9. I am there – u want or not!

It was again lunch time, and she was excited beyond limits. She grabbed the tiffin securely, read the card again and made sure the sticker was firmly attached. She headed towards the exit but was suddenly caught off guard. She went to the rest room, to make sure she was looking ok. She opened her hair and tied them neatly again. She was wearing turquoise knee length skirt, her hair was tied in a ponytail, and the makeup was as always eye-liner and lip gloss. After the mirror gave her satisfactory verdicts, she headed towards the exit.

The weather was getting cold by every minute. It was almost the end of november. The breeze was chilly and the cloud cover was darkening the environment even in afternoon. She had worn her over coat after coming out of her office building. She kept on walking till she reached the building again, again seeing the scene as always, the laborers had their lunch time. She was about to head forward when she her eyes caught his sight.

He was sitting on the rock, his eyes were closed and she saw a bandage on his hand. Suddenly every chord of her heart vibrated with a strange shiver. The pain was evident on his face, and there farah came to knew what work did he do – he was a laborer. She re-called how he was rubbing his hand yesterday even, and how this construction site time had its lunch time whenever she met him. He was always sitting near this site.

She hurriedly took steps towards him, and unlike yesterday, today she softly spoke, "hi". He raised his eyes from his bandage to see the worried expression in her eyes, which she was trying to conceal behind her smile, but wasn't able to. She immediately sat beside him, and as always, he moved a bit away.

"kia hua hath ko?", her concern was evident in her voice. He looked up at her, her eyes were pouring out concern and affection which penetrated through the cold cover around his existence.

"kuch nahi hai, my wrist twisted", he normally replied and again looked at her, her beauty was captivating, but at the same time the pain in his hand was also hard to ignore. He again started rubbing the finger of his right hand on his left wrist. Suddenly farah, who was sitting on his right side, got up, Wali looked at her, and she came and sat beside him on his left side. Wali couldn't understand the reason for changing her position. He just again moved away, because farah again sat very close to him, but soon he did understand what she wanted.

 "dikhao mujhe", her voice was ever so soft, and she held his hand with her delicate palm, brushing her slender fingers over his wrist. They were moving in a hypnotic, circular motion. They didn't have any rings and the nails were neatly cut, he noticed.  Although there was a barrier between his skin and hers' – the bandage, but still he could feel the warmth diffusing though the obstacles and reaching his body.

"ziyada dard ho raha hai?", she again asked, fingers still doing the work, but her voice jerked him back to reality.

"nahi, thank you", he pulled his hand back from her warm touch, and as he did it, he realized the pain suddenly increasing. She was shocked, her eyes showed, and near her eyes, a strand of hair was filtering, the wind was playing with the only strand out of her tied hair. Wali got up from her side, and so did farah, seeing him. He turned to walk.

"ik minute", farah was about to place her hand over his shoulder, but before she could do, he turned, as if sensing what was she upto. His eyes conveying her message of stay away, she got it, but ignored.

"kal main ne tumhara tiffin return nahi kiya tha", he smiled and opened her bag, taking out the tiffin, Wali saw some additions on the tiffin, a sticker and a card.

"thank u so much", she smiled sweetly heading the tiffin towards him, he was hesitant, but then he took it, placing it in his bag, and moved away.

Farah was disappointed, she thought maybe he would read or taste, but he just threw it in his bag, without taking a look at it, and without speaking anything.

She was standing there when she saw him WORKING!, she was shocked. He had a bandage on his hand and still he was working, that to of construction. Her eyes became wide with disbelief and felt as if someone caught her heart in a fist.

Wali was working, his hand did hurt, but he wasn't in a mood to pay attention to it.

"Wali, my boy!", his supervisor came patting his shoulder, "yes sir"

"I guess u have an injury, I can't allow u too work", he said calmly, glancing at his wrist.

Wali was shocked that how did he came to know, but then he saw farah standing behind him, smiling.

"u take rest, what do u want, that police should arrest me for making an injured person work", he said cheekily, handing him his leave. Wali took it, without arguing because he knew it was against the rules, but he was constantly staring farah, with stiff eyes. His supervisor left and he also turned towards the road, when farah came running behind him

"pagal ho gaye they, hath main dard hai aur kaam kar rahe they, main ne tumhare supervisor ko bataya aur..

"Listen!" suddenly he stopped, and so did farah, he turned towards her with rage filled eyes

"make sure this is the first and the last time u have intruded in my life! "