Good Night!

It was a scene right out of a romantic novel. There was everything that made the moment magical. A full moon, the wide expanse of a valley stretched in front, the faint fragnance of flowers in the mildly cold breeze that ruffled your senses as you sat witnessing nature at its best. Yet there was nothing romantic about the company! Divya looked around at the people huddled around the bon fire, all singing in the silent night with voice that could make the frogs shout out in protest. She smiled as her eyes found him, raising his glass in salute to something she was not aware of. Sighing she hoped he would look at her, notice how she had excused herself from the company of friends and wandered away to a solitary place. How she wished he would understand the subtle gestures she had dropped! Yet she knew him to ignore them. How she ached only she knew. He would know what she felt at the moment, would understand her whims yet ignore them like someone would ignore the whims of a child! Staring back at the valley she tried to ignore it. The moment would go waste, and she would waste away the moment waiting for someone she knew would not come!

"Hamein tumse Pyaar Kitna...." Priyank croaked and the furore started! Half dazed by the liquor everyone joined in. There was just something about the night that was magical! Flames blazing in the center, people cuddled up close, old hindi melodies resonating in the wind...Deepak looked over towards the edge. She was not a party to the celebrations. Gulping down the remnants of his glass he so wished she would hold this moment and make it memorable! Yet she always felt loneliness was romantic! How he wished she would realize that they would have lonely moments together...yet this moment, a moment of shear happiness, of nostalgia and most importantly a moment of togetherness was rare. They would not be able to be kids again, would not be able to enjoy youth the way they could at this very moment! How he knew of her signs he pointedly ignored! How he wondered if she could understand happiness the way he felt it!

The clouds danced on the indigo sky, romancing the moon. A moment the valley would drift into darkness and the flames burn up the night, for a moment the tempos would rise with those flames and then simmer down like a flickering candle. Laughter and friendship...

People started to drift to their rooms. Until the moment it was only Deepak and Divya, sitting as far as possible. She turned and saw him then, staring thoughtfully into the fire that had started to die.
"Everyone left?" she asked and he nodded, not looking at her. He knew she had walked nearer to him, was aware of her standing just behind him. Yet the moment had passed!
"Well I guess I would call it a night!"
"Yeah..."
"Uh...Good night then!" she said and he looked at her.
"Good night!"

To be contd.