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“Tell me everything,” Sean asked as both of us sat across each other during the recess. “I have told you hundred times from morning,” I took a large bite from the large burger, “I was there to get some water. I felt something next to me and then…there was this leopard…” I drawled on and on but after some time felt everyone’s stare going behind me and an eerie silence was spreading all over. Every voice was slowly going in low murmurs. It appeared as if I was the only person who was speaking in the entire canteen.” What!” I asked him as his gaze was at someone else the entire time. People resumed their conversation again but the effect was still there. “Ariel!” he whispered. Perplexed I turned around to look at the person who had entered and had caused such effect on everyone.It was the first time I saw her! Ariel! And…him!
Long hair brunette, blue eyes, smiling at something said by the boy at her back! Four boys followed her side but of course, my eyes have just struck on the one walking next to her side. Hyung, sitting at Sean’s side, was also numbed at the sight of that group. The group, which had entered were laughing at something previously but went silent as their gaze meshed with three of us. The one next to girl had a fleeting glance of me and then turned his head to the other boy and smiled. Four of them had moved but not the girl! As if, it took too much strength for her to move. Surprisingly, it seemed Sean was the one holding her entire attention at the moment! I should have been jealous, some sort of envy should have entered my system but of course, none of that happened. That same boy gripped her wrist and throwing another icy look at my direction, took her back to the farthest corner of the canteen. The tension, which I had experienced in such a short time between all of us, was not hidden in my sight. “Who are they?” I asked with my eyes on Sean’s face, still in a daze as his eyes followed Ariel’s pace. “That was Ariel,” Hyung replied and I saw Sean nibbling on his lower lip. He looked guilty. Something told me that things were not so easy to me. “That is Taki,” Hyung replied as he directed to the seat where four of them have taken their seat. “Short boy with hair gelled in spikes! That is him. Another one, bronze hair with pierced chin is Bong,” “He is used to be the joker of our group,” Sean said smiling with his eyes on the table. “You have already seen Ariel,” Hyung replied his eyes boring into mine. “And…” nervously as he sorts some words out for the last member, “ the one who took Ariel away, silver eyes guy with lots of steel rings on his hand…he is Amun.” Why did I felt a strange sadness in Hyung’s voice as he described all of them? What was with these two and those four?
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I was not the person to leave things like that so when the day came to an end, I went up to Hyung and asked the reason for their sadness when the noon’s incident had taken place. He was done with his fresher’s practice. “Let’s have some coffee, shall we?” “Ok,” I smiled and off we made it to the shop. The air was chilly as was the weather around me. Sitting next to the heater with two large coffee cups in our hand, Hyung started, “I will tell you everything, Vena because I want you to understand. Mind my words when I say that it is nothing related to you but sometimes, you can’t help your circumstances…” “Stop puzzling me alright and tell me.” “Taki, Bong, Ariel and Amun,” he gulped down another sip, “were once Sean and my best friends. Six of us were like those inseparable friends who were always there for each other. But,” he halted, “In those days, a sudden attraction flared between Sean and Ariel!” That caught my interest and curiosity must have reflected on my face but, mistakenly, he took it a wrong way, “As I said previously, this is nothing related to you, Ok!” “I understand,” I encouraged him; “No one came to know about the love interest which had taken both of them in its grip. Four of us were really happy about them but then, one day, Sean informed us about his father’s ill health. Though he recovered Sean had been doomed. Those days, as he laid on bed, Sean’s father made him promise that he will marry the girl of his choice…” “And that’s me…” I cut him, “Ariel was devastated when Sean informed him about it. Surprisingly what had escaped all of our notice was Amun too had started distancing himself from all of us. He is one introvert boy, you see…”I was recalled of that silver icy anger filled look which Amun had thrown at my direction. I shivered! “But because Ariel was with all of us, he never said anything. Same started with both Bong and Taki too. I don’t know the reason about three of them. The reason, which Taki gave for the distance was that Ariel’s heart had been crushed by Sean. She was in deep pain. Sean should have mentioned something about her to his father when he committed such a promise to him. Sean, on the other hand, was too alone and felt helpless. He has always loved Ariel, Vena and he will