressed her lips even harder on his, fighting the longing that she had for so long a time kept in check. She dug her fingers into his shoulders with every stroke of his hand on her spine, wanting more and more. And she ran her fingers through his hair, and stroked the sides of his face. She wanted more and more of him, yet at the same time she knew she should not. And she fought the mounting contradictions with every kiss, with every touch and ..
She pushed him away. He looked at her, surprised. She put her hand on his lips as he tried to speak. "please,... don't".." she said. He held her hands and kissed the tips of her fingers.
"what's wrong?" He asked.
"I'm sorry," she said, turning away. "I can't".
He listened in dismay as she told him how much she wanted to be with him, yet, at the back of her mind were painful memories of her recent past. He knew it was still too soon, the hurt still raw, yet as much as he did not want to admit, he wanted her. He could no longer stand just being with her. He wanted her warmth of her skin, the softness of her flesh. He wanted her in his arms and he wanted her eyes to be the first one for his to see. But she was not ready.
She fired up the engine and drove back in silence.
She let him out of the car, turned the wheel and drove off without looking back.
And he stood there, in the evening heat, watching the scattered dust settle.
He got in the car and begun the long journey home, feeling it longer than before, alone and feeling lonelier than before as the evening air carried the whiffs of her perfume on his skin and his ears the sounds of her love.

Blame it on the Rain

"Please,... what are you doing?" She suddenly started. "stop it, please.."

They'd known each other for a year now. He was, in her eyes, the perfect gentleman. Well built, tall, finely chiseled features, he was like the Armani man. She literally bumped into him when they first met; they were at a street party. In the sea of bodies, she had been pushed forwards by the crowd, where she had lost her balance and crashed into him. Contents of her coke drenched his chest, and in the recoil, she had hit the drink in his hand also onto his chest.
In shock, she had stood there, hand over gaping mouth in horror over what had happened. But he had stood there, shaking his shirt, flashing a smile, and saying,".. I've always wondered what a mixed cocktail is like, well, I know, now!". In the flurry of "Oh My God! I'm sorry!' and the "its ok!" they got to exchanging names, and phone numbers and pretty soon it was e-mails, text messages and the like. And soon enough, he'd meet her after work, and they'd go out and spend time together. She found him to be decent, and liked him enough as a decent guy.
She'd call him for company, and he'd always make time for her. She felt good being with him, for he'd always made her laugh; she would find herself dreamily looking at him, watching the way his lips would form a smile between every single word that he would be saying. But of late, she had found him somewhat overwhelming. She tired of the way he would decide what to do, and she found that their conversations tended to be about him. She found her comparing him to her boss at work, whom she realised treated her differently and made her feel important. Where her friend brushed her suggestions aside, her boss listened to her every word, encouraging her and making her views count. In the beginning her friendship was an adventure, but she wasn't quite sure of it now. And she found herself drawn to staying late at work rather than look forward to spending time with him.

She had taken the day off and had called to meet him. He had turned up slightly later, and had been rather moody. He had suggested a movie, and despite her telling him she wasn't up to it, he bought tickets anyway. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable with all the accidental touching. At first it was the hand on the shoulder as he held the car door to let her in. Then his hand would accidentally touch her arm. And he had placed his his hand on the small of her back as he purchased the tickets. And through out the movie, more than once she had felt his hand on her thigh, and as she shifted uncomfortably, he would remove his hand, only to place it there again. Finally, not able to stand it anymore, she stood up and walked out of the theater.

"I want to go home. Now." she said. He tried to ask her to stay, but finally agreed to send her home. They drove silently. Traffic was heavy as a thunder storm had begun to rage. The traffic soon reduced to a crawl and then to a complete stop. He turned to look at her and began to apologize. And as she spoke, he reached forward grabbed her and tried to kiss her. She resisted and screamed, but he wouldn't let go. Finally, she managed to work herself free and ran out of the car. She ran past the stationary cars until she could not run no more, and then sat on the sidewalk, crying. She felt his hands all over her body as her mind played the scene over and over again.
Sobbing, and trying very hard to pull herself together, she saw a familiar car in the long train of cars. Her boss! she caught up with the car and knocked on the window.

