meeting

It was one of those mornings where waking up took more effort than usual. He had hardly noticed falling asleep, and the alarm clock jarred him awake without him even realizing that he had fallen asleep. The drive to work was far busier than usual, slow cars and meandering bikes getting in the way of a smooth journey. Putting on the parking brake, he took a deep breath and stretched in his seat, relieved that the trip was over. He looked in dismay at the clock. It was 5 past the hour, and she had most probably left.
He thumped the steering wheel in frustration, got out and slammed the door. He hung over the door, elbows on the roof. And he took a deep breath, gathered himself and walked to the lift.
Just as his luck had been, the lift chose to stop at every single floor. He looked at the watch on his wrist over and over, wishing that things would speed up. He breathed a Sigh of relief as the elevator chimed at his floor.
The door parted, and there she stood, trolley suitcase in tow as she stepped into the lift. She gave a surprised gasp as she saw him.
"Hi!" she said as they both squeezed past each other at the lift door.
He stood straddling the lift doorway as she pressed the lift button to hold the door open.
They exchanged pleasantries for a while, being formal colleagues. He fought the urge to throw his arms around her. There was an awkward silence as both ran out of things to say.
He reached out and touched her arms and quickly withdrew as he saw her eyes look around in case someone was watching. He looked down to the floor and struggled to say how he was feeling.
"I'm glad I caught you," she said, as if reading his mind,"I'm gonna miss you this weekend." She took his hand and gave a squeeze. "You take care of yourself".
He wanted to respond with a "sure, you too!" and his trademark grin but it stuck in his throat when he looked up into her eyes. Tears were beginning to form in the corner of her eyes. He pulled her near and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I'm gonna miss you, too," he whispered into her ear, "a lot." He stepped back, held her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I love you".
He stepped away from the lift and watched as the door close in front of him.He took a deep breath, composed himself, turned on his heel and walked towards his office as his mobile phone buzzed with an incoming message.
"I love you too, sayang. I always have."

Longing

She was engaged in discussion so she did not see him come in. He saw her from the corner of his eye, but he stole a quick look and walked on to his party of guests. After the cursory introductions, he stood his place amongst his guests so he could have a clear view of her. And it remained that way until he saw her shaking hands and saying her goodbyes that he, too, began to take his leave.
He walked quickly, not too quickly to attract notice, until he caught up with her and slowed his pace to match hers. She turned to face him in surprise, and he gave her a quick smile. "hi!" she said," fancy seeing you here!"
He wanted to throw her a hug, but checked himself when he remembered that he was in a public place. He placed his hand on her elbow, ran it down her arm to her hand, locked fingers and said," The Hilton, Room 318, 730 pm." He gave her hand a quick squeeze, and disappeared into the crowd.
She could only manage a gasp before she lost sight of him. She stood there, craning her neck in case she might still see him. She put her hand to her face and remembered how warm his hand was in hers, and, like a drop of water on a hot surface, the memory of it was fading away.
Much later in the day, as she was leaving, she walked to the elevators, her mind on what he had said. The elevator door opened, and to her surprise, there he was, leaving, too. His eyes lit up when he saw her; and the moment the doors closed, she threw her arms around him, holding him tightly, pressing her lips against his in a long, drawn kiss, running her fingers on the sides of his face, running them through his hair.
She had longed to have him alone, and in this short moment, he was hers, and that was all that was in her mind.

A breakfast to start the day

"can i join you?", he asked, cradling his pc, writing pad and lunch box.
She looked up at him in surprise. "sure!" she said, and quickly moved her cereal and fruit yogurt aside. "having breakfast here for a change?"
He grinned. He'd always munch down his breakfast at his desk, but with the papers, files and reports sprawled across his desk, he needed a clear space. And a friendly face, too, he thought cheekily to himself.
Being with her, he began to relax as they chatted over breakfast. And he began to notice that she did not pack her cereal off the shelf. She brought her own cereal in a little tub, which she scooped into a smaller cup. She opened a little plastic cup and poured its creamy contents into her bowl, scraping the insides of the cup with her spoon. Then she fished out from the little paper bag next to her a little tub of raisins, which she scooped out with her tea spoon, onto the palm of her hand and sprinkled it with aplomb over the cereal. Then she would swirl the teaspoon to mix the cereal, wipe the yogurt on the sides of the tub with her fingers, lick them off and smacked her lips together.
She'd dangle her spoon in front of her lips as she spoke, feeding little mouthfuls in between conversations. Sometimes, when thinking, reflecting, she'd cock her head to one side, spoon pointed upwards as she rocked her crossed knees from side to side.
He found himself looking at her more than eating his chopped apples. He propped his chin on one elbow, leaning towards her as they conversed, sharing jokes and giggling like two teenagers on an outing.
Having finished their breakfast and packed their boxes together, she found a bit of yogurt on her fingers. She held those fingers in front of her while she looked for her tissues, and instinctively, he leaned over and kissed the yogurt off her fingers.
There was a stunned silence as he realized what he had done; and as he stammered with something to say, she gave a cheeky smile, playfully pinched his nose and walked off.