always love her. Nothing can change that, nothing will. Sean made Ariel understand but of course, she was in too much pain to make any sense out of those words. These were the testing days of our friendship. Slowly, our group was divided in two’s. It became us versus them!” “You never left Sean?” I raised my questioning gaze towards him. “No,” he smiled, “I understood his situation better those four. I understood the mental torture boy was going through…” “Do they know about me?” I asked somewhat connecting Amun’s anger to that knowledge, “Unfortunately, they do which acted as a final blow to already distanced relationship.” “She was crying…” I whispered recalling Ariel’s reaction in mind. The way she tried to communicate to Sean without saying anything. “So, I have already made some enemies,” I smirked but it really pained me in a strange way. “Hyung,” I turned to him, “I don’t want to marry Sean and same is his will if I go and tell my father…?” “It’s not about you, Vena. It’s about him. He loves his father very much and has no strength to defy him on the face.” “That’s, really sad. At least he has a cordial relationship with his old man.” “You don’t?” he asked me curiously, I shook my head and looked at another side. “I am sorry,” he grasped my hand, “I forgot that you are a…” “Illegitimate child?” I smiled, “it's ok, but Hyung,” I grasped his hand with both of mine, “Thank you so much for clearing out the situation to me. You really are an understanding friend. I will tell about this thing to no one but promise me one thing,” “What!” “That you will help me in getting Ariel and Sean together, yes?” he smiled and said, “And his father?” “Leave that to me,” I smiled, “I will do something about it,” The piercing in my heart which still said that I was the reason that two lovers are apart, was at some peace at that point.
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Next morning, as I got out of my car and started walking inside the campus, at some distance, large gathering of a crowd halted me in my tracks. There were lots of hooting and cheering going on and one could hear muffled gasps and huffs from the middle. What’s going on? Confused I changed my direction and soon spotted the sight which was being taken as a sort of entertainment. Two men were fighting each other!
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Clearing out the path some, as I managed to sight the face of one and my thoughts crashing down! One of them was bleeding and the other one was busy inflicting more and more blows on the wounded one’s chest and shoulder. It was Amun! The ferocious guy! Such anger could be seen in that one boy. As if he was going to kill him! Without thinking once over my actions, I teared through the crowd and started yelling over my lungs, “Stop, stop it both of you….wait…hey…Amun, Amun…I said…stop it. You will kill him.” Nothing, Nada! He was busy punching the guy’s abdomen. “I tell you now…” he kept on repeating that one word, “I tell you the result for that filthy mouth of yours,” catching me off guard, I heard the moans which erupted from the other one’s mouth, “Help me someone…” “AMUN, I SAID STOP IT!” With all my force, I succeeded in turning him around and hit him hard across his cheeks.
**********
I don’t know what it exactly happened after that but this that I was giving him my angered expression. “YOU WILL KILL HIM!” I shouted again, “DON’T YOU HAVE ANY SHAME. HITTING A HELPLESS GUY WHO IS CLEARLY NO MATCH TO YOUR STRENGTH! WHAT KIND OF A MAN YOU ARE? AND
ALL OF YOU,” I turned to the crowd, “ARE YOU ALL DEAF AND DUMB? SUCH PACK OF SHAMELESS CREATURES! A MAN IS GOING TO KILL SOMEONE IN FRONT OF YOU AND ALL YOU CAN DO IS STAND THERE AND CHEER HIM UP LIKE SOME WWF FIGHT IS GOING ON, HUH?” I was shaking till the time I turned around to face him. In the crowd I caught the glimpse of Ariel’s shocked expression and same with the remaining two. Two of the boys came forward and I told them to take the guy to the infirmary immediately. Every face reflected shame and guilt but Ariel! She was plain shocked. Shaking and trembling internally, as the crowd started dispersing, picking up my bag, giving Amun a disgusted look I made it my way out of that scenario. It was later, when Sean, Hyung and me were having our lunch did Ariel came to me in order to have a private talk. Taking me to a private corner, frowning she said, “What you did back there, you shouldn’t have done that” “ Just because he is your friend that doesn’t mean that he has the license to beat anyone he wants, Ariel” “ Amun did that for a reason, Vena” “Akai was speaking ill of you. He was about to play a very dirty prank with you and Amun luckily overheard it. He beat him up for that reason! Had Akai gone ahead with his plans, you would had been the source of ridicule for the entire year. Moreover, Akai was being ill-mouthed about you, that’s why Amun did that.” Still giving me an icy look, Ariel left me with that guilty feeling in my stomach and a bitter taste in my mouth. Never ever have I felt that amount of stupidity in my heart over my actions!
