Nature at play

There was a spot where the stairway took a turn, exactly where the sun chose to shine in through the window. That was where two young hearts pounded heavily each noon. The first day they met and every day then on. For a moment, when her hair glistened and her silhoutte was framed against the sunshine before she turned and continued down the stairs. She was seemingly oblivious to the blatant attention. She had been conscious of his presence behind her as she went down the stairs. Her outward poise and gait totally belied how she felt within. She knew he would be watching her closely as she turned . "Again today?" her bouncy eager friends would ask in the evening, as soon as she jumped onto their cots back in the hostel. And she would act out the moment that had seemed an hour to her. Coming to think of it, the reason she took an hour to decide her kurta, flicked her friend's earrings, added on the hint of rouge was all for that single moment. Each day she devised a little scheme to tease him. Once she had looked right into his eyes and just when his heart skipped a leap at this unusual turn of events, she looked away as if he was transparent. She enjoyed the attention. The power.
Signals were wired out through invisible antennas. Glances spead into bold looks. She smiled a 'hi' and he signalled his mobile number. Late night sms spree ran into months. While he struggled to cross the fine line that stopped the relationship from progressing, she playfully kept balancing it. Till one day, he could take no more fooling around. The words were spelt out. He was in love and She was done. She knew it was time to find her way back the famous rabbit hole. It was beggining to suffocate her. Suddenly the attention put her off. Sms count ran down. Her friends heard less of him. The magic was over to her. But the sun still shone down on a empty spot in the stairway where a lone heart ached each noon.