The Danger Sign – Scene 7 (Finale)

Links for previous scenes:
Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5, Scene 6

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The Danger Sign – Scene 7

Then he reacted in the most unexpected way….
He let out a sigh and smiled. “Well, that’s not an issue… I …”
“Don’t say you’d quit. Its still not gonna work out.” I didn’t let him finish. “You have the tendency to be a smoker again. Will always have….”
“Oh my, Elly, Elly Elly…. will you ever let me finish my sentence?!”
I stared at him silently, then to my surprise, he held my hands in the cutest way possible….
“Ok see here’s the thing…”
I didn’t let him say anything else and continued… “These are burn marks, this bandana is a camouflage, this is because of a cigarette…when i was little…” I was about to break down with a choke when he leaned in and kissed me….
“So you said you like me?” he asked, wiping my tears carefully.
“Huh?” I looked at him in awe.
“Well I like you too. I like you too much…”
“But….”
“Yeah, but I cant quit smoking for you either…” This time he cut me.
“Right. Lets just forget the whole thin….”
“I cant quit because I never started!”
“Wait, what??!!”
“Ha ha, that’s why I keep saying, lemme finish my sentences before jumping to conclusions or anticipating what am gonna say…”
“Ok just don’t say it coz i said all this…”
“No. I swear. Trust me.”
“But i saw that ASH TRAY!!” I said pointing to that bloody thing lying on the stupid table.
“OMG Elly. That belongs to my roommate!” And those were the most magical words I ever heard!!!! At least on that day!! In excitement I forgot my ankle pain and hugged Kai…
“Thank you! Thank you for not being a smoker.”
“And I never will be. I promise.”

I was relieved but decided to tell the entire story to him, just because I thought he should know. He was shocked to know the entire truth and finally managed to say, “I wish I was there that day. I would have definitely kicked that guy’s ass!”, mostly to cheer me up.
“Yeah right! You would also have been a little kid just like me Kai! But there’s one more thing. Apart from this burn mark, there is another one. When that guy slapped me, he was holding the cigarette in the same hand. And perhaps accidentally it burned my face a little. So there’s this teeny tiny mark just below my left cheek…”
“It’s not even noticeable.” Kai said when I tried to show the faint discolored line on my face. Then he continued… “I hate cigarettes as much as you do, believe me. Not many people know, I lost my father because of this. He fell ill and nobody could convince him to quit smoking. I still wish I had tried more….”
“Hey, I had no idea. M sorry. M sure you did your best.” I managed to say this much, when really I was so shocked and sad to hear his side of the story.
“And you… you are beautiful. You are flawless. Always remember this. I like you as you are. These things don’t bother me. And you know what.”
“What?”
“You should get a tattoo over your wrist, and then you can flaunt it. You should be proud of everything you have.”
“I think I should be proud of you as well, Kai.”
And we couldn’t stop smiling.

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*Epilogue*

This marks the beginning of Kai and Eliza (Elly). 
Just another untold, unheard story out of the many out there, being written by fate everyday.
Elly realized, not every person turns out to be a bad guy. You just need to let go of prejudices.
Kai realized physical beauty is not everything. There are much more important things in life.
Both feel that their hatred against smoking should be turned into something meaningful.
They plan to join anti-tobacco and smoking hazard campaigns in the near future.
Kai would start with convincing his room-mate to quit.
Elly doesn’t think about that incident from her childhood so often anymore.
Kai too is slowly trying to let go of what happened. Elly is helping him to forgive himself. She says no one was to be blamed for his father’s death. Perhaps he is in a better place now; free of all the suffering.
 
People can surprise you beyond imagination. Just give them a chance and see.
Kai and Eliza surprise each other everyday.

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What do you think about the story?
Comments / feedback / constructive criticism welcome.

Thanks for reading. ❤

The Danger Sign – Scene 6

The Danger Sign – Scene 6

*Present Day – At Kai’s Apartment*

Some scars are invisible, some vanish and some will never leave your body. They will always be an ugly reminder of the past you wish you never had. Those scars will never go away. Neither from my skin nor from my mind.

