A Mere Hug

A hug is nothing but a simple gesture, but when you suddenly pulled me towards yourself, closing the space between us, your chin resting on my shoulder and your hands wrapped tightly round my waist, you took a deep breath. 

A breath which gave rise to many puzzling questions — Do I complete you? Or, did you miss me so much? Am I your solace? Or, do you love me? Did you just want to hug someone? Was it merely a hug? Do you hug everyone the same way? Or, do I mean everything to you?

With each passing second, I felt your grip getting stronger. It felt like you wanted me completely inside you— wanted to inhale every bit of me into you.

My mind went numb for a few seconds but as I regained pace, I hugged you back tightly. Without uttering a word, I wanted to say loudly: 

Yes, I love you. You mean world to me. You are my safe place and I feel like a child when you make me sit in your lap with one hand caressing my hair and other wrapping around me. Your mere presence makes my heart skip a beat. You fix my broken parts in a beautiful way. Your little efforts bring smile to my face.

Instead of saying a word, I held you tighter and closed my eyes, wanting this moment to last forever.

You slowly put your lips on my forehead— ah! a loving and caring gesture which made my heart race. How can I not melt after seeing all this?

No, it was not just a mere hug. It felt like I too deserved to be loved and someone is there to love me completely, understand me and know my worth....

-BHOOMI SINGH