When you say nothing at all

He was walking across the coach to see a friend; he didn't have much else to do. It was a long, tiring journey but the train was reaching its final destination and he knew he would reach home in a couple of hours. It was a cold winter afternoon and the coaches were almost empty. He usually enjoyed travelling alone, that too heading out on a long journey; but today, he had given in to the languor associated with travel. The burden of relentless thoughts that revolved around disturbing incidents of the past kept haunting him and he was desperately looking for an escape route. That’s when he saw her. She was the only occupant of the bay; her luggage lay scattered on the opposite seat. Her arms were casually wrapped around her legs almost as if she was hugging herself. She sat there looking out of the window, looking beyond what she saw, looking at nothing at all. He could clearly make out that she was not trying to capture a mental picture of the meadows that whizzed past them, nor was she lost in deep thoughts. Her face held the expression of one at peace with herself, a sight he had seldom seen. The rhythm of the wheels matched the gentle zephyr that made her hair fall on her forehead, and occasionally matched the swift movement of her lithe fingers that pushed the tuft of hair back behind her ears. He stood looking at her, surprised at how such a simple scene had left him rooted to the same place for a long time. He did not know or care how long he had stood staring at her, and he knew that he would give anything to remain standing there - to keep watching her. He settled into a recumbent position, leaning on a partition with his arms folded and an expression of pure amazement – similar to that of a four year old seeing Santa Claus for the first time. He looked at her as she radiated confidence that was almost infectious. There was a hint of a smile on her lips and a twinkle of mischief in her eye that gave her an air of mystery – like she was withholding an arcane secret. She seemed immersed in her own world, unperturbed by the jolts of the train. As he was cherishing the moment to remember it forever, she slowly turned her head and suddenly, she was facing him, with a look that held more meaning than he had ever known. She seemed to be perfectly aware of him looking at her, and though she still held the same smile on her lips, it appeared to him that she was looking at him with a hint of mockery – almost as if she now held the keys to his secrets too. He made no effort to feel embarrassed; he was still living in the pure, unadulterated moment of looking at beauty in its raw sense. They held each other’s gaze for as long as he stood staring at her, or maybe even longer. Though they were perfect strangers, they knew in those moments of intimacy they shared through the mere act of looking into each other’s eyes that both of them completely grasped the meaning of living in and for the moment. He seemed to have forgotten about all his worries while he stood there, for now he too shared the same blazing look that she had. And then they burst out laughing, and they laughed together, at each other, at themselves and at the world. Their laughter soon melded into one single voice and as the train slowly moved into its terminal, they stopped laughing and continued looking at each other.