That burn mark still rests on my wrist; carefully hidden behind a watch or a wrist band or sometimes even a stupid bandana.

” I shouldn’t stay here.” I told myself whilst coming back to senses after reliving the horrific incident for the n-th time. “How come I didn’t know? Damn it. He never smoked in front of me. I gotta get out of this place.”

On the way out I tried to kick that side table where the ash tray was still sitting, but I missed and slipped a bit, ended up twisting my ankle instead. “Ouch!” I almost shouted,  trying to scuff out of his apartment anyway…. lost my balance and fell on the floor.

“Hey, whoa! Stop!” Kai came running back…. “Hey Eliza, are you all right?!”

He knelt beside me. “Does it hurt real bad?”

“No I was just shouting to check if my vocal chords work fine.” I replied.

He chuckled. “Looks fine to me” he tried to examine my ankle.

“Ouch! Hey don’t!” I said, gently slapping his hand away.

“Wait.” He got up and went inside again, came back with an ice pack.

But I was already up by then. “Goodbye Kai. I cant stay. I have to go. Please don’t call me….”

“Whaa… Hold on….stop a sec. What’s this about?” He gave a puzzled look.

“I can’t be with you. You should have told me before.”

“Could you please sit down and tell me what should’ve I told ya, and then we’ll see?”

“I cant, just lemme go.” I stepped out, almost limping, was about to fall again…

He came from behind, grabbed me in his arms and rescued me from falling…

Well almost! He fell himself, and I fell on him. We ended up laughing…. Ten seconds later, I looked at him, and a tear rolled down my cheek….

He took my face in his hands… looked me in the eye and whispered, “Hey. M getting worried.”

“M sorry Kai. I cant do this. I really like you, but we have to end things. I cant be with a guy who smokes.”

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Links for previous scenes:
Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5

Scene 7 (the last and final installment) : Will be posted within 2 Weeks.

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Friendships, Feelings And More

“It’s all about Trust.
Sharing your feelings with friends…
To say or not to say???”
– Realist Rebel

There are many friendships which go way beyond the usual hunky-dory hang outs and chilling together. Most people are of the category who have back-ups for their necessary outgoing “social life”. Can we really call them “friends”??

Maybe those are the kind who are known as a “fair-weathered friend”.

There is another kind. Who come a little far from the previous type. The expression “a friend in need is a friend indeed”, probably got inspired from them.

And then there are some, very rare species these days, friends who have a connection. A real one. Who can really understand what the other is saying or not saying. Such friendships, if found, must be treasured for life.

Some people talk a lot yet say very little. 

They will go on and on, just incessantly blabbering away about everyday nothings and never truly reveal what they are feeling. Such people are either hiding something or they don’t trust you enough to talk about personal stuff.

Some people talk less yet manage to say a lot.

They remain quiet usually. But when they talk everything makes sense. They wont directly reveal their feelings but if you listen closely, you might just be able to figure out.

Yup there are other kinds too. Talk and say a lot at the same time or do neither!

Well, the neither case would be extreme but, you never know… Some people just prefer to remain silent altogether. Usually they do it around the people they don’t trust at all. Not even a bit.

And then there are people who are a mixture of the above mentioned types!!

Maybe I’m the mixture kind! 😀

But honestly, I feel this has got more to do with the person I’m talking to rather than what kind of a person I am, which decides how and what am I gonna talk about with them.

eg. I will truly reveal my feelings (most of it) only when I trust the other person and believe that they really care and bother to hear me out! (And not because they need some material for gossip…yeah BEWARE of THAT type! Seriously.)

I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do or not, maybe it’s right for me or whatever! But this is what I do, this is what I am. I trust my gut feeling and instincts or intuition or anything you wanna call it, and just go with it.

When someone shares their feelings, I respect that person and if they are telling something in confidence (like a secret), never ever break their trust.

