From the cocooned comfort of his glass cabin, he cast a covert glance at the slender figure sitting at her desk, and wondered at how much of a paradox she was.
A woman with a mighty heart, encased in a deceptively fragile body. How else could one explain the sheer strength that she carried, which made her determined to succeed in spite of the rejection she had faced?
The soul of the artist resided in her; she was as dreamy and idealistic as he was. But this did not mean that she was unaware of practical matters, she had grown up before her time after all. She was pragmatic, more so under his guidance.
Possessed of a sharp intelligence. Yet, naive and pure gullible, unable to gauge the secret motives and the ways of the outside world.
Her steely ambitiousness; determined to succeed in her artistic calling at any cost. But belying that attitude by letting her heart rule over her head every time.
Dressed in the swathes of her flowy salwar kameez, a large dupatta engulfing her figure, she seemed devoid of any overt female charms or womanly wiles. But to him, she seemed temptation personified... Because...she was beautiful. Not just pretty, beautiful. And what made it more enchanting was that she seemed to be utterly unaware of it.
It made him livid sometimes. Because unlike her, he knew. That she was an enticing, red-blooded woman, and that no man who came within a mile of her could help but recognize it and be charmed.
Aarzoo. The name itself suggested many things to him. Desire. Passion. Want. And maybe... a dream?
Oblivious to his scrutiny all this while, she was engaged in checking the quality and colour of the newly-arrived fabrics
He dragged his eyes off her, urging his mind to stop pondering on this child-woman's contradictions. Yes...she was just another girl, the daughter of his mother's friend, his brain anxiously affirmed to him- though his heart seemed to be whispering something else entirely.
Sighing, he returned to the task at hand, all the while reprimanding himself...
"Mind on the game, Sahir...mind on the game."
*****
Writer: Amri
