WET

Privacy is something that we Indians seldom have the liberty to enjoy. Especially when you’re in love. Though we live in a country of 1 billion plus, and babies are not dropped by cranes at the door steps, our society still very much shun young lovers and their little happiness and subtle naughtiness. The gentle holding of the hands while walking down the streets, the soft brush of lips against the cheeks, the innocent embrace of each other.

Being seen together like that is a field’s play for the society. “Did you hear that Mr. Manhotra’s daughter was seen with this guy at…” and so the gossip goes on.

Which why you see a lot of us in coffee shops, malls, parks, movie theaters and places like that where in the mist of other couples we can escape from the preying eyes of society.

This particular day, I was more than happy. I was blessed to spend more time with my love than the usually allotted time.

For some unexplained reasons females enjoy seeing guys going down on their knees and pleading them to stay longer. Half an hour before she had to leave, she would announce that she needs to get back home, just so that the guy would start to plead her to stay longer, mostly it goes “Sweetie 5 more mins, just stay for 5 more mins, please??”. Though she has no intention of leaving that soon, she’d still say I need to get back home. But whatever said and done she would stay a little longer, the guy happy that she stayed longer and the girl happy to know that she’s wanted.

That day we had plans of seeing a movie. I went to pick her up near to her home in my most neatly washed and pressed cloths, she was waiting for me glowing with happiness. I had often wondered how did I get so blessed to be with her.

Given that all Indian movies, with their melodrama, romance, fights, songs and dances, they usually last 3 hours, I was euphoric, just at thoughts of being with her that long without having to glance around now and then just to see who all are watching us.

It was a new release and we knew there would be a huge rush for the movie, we knew we had to reach there earlier so that we could get a seat. All the more better, this would mean more time to be with her.

We arrived at the theater well in advance to get the tickets only to find the whole place packed with college students. Luckily were got a couple of tickets before every single seat was occupied. As much as I hate being in a crowded place, we both were relieved to know that we would be lost in the crowd and the probability of being spotted was very slim.

Trying to be the man, I went and brought a few snacks and lead her into the theater. We found our seats and got comfortable. We waited a while for the seats to fill. A while after the lights went dim and the screen came alive, it took some time for the crowd to settle down like the dusts after a windy day. Slowly everyone started getting engrossed in the movie.

We ate whatever was with us and after a while she slipped her hands under mine so that she could hold my hands. She looked at me and gave me the most pleasing smile. I smiled back and took her hands, her fingers entangled in mine, I knew she was enjoying the warmth of my hands. I looked ahead and continued to watch the movie.

Soon time passed and it was the interval. Many got up to take a break, we stayed in our seats, our hands still entangled in each other’s arm, we were very much comfortable the way we were. After a short break the movie resumed.

After a while I could feel her shifting her weight and moving closer to me. Naturally I shifted closer to her so that we could cuddle up more closer. Those were the times I wisher there was no arm rest in between the seats. So we sat as close as we can next to each other trying to concentrate on the movie. Me, softly tracing her palm with my fingers. At one point she pinched my inner palm, to which I looked into her eyes. She looked straight into me without even flinching.

I raised my brow, asking what happened to which she gave me a mischievous smile and winked. I smiled back and went back to watching the movie. Now it was she who was softly scratching my inner palm, leaving me a little ticklish, with a tingling sensation. For some reason something was burning up inside me, the movie started to seem so less important anymore. After much toleration of the tickling, I slowly took her hands and brought it close to my mouth, waiting to see if she would pull away her hands or show any signs of restriction. Seeing none I placed a small peck on her hands, and glanced over to her.

She said nothing but only smiled. To which I kissed her hands a second time, only this time I let the kiss linger a little longer. I looked at her for some reaction, all I got was the same pleasant inviting smile. I moved closer to her now and kissed her bare shoulders. Still nothing. By now I was having an adrenaline rush. I strained a little and kissed on her forehead and then slowly her cheeks. I could feel the warmth of her cheeks, even in the darkness I could feel her face flushed. I pulled back a little to look at her only to see the same desire in her eyes that my eyes carried. My heart was pounding by now, I moved closer to her and strained over, my face inching slowly towards hers. Fearing all the way if she would pull back or if she would stop me. None of the two happened. I went as far as I should, stopping a few centimeters away from her lips. Waiting, waiting for her come the rest of the way.

