He knew it wasn’t any of his usual suspects; the maid, the cook, the delivery boy or his crazy friends. His saturday morning was going to be uneventful. Precisely why he was up until 3 AM previous night, binge watching a Netflix series that was long due.
And when he had finally gone to bed, after cleaning a bowl of instant noodles and beer, he had no intentions of moving any part of his body till late that afternoon. So this constant buzzing was not just a mild discomfort but a breach of code, an unforgivable act of crime.
He thought to himself...
The person was either foolish or sadistic. No one in their right mind would think of waking up an office going guy on a saturday early morning 8 AM without prior notice. As though the damn corporate finance job was not enough to squeeze the life out of my soul, here comes Lucifer, the devil himself to wreck my weekend as well.
Such a sinister, he will go to hell. No, not hell . He will end up in purgatory, trying to ring the doorbell of hell, god damn idiot.
He pulled the pillow over his head, thinking the intruder will eventually leave him alone.
When the doorbell did not cease ringing, despite of him ignoring it for way over 5 minutes, he propped himself up on his pillows and rubbed his eyes, grunting and moaning and continuing all the curses he had learnt in his lifetime, he got up.
He was usually upbeat and easy going. But this week had been a roller coaster ride, and he was way too irritated, exhausted, annoyed; basically he was a cocktail of all the nasty feelings. He just wanted to rewind and relax this weekend and get back to his normal self.
But the doorbell and the culprit at the door were not helping. And it seemed like that person was going to bear the full burnt of his entire week’s displeasure.
He dragged himself out of his bed, in his crumpled black t-shirt and boxer shorts
Fuck it, I am going to kill you if you don’t give me a good enough reason to be here today. He murmured to himself.
He opened the door, with his left palm still rubbing away the sleep from his eyes, he mouthed the word “What??” looking up at the intruder, and froze.
He could feel his right hand still wrapped on the door knob, the left hand slowly pulling off from his face, mouth half parted and the disheveled hair dancing with the cool breeze that was gushing in.
He stood like that for what seemed like eternity, until he heard his name being called out from some far away place “Demir?”
His head was now heavy and buzzing and her voice echoed like that was the only sound around him. That and his heartbeat.
He stood there trying to make sense of the moment. ‘It’s a fucking dream’ he told himself while blinking hard more than once, closing his eyes for a little longer than few seconds and opening it slowly, just to find her still standing.
“I…” “Uh.. You…” “Uh..”
He could not bring himself to say anything, a lump had lodged itself in his throat, that was choking not only words but also the air out of his lungs.
She just stood there patiently smiling at him. Waiting for him. ‘But waiting for what?’ He thought. ‘Is she real? But what is she doing here? At my doorstep?’
It took him a good 2-3 minutes, to gather his senses, to realize that she is still standing at his doorstep, and that he has installed himself like a statue at the entrance in his shabby messed up appearance, and an equally confused look on his face.
“Fuck” and this word apparently his human body was able to spit out without any problem. ‘Great’ he thought.
Clearing his throat he said, “Hey, Hi, Uh come in, come on in. Sorry I wasn’t expecting anyone today so, Uh, come in.” He stepped aside waving his hand towards the hall, trying to give her a smile and failing at it exceptionally.
She leaned in to hug him which turned into a most awkward hug in the history, with him still not able to grasp the full meaning of everything that was happening. When she glided past him into the hall, he let out a deep breath, and finally realized the state he was in.
He quickly rushed to his room while calling out to her - “Please feel at home, give me just 2 minutes to freshen up and put some pants on”.
‘wow and that was not creepy at all’ he grunted.
He saw himself in the bathroom mirror and balked at his appearance. “Wow. For all those dreamy nights when you played in your mind different ways you would meet her, this was never an option. What an impression you might have made on her! You might as well jump out of this window and run away; instead of getting further humiliated by facing her. Fuck.” He continued his murmurs.
Of course, no time to shave or shower. He quickly rinsed his mouth with the stinging minty mouthwash; splashed water on his face, set his hair into some understandable style and kept the same t-shirt, just pulled on a jeans, smiled at his reflection and instantly rolled his eyes on it. “Whatever! Just be yourself. It’s not like she doesn’t know you! Or does she really?”
If you want to hold all your conversation in a restroom then you might as well invite her here, called out his inner voice. He shook his head, flushed the toilet, wringing his hands in warm running water he cooled his anxious nerves to normalcy.
