I worked in a small office where the only employees were me and Rae, sometimes joined by our boss.
It had been a long day. The office work was becoming... well the usual.. boring. I could only do so much to keep my eyes open with the ceiling fan trying its best to put me off to sleep. It was a hot sultry summer day. The kind of day when even the time forgets to move.
Each agonizing minute was very slow in its passing, there was still another hour for me to get free from the work. I looked at the clock on the office wall, which seemed to tick-ticking away with the speed of a turtle.
The traffic in the office was slow, may be even people wanted to stay indoors, safe from the sweltering and min-numbing heat. I looked across to the other side of my table. My colleague, Rae, seemed to have fought a similar battle and lost. He was dozing with his head thrown back, mouth open.
I shook my head, to dispel the sleep from my brain. I though of getting up and going up to the cooler, at least, I might be able to wash the sleep away. The laziness was trying to envelope me in its embrace. I took one last look at the office, it was eerily silent with only sound being that of the wheering fan.
All I wanted to do was get back home, start the AC, and plop myself in front of the TV, with a drink to give me company. It sounded an awesome plan.
The doors slid open, just as I was getting up from my seat, welcoming the incomer. I looked up and found myself staring at the most beautiful face that I had even seen.. (ever?... okay.. may be in a long time). She had the most beautiful brown eyes, which seemed to have a life of their own. Her face was framed by long brown hair, which she had tied in a plait, from which tendrils of hair had managed to escape. It was like a dream of mine had come alive.
She looked around, trying to find a person who might be awake to help her out!
I willed with all my heart for her to look in my direction. When her eyes met mine, I felt my heart doing a crazy dance, which honestly had not happened in a very long time. The monotony of daily office had marred the excitement.
I smiled. Waiting for her to return the smile.
She looked at me.
She asked about where she could find the office of Advocate Raghav. My heart plummeted.
Here I was, making plans, asking her out for coffee in my dreams and here she was asking about Raghav. I cursed and kicked mys elf mentally. The letter 'R' was becoming my nemesis, Rae, Raghav... how many more R would I have to suffer.
Pasting a smile on my face, I told her about the next door cabin.
She left.
I collapsed on my chair, all thoughts of coffee.... 'voossh'.
I stared at the clock, there still was 20 minutes to go. Rae snored softly, with drool dripping out form the right corner of his mouth. Any other day, I would have found it funny, may be would have taken a picture for Instagram. But today I found it all jarring.
I got up, irritated, kicked Rae's chair, bringing him back from the land of semi-dead, and told him gruffly, "I am going". He looked dazed at the clock, raised his eyebrows in a question. I replied with the shrug of my shoulders, dug into my pocket, picked the helmet and left.
I could hear Rae's gasp. I had never done that. I was always the 'proper and perfect' employee. I felt elated.
Leaving the office early by 15 minutes was giving me happiness!! I cursed myself again, I needed a life!!
Reaching home, I immediately plunked myself on the couch, opened the drink and immersed myself in the TV. (I had no life. All I had was office and TV).
The bell rung, awakening me from my dreamless sleep. I staggered to the door, opened it and found 'her' standing in front of me.
I shook my head, trying to clear my head. She asked me the same question. I answered mechanically, he is in the next cabin.
She asked if she could come inside, it was very hot outside.
I nodded. All power of speech and thought had flown away by now.
She glided inside, looked around, and proceeded to sit on the couch. Picked up the bottle that moments ago I had been holding.
My mouth went dry. Questions should have collided with each other in my brain. "What is she doing here?, Why is she here? etc. etc."
All I did was stare at her.
She looked at me as if I was a specimen.
Suddenly, I was not feeling sleepy.
She looked at me.
I walked over and sat next to her on the couch.
She looked at me.
She smiled.
I cringed.
I wanted to crawl away.
wanted to run away.
She smiled.
I realized what I had done.
I had invited a demon into my house.
I could not move.
And she smiled.