********
Lying in my bed with my eyes staring towards the out of the window, I felt so stupid. Ariel was highly concerned about Amun, the thought never left my mind. If the things kept on going this way then I will never be able to get Sean and Ariel together. Something had to be done and quickly! Meanwhile, Dad still lay in another room, snoring as usual. Out of its own, that sudden memory where I the leopard had come too close surfaced in my mind. Something about that stance of the beast was too…mesmerizing!
*********
Soon the day of fresher’s arrived and Sean’s programme won every heart and praises. Girls were going crazy over his dancing skills and the cheering and applause never died. Hyung was busy with Sean and I was all alone. As the programme ended and people started moving over to the other room for some refreshments and snacks, I stood up from my seat in order to congratulate him over his hard-work. But of course, Mr. heart-throb was taken over by all of the girls. Still smiling to myself, I came across Hyung and hugged him.” It was awesome!” I said, “Thank you,” he smiled. “Let me congratulate him too,” saying that I went in search of Sean. I searched everywhere, in changing room, in the room full of girls and then, out of their own, my legs carried me outside where the entire lawn and the forest beyond it were covered by night’s darkness! Shaking my head I was about to leave when, a whisper from the other side of the wall forced me to listen, “Sean…No, stop this. We can’t…Sean!” it was Ariel’s voice! “Don’t you get it?” she was sobbing, “We can’t be together. You have someone else’s responsibility now. Think about Vena…” “I don’t care,” resisted anger and desperation could be heard in that voice,” I have lost you, Love. I don’t want to be with anyone but you. Give me a signal. Say the command and I will tell Dad that I love only you!” I closed my eyes and felt tears rolling down my cheeks. Such desperation was there in his voice as if; he too wanted to make things better. If only I could have had helped to make the situation better but inadvertently, I knew, I was the big barrier between both of them. Oh, Sean! I sighed. He was busy celebrating with someone else. Better not disturb him…” Sean,” Ariel said as I started to peek out from the corner. Both of them were standing outside the darkened lawn! He had such a passionate grip around her waist and her head lied on his chest. “As much as I want to, we can’t do it. Vena will be disheartened. She has a little temper like Amun but all in all, she is such a sweet person. I saw her feeding the little puppy out of the college gate yesterday. She is your dad’s choice, not me” “I can tell him…” “And see him getting another heart attack? I don’ think so,” she loosened herself and gazed at him, “We will be happy but what about him? I will never be accepted by him. You don’t want that, do you?” “Love, tell me what can I do? How can I make things better? I can’t come up with anything.” “Let see what we can do,” she sighed, “Till that time arrives, we will have to meet in secrecy like this, isn’t it?” “I Love you,” he said and smiling a sad smile she returned the words. As their mouths meshed together, I turned my gaze and…froze! Amun was standing on the other end of the pillar. Staring me all this time while I heard the breathless gasps of the lovers! Something about the whole situation made my stomach hurt.
