Eye Candy

Eye Candy……

‘Two tickets for CP,’ she asked the man at the counter as Arnie searched his wallet for a coin.

‘Argh….I reckon I don’t have a loose coin. I only have a hundred rupee note,’ Arnie looked apologetic as his eyes met the girls. She had shining bright eyes, soft tender lips, thick black hair and a smooth white skin.

‘It’s much important than a coin. I’m sure you are okay with it,’ the girl said as she handed over the ticket to Arnie.

‘Thanks! I promise I’ll give you the money tomorrow,’ Arnie insisted. His hands were damp from nervous sweat.

‘Never mind, you can buy a ticket for me.’ The girl replied. 

It was not the first time that Arnie had looked into the girl’s eyes. He watched her taking the same bus to work as his. Both of them alighted on the same spot and walked to the different directions for work.

‘Hello! I’m Arnie and I work with a buying house as an executive,’ Arnie introduced himself as they hang on to their seats in an A.C. bus.

‘That’s great!’

‘What about you?’

‘Oops! I’m Shiana. I work as a software programmer with an MNC,’ she replied as she pointed towards the badge on her blazer.

‘I had seen it. But I can’t start the converse without a reason. Nice meeting you,’

‘Same here,’ she said.

‘I must admit that I had noticed you taking the same bus for work,’

‘I know that you watched me secretly,’

‘Believe me, I’m not a stalker,’

‘You don’t need to convince me that. I would not have taken a ticket for a stalker,’ she smiled as Arnie returned the favors.

‘Where do you stay? I mean we board this bus from the same area,’ Arnie asked Shiana.

‘I stay at an apartment of B block, Fountain lane with my family,’ she replied.

‘Oh! That’s three kilometers from where I get down. You will have to travel alone after it,’

‘I don’t understand. Why I’ll be alone?’ Shiana speculated.

‘Aren’t we meeting in the evening to take the same bus? I have seen you in the evening too, at 6:30. But you have been sleeping, heads down for the whole time,’

‘Now I have to say that I took a ticket for the stalker. That’s some kind of notice,’

‘The ticket for a harmless stalker!’ Arnie said as he smiled.

‘It's correct. Eight hours of constant peeping into computer screen can take a lot of fluids from eyes. Let’s get down,’ shiana replied as their bus reached CP.

‘Can I expect to see you in the evening, catching the same bus?’

‘I can’t promise. Maybe you should take it easy. ’ Shiana replied.

‘ummm….okay….no issues,’ Arnie stood there and smiled at her. She smiled back. It’s so cute when a girl smiles back. After all, they were in the early twenties. He did not follow her. He was no stalker.

                                                                    --------------

Delhi with its amazing green cover and huge population also has a dark side. Dilliwaala’s are known for their friendliness, food, and fashion. But what makes Dilli unique is its ‘Men.’ It can be called as a male city and the men here are hard to educate. They look at women; evaluate their bodies and move on to the next. As night falls, they rise and make Delhi unsafe and risky.

‘It’s getting dark. Don’t walk alone. Let me walk you,’ Arnie insisted as their bus breaks down three km before Shiana's home. It has been a month now that they had been travelling together, in the morning and in the evening too.

‘Don’t worry. I can manage. I don’t want to bother you,’ Shiana blushed as she said. She did not expect this offering from Arnie. Their mutual affection, though little, was only confined to the boundaries of an A.C. bus.

‘Do you really think that walking next to you will bother me?’ Arnie said as he gazed into her shining bright eyes. She paused for a moment and then nodded.

‘Okay, let’s walk then,’ she said as her high heels tapped the cement road.

She had the most amazing eyes and her head turned back few times as they walked in the star-filled sky. The moon shined brightly. The moon is like a friend. A lot of happy things happen when the moon shines. Arnie caught a glimpse of Shiana's astonishing beauty in its light.  She walked like a cool breeze which is free and refreshing. In between, she looked at his brown eyes which were quiet. The quiet eyes often draw a lot of concern. Eyes say what words can’t. He expected her to say something. But she holds back. He knew she won’t and neither he.

‘Thanks, Arnie! I’ll go from here,’ she said as they reached the main gate of Fountain lane.

‘Oh! ‘ Arnie did not seem happy that they reached so soon.

‘To be honest Arnie, I’d expected that you would ask me to walk down till here. You’re special for me.’ Shiana said as she waved at him.

Arnie waved back to her raising his right hand. He will never be able to tell her. She would refuse to believe him. They had something more than chemistry, more than passion and friendship, he felt. He could never explain it. It was not love, he believed. But did she? She was something purely pleasing, pleasing to the senses like an ‘Eye Candy’, he thought as Shiana looked back at him and smiled. Arnie smiled back. It's so cute when a girl smiles and a boy smiles back. It doesn't matter if they are not in love.