Standing there in the middle of an open parking lot, kissing him for the first time, she is not sure what is it about this encounter that is so different. Not that she is even wondering at the point of time. Somewhat drunk, giggly and holding each other, there is nothing really to think about.
They had met in a travelers' hostel in Goa on one of her solo trips and had spent two nights together- drinking, eating and making merry with a bunch of other travelers from around the world. There was hardly any time spent one-on-one, other than him making sure that they sat next to each-other wherever they went. It was simple and cute, almost teenage like. She was there for two days, while he was working part-time as he vacationed in Goa, till he returned to his home country in a few months. On the third morning, when she had hugged him goodbye, she had just wanted to peck him once. It seemed apt to her for whatever time they had shared and for the sweet company he had been. Alas! It never came to that. Surrounded by 6-7 other people, where was the opportunity? But little did she know then that three months later, he will stop by Delhi while traveling for work, just to meet her once.
They had kept in touch, if that is what a Facebook message once a month can be called and she had always asked him to drop by whenever he was in Delhi. But it was more of a friendly gesture than anything else. She did like him but had no such expectations or even desires. Life was too busy and too momentary to ponder over such chance encounters. She was swamped with work while he hopped from one city to another.
But one day he messaged her, out of the blue, asking if she was in Delhi the coming weekend as he was thinking of dropping by. She was more than happy to welcome him and started planning all the places she would take him to in Delhi. As she discussed the itinerary with him, he reminded her that he was just coming to see her really, sight-seeing was secondary. That pleased her but also came as a surprise.
On the fateful Saturday he showed up at her place in the afternoon. Her parents welcomed him while she tried to get off work early. By the time she reached home, she found him sleeping peacefully in her bed. She thought to herself that he looked good, almost childlike. Two hours was all she could wait before finally waking him up, chiding him, "And I thought you had come all the way just to meet me." They talked as if they had just met yesterday and were taking off from where they had left. There were no dramatics.
Finally, after going to and fro for a while, they decided to go grab some drinks and dinner nearby. They had never really flirted, or romanced or even talked sex. It was just two 'friends' having a few drinks and a good time. There was good wheat beer, old school music, shots and bad food. They were both a little tired from their respective hectic weeks and it didn't take much for them to be buzzed. Finally, reluctantly they left at 12.30 as the place was shutting down and walked out of the pub along with most of the crowd getting ready to go home. There was a big open parking space, smack in the middle, surrounded by restro-bars and pubs. And most of the crowd was hanging out in the sufficiently lit parking space, having the usual drunk banter or smoking or both. They were both just the right amount of drunk and tried to find out places that will be open at the time of the night as she moaned, "I don't want to go home yet!!".
She stood there against a car facing him, Googling frantically on her phone. As she looked up from her phone at him, the next thing she knew was leaning in and kissing him...
They giggle after a while as they hold each other, too drunk to walk straight. He whispers if they can go to some place and she laughs out loud and feigns shock, "No!" and laughs some more. Her parents would be waiting for them. They kiss some more and start walking without much thought of where they are walking to. They stop outside the parking, on the road and kiss and start walking once more, holding each-other. Just about hundred meters out and they are in a fairly dark and deserted road as they stand against another parked car and kiss, this time him resting against the car. Suddenly there is an array of cars and people who are driving and walking by. He rests her head on his chest, holding her close, waiting for all of them to pass. It is a protective gesture- like he is trying to protect her and hide her from all the prying eyes. They start walking again and as they turn onto another dark and deserted road, they come across a huge park. Drunk as they are, they decide to venture in. Sitting on a bench in the empty park, without the least care in the world, they let their minds and hands wander. Few minutes later he orders her to lie down- right there in the park, in the open, next to the bench. As she takes him in, while he lays on top of her, her consciousness is wiped clear of everything but his presence inside her and all over her. The act itself is urgent, passionate and vocal. Twenty minutes of uninhibited courage and they finally gather their clothes and their senses and walk out to book a cab. It is difficult to keep their hands off each other while waiting but they promise to make up for it the next day.
Sleeping in separate bedrooms in her parents' house, she can't help but sneak into his bedroom in the middle of the night. She kisses a sleeping him and he immediately responds. He doesn't want her to leave and tries to stop her. There is something about the way he tries to hold her back. It is not about mindless sex. It is simply about wanting to spend the night sleeping together. She is sober enough now not to risk it and gives him a fleeting kiss and leaves.
The next day there is no outward acknowledgment of the night before. The mark on his neck is more than enough reminder. The first thing they do, as they are sitting together, is book a room. After a quick breakfast and all manner of cooked up stories, they are out again. They do more than make up for the night before once they reach their room. She had always thought that she had a stronger appetite than most, but fifteen minutes of him has her gasping for breath. Later, as she is sleeping in his arms and on his chest, he kisses her hair, her forehead, and her eyes from time to time.
It is only after he has left that she realises she had missed all this. It is an eerie feeling, she didn't even know she was the kind of girl who liked such stuff. But after ages someone had unleashed that longing in her again. Though there is more to it, more to the whole weekend.
There was no premeditation. Every time she had been with someone, there was always a precursor. Either you are already dating or have been flirting and sexting or at least on the particular date there are all manner of hints. Consciously and unconsciously cuing the other person that you are interested. Whether by words or actions- it is always there- a hope, a plan, a suggestion. But it was all missing this time. There was not a single thought or wonder in her head till the point she was actually in his arms, kissing him. And by that time it was too late for thoughts.
She was not sure what he had felt or truly wanted. They both of course had no expectations, knowing it was just that one weekend and that they might never see each other again. As she had laid there in his arms, while his thoughts wandered to the girl he had loved and wanted to protect but couldn't, he had tenderly kissed her. Maybe unconsciously he had been trying to protect her instead. And as she had looked up at him and seen the sadness in his eyes, she had loved him a little then — for that moment at least.
The next morning when she bid him goodbye, she knew it was gone. Buried somewhere deep, never to be visited again perhaps. Like him, she had also finally learnt to restrict herself. But it had existed. That was enough. She only hoped that the mark on his neck was not the only mark she had left.
