Akash Vani

Disclaimer: 

All the characters and events in this story are not real and do not bear resemblance to any person living or dead. Any such resemblance is purely coincidental. The inspiration to pen this story came from an idea mentioned in a sit-com.

 

1.    One good reason

It was turning out to be a perfect day for him. He lay on his couch in a position which counts somewhere in between sitting and sleeping. Die Hard 4.0, which was playing on the idiot box, earned his undivided attention. His right hand was tightly gripped around the remote control while his left hand lay immersed in a bowl of popcorn.

It was one of those lazy evenings when one is inspired to do nothing.

‘This is life’, he thought. ‘How I wish I could lay here all day long’

But the universe was conspiring other plans for him.

A phone call introduced the unexpected turbulence in his otherwise perfect day. The call was from his Dad.

‘I have an important meeting today at 6 PM. I might get delayed. So ask your Mom not to wait for me.’

‘What about the wedding, dad? Mom was saying both of you were supposed to attend some wedding tonight’, he said and immediately regretted for reminding his Dad.

For once he thought this could be nominated as the biggest and the most foolish mistake he would ever commit. But later that day he realized he was wrong.  

‘Ohh!!! The wedding. It completely slipped out of my mind. Why don’t you fill in for me and accompany your Mom to the wedding?’ his dad said, conveniently ruining the day for him.

‘I will do my best to convince Mom’, he lied.

‘Mom! Dad might get delayed. So I am afraid you cannot attend the wedding tonight’, he shouted after replacing the telephone receiver.

‘Rekha aunty wouldn’t be happy if she learns about my absence in her daughter’s wedding’

‘Why don’t you fill in for your dad and accompany me to the wedding?’ she said as if it was the most obvious alternative.

‘How can two different people come up with the same plan to ruin my day’, he thought. 

‘I am sorry, Mom. I’m too busy to attend the wedding. And as if that’s not a reason good enough, I would be alone at the wedding; I know no one there. So I am not coming’, he said with an air of a person presenting a closing point of an intense argument.

‘You are coming along with me’, came the reply.


He sighed. Apparently his touche had no effect on the intended recipient.
And then she obeyed his silent orders and finally made herself visible. The light from the sacred fire touched her face and reflected onto his eyes. 
Alas! It was a stunning vista and he was momentarily paralyzed by the view. Wow

‘Give me one good reason why I should come along’, he demanded.

‘The food is going to be delicious’, she said.

Fifteen minutes later they were headed to the wedding.

***

2. The big fat Indian Wedding

‘Hi beta! How are you? You have become so tall. The last time I saw you, you were a tiny toddler’, laughed an aunty whom he didn't recognize.

He didn't know how to respond. So, he threw a wary smile.

‘You do remember me, don’t you?’, she asked.

‘How can I not remember you aunty’, he lied and looked at his mother for help.

‘Hi Rekha! Looks like you have already met my son’, intervened his Mom.

And then both of them carried on with their conversation conveniently ignoring him.

He parked himself in a secluded place and observed the people sitting ahead of him; half of them were engrossed in conversations with each other and the other half were too busy to listen as they were busy checking their cellular phones every 5 minutes. It was a like any other big fat Indian wedding.

‘Weddings suck’, he decided. ‘They suck even more when you have no company.’

And that’s when he saw her. She was heavily dressed in a pink ghagra; not the hideous shade of pink which could blind a person if he was stupid enough to stare at it for more than a few seconds, this was a rather divine version of pink.

Her Mehandi clad hands were just red enough to perfectly contrast the golden of her jewelry. Her waist length hair was neatly tied. He couldn't see her face though. She was standing near the stage, the video department’s equipment served as a very effective obstacle between his eyes and her face.   

‘Common, turn around. Show yourself’, he murmured. 

She looked gamine and gorgeous. The gold looked more golden on her; the red looked redder.

He waited for her to take her seat. Once she did, he decided to go and talk to her. He stood up and started walking towards her. Meanwhile he recollecting the best pick-up lines his friends had ever taught him.  

‘Hi’, he said; trying and failing to suppress his rising anxiety.

‘What kind of a conversation-starter is that? I hate myself’, he thought.

She turned around to look at the source of the unfamiliar voice.

‘She looks way more beautiful from near’, he thought.

‘Hi’, she returned him his words in a baffled tone.

‘Ok, now what do I speak’, he hated his lack of preparation.

‘What does a guy do when he runs out of topics to converse with a beautiful girl? I should post this question on Quora sometime’, he made a mental note.

‘I am sorry. Do we know each other’, she asked not making any effort to hide her confusion.

‘Actually, No. I saw you from there and you looked gorgeous… um… interesting. So, I wanted to talk to you’, he said. 

