What Dreams Are Made Of: Episode 25

BY ANNA RAMAKSON

 

#Episode_25

 

 

Chrissy wasn’t sure if she understood anything anymore. Was he hinting at her fear, confirming she was right all along? But that can’t be. Not after the way he had admonished her for not wanting to come.

 

“I.. I.. d don’t get it”, Chrissy squirmed in her seat.

 

At first he didn’t say anything but just kept staring at her.

 

Chrissy felt the heat in spite of air conditioning in the car. Just when she thought she wasn’t getting any response, he looked away and said, “Looks like you have not been that attentive, after all”.

 

Before she could make out what he meant by that comment, he got out of jacket and tossed it at the back seat. Looking back at her, he decided to elaborate. “Mrs Adler mentioned two reasons for the success of their place. We tasted one of them at her kitchen. The other one we are going to check now. Now come, before it’s too late, he said finally getting out of the car.

 

She remembered Mrs Adler mentioning being close to Stonehenge being one of the reasons for their being so popular. It has actually not taken them much time to reach from Salisbury to here. But there was no time to think about it. Nikloi was already out crossing over to her side.

 

 

Chrissy struggled to quickly get out of the car behind him. He locked the car and they went towards the entrance. At the gate he produced two tickets and they were given entry to the Stonehenge centre. Chrissy ot wondered when he did he get those tickets but Nikloi was walking fast and it was difficult to keep up with him and think at the same time.

 

Chrissy had been to Stonehenge many years back as a small child, she didn’t remember much of last visit. But she could feel it had changed a lot. The visitor’s centre had audio-visual gallery, exhibitions, museums, etc. they went around the same but didn’t spend too much time there. Taking a shuttle bus, they went towards the stone circle, the place where you could actually see the sarson stones set beautiful as wonder of the world.

 

Half way they got down the bus and started walking towards the stone circle. Chrissy could already feel the surreal atmosphere. It felt as if she was actually going back in time. She didn’t know why but she always felt a strange kind of connection with this place. As if she belonged here.

 

Last time she visited there, she had been very excited. When she was told that she only view the stone circle from a distance outside the rope wire, she had actually been disappointed. She had wanted to go inside the circle, feel the awe, and experience the mystical bond she had felt compelled to acknowledge but that was beyond her control. No one was allowed further than the rope perimeter. So she had watched her heart’s content from that distance and treasured those precious memories all these years along.

 

She hadn’t realized but her heart had also picked up pace along with her legs on the sight of stone circle at a distance. But what shocked her out of her reverie was that this time they were not stopping at the rope perimeter.

 

Nikloi had been slightly ahead of her while she was taking in her favourite sight. He had spoken something to the guard and the guard had dutifully removed the barrier for them to cross. It was then she realized they were actually going inside the stone circle, the prohibited area, place off public.

 

 

She quickened her pace and stopped Nikloi by placing her hand on his arm. “What did you tell him? Why did he allow us in? We are not supposed to be here inside the circle, she said sceptically.

 

“But we are. Look the sun is setting now. We have made it just in time”, he said pointing towards the stones.

 

Chrissy turned around on his queue. to see the most stunning vision she had ever seen. The sun was shining brightly behind the stones with radiant sunlight escaping the gaps in between the large stones, giving it a magical look. Chrissy was mesmerized.

 

“It’s beautiful”, the words flew out of her mouth on their own accord.

 

“Yes, it is”, replied Nikloi but he wasn’t looking at the stones.

 

Chrissy kept walking towards

 

the inner circle of stones soaking in the natural scenic beauty of the place. Nikloi walked beside her.

 

Standing inside the circle of stones, Chrissy spread out her arms on either sides to live the dream. The pleasure of fulfilling a childhood desire was written all over her face. She couldn’t believe her luck. Looking for Nikloi she turned around to see him standing behind, watching her closely.

 

Happiness pouring from her every pore, she asked him cheerfully, “How did this happen? I was told nobody is allowed inside the circle of stones”.

 

“You are. If you have the special pass”, he said still looking at her brightly lit face. He wasn’t sure when he had seen her so happy. In fact she looked happier than anyone he had ever met.

 

That is when Chrissy noticed that most of the people had already returned from the rope perimeter and the guard was now close to them inside the circle of stone himself. She quickly went from one rock to another, making the best of her time. She vaguely remembered one of them being the slaughter, one the altar, one the heel.

 

 

Standing next to the stone she thought was altar, she uncertainly raised her hand to feel the stone as she was not sure if she was allowed to touch it. She placed her right hand hesitantly on the stone, her fingers just barely touching the rough surface.

 

Nikloi came and stood exactly behind her. Without even turning around she could feel his presence right at her back. He raised his right hand and placed it lightly at top of her hand. A strange sensation went through her body, making her lower her head. She could not see him but could feel his breath at the back of her neck just as much as she could feel his hand placed on top of her hand.

