FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN

The Journey

That voice sounded awfully familiar, thought Manjari to herself.
"Where's Amaira?" asked the same voice again. "Isn't she travelling with you?".
Manjari refused to turn. This could not be true. God could not be so cruel. The VOICE (because that is all Manjari was willing to concede now) continued, "what a careless parent you are! No concerned about your daughter at all...."
Manjari turned around and glared at him, her worst nightmare. Safe to say, she was angry. And about to burst. Neel noticed this with satisfaction. He had enough of silent treatment from her to last him an entire lifetime. And it was going to end. He had been noticing her for a while. He had been right behind her throughout immigration and security but so lost was she in her thoughts, she had not even noticed. Even now, he had been sitting beside her for a while and she had not noticed him at all. His ego was hurt. He wanted her to notice him, to fix those beautiful kohl-rimmed eyes on him. He had been surprised by what she was wearing. And pleased. He had always seen her in sarees and suits. Never in something so informal like a blouse and track pants. The color suited her perfectly he noticed. He sniffed the air gently...yes, she was wearing her signature perfume. She should never commit a crime, he thought wryly. Her scent would be a dead giveaway. Her hair was tied in a ponytail he itched to open. He had always liked her more with her hair open, their shade always confusing him...were they brown or were they black. So silky. He wished he could run his hair through them and hold her by the nape of her long, beautiful neck and kiss her and...A deliberate clearing of the throat snapped him back to reality. Caught again! When would he learn?
She was glaring at him. Daggers. Ah! Well. "What are you doing here?", Manjari literally snapped at him.
"Babe!", he said with a grin and noticed the grimace on her face. Good. He liked that. Anything was better than the blank look and the stoic voice she tended to use when she spoke to him. "Do the math. I am at an airport with a travel bag beside me. What do you think I am doing here?"
It was then Manjari noticed his travel bag and before she could say anything, Neel pinched her arms and said, "same pinch". Manjari rubbed her arms and noticed that they had the same black colored travel bag of the same company. Manjari looked at him and asked, "You have a flight to catch too?" Stupid question. She smacked herself mentally. He had gotten a scholarship too. Almost all of them were flying out around the same time, given the fact that semesters began in September in America. She looked at him, fiddling with her bag and sked, " Where are you going for your fellowship?"

He looked at her and asked, "Why? Are you planning to come with me...?"

"No", was the prompt reply.

"Aww, you break my heart..."

"As if. Where are you going?"

"I am off to a fellowship in States". He said. To Manjari, he sounded smug. Like he knew something, she did not.

"I know that. Which University are you going to?", asked Manjari again.

"I just told you. I am going on a fellowship too. I am sure you have heard of it. Fulbright doctoral program."

Manjari began to feel dizzy by this time. She knew he had a scholarship but she did not know it was sponsored by the same department. Why did this have to happen to her?
"Which university are you going to? she asked with just a slight tremor in her voice. Her heart was beating erratically and her hands had suddenly become very clammy.

"Which university are you going to?", Neel asked her, fully enjoying her discomfort. He continued, "the entire college was talking about you and how no one else deserved this chance more than you! So where are you going?"
He did not mention that quite a few colleagues had hoped for her to find someone nice. And that had made him apply. He couldn't risk somebody else sweeping her off her feet and taking her away from him. He wanted her, and he would have her. Even if it meant fighting her every inch of that way.
"I asked you first, " said Manjari snapping and biting the inside of her cheeks.