The Cocoon of Love

It was her 28th birthday, & she was not as lonely & aloof as she has been on her 26th Birthday. Then she had nobody around to share her emotions with. Today the nostalgia was surging in her like a high tide. She no more was cold & numb as an ice stalagmite, as she had been then. But she was still a bit low today, because on her special day, Karun wasn’t around. He had some official pre commitments & was travelling. She had no emotions on her face, even though it was an important day for her, her birthday. She knew that the void would be filled up when Karun would come back. She sat back recollecting that how Karun became the most important part of her life, when he never meant anything to her in College. She thoughts perhaps it was her shell, that prevented her from falling in love with him, when in college.

It all started from the college. She hailed from a small suburb somewhere in Himachal, & was the most vied after girl in the college. Aptly put the most beautiful girl in the college. She had sharp features, & drop dead looks, with fair color, slim body, & long hair that flew sideways when she would walk. She was even crowned Miss Fresher in college, unknowingly nominated for it. But, Fashion, faking & glitz was not her cup of tea!! She lived in her own world when in college. Many guys had tried to approach her directly or indirectly, students from Mechanical, Electronics, & Computers, from her batch & even seniors. The juniors didn’t have any choice, but to respectfully call her Mam. She never paid any heed to any of them. After all her Mom had make her to vow, that she will upkeep the family esteem, values & respect, & not fall into any of the murky stuff, of romanticizing & love. She would never let her focus drift from studies to any of these distractions. Her roommates from hostel in the mean time were having a ball game, dating & going around with guys. Soon she got crowned Miss Chui Muii (Touch me not).

For her, college meant no ado & pomp, it was a marathon from the hostel, to the classes, library, and labs. She didn't budge much from this path, not once losing track of what she had come there for; studies. She was not only pretty but also sharp at studies, but clearly beaten by Karun every time, in the semester exams. He was a prodigal wiz kid, hardly seen studying in college, but slogging it out in the hostel. Rumors were galore that he would study for 20 hrs at a stretch. But when it came to fun, he would be the biggest pranksters. Anyways he always got away with those pranks, for his exceptional results in exams. He at times tried to get close to Kanika, but to no avail. Somewhere deep inside he had a fonding for her, even though they had rarely interacted. This desire in him was only smothering, it never ignited fully. He knew proposing Kanika, meant igniting 1000 Tons of TNT (Tri Nitro Toluene). He didn't want to be a scapegoat & to be taken for a ride by her. Other Girls were after his bloody life, but he never got along with any of them.

It was during the last semester that the batch had to work on the final year project. Coincidentally Karun & Kanika decided to work on some encryption algorithms for high risk networks. The project mentor directed them to work in collaboration as a team rather than working alone. While they were executing the project Kanika felt that how much efficient, warm & nice Karun actually was, in contrast to his bully image. She could sense that single handedly she would not be able to do as much, as both of them had done in the project. But most of their interaction was limited to the Project work. Neither did Karun dare to do any romancing, nor would Kanika entertain any such advances or conversations. They both scored well in the project. The desire inside Karun was more provoked to get Kanika by hook or crook, but he never could grab enough courage to do so. His desire to say anything to Kanika would fizzle out, as soon as he saw her.

The college had come to an end, & 4 years had passed like snap of finger for Kanika, but for Karun it had been too much of vigor, nostalgia, highs & lows. During the farewell party, Karun asked Kanika for a dance. At first Kanika turned sideways & refused, but Karun stood there, & said childishly, "I need a partner", & lend out his hand. Kanika stood still for a moment, as if scanning something in her mind, & then she held his hand. They both walked towards the floor. Light music was playing, & both of them started dancing hand in hand. Soon they both set the dance floor on fire, & everyone was wondering this pair's pulsar radiating lot of aura, swaying with the music. Kanika as opposed to her sissy image could dance well. But they were both engrossed in each other, looking into each other’s eyes, holding hands, not caring for the whole world, letting themselves loose completely. It was an enchanting scene for some, & a bouncer for others.

