SKILLS

The next morning, at the college, Mitali’s detecting skills were

stretched to their limits in trying to locate the elusive Aby. She finally

found him in the library and rushed to Sehmat. However, on hearing this,

Sehmat became so nervous that it looked like she was about to break

down.

Mitali tried to encourage her, ‘Go on and meet your hero. I would like

to listen to your conversation, but right now I need to get back to my

classes. I’ve missed so many for this dance!’ And with that, Mitali left an

agitated Sehmat to her own devices.

Sehmat hesitantly walked to the library and looked around for Aby.

Something in her told her that since he was behind her success, it was

only fair that she thanked him, no matter how awkward she felt. She

peered into the semi-darkness of the library. For as far as her eyes could

see, there was no sign of him. She felt disappointed and was about to

turn away, when she spotted him seated at the far end, his head buried in

a large coffee-table book. Slowly she inched towards him, thinking about

what she would say and how she would start the conversation. As she

approached his table, she found him engrossed in a colourful book titled

Meerabai. He did not notice her till she was standing in front of him, and

when he finally saw her it looked like he had been struck by lightning.

He stood up hurriedly, took her hand gently and shook it with tenderness

and care.

‘That was the best dance performance I have ever witnessed in my

life. You were simply superb. Heartiest congratulations.’ Words did not

flow easily. Aby looked visibly shaken yet pleasantly surprised by

Sehmat’s sudden appearance.Sehmat smiled in return. She could see that Aby was dumbstruck.

Sehmat quietly extended the bouquet. He graciously accepted the roses

from her and then pulled up a chair for her. Sehmat sat down self-

consciously, but noticing his discomfort decided to do the talking.

‘How can I thank someone who doesn’t even want to acknowledge

what he has done for a person unknown to him? Please accept my deep

and heartfelt gratitude for helping me out. Without your support I could

not have achieved the greatest moment of my life. Thank you so much. I

hope I will be able to reciprocate your kind gesture some day.’

Sehmat’s soft, comforting words lifted Aby’s spirits. He made up his

mind then and there to tell her about his feelings without making a

pretence of friendship. He smiled at her. It was the most tender smile

Sehmat had ever seen. He stood up and gently placed the roses on the

table. The moment between them was electrifying. All the students

present in the library looked inquisitively in their direction. Aby looked

into Sehmat’s eyes for the first time. The warmth in them was

encouraging enough to dispel his hesitation. Drawing closer to her, he

bent slightly to look straight into the hypnotic twin pools of the deepest-

blue eyes.

‘You have never been unknown to me, Princess. We have never met

formally, but you have always been in my thoughts and in my heart. I

have known you right from the day you first entered the college. I

wanted to speak to you but there was never a right moment. You are

different from the rest. The way you carry yourself, the way you speak . .

. You have always been a part of my dream and the centre of my poetry.’

Sehmat got up from her chair and stood right in front of him. They

were so close that they could feel each other’s breath. Aby paused for a

moment, his eyes locked on to Sehmat’s. Even though he was speaking

softly, all ears in the library were tuned to pick up every word that was

being exchanged. But this was his moment and he was determined to

open his heart. It was now or never. ‘What if I say I like you, and that I

love you? That I have loved you right from the moment I first saw you

and that I feel incomplete without you?’

It was Sehmat’s turn to be shocked. She was unprepared for such a

reaction from Aby. She had always tried to stay away from relationships.

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