"Oh Gomer, I am so happy to see you", said Poorni hugging him. She was not sure why, but Gomer's presence really made her happy today.
"Likewise".
They both walked to a bar close by. It was choc-a-block with people. The found a small table on one side and sat down. They both ordered drinks and were waiting for the drinks to arrive. Poornima started talking about how much she was enjoying the hours she was spending at the training center. She told him how stupid some of the questions were that the young trainees had asked. How she remembered herself asking those questions. She was so engrossed in her monologue that she did not notice when the drinks arrived.
Gomer took her hand and wrapped it around the cold glass. It was only then that Poorni stopped talking as the cold glass momentarily took her breath away. Gomer raised his glass and said, "To the most beautiful girl that I know", and took a sip.
Poornima blushed for the second time that day. "No I am not", she said her eyes lowered, while she traced the rim of the glass with her finger tip.
"Yes you are", said Gomer.
A wave of mixed emotions hit Poorni and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Nobody but you think that Gomer, nobody notices me", she said in a low voice. "No Poornima, you don't notice anybody. Have you ever seen yourself walking?” he asked. Poornima raised her eyes to meet his.
"You walk with your eyes fixed on the ground in front of you and you never see all the heads that you turn or the envious eyes that look at you", he continued, "I have seen how people around you look at you, and it's time you started noticing them too. A lot of people look up to you Poornima, and you are a star in your own right".
Poornima just stared at him. Not knowing what to say.
"I want you to realize that you are not a nobody. You are a special girl that is loved admired by many".
At this point Poornima, start laughing and said, "Name one who does that?”
"Well", said Gomer not thinking about what he was saying, "I do. I love you and admire you. I think you are a really beautiful girl and that you short change yourself all that time and I hate that." Gomer face was flush with anger as he ended the sentence. And he was surprised by the intensity of his own words.
Poornima stood up, bent forward and kissed Gomer on the lips. I was a gentle kiss. Her lips were soft and moist and she held his face in her hands as they kissed. Their lips separated a minute later and Poornima sat down.
Gomer opened his mount to say something but no words came out. Poornima too was overwhelmed with emotion and she had nothing to say either. There was an awkward silence between the two while both searched in each other's eyes for the meaning of what just happened. Gomer's was the first to recover his composure and said, "Well, that was unexpected".
"Is it true? You are not just saying it?” asked Poornima.
"Saying what?"
"That you love and admire me?"
There was a pause of few seconds, during which it started to sink into Gomer's mind, that his feelings towards her were really out there. It was no longer his secret. He was happy, as well as sad, that his secret was no longer a secret. His actions were all laid bare now. He was no longer mysterious.
"Yes, Poornima, I love you", said Gomer reaching for her hand. "I have loved you a long time".
"Well, that explains a lot", said Poorni, sinking back into her chair, "That explains almost everything that you did to me".
"You mean what I did for you".
"What you did for me happened to me".
Gomer shrugged.
"That is a lot to process", she said. Gomer nodded in agreement.
They finished their drinks in silence. Gomer offered to pay the check, saying he was the one that called her for the drink. They both stepped out of the bar and stood on the pavement for a while. Gomer took her hand and pull her into a hug. She felt warm comfortable in that hug. She put her chin on his shoulder and hugged him back. "Can I kiss you", he asked. "Uh huh", she said not moving her head.
He gave her a lingering kiss on her cheek. He just did not want to take his lips off her cheek. It took effort on his part to break the kiss.
"I have got to go Gomer", Poornima was the first to speak.
"Oh Ya".
"You are still hugging me", she said smiling that he had not let her out of the hug.
He shook himself out of it and let her go. His hands were still on her shoulders. "Bye Poornima", he said. His were eyes moist.
"Hey, I am not going away, I am still here" she said.
With what seemed like a superhuman effort he let her go, "Call me sometime".
"Sure I will".
They both started walking different directions. Later that night Gomer lay awake in his bed unsure of what had to happen next. Things could not back to what they were between him and Poornima, of that he was sure. He had never planned on telling her about his love. He had never planned for what to do after he told her.
Poornima was not in a similar state. She felt relaxed. She felt that now, she knew why Gomer did the things he did. That did not make it ok, but at least it was no longer a mystery. She felt not lonely after a long time. She had walked home with a relaxed mind. She had walked home feeling comfortable. She had walked home feeling hopeful.
The days rolled into weeks. Poornima felt a growing confidence in her teaching abilities. She had always felt inadequate. But now she felt the vacuum in her life was getting filled with fresh air. This particular fresh air was uplifting. She started noticing how she walked; she noticed that she was walking taller now. She smiled at people. And people smiled back.
The same days that rolled into weeks for Gomer were not happy ones. He was happier when he was the only one that knew about his love for Poornima. He was happier to just to stare at her from afar and sigh in admiration of her. He felt that somehow by telling Poornima about his love for her he was exposed and vulnerable. He grew more and grumpier as the days went by. People around him stopped smiling, as he had stopped smiling to them.