Reluctantly at first, but slowly she closed the gap with a partly open mouth. Our lips met for the first time, surrounded by 100’s of people in a dark theater that played a movie. None of that existed for us that moment. Not the people, not the movie, no one. It was just me and her and with our lips closely knitted. Her soft supple moist lips on mine.

I slowly brought my hand up and cupped her face. I have no idea how long we stayed that way, eyes closed and lips together. All I know was I had to open my eyes to come to reality, the reality of her pulling away. The reality of we were in the middle of a movie in a theater.

We both slumped back in our seats. Dazed by what just happened. WET, was the first word that went thru my mind. “So that’s how it feels like to kiss someone. Sweet, warm and wet”. I licked my lips to trace the taste of hers on mine. Intoxicated by the taste I was hungry for more. I glanced over to her, again to find the same hunger in her eyes as mine. I moved closer this time more confident, but before I could do anything, she caught me by my collar and pulled me closer and whispered in my ears.. “kiss me”.

I still don’t remember what happened next, but all I remember was its something that I’d always remember.

I remember me placing my lips on hers again. I remember there was a ferocity to that kiss that the first kiss lacked. We kissed harder, slowly the lips parting our kiss evolved to an open mouth kiss. With her suckling on my lower lip and we exchanging turns. Her hands still clutching my shirt she pulled me in closer. My arms went around her and holding and pulling her even closer to me. The sweet taste of her saliva in my mouth intoxicating me. The unexplainable feeling of her warm wet mouth against mine.

I have no recollection of how long we kissed, but we both broke out panting and breathing hard, slumping back to our seats. Both of us wearing a satisfied smile on our face, we went back to watch the rest of the movie with our thoughts reeling.

My mind jumping in joy at thought of the many more to come..

