After driving around the city, I took a break at a lounge in Khan market. There were a couple of ladies gathered around a man holding a glass of wine.
“Aah! It’s a book reading event.”
Being a civil engineer, I have had interacted with men for whom liquor is whiskey and women is a body. Although I am not a reader, I like these events because of free wines and random yet engaging conversations. I stood near the table with my glass of wine. I picked up a book that read “The wild inside her!” from the pile of books that were kept on the table.
“Interesting!” Mr. A was reading an excerpt from his book, and the idle wild in me made a move. My slow steps hurried to grab a chair, but this lady with red lipstick and stilettoes came and sat.
“Shucks!” An empty glass helped me to move further. Amidst all this, I could feel my ears getting hot and my heart pounding. I thought it was traveling mixed with wine but it was…
I desired to become that book so that his long fingers caressed my face as he was stroking the page. I itched to become those words that his brown eyes were reading. The way he touched the spine of the book I wanted to feel the touch of his slender palms on my tired, aching spine.
“Uff!” I ought to grab his attention, but with oily hair, smudged kohl, and wrinkled shirt, he wouldn’t look at me. He was impressive, and I wanted him. “Do Something.”
“Excuse me! Who’s the inspiration behind this book?” I jumped into the discussion.
Finally, our eyes met. We smiled at each other! Mr. A said so much, and I listened to nothing. Instead of a clean shave, a little bit of hair would tickle me down all the way. His less pepper and more salt might be able to hold on for a bit long. Most of the time with boys, the process of Metamorphosis leads to white hair and wrinkles, but it may not promise a man. Albeit, he was aging gracefully.
I was taking a chance. “You naughty woman!” I winked at my toes. But among these prim and proper ladies, I didn’t stand a chance. I started to leave when I heard a warm baritone voice that made my heart skip a beat.
“Excuse me? I think I haven’t signed your copy,” he came close to me. He smelled musky, and I could imagine being enveloped in his muscular arms.
“Your good name please?” He stretched his hand towards me for the book. I said something which even startled me.
“To know that,” I move a step closer to him, “we need to get out of here.”
I surrendered to my heart,
I walked to an unknown room,
I listened to the wordless conversation,
And, I moaned in a moment called ME.