The college was over, all the students bid bye; signed the white shirts with nostalgic, good, bad messages; exchanged contacts, & left to newer greener pastures, for hay & grass. Karun & Kanika had got placed in different software companies, in different cities. For a while the batch mates tried keeping in touch to share their experiences, but soon they became too engrossed in the vicious life, that the mails started dwindling. Everyone got engulfed to prove their mettle, & worth in gold & diamonds. Kanika had a fertile brain, & hence was able to dwell in her career, becoming a Team leader, in just 4 years. She had travelled abroad, had a good lifestyle, money, all necessities of life, but still something was amiss in her life. She knew what it was, but hushed the truth beneath the carpet, trying to shy herself away. The hard faced truth was that she had kept herself in the shell till now, & because of that she was alone, single, isolated & aloof.

One fine day while she was at work in the office, she received a message in her account from a social networking site. It was from Karun, & he had enquired if it was really Kanika, he knew or someone else. She was puzzled at first, how he had found her but even exited to hear from him. She replied instantly. They shared the contact details, & chatted for a while. For rest of the evening she kept looking at her phone, anxious to talk to Karun. Obviously she wasn't going to be the first one to call. She had her own inhibitions & apprehensions, even though Karun was a college pal. He was working in a software company in Techno Commercial Profile, involving a lot of travel, & was actually doing well. Karun’s call didn’t come, so she was back to her usual chores at home.

She went to bed at 11pm & her phone rang at 11:15pm. It was Karun. She got up, brushed her hair with her hands, as if he had come in person. She pounced on the phone, & picked it up. They talked for a while, & he said that he was coming to the town, for some official work. She couldn't believe that, it was happening so fast. But she liked it a lot, Karun was a really mellowed down person now, in contrast to what he used to be in college. He had matured a lot from that nasty college lad image, more finished, subtle, chic & classy. Spoke in an accent in a low pitched tone. There was something in his voice that magnetized Kanika to him. She got out of the bed, & went to the mirror, looking at herself. She exclaimed "No, I can't meet him like this".

First things first, she took an off the next day, & went to the parlor in the morning to get her hair & face done. It was after a while that she was in the parlor, pampering herself. She wasn't a regular there. She came back home, cleaned the home thinking that she would invite him for dinner, rather than feasting outside. She thought “he would anyways be fed up of eating outside during his travelling”. He called her to tell that he would be free by 5pm, & that he would pick her up at 530pm. She was enthralled, & joyous.

Karun came, 15 minutes before time; he looked good in his business attire, & his cute bespectacled face. His face looked more matured with a tinge of innocence to it. He shook hands with her; shared some niceties for a while, & then they walked to a coffee parlor nearby. They sat there chit chatting about work, life, college days, projects, friends, old memories, teachers, canteen, library & what not. Time just slid by, & it was already 8. She offered to cook dinner at home, & Karun unhesitatingly agreed upon it. Before they were about to leave the restaurant, he gave a big Box of Toblerone chocolates to Kanika, her favorite. She was shocked, as to how he knew these were her favorites. He said, he knew about her likes & dislikes right from the college, & hadn't forgotten them since. He was hammering her shell hard now, the shell that she was in, since the last 26 years. The shell was giving way, rupturing & shearing slowly. She could feel; a fresh lease of life. They walked back to Kanika’s Apartment, where she cooked him some nice Himachali delicacies. Karun assisted her in chopping the veggies. They enjoyed the dinner together.

After dinner they went to the park for a light stroll, but now they were discussing only personal things. It was as if the wall had been brought down, & Kanika was talking to her own mirror image. He listened, without interrupting. They walked & talked for a while, & it was time to bid bye for the day. Before leaving he said, "Kanika, I so hard wanted to say this, right in college… I like you a lot". She felt as if her knees had melted; a shine came on her face; 1000 butterflies flying in her stomach; her heart wanting to come out; her breath warmer & faster. She just stood there, he came close & hugged her. Kanika held him in her arms. This butterfly had finally come out of her cocoon, with wings, wanted to fly in love; feeling it; falling in it. He had broken her shell, & instead wowed the cocoon of love, compassion & warmth around her.