The last race

The beating of my heart in my chest was deafening. The anxiety was almost too much to bear. My eyes were closed and visualizing and imagining me crossing the finish line with a considerable lead from the guys behind me, just like all the other previous races. I once read all great runners did this. It helped them to prep themselves. But the blunt pain on my the right side on my stomach was bothering me, I had a bad cramp in my last race. I pushed the thoughts and the feelings of the pain away and went back to imagining me winning the race.
It was the last event for me, the final hurdle that I had to overcome to, the last race that stood in between me and my championship. 3000 meters, 15 rounds, 12 competitors, 1 goal.
I stood in the extreme left, everyone else towards my right were just as anxious as me, everyone was hoping to be the one to be the first to cross the finish line. I wished everyone of them ‘all the best’. It was a customary thing that I do. But in my heart I had no plans of letting any one of them win over me. Well it was a competition, what did they expect.
The referee just briefed us with the instructions and was ready to start the race. Just when I thought that my heart couldn’t beat any faster, it changed to high gear. He raised the gun, and uttered the words that everyone was waiting to hear. “On my mark”… “get set”… in my mind I counted 1001, 1002 and then the BANG!!!
The audience went in to frenzy, everyone cheered us, shouting and clapping. Every single one of the 12 competitors lurched forward. The race was on..
In long distance running it was not the fastest who wins, but the one with the most stamina and the will power to push oneself to the limits. And I was notorious for both.
I knew I had to take a lead and I had to do it fast, but I also knew that I should over exert myself that I’d end up wasting all my energy in it. Everyone knew this fact. The first 2 rounds everyone would try to take a lead, keep their ground. What mattered was not taking the lead, but who all could keep the lead.
I ran faster than the rest in the first 2 rounds taking a lead of 15 meters from the guy behind me. Throwing glances behind me now and then I made sure that I kept the lead, accelerating when I saw the guy behind me get closer. By the 4th round we all settled in a rhythm.
The rhythm was the most important thing. The proper breathing, the proper pace, the proper body moment. Every single thing counted. Running was a mind game as well as a test of strength. Everything depended on how you play out your next move. A small mistake and all could be lost.
By the end of the 4th round the blunt pain that I had pushed from my thoughts at the starting of the race had crept back in. I was finding it difficult to breath. And without proper breathing one can’t run. I knew I had to slow down, but I didn’t want to do that, for it would mean I would have to give up on my lead. But the pain started to get unbearable and I was forced to slow down.
In a matter of few moments my competitor that sensed my weakness started closing in. As soon as I saw him next to me I tried with all my might to maintain my pace. And for the first time the fear of losing the race swept in to me.
Slowly I had to lower my pace and my competition overtook me with ease, and now it was he, who kept a lead against me. I ran behind him trying hard not to let him take too much of a lead, but I was not very successful at it. My mind started racing, wondering how I cannot lose this race, how can I get rid of this pain.
At a point the pain was too much to bear that I had half the mind to quit running and forfeit the race. My teammates kept on cheering me, pleading me to keep running and not to give up. It was the 7th round and I was not sure I could push myself like this for another 8 more rounds. I had very little hope left. All my confidence had drained out of me. It was then suddenly that I remembered reading in a book, that squeezing the pain when you have a stomach cramp while running helps. I ran half a round across the track with my right hand squeezing the sides of my stomach and I found out I can run better almost like before.
But with one hand tucked beside my stomach restricted my hand moments and it made it awkward and uneasy for me to run. I yelled out to my team mate to get me a scarf or a long piece of cloth. Within moments my best friend, Naeem was running beside me handing me over a scarf.
I tied it tightly around my waist, to happily find out that I have managed to considerably reduce the pain. Reduce the pain enough to have the hopes of winning this race again.
As I looked ahead I found my competitor easily enjoying a lead of 60 meters. And I knew this wouldn’t be easy at all to overcome, but he was tiered from the running and has slowed down. I knew all I had was 6 rounds to catch up with him.
Once again I used one of the tactics in the books. Run faster in the curves and keep a normal pace on the straight track. This way I started to eat up the lead my competitor had so painfully built. I was pushing myself to my limits. But I had to do, I had to win this race. I had a championship trophy to hold and kiss.
By the end of the 12th round I was snapping at his heels. Seeing me right behind him, he picked up the pace. We were both running down the track. But with all the months of practice and anticipation I had no wishes of giving it up without a fight. Slowly and painfully I overtook him and kept a marginal lead against him.
On the 14th round I slowed down to catch my breath, for the grand finale. The poor guy must have thought that I was tiered and giving up. Not that I wasn’t, not that my heart wasn't beating like a wild horse and my legs weren't aching from the formation of the lattice acid in them, but I had to finish it style.
Anticipating for the last round as soon as I crossed the 14th lap mark I changed gears, it was the last lap, the last round that stood in mist of me and my so longed championship. I started to pick up pace, I started urging my legs to go faster and take longer strides. Slowly from mere running I broke in to a full sprint. I could hear to crowd cheering and screaming and going wild, I could hear the drum beats from my teammates like a jungle beat picking up as my pace picked up, all the more reason to give them a show. I started to run faster. My mind screaming at me ‘are you nuts’, my legs pleading ‘ I can’t go on any more’. Yet not yielding to any of their pleas, I gave the crowd something that they wanted. A sprinting finish in the last round of the 3000 meters race.
I looked back to find my competitor trying to catch up with me, but he was no match for me, he was too wasted. I came around the last corner running like a wild stallion galloping to the finish line, there was hardly 50 more meters of the race. Behind the finish line my friend Naeem urging me to finish it, to run faster he beckoned me. I kept trying to push myself faster all the while. In the last 10 meters when I knew that victory was mine I threw up my arms sideways, having a god like feeling, I won the race, I won the heart of all the audience, I was the king. The crowd cheered on.
I crossed the finish line, exhausted to more than I can bare. My feet gave up under me unable to take the beating any more. I collapsed, but Naeem was there to catch me. As I fell into his arms, his shouting “you won, YOU won” was slowly drowned by the same deafening heartbeat that I had in the start of the race. But only this time I had a smile on my face.