The Girl Who Sat Beside Me (2 page)

She shut the
door behind her but then stood unsure looking at me, shoulders once
again hunched, thumbs again pressed between middle and forefingers.
I leaned back against the treadmill’s handrail, stretched out one
leg and bent the other like cool guys do in the ads. I held her
gaze and she smiled back. I motioned her to latch the door and come
to me. She did both with a cat’s stealth. I held her hand and drew
her down to the treadmill belt. She tucked her legs sideways and
smoothed her frock, and when I whispered to her to sit like me she
blushed.

I didn’t push
her to do anything she wouldn’t like. I wanted many more evenings
like that. We held hands but sat in silence because, truth is we
didn’t have anything to say to each other. We had exhausted our
store of small talk in class and now our bodies wanted to do the
talking. Mine did definitely. I drew her gently and she yielded.
She tossed her hair over her right shoulder and rested against my
chest. My right arm was around her but I didn’t let it go where it
wanted to. She leaned her head further back to look at me, and I
caught the scent of garlic on her hot breath. It didn’t repel me. I
softly brushed my lips on hers but the kiss was wasted on both of
us. “Happy?” I said. She replied by snuggling into my neck.

I ran my hand
over her right calf and she stiffened. When it reached her knee she
shook it off and waited for me to try again. But I was puzzled.
Don’t do it if she doesn’t want you to, I told myself.

She glanced at
her watch and said, “Time to go”.

“Already?” I
said checking mine.

We got up
holding hands and when we reached near the door, I turned her
around and kissed once again. She had both her hands on my chest
and as she started to press me away, I bent down and lifted her up
in my arms. She was short and my arms hooked behind her knees. She
giggled with her hands on my shoulders, and then, mock-seriously
ordered me to put her down.

I lowered her
slowly, pressing her close to me so that her frock bunched up from
the front as well as the back. My palms rubbed against the smooth,
firm skin of her thighs, then over her frilly underthings and
stopped at her slim waist. She didn’t resist at all. I tickled her
sides with my nails and felt the goosebumps rise. “See you in the
morning,” I said, releasing my hold on her crumpled frock and
stepping back to see her smooth it. She was very red then but not
angry.

I heard a step
approaching in the corridor and flew to the treadmill. She stood
rooted to the floor in alarm. “Drop the latch,” I hissed to her,
and she did as told. The step was a moment away from the door when
I signalled her to go. She stepped out quickly and almost upset the
guard who was reaching forward to look in. He stepped back in
embarrassment but I waved to him while pounding away on the mill.
“Sorry, another five minutes, please? I will give you the keys at
the gate if it’s all right?”

“Sure, take
your time,” he said, “I was just taking a round of the
building”.

After a minute,
I stopped and pulled out the other chocolate. It had turned squishy
in my pocket but I opened the wrapper carefully, stretched it tight
and licked off the rich goo. I could still feel her hot garlic
breath and the chocolate was that kiss I had tried but failed to
impress. Must ask her to bring more of these toffees tomorrow, I
thought as I went out jangling the gym keys in my pocket.

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