His cell phone trilled and Mohnish dug hastily into his pocket. One look at the number and he cut it off.
“Who was it?” Sonia whispered.
“Nobody important.”
But the phone again rang insistently. Mohnish glanced at the number and this time he switched off his cell phone.
“Obviously somebody really wants to contact you at this late hour. Why don’t you answer the call once and for all?”
“Because I don’t wish to!”
“Why not?” Sonia pressed, surprised at his brusque tone.
“I told you, it’s nothing important. Anyway, I ought to have switched off the mobile long ago. Can’t have it making so much noise when we are supposed to be on guard.”
Sonia accepted his explanation dubiously. Who wished to contact Mohnish in the middle of the night and why didn’t he wish to take the call? And why did he sound so annoyed? Once more, she realised that Mohnish had a side to him that she was not a part of. That probably she would never be a part of. And until she knew what lay in that part of his life, she would always find him a little unpredictable and unreachable.
“You were telling me about your search for Asit,” Mohnish prompted, tucking the cell back into his pocket.
“Only that I found a whole lot of Asit Raos on the Internet. I’ve tracked down some, but so far no success. None of them seems to be the Asit Rao I’m looking for. I shall contact more Asit Raos tomorrow and hope that at least one of them responds positively. If not, I shall start again, with new search engines and new words. This man could be anywhere in the world! If I can find some more of his attributes as keywords, at least one, and if he is on the Net, I shall definitely find him.”
“Why do I get the impression that once again you are getting more involved in this than necessary?” Mohnish took a sip of tea and turned in his seat to search her face in the dim light.
“Because this time it is necessary. I’ve always been curious about love and how long it really lasts. And this is a case in time. An older woman and a younger man. So madly in love but trapped in the wrong time, at the wrong age, and in a terribly complex situation. None of it was their fault or of their making. What I’d like to know is what really happened to their love. It is obvious that she never forgot him and loved him with all her heart. But what about him? Did his love survive, pitted against distance, time, age, and society standards? That is what I would really love to know!” Sonia remarked.
“You mean, you think that this guy moved on, forgot their great love, and just enjoyed his life?” Mohnish asked dryly.
“Something like that. He is a man after all!”
“I don’t believe this! You are biased. Don’t you believe that men can profess undying love and mean it?”
“Of course they do. I mean, most men probably do. But does that declaration really and truly last through life?”
Mohnish scrutinised her face, then suddenly leaned forward. “So if I told you that I love you, you wouldn’t really believe me, would you?”
Sonia blushed, glad of the cover of the darkness. “No. I wouldn’t believe you”
“Why not? Is it my horoscope?”
“Your horoscope?” For a moment she was surprised, then she answered truthfully. “Partly”
“What do I have to do to make you believe me?”
The husky note of his voice had sent her pulse racing. The earnestness in his voice, his steady intense gaze seemed to hold her eyes even in the dark. He took the cup from her hand and placed it aside. Then he clasped her hands in his.
“Sonia, you know I’m not kidding. I’ve waited too long to say this, but you’ve been jittery every time I broached the subject. I - ”
Suddenly the room was plunged into darkness and Mohnish cursed under his breath. What perfect timing!
“Electricity failure. I’ll find the emergency lamp!” Sonia sounded breathless. She wasn’t sure whether she was relieved with the interruption or not.
She rose, completely blinded by the darkness. Mohnish stood up at the same time and their heads bumped.
“Ouch! What are you doing?”
“I told you I can’t stand the dark.” he whispered.
“Then sit still, please, I’m trying to find the lamp” she hissed. Her hands groped in the dark and came up against a woollen sweater. She shrank back instantly.
“Don’t worry, it’s only me!” Mohnish reported.
All the more reason to worry, Sonia thought.
She turned quickly. This electricity! Why wasn’t there some semblance of order and discipline in power cuts? And where was the emergency lamp? She had specifically kept it on the table, so as to reach it in the dark.
She stepped aside, banged her foot against a chair, and stumbled. Instantly, strong arms enveloped her. For a minute, she froze, transfixed and dazed with his proximity, the pleasant odour of Mohnish’s body, hearing his heart beat even faster than hers. The atmosphere was charged and heady. A great warmth suffused through her and she experienced a sudden craving for the moment to extend into eternity!
Nidhi meowed, staring at the window. The fur on her back began to rise.
Sonia stepped back hastily, blushing furiously in embarrassment as the cat’s meows registered through the thick mist of attraction.
“Take it easy, okay?” Mohnish murmured. “There’s no desperate need to find a light.”
“But I thought you hated the dark.”
“Yes, but you are the one who’s all panicky,” he pointed out in a low, amused voice. “Just stand still. I’ll find the lamp. My eyes are quite accustomed to the dark now. And
