Half way in love (Chapter 25)
Revathy went to her native place the next day.
Dev now knew, how important she has become for him. Without her, he felt as if he got trapped in a black hole. Time, place and distance didn't matter anymore. It was all the same. Whether it was 7 Am in the morning or 11 PM at night. Whether it was his comfortable bedroom, or the construction site wilting in scorching heat. He didn't feel any difference. She had left a vacuum around him.
"Hi Dev, I reached. Will message you when I get time. Too many people roaming around me. Don't want to raise eye brows. You take care please."
She messaged the next minute she reached her native home.
Then it was silence.
Days went by. Most of the time, Dev remained in his office at the Mall or the Kallekkad construction site. Being with Vasu or Baby was a bit of comfort for him. It diverted his thoughts. Even though Revathy played in the background of his mind.
Three days before her scheduled arrival, Revathy messaged him at night.
"I am coming tomorrow Dev."
Dev sent few very happy icons.
"Welcome princess. I am lost without you."
"Don't be so happy Dev."
Few LOL icons followed.
"Tomorrow night, I have to catch a flight to Hyderabad. From Coimbatore. Two days training at State Bank training center. They are recalling me from leave. Will you drop me?"
Red faced icons. The shy ones.
Dev was happy and sad at the same time. Happy that he can travel with her again. Sad that she will be going again.
"Ofcourse Revathy. I will drop you. I am dying without you. Anything to see you."
"What time?"
"Flight is at 2 AM. Let us go by 9 PM Dev. So that you can return in time. Come straight to my flat. Mom is staying back here in Muduppallur. So I will be free. "
"Ok princess. So nine PM tomorrow."
Dev was exploding with happiness. Tomorrow he will be seeing Revathy again.
She reached the next day at 7 PM. Her maternal uncle dropped her. So Dev didn't have much hope.
"I will be ready by 9 Dev. You come. I will wait near Flat entrance. Dying to see you."
Smileys with three hearts.
"Skip the flight. I will drop you to Hyderabad. I can't imagine that you are going again."
He sent, along with few prank icons.
"Useless to come there Dev. We will be busy like anything for two days. Intensive training. And we need to stay in the campus. Poor Dev will have to wait there again. You are better waiting for me here in Palakkad. At least it will be comforting for me to that you are safe here."
"Be ready Revathy. I am coming at 9."
Dev didn't want to break down. He kept it short.
At sharp 9, his Fortuner entered into the entrance of Hitech Avenue. She was waiting there, with a shoulder bag on, and a trolley bag to her side.
She smiled widely, on seeing Dev's car.
She shone like demi god in half darkness. She seemed to radiate an aura around her.
Dev got down to help her get her luggage on board the car.
"You travel light, for a girl" Dev commented teasingly.
"Brought up in Army camps. We know how to keep it light Dev".
She laughed.
Dev had forgotten that part. They are auto trained to do anything in a special way. The defence veterans and their families.
They started towards Coimbatore airport.
She kept on talking about training. And then got diverted to her paintings when she thought she had finished with her training subject.
She showed him her whatsapp chat with another painter.
She had sent him the photo of the painting she did the previous day. For seeking his comments on it.
And he had sent a voice message.
"See, he is such a good painter. Lucky that I am getting his guidance."
She started showing Dev some of the paintings of the senior painter.
Mohana Krishnan.
Dev observed his name from the chat box.
He felt jealous. And he burnt uncontrollably inside. His heart suddenly fell. He was getting that feeling for first time. It was unbearable.
Revathy kept on talking for some more time, till she finally observed that Dev was not responding. He had fallen silent.
She looked at him. His face had shrunk and had lost its colour.
She looked at the open chat box, in her mobile.
She suddenly became aware of the meaning of Dev's silence.
She smiled.
"Dev, he is 63. My dad's age. A retired professor from Arts college. He is mentor for few painters in Palakkad. Please don't feel bad."
She begged in a beautiful voice, looking expectantly at Dev.
63?
Dev felt relieved. To some extent.
He looked at Revathy and smiled.
"I am sorry. I got jealous. Frankly."
"You don't have to be jealous Dev. You are the first person who comes to mind when I wake up every day. And you are the first person, I hung around with. Need not be Dev."
She held his arm.
First touch. A shiver went through Dev. All his anguish, jealousy and doubts vanished in a second.
He felt as if he was touched by a bouquet of flowers.
"I am ok now Revathy. Sorry."
Dev smiled foolishly.
After a second of silence, Revathy got busy again. She was very energetic. She couldn't sit idle for a second.
"What you keep in here?"
She opened car's dash board tray and started picking things out from it. She was keeping her head so low as to have a clear view of the contents of the box.
"Dont fall inside!" Dev joked.
She turned to him and sneered.
"eeee"
She took out Dev's sunglass finally. She tried it on, looked in the vanity mirror to appreciate her looks and turned toward Dev.
She looked hot. In sunglasses. Dev appreciated her in sign language. She laughed and kept back the sunglass.
After finishing with the dash board box, as if unsure of what to do next, she sat comfortably, both legs folded and on the seat. She sat silently for a moment, taking in the comfort of sitting in that position.
Then she turned to Dev.
"You always travel in this box no? Cut out from the world?"
Dev now looked at her with questioning glance. He had just negotiated a sharp turn.
"What do you mean Revathy?" Dev asked with a smile.
"I always find you in one or the other car. Driving in a car, you are mercilessly cut out from the real world Dev. Have you tried driving around on a bullet? Like him?"
She pointed at a rider going in front of them. His fancy helmet, jacket, and the flashing lights, provided picture of a professional rider.
Dev shook his head in a no.
"Get out of this moving jail sometimes, Dev. Ride a bullet. Get the wind on your face. Ride a hill. See people passing by. Hear the real sound of world outside. You will have fun."
She said every word with earnestness.
Dev sat thinking about her words.
He dropped her at Airport, in time for the check in. In fact, she ran inside with her luggage, to be in time for the check in. She ran, looking backwards at him, waving continuously. And with a final smile she turned the corner and went out of Dev’s vision.
It was 11.30, by the time Dev started back to Palakkad.
Roads were almost empty. Except few passing trucks. And some odd cars. He drove at a steady pace, thinking about Revathy.
He called Vasu. Vasu got up from his sleep with a start.
Boss calling at this hour! Some emergency??
"Hello" he answered the call with some apprehension.
"Vasu, sorry to knock you up at this time. Do me a favour."
"No problem boss. Please tell me."
"I want a bullet, Royal Enfield, the latest version. Book one tonight. I don't bother what you do. I want delivery in two days.”
"Boss? Waiting period for Enfield bullet is 6 months."
He expressed his shock at this strange order and at this odd hour.
"That is why I called you. I want it day after tomorrow."
Dev disconnected the phone. Vasu scratched his head.
Dev drove in silence then. Till he spotted a BMW car parked on the side of the Highway, near the Nandi statue. Two people were standing on the road, asking for lift.
He stopped his car near to them. He had recognised one of them.
Bharath. The celebrated writer. He lowered his left window pane, to talk to him.
Cont Chapter 26
