The Unventured Passions

Blessed in the Moonlight

In the scanty moonlight she clearly saw Batuk waving his torch at her, gesturing her to come down. Raimoti thought for a moment. This was the same man who had refused her love only this morning, it was the same man for whom she was pinning all day. She had never shedded tears for any man, until now, and seeing the cause of her sorrow standing below her window, she couldn't help but gaped at the surreal romanticism of the situation.

Batuk was clearly able to see her standing at the window showered in the bright artificial electric light. He saw her keep the binoculars and raised her right hand asking him to wait.
Batuk breathed out his anxiety in the dark.

Raimoti had quickly brushed her open hair and dabbed a little pink on her lips before dashing out of her room. Despite being aware of the outside chill, she intentionally didn't take a shawl or made any attempts to cover herself. The flimsy off-white gown very lavishly highlighted the seductive curves of her body, and Raimoti absolutely knew how to flaunt her femininity.

"Hey... Sorry... I mean I didn't mean to... Um..." Batuk chuckled nervously as Rai slowly walked towards him and stood infront.

"You didn't mean to what? Sneek up at midnight like this? Or insult me in the morning?" Rai crossed her arms, throwing the words directly at him.

"Both." Batuk muttered slowly.
"Miss Mukherjee... Raimoti... I didn't mean to make you feel bad in anyway. And, and I'm deeply sorry to have caused you inconvenience." He folded his hands together and joined them in an apology.

"And what about my inconvenience now?" Rai raised an eyebrow as Batuk looked quizzically at her.
"You made me walk out in this cold midnight, almost shivering my heart out... What about that?" She teased him.

"Oh... I'm so... genuinely sorry about this as well." Batuk paused as he saw her lips shinning in the faint white glow of the moon.
"Rai, I... I mean, I could've waited till morning. But I couldn't help myself from coming here now. I wasn't even sure whether I'll get to see you, but I just had to try."

Rai stood there like an artistic stone statue, bathed in the silvery light, her beauty radiating like an enchanted spell, captivating Batuk's mind.

"Good that you didn't wait till morning. Because I'm feeling particularly generous now." Raimoti turned around to leave, her long open traces fluttering in the gentle cold breeze.

"Rai!" Batuk called her.
"I had something..." He looked at the jute sling bag he carried, hesitating for a moment as his eyes met hers once again.

"What do you have for me?" Rai furrowed her eyes in curiosity, turning back and inching closer to him.

"It's nothing really... Very silly of me." He smiled awkwardly as he pulled out a red garden rose from the bag and held it infront of her.

Rai gasped.
"It's perfect!"

"Is it?" Batuk scratched his head and bit his lips in embarassment.

"Yes. It's perfect." Raimoti's eyes shone up bright, competing with the moon for a moment before she broke out into a suppressed fit of laughter.
"It's your first time giving rose to a woman I gather." She came a little closer.

"Um... Not really. I pluck them for Bondita all the time... I mean... Whenever she..." Batuk looked at her eyes and stopped in mid- sentence and mouthed slowly.
"No... This is my first time..."

"I too thought so." Rai rolled her eyes at him seductively making him gulp.

"Can we be friends atleast?" He blurted out as to his relief Raimoti nodded her head slowly in approval.

"What are you carrying inside that bag? They are making an awfully lot of clanking noise." She said instead.

Batuk's face suddenly brightened at her question, clearly relieved at the reduced heat that the question heralded between the two.