Of summer heat and heart that beats..

She flicked a tendril  of hair from her face, summers were here and the heat was already unbearable. It was one of her days off but instead of an afternoon siesta; there she was sitting curled up on the bean bag with a book. The only sound she could hear was of the gentle humming of the AC. She smiled to herself. Thinking back to the times gone by. Summers, always brought back various memories.

The most vivid childhood memories were that of waking up to thunder and lightening and pitter patter rain drops on her window sill. Those reluctant few moments, when she would pull the covers up and let the sound of rain comfort her. Then there was that mad dash to the terrace to get drenched as it poured like crazy, soaking her clothes and purging her soul. Summers in Kolkata, meant Kalboishaki, storm and thunder that took away the stinging heat of the day and it was that which she loved like crazy.

As years rolled on, summers would come to mean stinging Delhi summers, the days of traveling in an auto with face covered up. Those midnight ice-cream cravings and him stepping out to satiate each and every one of them. Sometimes it would be a malai kulfi and sometimes a chocolate tub; whatever be the flavor, the ice cream miraculously tasted heavenly only because he so lovingly fed it to her. Nights seemed to wear off in his embrace, his gentle breathing lulling her off to sleep, her days beginning with a kiss on his forehead and it would end with his loving caress.

Memories came thick and fast and she sighed, she knew life since then had changed drastically. Pain and anguished marred her existence, going to the brink and back and then finding peace. All she needed to do was close her eyes to see the images flashing in front of her eyes. Unknowingly she had clenched her fists, her lips pursed in a straight line, as memories took her back in time in some of the darkest hours of her life. She felt as if she was spiraling into pits of despair like that summer evening when she had watched her life collapse as he walked away; the rain Gods had mercy on her and decided to pour. Minutes turned into hours and time stood still.

A gentle kiss on her forehead snapped her out of her reverie; as she looked up to see his smiling face. Instantaneously warmth spread through her, the worst had passed, he was there with her, to stay. As his arms came around her and he snuggled up to her, she knew she had triumphed her fears and had come a long way. At a distance she could see the rain clouds join forces and she could almost smell the rain. As his fingers caressed her head, she tucked her head under his chin and settled in. His familiar smell cocooning her as love reassured her that the storm had passed.

As the first drops came down in torrents, she handed him a cup of coffee and settled in beside him.  Life had come a full circle, if life was as harsh as the summers, He was like the rain that took the sting away and made it worthwhile.