The Birthday Gift

"Hi Tamanna. A very happy birthday to you. "

Tamanna turned around to find Akash standing right behind her. How did he know it was her birthday today? 

"Thanks Akash. How did you know that? "

He looked her straight in the eye. She was unnerved again. The way he looked at her wasn't creepy, just that he hardly blinked. Something about his eyes held her on, almost as if she was hypnotised. She wanted to look away, but couldn't. 

"You told me, remember? "

She did not remember telling him anything. 

"Did I? When?"

He continued staring at her. Then he ran his fingers through his hair and started playing with the pearl ring on his little finger. So fidgety that it was annoying her. 

"Two years ago. You had just joined the organization, I think. I had specifically asked you why you had said November was your favourite month and you said it was because you were born in November. "

Tamanna could not recall having this conversation with Akash two years ago. In fact, she had avoided him as far as possible. He seemed to like her and she thought he was a nice, good hearted man, but there was something about him that she couldn't put a finger on. She just did not trust him. Was it because he gave her too much attention? She did not trust people who were overly sweet. 

"Maybe I did say that. But November isn't my favourite month. I don't have a favorite month."

He looked at her and smiled. Was she so transparent that he could see right through her. He kept looking at her and she kept on looking back. At one point she felt she was in one of those animated series. She was on a boat and had entered his eyes. The boat floated on a river that took her inside his soul. She saw him waiting near a tree and when the boat reached the shore, he moved ahead and offered her his hand. She shook her head to break this trance. 

"You see. You do tell me everything."

Tamanna looked around her. There was no one else there. But Akash had not uttered a word. And yet, she had heard him say that. She must be losing her mind. 

She moved behind slowly and decided to get back to work. 

"Sorry Akash. Have a lot of work to do. Catch you later. "

"Wait. I got you a gift. "

Gift? She didn't even know him that well. Yes, they had been out together in a group. Chatted a couple of times. He had told her he had played the violin since he was a child. He had told her he was born and raised in a hill station in Himachal, that his parents owned an apple orchard. But gift? 

"You didn't need to do that. Really. "

He went to his desk and got her a book. He shyly stretched his hand across. She reached out embarassed and took it from him. The title caught her eye. 'Traveller's Guide to Egypt'

She kept staring at it. Then she gathered the courage to speak, her hands trembling in surprise. 

"Thank you. I always wanted to go to Egypt. I'm fascinated by their culture and mythology."

He smiled and said, "I know. "

She was now beginning to get creeped out. Was he stalking her on social media, did they have a common friend, who was he? 

"How do you know? "

He seemed nervous now. 

"It doesn't matter. You will never believe me anyway. "

He approached her with a handshake. It would have been rude of her not to reciprocate. She met his hand in return. When their hands touched, she felt a strange sensation. His were warm and yet not firm. The handshake lasted for two seconds but something had changed. 

"Happy birthday Tamanna. Won't keep you anymore. I know you have a meeting to attend."

She thanked him and watched him walk away. 

After her meeting was over, she came back to her desk. She looked around to see if he was anywhere in the vicinity. His desk was five places to the right on the opposite side of the room. But he wasn't there. The chair next to him was empty as well. Probably gone out for a smoke. 

She sat down to check her email. Suddenly she felt tired, the run down feeling you get before you fall sick. She covered her eyes with her hands to make the burning go away. That's when she heard it. 

"It's just an energy exchange. It's overwhelming in the beginning. You'll get used to it. "

She was really going to be sick. The voice sounded like her own. But she knew it wasn't her words. She responded in her mind. 

"Who are you? "

Silence. Then after a minute, the words came back. 

"You know who I am. I'm just like you. You and I are the same. "

She asked again. 

"Who are you? "

"Akash"

She jumped up in her chair and looked around. He wasn't there in the room. 

"Why can I hear you when you're not even here?"

"It's because you allowed me. I had allowed you a long time ago. But I guess you were not ready. "

"You mean you can hear my thoughts. All the time? "

"No. Not all the time. When I tune in. When you're sad, lonely, overwhelmed, excited. But mostly when you need to be loved. "

She sighed. Was this schizophrenia? Did she enter an alternate universe? 

"No. You're not mad. For a long time, I tried fighting it too. Then I relaxed and let you in. It was difficult sharing my personal space with someone. Especially someone who doesn't even see I exist or even know me. "

She got up from her chair and walked towards the terrace. There he was, smoking alone. 

She walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. 

He turned around and looked at her. That stare again. Her hands were sweaty and her heart was palpitating. She thought she would faint. 

He held her by the arm and made her sit down on the side. 

They were so close to each other that she could feel a surge of electricity between them. Like paper bits dancing to static, or magnets pulled together by a force that very few could explain without the knowledge of electromagnetic fields. 

He did not utter a word. Neither did she. 

"So if this is real, prove it to me Akash. I'm not going to talk. I need proof. Touch me in a place where I like to be touched."

He was panting and nervous. Then very cautiously, he lifted his hand and stroked her bare arm. She let out a gentle moan. 

"See Tamanna, now do you believe me? Your turn to do the same. "

She looked around. There was no one there except them. She lifted her hand and kept it on his thigh. The hard denim of his jeans could not stop the fire in her hands from reaching him. He closed his eyes. Then he touched her hand with his. Finally, he spoke. 

"Do you know how long I have waited for this moment?"

She shook her head. He continued. 

"Years. My whole life. I've been hearing you even before we actually met. I could not understand what was happening to me. I always wondered. Till I actually saw you in person. Then the voice got louder, the words clearer. "

She wanted to cry. She didn't know if she was happy or overwhelmed. She wanted to hold him tightly. It wasn't fair that he had waited so long for her to even look at him. 

"Tamanna. Now that you know, I wanted to ask you, what happened on May 23rd 2001? I heard you crying for hours. I didn't know what was happening to you. I didn't even know if what I felt were my emotions or somebody else's. But it was horrible, the pain that I felt in my chest that day."

She held his hand more tightly. 

"My father died that day. "

"How old were you? "

"19."

Someone walked into the terrace to talk on their phone. She let go of his hand. 

"Yeah. So Akash, about the birthday party. Please be there on time. Everyone's going to be there so don't be late. I'll mail you the address. "

"Sure, " He said. Then he watched her get up and leave to go back inside. 

He smiled to himself. 

"It's just you silly. I haven't invited anyone else. "

"I know, " He responded. "I already know. "

"What a crazy birthday gift Akash! Nothing can ever match up to this. "

"You will always be able to hear me. Even when you don't want to. Happy birthday my love. Happy birthday to You. "

He opened an app on his phone, waited for a minute then ordered a dark chocolate mocha cake. In the cooking instructions, he added, 'sprinkles on top'. Then he smiled to himself. Now it was perfect.