Scented Roads

(15) The start of our journey

Ala

There are times in our lives we meet seemingly perfect people.

Ayaan and Ala are on the sidewalk, stepping on wet leaves as they walk. 

It rains every other day in the city so the weather is always beautiful these days. Especially today, the wind blows with a powerful passion, stirring emotions within people. It brings with it sweet hope of a good future. 

I would like to call this season the season of love, others call it the rainy season. Associating love with a miracle like rain is only likely. The feelings that rain brings with it touches the heart of almost every person in this world. You might have had a long day, but if you walk out of the house and it's raining, your mood is automatically lifted. 

Sometimes in this rain, I've seen people cry. They are overwhelmed by their emotions and their hearts pour, along with the pouring rain. But they too, love rain. And as the rain stops their hearts are lighter... as if they've shared their pain.

On certain rainy days I have also being able to watch children playing in it, laughter and screams of the children will tell you how rain is their season of love too. They're more enticed by rain than by spring. For this season associates with itself the creation of memories. And these memories create for many, love.

The soft breeze touches Ala's skin. In coldness it rouses her to wakefulness. She wraps herself with her scarf.  The wind takes hold of it and flicks it, making it dance on Ala's body. It takes fronds of her hair too, even though Ala has covered her hair with another similar scarf, and made her hair into lashes that beat her face and blew above her head.

Ala is walking towards Ayaan's car. It was her second checkup today. Her finger turned out to be a simple sprain and almost healed in a week's time. But since Ayaan had advised her to get a check up done once the swelling has disappeared, she came by.

"Do you usually park your car so far away from the hospital?" Ala asks. 

They have been walking in silence since the past fifteen minutes, and Ala's eyes cannot spot any cars as far as she can see. It is as if they have been circling around a neighborhood near the hospital. She also notices what looks like a shop that they crossed a few minutes ago. She stops in her steps and turns towards Ayaan.

"You know, I like long walks, I really do, but I am not fond of taking walks with people I've met only a few times." She says to Ayaan, a little upset since she thinks he fooled her into talking a walk with him. 

IF it had been anyone else than this boy standing inches away from her, Ala would've been pissed in this situation. In fact, she wouldn't even let herself be caught in a sitaution like this. But when Ayaan had offered to drop Ala home, something in her kept her silent and she followed him out of the office. Her conscience did tell her to refuse. She could've taken a taxi back home, it isn't hard these days to book one. But she didn't want to.

This is the last time I am meeting him, she thought to herself, so it's alright to extend this meeting a little longer.

Ayaan blushes. His soft, gentle eyes look at Ala the third time today. His look is captivating, his dark eyes can make a person wonder about their depth. He is handsome from the depth of his eyes to the gentle expressions of his voice. Duch a handsome man indeed.

Ayaan's dark, wolfish eyes adorned his honey coloured face. Now that Ala is near him it's far easier to observe him. He has brown hair, she observed, tousled carelessly as if all he did today was to play with his own hair. His jawline is the only thing that is mean to his face, it makes him look serious and perhaps even grumpy. Even his beard looks softer than his jawline, Ala observed.

But the good thing is that Ayaan isn't much taller than Ala, maybe just a couple inches. Around 5'11 maybe. She has been able to talk to him without having her neck hurt. Maybe that's also the reason why Ala is able to observe Ayaan's features properly.

"The weather is nice and..." Ayaan clears his throat "sorry, I purposely took the wrong lane twice" Almost immediately he continues "But I am honestly taking you to the car, it's far away because I purposely park my car far from the hospital these days. I don't have time to go to the gym and my stomach-" Ayaan pauses.

He looks away from Ala and makes a face. How embarrassing, he thinks to himself, he was almost going to tell Ala about his stomach problems!

Damn his stomach problems. Life is so cruel sometimes.

Ala hides a laugh.

"The car is in the next lane, let's go" He says, taking the lead and walking as fast as he can. Ayaan doesn't know why he would readily take a half day for a random stranger. He also doesn't know why he kept visiting Ala's office ever since the day they met near the water cooler. That day he was at her office to meet on of his college friend, who is a nurse working in that office. They planned to meet after months, even though they live in the same city. 

However, ever since that day, Ayaan visited the nurse every other day and though he doesn't want to admit it, it was in fact to see Ala again.

And here he is, now walking beside this beautiful girl. He thinks of all the possible ways he can make sure they meet again but is at a dead end. Asking for her number is the only way they can stay in contact, but Ayaan doesn't have to courage to do that.

They reach the car and like the gentleman Ayaan is, he opens the door for Ala. Ala stares at Ayaan for a minute before accepting the gesture and getting in the car. As Ayaan runs to the other side of the car, Ala thinks about how awkward it could be to sit in the car with Ayaan for the next fourty five minutes.

But she did travel all the way to this hospital in the hope to see him again...

So in all honesty, she doesn't mind.

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Do let me know what you think of this chapter ❤