Fatal Chemistry

They were on the beach the whole day. Early in the morning, they had left their room, to catch the first light. And as the sun rose, they walked, hand in hand, into the water. Splashing water on each other, they played all morning, until the salty air made them aware of the pangs of hunger.

In dry clothes, they sat in their balcony, overlooking the waves crashing into the shore. They nursed the small cuts on their feet as they lunched together under the canopy. There was just enough breeze to ruffle their hair, and he smiled as he watched her push the strands back behind her ears as she ate.

“What?” she asked.
“Nothing, baby.”
“No, there’s something. Why are you smiling?” she persisted, “Does it remind you of someone?” she teased.
He shook his head and smiled.

She came over and kissed his neck, as he was reclining himself on the bed. He ruffled her hair, damp from the shower. She took his hand into hers and started playing with his fingers, the fingers of the first man she was truly in love with. Yes, she loved Mike. Before, it was just about sex.

* * *

She wasn’t one to sleep around, but there was one before, she reminisced. Being in a boarding school all her life, college was like a new world to her. Like the girls in the Mills and Boons stories she and her girl-friends had read stealthily in the hostel, she searched out her own hero among the guys.

She was what you could call a perfect tomboy. Always in jeans or cargos, always hanging out with the guys, she would make no bones about trying a cigarette or a drink with them. No wonder, she was such a hit with the guys. It was around that time, a guy close to her, proposed her. Sitting on the college steps, he had popped the question at her. She was surprised, to say the least. Because, she had had a different idea of a proposal.

She had tried to talk to Mike about it. After all, Mike and she were friends. From childhood. Though he had never come to meet her, he would write loving letters to her. All her adolescence, he was the only one she discussed everything with. Her crushes, her first cigarette, her first drink, her periods, her bra size…everything. But Mike was out of the country on some assignment.

Though she had not agreed to the proposal, it was understood that they were a pair, because of the fact that they spent most of their waking time together. And then, one day, she had stayed back in his apartment, while returning from a party. She remembered it like yesterday. He had sneaked up on her while she was changing, and she just froze, caught unawares. He came up to her and drew her close. She shuddered at the foreign hand exploring the length of her back. She wanted to say something, but her mouth was dry. Unable to do anything, she had just closed her eyes, when he brought his mouth on hers. The rest of the night went like a dream. Each thing he did was a new sensation, each touch of his was magic, and she just let her body surrender to his whims and fancies.

But it was only that once she enjoyed. Later, it was all about himself. They made love on many occasions, but she always ended up feeling used. This became a weak point in their relationship, if it was one, and they had broken up soon. In any case college was coming to an end, and everyone was excited about their jobs.

She returned to her hometown, and to Mike. Mike, the man she loved. Mike, the first man who made her feel like a lady. Mike, for whom she wore gowns, skirts and dresses. Clothes which she wouldn’t touch in college. Mike, who treated her like a goddess in bed. Mike, who was holding her close now. She snuggled deeper into his wrap, and slept.

* * *

Mike could not forget that evening. It was the week she had come home from college. For two days, seeing her clad in unisex attire, he had given her a piece of his mind. He gave her all that he could think of about girls of marriageable age, lady-like behavior and feminine finesse. Strangely, she lapped up whatever he dished out. Her affection for him was such. Had anyone else said the same things, she would have jumped like a cat, but if Mike said it, it was law.

That Friday, he saw her dressed in a gown for the party. It was her first party in the town, which she had left as a child. Now, after boarding school and college, all memories had gone bleak, and there was hardly anyone she knew personally, let alone in her age-group. So when he saw her feet tapping to the music, Mike asked her for a dance, and she readily agreed.

And what a dance it was. As the speakers churned out the latino, Mike had to bring out all the steps in his repertoire to match her every move. Her grip was tender and delicate, and he let her twirl all around him. And as he bent her down for the crescendo, the hall burst into a roaring applause.

That night, at his home, she asked him for one more dance. And it was the best dance he had ever had. Better than the one at the party. He remembered how he was taken aback when she had ended the dance with a long kiss. It was sudden, and before he could think, he was responding.

Later that night, he had stayed awake in his bed, thinking on his actions, and had kept distance from her, citing official reasons. But he could not forget the kiss. And when she saw through his game of avoidance, he had to admit that he had had feelings for her.

Feelings. That was when it all began. He discovered a new person in her. He had known her for so long, and knew every little thing about her, but this was a revelation. Each time she batted her eyelids or pouted, he felt his heart go weak.

All restraints broke loose when she followed him, when he went to the Capital for a tour. The more time they spent together, the closer they were drawn, and one night, high on drinks, they kissed each other goodnight. The kiss ended after the night did. All night long, they romped. And in the morning, all they could find on their bodies was a graffiti of teeth and nail marks.

* * *

Mike remembered the unforgiving guilt had embraced him that day in the shower. The same feeling began to envelope him now, and he disentangled himself from her. He walked onto the beach, into the sunset, and lay down on the beach, looking at the orange-red sun go down.

This was his favourite place in his beach villa. No one to disturb. No one to help even if he called out at the top of his voice. It gave him a eerie sense of loneliness, and solitude. He dozed off watching the sun dissolve into the sea.

He awoke when he felt her straddling him. The reddish sun, shining weak in the dark twilight, gave her supple body an inexplicable radiance. As she began massaging his temples, he let her touch reign supreme. They made passionate love under the starry night. And when they rolled off each other a long time later, Mike started to say something he always said.

She put her index finger on his lips, and quietened him. “Sssh”, she said, “I know, Dad. Mom will never hear about this.”