 

She was frozen, not knowing what to do. Nikloi pulled her hand away from the stone, making her turn to face him. Chrissy head was still lowered and she didn’t have the courage to look at his face.

 

Nikloi stepped in closer, reducing whatever little space there was between them. Chrissy gasped loudly when she felt his arms on her waist. She heard him call out her name softly, “Christina…” She raised her head just as he lowered his to close the gaps between their lips but behind him Chrissy saw the guard walking towards them with open interest.

 

She writhed in his arms trying to release herself while her voice struggled to tell him to stop. Somehow she managed to get one word, “Guard..”, out of her parched mouth, while her eyes frantically tried to convey her message. Nikloi didn’t release her completely but created some space between them. Turning around, he still held her at her waist and faced the guard.

 

The guard told him, “It would be turning dark soon, Sir”.

 

Nikloi nodded to him and looked at Chrissy who was again facing the ground. He asked her if she was ready to leave. Chrissy couldn’t answer him with his arms still around him. She slightly nodded and they both walked back together.

 

Chrissy still had erratic breathing and she tried hard to control it without looking at anyone. She didn’t even have the courage to give a last glance to the huge sarsen stones getting washed in the hues of evening sunlight spread against the backdrop of a vast skyline

 

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Chrissy knew what was about to happen when the guard had walked in on them. She had felt it in his touch even though she hadn’t directly looked at his face. What she didn’t know was what would happen next.

 

She walked as fast as possible. She sat in the shuttle bus next to Nikloi without saying a word. They crossed the visitor centre also in silence. They weren’t many people around considering the general admission time was over long back. Stepping out of the exit, they went to the parking area where there were hardly any cars left apart from Nikloi’s car.

 

Chrissy reached the passenger door when she saw that instead of going to the driver side, Nikloi was at her side. Reaching out for her arms, he quickly pulled her back in his arms impatiently as if he had been waiting to do it since long.

 

She braced herself for his rage since she hadn’t let him do what he had wanted

 

back there but what followed was something she could never have been prepared for.

 

Nikloi’s hands reached for her face, with one hand caressing her left cheek while the other hand went behind her neck. Pulling her into himself, his lips touched hers as tenderly as possible. She was expecting force but he kissed her softly. Sensuously. He covered her cheeks with feather light kisses before returning to her lips in a gentle brush, as if he was afraid of hurting her.

 

Chrissy had thought he would show his brutal strength, as earlier; was even expecting it but this gentleness was her undoing. She couldn’t control herself any longer and a deep sigh escaped her lips. Her hands moved in between them and spread out on his chest. He softly pushed her lips apart and she allowed him full access to her mouth. When his tongue touched hers, a shiver went down her body. Her response seemed to encourage him and he deepened the kiss, savouring all the sweetness of her mouth.

 

 

Chrissy didn’t know a kiss could be like this. Her earlier two kisses had been completely different from this one. She had thought a kiss could only be hard and forceful. She had never known that passion could be so tender, yet so moving.

 

Every stroke of his tongue, every pull of his lips, was drowning her further in the ecstasy. She squeezed her hands hard, pulling the fabric of his shirt in between her fingers. Her back arched of its own accord and she gave in completely to this new experience. Her body went limp in his arms and he pushed both of them into the car, to support their bodies.

 

The soft assault continued, taking control of her, urging her to let it go on forever.

 

Following his intoxicating cues through her lips, she kissed him back.

 

A groan escaped Nikloi’s mouth at her reaction. He had wanted to do this since a very long time.

 

He wasn’t even sure since when he had been wanting to hold her pliant and yielding in his arms. And even though this wasn’t their first kiss, this time he wanted it as if his life depended on that kiss.

 

The earlier kisses they had shared were for different reasons. Wrong reasons, or so he thought. Today was when he just couldn’t let it NOT happen. And so he had kissed her against the setting sun and she had kissed him back. And just when he thought he had got what he wanted, she had suddenly gone rigid in his arms.

 

Chrissy was kissing him deeply with all her passion when she heard soft moaning sounds. Somehow they broke the spell. And she realized to her horror, those sounds were coming out of her mouth. It was then, the extent of her actions hit her. She had kissed him back!

 

The realization sent a panic in her body. She tried to break away from him. Her hands that had spread across his chest were now pushing him away. She turned her face away from, trying breathlessly, “N..no..please s..s.stop…I.. I can’t d..do this..”

 

Nikloi was shocked with the sudden change in her but he stopped immediately. Releasing her completely, he stepped back looking at her questioningly. Her breath had still not returned to normal.

 

 

She moved away from him, taking support from the car.

 

She was too mortified to face him.

 

 

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ ▶To_be_Continued