Finding Love

Chapter 10

Pacing across the room, in slow, decisive steps, all Kabir could think of, was the shock on the brunette's face, when she heard of that man's death. He wanted to know who she was, and why did Razaak's news affect her so badly.

The room had plunged into deathly silence, once she had run up the stairs, and banged some door with a thud. An attitude that was of typical distaste in Kabir's view, but he let hat slide, as he didn't know the girl. He stared at her diminishing image, as she ran across the stairs, and through the corridor, and ran out of his sight, sobbing silently. Too weak, even for a girl, he had thought at that moment. Girls always seemed too clingy and whiny to Kabir, developing a strong dislike to grow within him, towards the female race. Exceptions to this opinion, included only Noorie, and of course...

There was this aura of intrigue, that shrouded itself within the brunette's shadows. And soon after she left, everyone began to disperse, leaving just Razaak and himself in the huge drawing room. The silence around was so deafening, that even the tiny clang of the dangles of the chandelier were a welcome change, in the intense atmosphere. Nobody had called after that girl, as she raced through the hallways. Nobody went behind her, perusing her to listen to them. Everyone stood rooted to where they were, unable to fathom the impact of what Razaak had just said. This piqued even more interest in Kabir, to know more about that princess!

Orbs transfixed into the skies, and the far off horizon, as he gazed out of the massive window, a sudden thought struck Kabir. He hadn't met Ayat since the time he had arrived! He had heard a lot about this interesting cousin of Noorie's, who apparently was 'far ahead of her time', possessing talents worth one's time and energy, to discern! A flamboyant Kathak dancer, a gifted artist, a writer of sorts, and possessing a charming smile. This, was how Noorie had described her enigmatic cousin, Ayat Shah, to Kabir. However, somewhere between the flood of relatives, the grim Razaak, and the ensuing melee, Ayat was a topic that seemed to fade into mere thin dust, The concentration and focus being the death of one some Asif Javed.

Sighing, Kabir walked back towards the massive kingly bed, making himself comfortable, in a small corner on the springy mattress. Laptop before him, and a glass of strong mojito in his hand, he peered at the screen, trying to get some work done, but getting distracted every minute, by the thoughts of that brunette. He sat back, snuggling into the cushions, and staring up at the ceiling, trying to delve into a space filled with nothingness. He needed to breathe. He tried to treat this as a small vacation, to just another Asian country. Eyes wandering heavily, every time he tried to think, Kabir sat up, shutting his eyes tight for a long moment, desperately trying to bring his mind back into focus. He just couldn't.

Hearing the thud on the stair, Kabir whipped his head towards that direction, finding her shocked gaze, as she stumbled backwards in the stairs. The minute his eyes had landed on her trembling form, he knew, that he could relate to the emotions that sped through her heart in that very moment. He could see the pain and shock in her eyes. They instantly threw him into a pit of darkness, that he had tried to bury all along. The pit of his past. He couldn't now fall before those long forgotten emotions. That would lead to his fall. He had moved on then. He couldn't now go back. The ghosts of his past, possessed the power to pull him down and bury him alive, if he let them the leash. He had to take charge, under any circumstance. He couldn't now go weak. Emotions break one. And men don't show emotions! In that moment, all that mattered to Kabir, was controlling his crazy mind. The brunette, the uncle, the cousin, the chatter, all faded into a blank forgotten. Breathing heavily, he tried to catch some sleep, thinking that it was maybe the jetlag that had him going berserk.

As soon as his head touched the pillow, his eyes felt heavy, and his mind became drowsy. Ah, the familiar beckoning of sleep, at the end of a long fought Odessey!