A blind encounter

“I wonder what he is thinking. I hope I haven’t overdone my makeup. Thankfully, I didn’t choose to wear a jazzy dress today, otherwise I would have looked like a floozy.”

“Had he casually smiled at me or had been hinting something? Should I approach him first or wait him to do that? Wouldn’t I look desperate if I did talk first? I wonder who the girl with him is. Hopefully, she isn’t his girl friend and I don’t see any ring on her ring finger, so she is definitely not his wife. She might be his sister or a friend. Shall I pick up a conversation with her? I just have to make sure that she doesn’t get the obvious”.

I couldn’t help but smile at my luck, when she spoke to me, without me taking initiative. “Hello! Would you mind if I borrowed your water bottle? I forgot to carry one and my brother, who is sitting over there, is thirsty”.

I stopped smiling for I didn’t want to appear too friendly. Passing the bottle to her, I said, “Don’t finish it off. This is all I have for another two hours”.

She walked away, to her seat, throwing a, “Thank you!” at me.

The guy took the bottle from her and as his fingers gripped the bottle, my body shivered because of a weird tickling sensation. I liked the way his fingers were exploring the curves of the bottle. The effect he was having on me, surprised me. His one look and my imagination were not only driving me crazy but also would embarrass me, if I let them sway as they wished.

Returning my bottle, the girl asked me to move to the seat next to her. My luck was favoring me today, more than necessary.

As I settled, I noticed from the corner of my eyes that he was checking me out. He said, “Thank you for the water”.

His sister said, “I am Rati and he, Mohan”.

“Hello! I’m Mallika”.

He said, “Hello Mallika!” and asked, “At which station are you getting down?”

“Mangalore”

“I’ve heard a lot about it. Everyone says it’s a beautiful place”

I added, “Very beautiful indeed”.

The remaining of the journey was silent. We didn’t speak anything until the coffee trolley passed by our compartment. Rati bought us coffee and we chatted over many topics. That is when his hands brushed my knees. His touch sent quivers into my body. I lost the grip of the coffee mug and spilt the coffee over my dress. I rushed into the washroom to clean the stain before it became obstinate.

The rhythm of the flowing water and the moving train buzzed in my ears and my head dizzied. I hadn’t noticed when he had got into the wash room, but when I realized, I receded into a corner. He moved close to me…very close indeed. My heart raced along with the train. I could hear it beating and that is all I could hear. The flowing water and even, the train had frozen. I cursed it for betraying me in front of him, like this.

Pinning me to the wall, he brushed my cheeks, first with his finger and then with his cheeks. I couldn’t push him because my hands were trapped behind me. I couldn’t find my voice to ask him to leave. He kissed my forehead. My skin burned underneath his touch. He came closer...so close that I could hear his heartbeats and feel the passion igniting within him. The effect I was having on him aroused me. I closed my eyes as his fingers moved onto my neck and his lips pressed mine. He said, “After all, it worked”.

The train rocked as it stopped. I forced my eyes open and saw that he was leaving with his sister or friend or whoever she was. I realized I was just dreaming the whole time. The guy was blind and he had never been checking me out. It was only my imagination that had broken through all boundaries. I wondered what other heights it can reach.

The remaining of the journey was silent. However, the blind encounter continued…