Finding Love

Chapter 16

He stared at her, like a parched piece of earth, mesmerized by a passing rain cloud. Unable to fathom what this was, this foreign feeling, he looked out of the car window, raking his fingers through his already messy hair, frantic, trying to search for one clue, just something, from the past years, to figure out this unexplainable feeling. Turning to look at her again, his gaze was met with hers. Stunned for a moment, out of his wits, Saif's eyes widened, as he tried to find an excuse for his unabashed stare. He hoped she hadn't caught him staring.

"Yes, Noorie...?" he figured out, somehow, that the offensive was better than the defensive.

"I'm just amused. You were observing nature. And you seemed restless. That's peculiar," Noorie's stated her observation of Saif.

"No.... that... actually," Saif was frantic again. But this time, in a violent search for a decent excuse. "I was thinking about some business." He was quite certain Noorie would see through the silly reason, but he couldn't think. His mind had gone blank, and his words were losing coherence.

Noorie just eyed him once, before turning her attention back to the highway. The youngsters had decided to go on a road trip to Ajmer, with Razaak's consent for the same. Ayat, Aaqib, Salima and Noorie were to go in one car, and Kabir and Saif were to follow along, in another one. But Noorie had taken too long to wake up, and had hence got replaced with Kabir, in the first car. She was now to travel with Saif and Salima. Saif, because apparently he too had gotten late, and Salima, because she had agreed to help out Noorie. Again, apparently. Content somehow, Noorie was staring out of the window throughout the travel so far.

Sighing in relief, that Noorie hadn't seen him staring at her, Saif resumed looking out of the window, confusion playing a fresh new playlist in his mind this time. A sudden realisation drew him out of his reverie. He realised that a goofy smile had plastered itself onto his face. Vehemently shaking his head, to get rid of all thoughts, Saif breathed deep, shutting his eyes tight, trying to grasp as much control as he could, on his life, in this moment. Rubbing his hands over his tired, but chiselled face, he took one moment, before resuming life. And as he looked up, he realised, that Noorie's bemused gaze rested on him again. Quirking up one eyebrow, he smirked at her, looking her in the eye.

"Eye candy, isn't it?" Immediately, he relaxed after this statement, as he realised, that the control was back with him. This only widened his smirk a little.

Rolling her eyes, Noorie stared at Saif, annoyance writ large and clear on her dainty features, as she snapped, "Learn to start making sense when talking. If you can't, just give up. Don't talk at all. At least not to me."

Chuckling to himself, Saif gazed at her, as if he was questioning her sarcasm. In reality, even he didn't know how to react. Shaking his head to himself, a small smile flashed across his face. There again, Nooriye was back. He looked up, once again, and found Noorie smiling to herself, looking down at her palms, as she absent mindedly played with the tassels of her dress. Now this was new! Saif had never seen Noorie like this. She almost looked like a puppy. He mused to himself, unable to fathom what she was thinking about. He looked out of the window, again, observing how the paths always entwined around the tall deodars, in this mystic land. And just like that, somewhere in between, sleep took over his exhausted mind, shutting out the world around for him. Sure, he would talk to Noorie once awake, maybe.

***************

Noorie was lost in thoughts, as she skimmed through the pages of the book she held. Her mind kept wandering. She tried her best to converge her thoughts onto the words that floated before her now. She looked back at the book, now closed, but held tightly, and turned to look at the first page. There it stood, the signature, with the year written under it.