The Dawn of Darkness

He picked up his mobile and quickdialled 5. He let the ringing continue until the voice recorder answered. He listened to her recorded voice, giggly and cheerful until the beep, but he left no message. He scanned his inbox in case there was an e-mail that he missed; and he checked his tweets for the same.
He let a long, long sigh, another one in the many he'd let out this day. He flipped open his mobile, for the thousandth time, admiring the slim design. How he wished it was as razor sharp as its advertisements made it to be; He placed the top end in his palm and imagined it breaking his skin, a sudden sharp pain followed by numbness as it spread across his palm. He imagined he'd feel a hot line across his palm as his razor cut across the skin, and ensuing warmth as the blood oozed out and covered his palm.
He looked at the key pad and quickdialled 5 again. Ringing, no answer. He snapped the flip shut in frustration. He was about to throw the phone across the room, but realised there was still a chance she might call him. He gripped the phone tightly in his hand, admitted defeat, and placed the phone with a '"thunk!" on his desk.
He fired up his e-mail and hit "Compose". "Dearest,..." he began, and paused to consider the futility. "I'm sorry.." for what? he asked himself again. He wasn't sure how much she found out. He felt bad it had happened, but could that be why she's cut him off so suddenly? He hadn't lied; it was so long ago, he wouldn't think it mattered. He closed the e-mail window and left it with the other drafts.
He fired up his IM and starred at her picture. her name was grayed out in the list. " Not Online", he muttered under his breath. He typed,"Dearest, are you ok?" and hit send. He knew she wouldn't reply. He'd done nothing but send her messages all day, IM, e-mails, voice mails, and in return there had not been anything.
In frustration, he grabbed his phone from his desk, tipping over the mug of pencils. He cursed at the pencils strewn across the desk. He'll clear them tomorrow. He grabbed his briefcase banging the desk and tipping over the wastepaper basket; amidst expletive laden curses he switched off the lights and slammed the door.
He did not notice the blinking reply notification on his screen.

Gazelle

"Son, I'm most proud to have you as part of our family", his father -in-law the Chairman of the Board said. "In fact, you are just what this company needs to bring this forward.." And he went on and on as he walked through the office, his words interrupted every now and then by a "how are you, Mr Chairman," and other wishes as they walked through the office corridor.
".. a man of your talents .. with your family enterprise.. synergy..." His head swirled, the voice melding onto a blur. He knew now, no matter what they said about him, that his marriage, his employment and his role in the company was no more than the fact that their biggest threat, biggest competitor, is now part of their family. And, unknowingly, he had led himself into the lions den, naively believing that he was recognized for his may talents. And, his life is now one, big show, in which he can do no wrong, for as long as he stays married to that woman, for as long as everyone thinks he's part of the family, and ... the list goes on and on..
He's realized now that he was trapped, and what a huge trap it was that he's in. He felt like an antelope in a game reserve, going about its daily life springing in glee, not at all aware that it's actually not out in the wild, instead is in someone's land, fenced at every corner.
And he knew that he's too deep in it already. And these people were big, and he'd be stupid to fight, because they will break his bones and feed him to the dogs. Every major law firm had dealings with them, and every newsprint, politician, company and what-have-yous all line up to kiss their outstretched hand. And now, with his inclusion into their family, he'd already dragged his family concern into their side, and,... Well, he thought to himself, they way his family had been so supportive of his marriage, if he were to try fight them, their side will feed him to the dogs, and his family will turn whatever is left of him into mulch.

He couldn't have dug himself into a bigger hole.

