The Soulful Atom

His eyes were of molten khaki with a ting of green.

They crinkled a little bit when he flaunted that broad patent smile of his. It was even more bright tonight. They had met like that only the second time. This time around too they were surrounded by people.
She looked at him fondly. He wasn’t really her type, but she indulged him. He brought her some kind of peace. A very different kind than she craved or ever had or ever even wanted. There was warmth in his eyes, that of innocence, though he was a grown man. Not boyish, just innocent, untouched. These were the eyes that hadn’t known the ravaging of love. Perhaps that’s why they brought her that kind of peace and she didn’t know what to do about it. She didn’t feel like running away nor did she feel like possessing it.
They didn’t need solitude, they didn’t need each other’s bodies, neither to touch nor to possess. The eyes were enough and then there were words and beyond that there were silences.. The much loved silences.

--

It was a year after. They had gone their separate ways, as was always intended. And then they met again. He insisted. Almost exactly a year. It was nice to see him, he loved seeing her. But something had changed. He was the same, and he always will be; maybe she wasn’t anymore. Over the growing years he had made peace with himself, with the kind of person he was. Maybe that is where his eyes got the sheen that they always had. But she was still struggling, still exploring herself and surprising herself with each new thing she found. It made her wonder how were people so satisfied with themselves or had they already found everything within them? Do they never change, rather do they not find new things or perspective even about the same old things? She wondered. She wondered if her eyes showed this mad struggle she underwent each moment. Now that she was robbed of the peace she got from him, she wondered how he looked at her eyes. His touch didn’t excite her anymore. Somehow she could see through the witty remarks that had so attracted her to him earlier. His eyes however were the same. They still shone and sparkled. She smiled in wonder. She tried to indulge him but couldn’t. He probably noticed it. It was hard not to notice things she wanted you to know, cause she made them very obvious. Here however, she wanted to be gentle. She didn’t want to be the one who would strip those molten khaki eyes of their innocence. Though thinking about it later, long after they had said their goodbyes, she thought maybe no one will be able to do it. Because, probably, it was there knowingly. Maybe with a lot of effort. The choice to view the world with innocence, wonder, freshness and unbiasedness. They may not meet again the same way but she smiled as she felt the same kind of peace washing over her once more. He was the one with those molten khaki eyes, with a ting of green.