It took no time for her expression to change from puzzled to ire.

She arched her eyebrow slightly as he stood self-consciously before her.

‘Okay, let’s go and sit somewhere’, she said.

‘So, you were saying something’, she asked after they parked themselves.

‘Yes,’ he croaked, and cleared his throat.

‘Yes.’ There, that sounded more confident.

She focused her starry eyes on him. Her ego was right there, sitting next to her. Big and fat

‘Now that I have decide to woo this girl. I have to plan my every move intelligently’, he thought.

‘Okay! So this is the deal. You are…um… drop dead gorgeous. Your waist length hair is so enticing. Your saccharine sweet smile is breathtakingly spectacular. You are beautiful to the extent that should be made illegal’, he blurted out.

And then he was falling short of adjectives.

‘Screw my limited vocabulary’, he cursed himself for not paying attention in the grammar class in his primary school.

‘Where are you going with this’, she asked. She sure was annoyed as hell.

‘I am totally besotted by you, that’s kind of obvious’, he murmured.

‘See, if you are trying to impress me; Let me tell you, I am not impressed. Just make yourselves scarce’, she said and started to leave.

‘Wait! He said. I am sorry if I offended you. But this was the only way…’, he started.

‘Only way to talk to a girl you have just met’, she asked as if he had just insulted the whole of womankind.

‘No. This was the only way not to repeat my mistake’, he completed his sentence.

‘Mistake? What mistake’, she enquired.

‘It is a long story’

‘I have all the time in the world. Go on, amuse me’, she said.

‘When I was fifteen years old, I had a crush on this girl’

‘A love story! Interesting. What was the girl’s name’, she clasped her hands together and he noticed how beautifully manicured they were.

‘I don’t want to mention her name. Let’s just call her Minnie for instance’

‘Minnie, the mouse’, she teased.

‘What’s wrong with her sense of humor? That is the kind of joke which only Sajid Khan and Akshay Kumar can enjoy’, he thought.

‘Very funny. So where was I’, he asked trying hard not to get distracted by her aura.

‘Yeah. You had a crush on this girl, Minnie’, she helped.

‘But I didn’t have the balls to go and tell her. So she, kind of, never knew about my feelings for her. In fact, she didn’t even know that I existed. On the other hand, I always used to think about her. Her thoughts used to disturb me all day. And her memories had a direct effect on my marks. At the end of the year I ended up with very embarrassing report card, and she ended up being the class topper’, he started.

‘I still repent not talking to her. I don’t want to repeat that mistake. It’s always better to regret the things which we did; rather than regretting the things which we didn’t do. I don’t want to go home and think ‘I wish I had spoken to that girl with the long hair at the wedding’. And for all we know I might never see you again’, he said.

‘So you come up to me and start flirting’, she exclaimed.

‘No, that was not flirting…I was just…’, he started.

‘Guys, who are so generous at complimenting a girl they have just met, are certified flirts’, she said with an air of a girl revealing an inside secret.

I just want to tell you that I like you’, he confessed.

‘I am impressed. Finally, I see a guy who has the balls to tell a girl that he likes her’, she murmured.

The words “I-am-impressed” which escaped her mouth sounded like a beautiful poem to his ears. He decided to cash in on the opportunity

A random question: You know what is common between finding a good opportunity when you actually need it the most and using that opportunity in the right way to make your life better?

Ans. Nothing.

Inference: When one happens the other doesn’t.

.

***

3.  Let the show begin

‘Now that we have both impressed each other, can we go on a Date? Are you free this Saturday’, the words were out before he could stop them.

‘Wrong move. Remember when I thought that reminding my dad about the wedding was the biggest mistake. Turns out it wasn’t. THIS is the biggest and the most foolish mistake I could ever commit’, he cursed himself.

‘No’, she blurted out.

‘I mean, I am sorry. I have some work on Saturday. Got to meet some friends’, she re-framed her refusal.

‘Oh, it’s fine’, he said trying and failing to hide his disappointment.

‘But I am really bored you know. We could do it right now’, she crinkled her nose cutely; and for some inexplicable reason he found himself blushing.

‘Do it now? You mean a date’, he said. His disappointment had just committed suicide.

‘Not a date. Not exactly. See we are here, two utterly bored souls who have never met each other before, at this big fat Indian wedding. We could talk, get to know each other, have a great time’, she said.

She paused, giving him enough time to comprehend what she had just said and what she was about to say.

‘No phone numbers, not even names’, she said slowly emphasizing on every word of the sentence.

‘But why no names’, he enquired.

‘Simple because I don’t trust you. I mean it’s been only two minutes since we met. We are practically strangers, and for all I know you could be a desperate stalker’, she confessed.

‘That was very mood lifting. Thank you’, he said sarcastically.