Stranger in the night

He took a deep breath, stifled a yawn, rubbed his eyes and fumbled for his keys. The taxi ride was rough, as was the flight that took him home. He'd cut short his trip and come back in the earlier flight. He wanted to surprise his wife, but now that he's standing outside the door of his home, he wasn't too sure if it was a good idea. His aeroplane had flown through a storm, and fate had placed him on a seat next to to a screaming infant and arguing parents. It was a long, tortuous journey, and at 3 in the morning, he wasn't sure what constituted a good idea anymore.
He'd very recently married to a woman whose father ran a business empire. Almost immediately, he was promoted. And, almost as quickly, he'd been sent out on this business trip. He'd felt guilty having to leave his new found bride; but she hadn't objected, but had been rather supportive of his trip. She was.. well, how could he describe her? He'd met her father first; and a short, whirlwind.. can he call it romance?.. er, familiarization, both their parents decided it was time to tie the knot. Or the noose, depending on how you look at it.
The businesses of their parents combined made up a significant chunk of the wealth of the nation, so prominent were they in the business world. And of course, the idea of combining both empires by marriage would create a super empire so huge. It was a deal that made friend of enemies, allies of strangers.
His wife was a stranger to him. And the two weeks they'd been married, he had hardly the time to get to know her. There were the receptions, the congratulatory dinners, the business associates. And before the idea of being married even sank in, he got yanked up the corporate ladder, leaving him with even lesser time to get to know his newly added partner in his life, what with the congratulatory dinners, business functions and the like. And now, here he is, as rolling thunder began to announce an impending storm, standing in front of his front door, bleary eyed, in a crumpled up suit and scuffed shoes, trying to find the key to his home.
He opened the door and found the entrance corridor and the living room lights on. The Ferragamos were strewn across the entrance. The cabrio keys were under the breakfast table chair, and her handbag, opened, lay on its side with its contents half strewn on the floor next to the table. His heart started to pound and his sleepiness suddenly disappeared as his eyes began to comprehend the scene. The vase, a wedding gift, stood on its side on the dinner table, the table cloth and chairs in disarray. He hurried to the table in disbelief as he found her blouse on the carpet. And then her skirt. As he hurried to the bedroom, he slowed his pace as he found a trail of undergarments; brassiere on the stairs, thong on the banisters. As he placed his hand on the doorknob, he heard her scream. He stopped. Its was not fear. It was not pain. The screaming came in waves, short bursts followed by low moans building up to an avalanche of pleasure...
He turned around and walked down the stairs.
He understood now. The concern for his trip, of his itinerary, the support and understanding at how important this business trip was... He understood perfectly now why she seemed overly excited that he was going away.
As the rain began to pour, amidst flashing light and rolling thunder, he walked out the door, into the car and off into the night.

drudgery

For the umpteenth time, he shuffled the papers on the top of his desk. Coming to work had been a chore of late. Where once he'd go to bed looking forward to waking early, he'd now find himself extremely tired when morning came. The ritual was the same. morning followed a night of fitful sleep. He'd wake up feeling more tired than before, and he'd drag himself out of bed, wondering if he'd really want to get up. He didn't have much to look forward to in the day.
He looked out the window and shivered. Rain was battering the window pane and wind was whistling through its cracks. He cursed the central air conditioning blowing freezing air at top speed.
Stretching, he got up and paced, rubbing his arms to warm himself. He stopped at the window and saw the splashing rain forming patterns on the glass. He remembered the same patterns forming on the windows of his car. And a face.
He shrugged his shoulders and wrapped his arms even tighter around himself.
He was in a traffic jam in blinding rain when he heard banging on his car door. She stood there, a ghostly apparition through the rain soaked pane. Surprised, he pushed open the car door as she bundled herself in.
"I'm sorry!" she said again and again as little rivulets of water rolled off her rain soaked hair onto the calf leather seats of his Kompressor. And he was about to protest when she said "... I don't know where to go..." . He realized she had been crying.
As his car started to move, he stole a glance at her. She was drenched by the rain, hair strung together by the rain, trailing water. Her blouse was soaked right through, clinging tight, like second skin, following her every curve. She held her elbows together, covering her breasts, buying her face in her hands as she sobbed.
The sudden booming thunder brought him to the present. He stared at the rain patterns on the glass, and grimaced wistfully. His life was beginning to unravel, only he was not fully aware of it.

Charades

He was a high flyer, she, a trailblazer. In their respective lives, they were role models to those around them. Among friends, they were the perfect couple. They were successful; they were well known. Friends admired their ability to stay together for so long; despite the fact that both were very driven individuals, ambitious and in totally separate industries. Yet, when they went out, they were the best of friends; they walked hand in hand and sat in each other's company. They were the perfect couple leading perfect lives.
They had been married for the better of 15 years, but childless, they were companions through and through.
Or so people thought.
Away from prying eyes, they hardly spoke. They led separate lives, each to their own.
Right from the beginning, he had not wanted it this way. But he had been brought up to never go against his mother, and, bless her soul, she took every opportunity to run his life the way she saw fit.
and so many things depended on this marriage, he could not just walk away from it all. And it wasnt a terrible life. he had money, a good job, big house; she brought him contacts and opportunities. The price? Things were good as long as she was seen to be part of his life. And for him, it was a small price to pay for what it got him. He had everything he needed in his life. except that it was empty. And what was emptiness when he continued to bring in the business? "It doesnt matter...," he told himself, as a figure passed outside his office door. It stood in the doorway, blocking out the light, creating a silhouette. Tall, slim, head cocked to one side questioningly, an easy smile forming at the mouth.
"..until now.."