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Ariel, Sean! Sean, Ariel! Like a mantra, those two names roamed in my brain. All I knew at that time was somehow I will have to make a plan to bring both of them together. But what? First of all, I will have to take Sean’s dad into confidence because he was the main problem. Who will help me? Hyung was ready and I trusted him. Bong, Taki, Amun…Amun! Like a lightning striking out of the clouds my mind was recalled of his fierce stature the way he stood on the fighting field when I have hit him. Then in the evening…of course, he had witnessed the intimate scene too but his concentration looked hard on that. Instead, the way his gaze bore into mine somehow made me tremble and even now I had to pull up the covering sheet in order to cover it. That boy…I need to apologise to him first thing in the morning. He deserved that. Amun, for some unknown reason, scared and charmed me both. It was a rare combination of feelings but… Waking up from the bed, gulping down a mouthful of water, I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes. All the time two silver eyes never left me.
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Next day, surprisingly the first two hours were declared free by the teachers and each one of us made it out of the classroom in no time so that we could bask in the sun rays which have appeared after a long time. I had just made it to the lawn when a scene from previous night haunted my vision and immediately my gaze went to the only person who could take me to Amun, Ariel! “Hi,” I said and surprised she turned to look at me. “Oh,” closing her book she stood up and smiled, “Hi, no classes?” “Not today, No!” I smiled and asked her the only question which I feared to ask, “Can you tell me where will I find Amun? Is he in class?” “Amun and classes?” she laughed, “He always bunk them. Go to the old auditorium. One can always find him there.” Thanking her I turned and headed towards the old, never touched auditorium.
Opening the door of the building with a creek sound, I expected some sort of pigeons or wild birds to flow from the opening but thankfully nothing happened. On the contrary, I have presented the sight of Bong and Taki practising Karate!
Karate! Seriously! Don’t these people attend classes? The way Amun had fought that boy I don’t think so! “Hi, Bong…Taki…” as if somebody disrupted their meditation, with a sigh both of them turned to my voice! Their backs went ramrod straight and the gaze went extra alert. “What are you doing here? Who told you about this place?” Taki asked clearly agitated by the fact that I have come to know about their whereabouts.” I am here to meet Amun,” such a sound of laughter erupted out of their mouth as if I have cracked some joke. “Did I say something funny?” I asked. “Nothing,” Taki replied and gave me a surprising look, “Why do you want to meet him? Tell us your work and we will forward it…” “No,” I straightened myself. “I want to tell that thing all by myself. Please, tell me where he is…” “He is upstairs,” Taki directed while Bong continued giving me that creepy sort of stare. “Thanks,” nervously, I went to the direction and prayed that they haven’t dumped me or anything… Opening the door which said, “Rehearsal Room” gulping down my nervousness I pulled the door open and peeked inside. This appeared to be another big hall with someone punching and thumping the box continuously. What sort of a room was this? Staring at the figure, quietly I slipped inside the room. Gathering enough courage, clearing my throat I whispered, “Amun!”
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The punching never stopped and continuously it went on and on. Going ahead, straightening the bag strap on my shoulder, I made myself loud, “Hello Amun,” that caught his attention! Pulling the bag to a stop, without turning to my voice, he said, “Why are you here?” my entire being was rattled at that very first question. This was the first time I have heard his voice and it was…hypnotizing! A man’s voice is never that but…amazingly his was! “I am here to apologise…” I stammered like a moron. “What for?” his rigid stance made me more scared than I was. “That day… I slapped you in front of everyone and…” I cleared my throat again, “I shouldn’t have done that. I should have asked the reason first but…what could I have done in that situation. I almost thought that you are going to kill him…” At that, he turned with amusement clearly reflecting in his voice, “In other words,…you want to say sorry?” his eyebrows were touching the hairline but of course, no sign of a smirk or smile was there. His tone was still rigid. “Yes,” I stuttered. “Fine,” “Say it and go,” unscrewing the lid of water-bottle, staring at my face, he gulped down the liquid in one gulp. “I am sorry,” my head dropped down and nibbled on my lower lip. “Done? Go now” “Just that?” I asked as my voice raised one level higher. “Have some courtesy when you are talking to girls, Ok?”
In Leopard' Love Page 2