Then taking a deep breath, he walked out to the hall. Her tall wavy figure moving casually in the hall, reviewing his works on his wall of fame (that’s what he called it, the section of wall where he had hung his comic strips that he doodled as a hobby).
“Uh, will you take coffee?” His heart just couldn’t follow any rhythm when he was around her, it was beating chaotically. This was just their second meeting, and in a completely different world than their first one.
“I can make use of one. No new comic strips?” She asked, with a smile that displayed no hint of any anxiousness, which made him even more conscious.
“Aah No, busy with work for past couple of months. I do some random sketches, but that’s about it.” He was slowly able to reign in all his senses, his brain and his heart into some decent order, so that he did not look like a child lost in a train station.
Aria! Aaariiiaaa! He formed that word slowly in his mind, while preparing the coffee. He couldn’t believe that Aria was here, in his home, in his hall, in his kitchen!
They had first met in his friend’s bachelors party, his mind went back to that night.
When he was sitting in a silent corner of the club, trying to stay away from all the craziness boys were up to. He was all for partying, but he didn’t know a lot of folks there, and for some reason wasn’t in a mood to get drunk either. So he had held to his half empty second glass of scotch, as a weapon to ward off anyone trying to offer him more drinks. He had eventually found a quiet corner in the bar and had started sketching on a napkin, when he heard a gentle voice say “Now that’s a first. Never have I ever - seen anyone sketch in a bachelors party.”
He looked up with a startled expression to find a lady in a sleek black crop top and shorts, behind the counter, bearing a curious smile, her hair tied in a high pony. She wasn’t the most beautiful person he had met in terms of looks, but those eyes, he was captivated by those gorgeous deep grey eyes.
“Uh, just not in the mood for a party. But have to stick around for at least an hour before I sneak out. So..” he said waving his pencil in the air and pointed at his sketch.
“And what about you? Part time bartender? Or party organizer? What reasons do you have to tolerate this torture?” He asked pointing at the crowd on other side of the club.
And that’s how their conversation had begun, which went on till 4 in the morning. They had talked about their work, hobbies, dreams, fears, life in general and just anything and everything. He had never felt so comfortable with any woman before. And when it was time to leave, she had leaned and asked “can I kiss you?” And they had kissed a long poetic kiss, the tingling sensation of which he could still feel on his lips today. And that was it.
She had to leave, and in a rush, instead of writing his number, he had written down his home address on the back of the napkin he was holding, and had thrusted it into her hands saying “I want to meet you again. I want us to continue our conversation. Please call me.” It wasn’t until a week later, when he had scratched his brains as to why she hadn’t called him yet, was that he had realized his blunder. And yet, he had silently hoped that he would find a letter or postcard lying in his mailbox, which after 3 months seemed more unlikely to ever occur. And now, she was at his doorstep.
“Demir! Demir!” same distant voice brought him back to reality.
“Hey, Uh, sorry was lost in thoughts”. He blurted, grabbing the coffee mugs from the cabinet.
“I saw that, and from the looks of it, you were back in the bar.” She teased him standing by the kitchen entrance.
“Aria, You must know you have shocked me right?” He said looking at her slightly irritated, slightly confused. He still wasn’t sure what to make of her sudden presence in his house.
“Not like you had given me any other choice mister. You must be the first guy in the world who had handed a girl his home address after a first casual “date”.” She said air quoting, and then waving that napkin in front of his face. “That too if I am bold enough to call it a date. And a home in the opposite end of the country! You had me wonder for few days, if you were creepy or if it was your way of saying you weren't interested or if you were just drunk. And then I made up my mind to take you up on the offer you had made anyway. If it's any consolation, I was nervous too till I saw your face at the doorway few minutes back.” She said in the same relaxed tone, continuing to tease him.
At this he blushed and said “You have no idea how much I cursed myself for that blunder, Aria. I dint even realize it till almost a week later of waiting for your call. And do you know how many Arias are in this country? I couldn’t find you on social media either. But couldn’t you have written to me at least, before showing up like this? I still can’t believe you are here.”
“Now, where’s the fun in that? And besides, I wouldn’t have seen this cute-lost-shocked-puppy-faced Demir, would I?” She said walking up to him and kissing on his cheeks.
This time he pulled her into a warm tight hug, and they both knew they had each other for life.
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