A friend indeed

He wanted to call her name, but it wasn't wise to do so and he checked himself.
The idea was outlandish, but he decided to do it just the same. Now, standing in the corner, watching her, he wasn't too sure.
She was pacing in front of the entrance at the top most step. She had her phone to her ear and she spoke pointedly into the phone as she paced, to the edge of the landing, turning on her heel, walking back to the door and stopping to make her point heard. Many times she stopped and stared at the floor, shoulders hunched ; eyes weary as she listened to the voice in the phone.
He waited till she ended her call looking like she was about to throw the phone in exasperation when she hesitated, put one arm around herself, looked down and covered her eyes with her other hand.
He took a deep breath and strode towards her. She dropped her hand from her face, startled, as she saw him approach the bottom step. Her mouth opened to say something, but didn't when he waved at her and brought his index finger to his lips.
"Let's go," he said. "C'mon".
"What are you doing here?" she asked; but he ignored that. He offered her his hand, arm outstretched and gently pulled her close as she took his hand. He wrapped his arm around her, kissed her forehead and stroked her back till he felt her calm down and relax. And feeling secure in his arms, her strength and fortitude melted; and she began to cry beginning with little sniffles that soon became shuddering sobs on his shoulders.
He held her tightly, letting every single emotion tide and ebb in his arms.
He set her down on the steps and sat next to her. He brushed away the tears with his thumb and stroked her cheeks.
She couldn't go with him, so he sat next to her holding her hand watching the sun set.
And he sat there quietly, not saying a word until she began to recount the events of the day.

He tried to end the call, but the caller kept the call going. He repeatedly mentioned how he had to go, and the caller even agreed with him, yet continued with the barrage of questions. Finally, desperate to end the all, he answered with a curt," yes. goodbye" and terminated the call. He pressed the 'off' button for good measure and looked up from his phone to see her walking in through the door. Tall and slim, she walked with a confident stride, and flashed a beaming smile when she saw him standing there, phone in one hand, bottle in the other.
He motioned her to his seat in the corner, and proceeded to pay for the bottle of juice he had in his hand.
She had taken her seat and made herself comfortable when he reached her. As he stooped over her shoulder to place her drink on the table, she turned to look at him, their eyes met briefly. He quickly placed the drink and looked away.
As always, she had her little notebook, purse and phone stacked neatly on top of one another at the corner of the table, and she sat with her elbows on her knees and hands clasped together. He noticed this time she hadn't had her ring on; and for a moment he wondered if it meant anything.
After their discussion, he walked her back to her office and at the ground floor resisted the temptation to follow her upstairs. He was glad to be able to see her, albeit briefly, and wished that the moment could last a little longer. As he said his goodbye, he fished out from his pocket a small package which he placed into her palm and closed her fingers over it with his hand. As he leaned forward to kiss her, the elevator door opened and people started to stream out; cursing his luck under his breath, he turned on his heel and walked away.

One World, One Heart

His eyes narrowed as he scanned the view ahead of them. The sun was low on the horizon and in the dying light, the row of tail lights blazed bright red. They had just concluded a day of tough negotiations, and the drive home was quiet, both drained from the events of the day.
In between inching the car yet another bit forward, he stole a look at her. She was unspeaking, pensive even, eyes fixed on something far in the distance. She was lost in her thoughts.
He reached out and took her hand in his as she let out a long sigh. "penny for your thoughts", he said, as she turned to look at him with a smile.
She stroked the palm of his hand, and interlaced her fingers with his. He pulled her hand to him, kissed it and placed it on his lap. She looked at him, with an approving smile stroked his forearm with her other hand.
They began to speak about the events of the day, and the conversation invariably turned from work lives to their personal lives. And they began to marvel at how comfortable they were in each other's company, and how similar their dreams were. In moments like this, they were two people sharing one life, hearts beating in unison, and they were serene in the completeness of the being of the moment.
The cars were still inching in the late evening traffic. As darkness fell, headlights came on, she undid the buckle to her seatbelt and sidled over and put her head on his shoulder.
They continued their journey home, two people, perfect companions, holding hands. The inching of the cars, the flickering of the taillights, the tiredness melted away in the falling darkness as two people became one, lost in the warmth of each other.

Two Charades, one stage

"You know, I guess things aren't so bad," Harry said as he stared at the frothy top of his glass. He dipped his index finger into the froth and blew it off. "We're talking to each other, we're not arguing.." his voice trailed off. He took a swig of the lager and placed the pint mug with a heavy "thunk!" on the wooden bar top.
"It is rather frustrating to sit next to her, listening to her go on and on about her day; when deep inside I've waited all day for someone to talk to. But I guess", he continued, "she's had a long day too, and if not to me, who else could she be getting all this off her chest with?"
He listened to Harry, and nodded in agreement. His thoughts wandered to his own life.
"Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I'd put my arm around her, and she'd push it away. Its always like that, you know, too tired, not well, not in the mood. And I just feel that maybe I should not be sharing the bed."
He looked at Harry and felt sorry. Clearly the lager was taking its place on his mind. He sighed to himself. How many people talk about their sex lives with total strangers like him? He leaned forward to Harry, "I guess she's not quite your kind of gal, huh? What are you looking for?"
Harry looked at him with a glint in his eye. "Hey, buddy.. Lets not go there. In me is a lifetime of passion and pleasure waiting to be released. Yeah, get me a gal who can go on and on and on and I'll bet I'll still not be satisfied" Harry said, breaking into laughter at his own joke. "How's your sex life like, huh? C'mon, its your turn.."
He shook his head, motioned to the bartender and paid for Harry's drink. He left the smoky bar with the pounding music and the flashing lights. He thrust his hands deep into his pockets, shrugged and walked off into the night. It was a cool night with a light breeze, and the air smelt sweet after sitting in the bar.
He thought of his conversation with Harry. He thought about his own life. Married, leading separate lives, but in the public eye, the couple of the year. Harry's thinking of moving to another bed, but he himself has forgotten what its like to share one. He'd probably gone crazy too, if it wasn't for the fact he met the sweetest thing on the planet. She too in need of a companion, as was he, yet leading separate lives. Two charades, one stage.