Dhan! Dhan!

The museum clock struck 12, and the sound stunned Radha, who was engrossed in admiring the intricacies of the painting of Lord Krishna and Radha before her. She looked up, and her eyes met his eyes, staring at her. Those blue eyes that had played hide and seek with her for 6 years, were now in front of her. Thud, Radha dropped her purse, she felt like she was in a dream. Looking at him in the museum, brought back all those untethered emotions to the surface? She collected herself and tried to sound casual as she said,

"Uh, Hi Krishna, how come you are here? You have never set foot into a museum, at least, as far as I know."

He had not taken his eyes off her, the moment he saw her. He had come to Hyderabad for a client meeting and had an 11:30 pm flight to catch. Without knowing what to do, he had just come to the museum because the taxi-driver had rattled all through the ride, about Salarjung Museum, the third largest museum in India.

But now she was here, more spectacular and earthy than any art form at the museum, and he had the sudden urge to run away from there as he was scared of what he would do if he stood there.

"You, you don't know everything about me, Radha, even though we have known each other since school days."

Oh! She doesn't know things about him? She who had done his homework every day, she who had played with him all through the school years, and she who had respected his wish to not get physical even while dating?

"Oh well, I am glad that you have developed an artistic side to the logical you", Radha said offhandedly, trying to stifle atear.

"Ok, see you, I have to go, Krishna."

"Wait, are you running away today too?", he said, just trying to stop her from leaving.

"Not again Krishna! After all these years? Again, you are putting the entire blame on me? I am running away? I tried to make it work, didn't I? It was you? I can't take it anymore."

"Well, Radha, you always feel you are right isn't it? Alright, carry on, I will not hold you."

They parted ways again, just as they did 6 years ago, not ready to listen to each other or to reason. But little did they know, fate had other plans?

Stomping her legs, Radha flung her purse angrily and started walking towards her homestay, five minutes away, when her mother called.

"No amma! I am not going to go back to the museum again! I know you wanted me to get that miniature painting of Radha and Lord Krishna for your friend, but Krishna will still be there and I don't want to see his face again."

"Radha! You know very well, that I have promised Lalitha that you will be getting that painting during your trip to Hyderabad, please, don't make me fall back on my promise."

"Uff! Alright Amma, I will not let you down!"

She kept the phone.

Kamla sighed! She hoped her daughter would be alright, but she also had a glimmer of hope now that she may meet Krishna again. She didn't know what had happened between them, but all she knew was that her Radha had been grieving for six years, after moving to Bangalore from Mumbai.

Krishna hadn't moved from the spot where Radha stood, he felt like he had lost her all over again. And he was transfixed when the museum door opened and he saw Radha re-entering the museum.

"I had promised Amma thatI would buy this painting, so I came back."

"I am glad, once you buy the painting can we please talk?"

Radha looked at him, she had forgotten how she felt around Krishna, right now, the hesitation in his voice, the crease on his forehead, and the few droplets of sweat on his cheek, made him look enticing, and she didn't want to talk, she just wanted to hold his face right there and kiss him senselessly.

She smiled impishly at the thought, "Alright, let's go to the resto-pub I had been to yesterday."

"I think I know where your thoughts are going Radha, can we first just talk, without letting that come in between?"

"That? Come on Krishna, it's 2024! You can at least use words like physical intimacy. Whenever I have tried to bring intimacy in conversations before, you would always dodge the topic."

A slight smile crept on Krishna's face; she had not changed one bit. He remembered the time when Radha had tried to kiss him when they had started dating after finishing college, and he had resisted. The thought of intimacy always got him worried and uncomfortable.

And suddenly, he started sweating, as that afternoon with Rukmini came to his mind. It was during high school, when Rukmini was his senior, and he didn't know why, but she always made him nervous. One day, Rukmini had requested him to drop her home as she had twisted her ankle and he couldn't tell her no.

"Hey, why don't you come inside, I will give you some Maaza, let's share our stories, we don't know anything about each other", she had said.

Krishna regretted going inside, for Rukmini had stunned him by pushing him to the wall?

"I always wanted you, and now you are here, aah I love that mole on your chin,umm, Ooo, I want to just taste every bit of you Krishna!"

Rukmini had kissed him and before he could say anything she had removed his shirt, she bit his ear and he moaned, she was now over him, her ankle pain all forgotten?

But later she sighed angrily, she was annoyed, and started shouting at Krishna, "Oh you damn virgin! You can't even get it up, can you? Oh! it was such a waste of time."

"How can you not get attracted to me, oh, you are such a disappointment, just go!"

Her words echoed in Krishna's head, and the sweating intensified as he saw Radha looking at him with concern.

"Krishna, are you alright? You need to relax, forget the resto-pub let us go to my homestay where I am staying, we can talk there in peace."

"Ok, I am sorry Radha, you had to see me like this, I am sorry", he mumbled.

Radha got worried now, what had happened to her Krishna? She had never seen him so distraught.

"Don't worry, let us go, come on, it's ok", she held her hand and Krishna clasped it, it felt like no time had passed since she had left Mumbai and shifted to Bangalore for her new job.

"I wish I had said yes to the long-distance Radha, we could have worked it out somehow. I just pushed you away, the moment I got to know that you were going. I felt so angry, that you were abandoning me, I am so sorry."

"Come, Krishna, we can talk about it, however long you want, we have time. I may have changed cities but you will never be abandoned Krishna, not by me."

"How do you manage to find the best homestay, wherever you go Ra?" he smiled as they entered the homestay.

"Well, Kri, I don't know whetherthe homestay is the best, or our choices just match", she said grinning, taking her shoes off and sitting on the sofa next to him.

She brushed his hair playfully, "will you now tell me what happened at the museum?"

Krishna winced, and Radha wished she could just ease the worry on his face.

"Do you remember our senior Rukmini?"

"Yes, the one who would always smirk at you, I never knew why?"

"Well, she knows, Radha."

"What does she know?"

"That I am er, incapable."

"Incapable of what?"

"Incapable of sex."

"Kri I am not understanding."

"She forced herself on me one day, Ra, and I couldn't penetrate."

"I can still remember her cursing me that I couldn't get it up, it kind of echoes in my head."

Radha blinked, she looked at Krishna's face, he was sweating again, she wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Kri, you have kept this within for so long. I wish you had been able to tell me."

"Tell you what, Ra? That I am defective?"

"No Kri, that you were abused."

"I, I didn't think of that, the only thought was that I am defective."

"Kri, look at me, don't ever think that. You are not defective, you are wounded, and wounds take time to heal. I now understand why you were so uncomfortable, every time I hinted at sex or any form of physical intimacy."

She took his face in her hands and kissed him tenderly on his forehead, Krishna sighed, he had missed her so much, a sudden urgency surged through him and he kissed Radha on her lips, searching, exploring, and loving her with intensity.

She kissed him back, it felt so right, she wanted to hold him forever, and she didn't want to let go, she nuzzled his neck, he moaned softly, and he fondled her hair, drawing her closer, they were like waves in the oceanflowing gracefully, answering each other's unmet needs; he glanced at her eyes, questioningly when he wanted to caress her bosom, "Yes", she said, as she slowly opened the buttons of his shirt, covering his back with feather-light kisses, he sucked her breasts, she whimpered and he hugged her with intensity.

Radha wanted to lower Krishna's shorts and caress him but she wanted to be sure if he would be ok. He looked at her, reading her thoughts, he held her gaze and slowly removed his shorts, and then lifted her, as she spread her legs wide and wrapped them around his back; and then began the dance of love between two individuals, who had loved each other since eternity, and this time fate smiled at them giving their union its blessings.