I love my friends (the few true friends I have) and I really do treasure them.

When they tell me how they feel (however direct or indirect) it feels good that they trust me. And when I share my feelings, it feels good that I have someone who cares.

Cheers to friendship!

I hope everyone has a friend they can be themselves with.

And is the same type as you are! 😛 (You should be so lucky!!)

Much Love,

– Realist Rebel ❤

Find Your Flavour

Sugar or Spice

Everything may not be nice

Whether you like it or not

Flavours have captured our lives.

Spice it up in the bedroom

Sugar coat your words for the boss

Leave bitterness for the enemy

Show your salty side to the neighbors

Sweet n sour bond with the relatives

Fire chillies during fight with siblings

Sweet, Salty and Tangy

A friend alternates between many flavours

But only one relation

Where you can enjoy

All the flavours together

A Soul Mate

Found Yours?? 😀

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Written in response to Poetry 101 Rehab: Prompt – Sugar

Truth Behind “Moved On”

There are different things that different people want from us. It’s up to us to decide who is worth all the trouble. On the contrary, finding out what we really want, is precisely the most important and most tedious task to be accomplished.

Always heard about guiding Angels and guiding Light that lead us and show us the way to get through the difficulties we are facing. But in reality, one day we wake up and see what we have been looking for doesn’t even exist! Then nothing and nobody can help. Being here in this world alone and facing every problem with a brave and positive attitude is what we need to do just about every day. I mean, we can’t deny this fact that someday we need to give up on “fairy tale” happy ending myths; and the belief of “prince charming” sweeping you off your feet….. ain’t really gonna happen that way! Barring a few exceptions of course, but let’s get real.

When the time comes to face the reality, everything is supposed to change; but obviously it doesn’t. There is no magic wand that would change everything as quickly as we wish it to. Yet somehow, we forget – forget that amidst all the growing up, moving on and facing reality, there remains a part inside us which still wants and craves for the things we wanted; exactly the way we wanted them – the perfect way.

Yes, the reality check here would be to search ourselves, look within to find out the truth behind the crap, “oh chill! I have moved on man!” – What can be the truth? Is it so easy to move on? Even if it’s not, yet somehow most of us get there. But later don’t really bother to see deep down and realize just how much we got hurt in the process. The feelings which were curbed down, the thoughts that were brushed aside, the memories which were sacked and pushed in the corner, the emotions that were tied down and the desires which were brutally killed – altogether did the damage that they could to the heart and the soul which eventually stopped living.

Moving on is not a joke. It’s neither easy nor difficult. It’s basically the only choice left when someone leaves or we leave someone. Yes it applies in both cases. Anybody saying otherwise would be lying.

Also, the duration for moving on varies for people. Time required to finally get over someone, can’t be estimated. But one thing is for sure, 100% recovery isn’t done when you think it’s done. There are times in our lives, when we can really surprise ourselves. There can be a possibility that we may realize that all this time we didn’t really move on; we only thought we did. Just not giving the same amount of attention to that person anymore in our lives doesn’t mean that we don’t want those things anymore which we always wanted. People make mistakes, poor judgments, unrealistic expectations, but hey, it can’t always work as one sided! A relationship has to be a two-way street at all times. Even if a person is supporting the other, it can only work if the latter is willing to accept it. Otherwise it would be like banging your head against a wall and you’ll only end up hurting yourself.

There is nothing wrong in (still) wanting the things we craved for earlier. Moving on only says that we are strong enough to let go. It doesn’t mean the end of the world or end of love and relationships.  Some things and people are just not meant to be with us. Maybe they belong with someone else, maybe it’s not the right timing or maybe it’s something else. That is part of life. I’m not saying that it shouldn’t have happened since everything happens for a reason. Besides, it’s an integral part of growing up and being mature about things; all this without losing faith and hope. So rather than just saying “moved on”, we should really do move on with life and live it the way we want; without worrying about anybody else. After all, we get only one life; make every moment count.