Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayaal aata hai,

Ki jaise tujhko banaaya gaya ho mere liye.

The lines felt intimate in a way,

I had never felt before,

Even the clink of the cutleries faded into the background after lunch.

The scent of tea and phenyl had stilled in the air, along with the thud of boots and scraps of chairs.

I voiced out the lyrics-but it felt more like my own feelings at that moment.

Tujhe zami pe bulaya gaya hai mere liye.

At one point, my fingers tightened around the handle of the chair.

The steel nearly bit into my palm.

But the curious eyes of the officer and their wives had overpowered the sting,

and most of all his gaze.

I didn't dare to look at him.

His scent.

After the confession,

and now this-lyrics.

I had never thought-

It would be so simple,

Yet so difficult to voice out the feelings for the person sitting beside me.

Words,

I always thought, I had a way with them.

It felt like mine.

But in front of him-

It belonged to him,

Now, even the paper of my diary was about him.

Every word was him.

I wrote about him in my every verse-

Yet, maybe he will never realise,

How deeply, I prayed for him.

I blinked as I tried to sneak a glance at him.

My throat bobbed-

with the effort to continue my own feelings.

If only, I had a way with expression.

His face was devoid of emotions.

Yet it held the kind of warmth-

Behind the formalness of the uniform.

That made my face warm.

A deep silence enveloped the space, as I finished the song.

Still staring into those orbs that held the kind of admiration-that felt unreal.

Especially to me.

Because it was all new.

The space suddenly felt hot.

I tried to adjust the dupatta around my neck.

The fabric slipped away with the weight of being seen.

I tore my gaze from him-

as the encouraging voice of Mrs. Rawat fell into my ears.

"Aree wah itna acha gaati hain aapki wife toh Captain Singh."

He smiled, still looking at me.

I smiled back in return.

I nudged him gently to look in front.

He blinked-

and finally he returned the same smile to Mrs. Rawat.

"Ab aap bhi kuch sunaaiye, let's see the singing skills of our Captain."

🌷

I glanced at her once.

She was looking down,

Samajh nahi araha gusaa zyada pyara hai ya sharam,

I had always seen her feisty side.

Always straight forward.

Few words, but sharp words.

Now she sat just beside me-after sharing lunch.

Just after her confession.

This was her new side,

Shy,

Nervous.

Yet graceful.

And, I wouldn't deny that-

This was the most beautiful sight-

That even the words failed to describe it.

The silent battle of her eyes-

Like a moon trying to peak form the clouds-

Just to witness the vast expanse of the sky.

The confession clearly had a weight.

The way she was playing with the-edge of the table told me enough.

I cleared my throat and continued the song,

from where she had left.

Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayaal aata hai,

Ki jaise tu mujhe chahegi umar bhar yunhi.

She looked at me.

Her lips twitched a little.

My voice wavered a little,

Maybe this was all new for me too.

Or maybe it was her smile.

Still I continued.

Uthegi meri taraf pyaar ki nazar yunhi....

Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayaal aata hai.

As soon as I finished-

The officer's voice echoed through the walls.

"Both husband and wife are so talented.

Okay now let's just leave them, hum itne bhi bure nahi hain."

Few of them suppressed their smiles on the statement.

I found the walls more interesting suddenly,

She mirrored my interest.

Mrs. Rawat stepped forward with a warm smile as she handed the keys to me.

"The boys have moved everything into your house. You may finally move to your quarter."

🌷

I squinted my eyes as the alarm gave off.

The sound felt irritating all at once.

A deep pain short through my head,

almost like a sting.

I fumbled with the screen of the phone,

wanting to shut the unwanted noise.

The only voice which irritates me the most.

I finally slammed the phone on the pillow.

The pillow felt warm-comfortable.

Soothing the ache from the travel.

I shifted unconsciously to the other side.

Only to be greeted by more warmth.

My lips curled with relief.

I tried to wrap myself around the warmth.

It was a known-

A familiar kind of scent.

I had grown used to.

My eyes snapped open,

as a hand enveloped my waist.

🌷

I peeked from my half open eyes,

as I noticed her stiff posture.

My hands stilled on her waist.

Not touching her-but just enough to feel the cold of the room.

She looked at me still in the haze of sleep.

But then she fully turned towards me,

and closed her eyes.

Her half weight was practically on me.

I couldn't help but smile,

as I looked down.

It was already dark.

The room was devoid of any evening light.

Still I was able to feel the warmth of her.

The restless clink of chooda every time she moved in sleep.

My grip tightened around her a little.

Instincts.

This familiarity.

I had never expected in my dreams.

Yet today,

I was able to feel her warmth on my clothes.

I inhaled shakily.

Trying to look away.

Yet, it was difficult to not focus on the moonlight filtering through the creak of the window.

Sleep had vanished from my eyes.

The moment-the coldness of the moon hit me.

Yet I felt warmth.

and for the first time,

This felt like a relief.

I tried to look anywhere-

On the scattered cartons,

the window painted with mist.

Yet I was not able to overlook the moon.

We had slept the moment we entered inside.

Dead tired from the long journey.

Only to end up like this,

Not that I am complaining.

But how could I sleep?

When the moon looked this beautiful.

Sukoon chand mein tha ya chaand ko nihaarne mein pata nahi.

To be continued.

Unedited.

The cantonment welcome scene is written by the info I found on internet.

Any inconsistencies are unintentional.

You are free to correct me for the same.