‘She is pleasantly beautiful yet cautiously smart. I like I like’, he thought.

‘Frankness, you see. Learnt it from you’, she winked playfully.

‘Awww! She winked at me’, he blushed beet-root red.

‘So are you in’, she said as if they were closing in on a multi-million dollar deal.

‘Ok I am in’, he said not sure where this was going.

‘Great! So let the show begin’, she declared.

‘I guess we will need fake names for the evening’, he suggested

Ahh…yes. You can call me um…Vani’, she said.

‘Nice to meet you Vani. I am um…Akaash’, he said forwarding his hand for a hand-shake.

In a daze, she placed her hand in his. As their fingers touch, she felt an odd exhilarating shiver run through her nerves. But the feeling didn’t last long. She withdrew her hand hastily, embarrassed. And then she blinked rapidly, her eyelids matching her heart rate.

‘Okay. Let’s start with the introductions’, she said still recovering from that awkward hand-shake.

‘Ladies first’, he said distracted by her beautiful eyes.

She tore her eyes away from his scrutiny and stared blindly down at her knotted fingers.

‘Okay! You can call me Vani for this evening. I did schooling from Rosary Convent High School. Currently, I am sophomore in a medical college. I love travelling. My favorite movie is DDLJ. I adore SRK. My most prized possession is my Scooty Pep. I am a vacuum cleaner at the dining table; I eat almost everything. Ironically enough, my culinary skills are pathetic. I am scared of rats and I hate Maths. Period’, she vomited the words as fast as she could.

‘Your turn’, she said as she tucked her loosened strands of hair behind her ear.

‘I am Akaash. I did my schooling from St. Paul’s High School. I am a 3^rd year engineering student. I read loads and loads of books. Dan Brown is my favorite author. According to me, Lord of the Rings is the most well written book and Harry Potter is the best story ever told to mankind. And when I am not reading books I am either on Facebook or on Quora. My most prized possession is my X-box 360. And did I mention; I have this huge crush on Natalie Portman. I emphasize huge crush’, he said.

All this while she kept playing with her hair, making his heart skip a billion beats.

‘Screw Die Hard 4.0, I could sit for hours just watching her’, he thought.

And then the scrumptious buffet called to him and his perennially starved stomach responded.

‘Looks like the dinner is on’, he said hoping she would catch the inner meaning of his expression.

She did.

‘I am starved’, she declared and they closed in their feast.

‘Oh, I just love pani-puri’, she exclaimed as they decided to attack the pani-puri stall first.

‘Even the way she ate them was so pretty. What she lacks in her sense of humor, she more compensates it with her charisma’, he thought.

‘I love them too’, he murmured, this time distracted both by her and the pani puri.

They couldn’t do justice to the main course, thanks to the love they both shared for the pani-puri.

Before the dinner was over, he decided that she was much more than a beautiful girl. She asked him questions about himself that no one had ever asked before.

She had a feeling that he was genuinely interested in her. He was intelligent, had a great sense of humor and was skilled at making her feel at ease.

Once they were done feeding themselves and evaluating each other, they realized that the time to bid adieu was closing in.

***

4. “and they lived happily ever after…”

‘I had a really nice time’, she smiled revealing perfect white teeth. He stopped breathing.

‘She was still very beautiful. No one should be this good-looking’, he thought.

‘Nice time? I had the best time of my life’, he said.

‘Was that too cheesy? Ahh! I don’t care. I am glad I just said it’, he smiled within himself.

She was about to leave and put an end to this blissful night. He didn’t know how to stop her, He didn’t want her to leave; he wanted her to stay forever.

And then she stopped. She turned to him again.

‘You know… the thing I was supposed to do this Saturday. The rendezvous’ with my friends…’, she started.

‘I am not doing it anymore’, she continued.

‘I will tell them I have some lab-records to finish’, she said looking square into his eyes.  

He noticed a ghost of smile touch her lips as she turned to leave.

‘OMG! The date is on’, he could die of love right there.

And then they lived happily ever after … Oh wait! Not yet.

That could have just been the perfect end for their first date; but there was only one problem.

***

5.  Keeping the mystery alive

‘Hey, wait a minute. How I am supposed to contact you? I don’t know your number’, he shouted.

‘Let alone number, I don’t even know what your real name is’, he continued.

‘I am sure you will find that out’, she said keeping the mystery alive.

‘Oh common! As if this day was not exciting enough’, he said, but she was already gone.

All of a sudden, searching for her number was the sole purpose of his existence.

‘Girls should quit watching Sherlock’, he tried to think if she had left any clues behind. 

She didn’t.

‘May be her real name is indeed Vani’, he speculated. It wasn’t.

After a heavy brain storming session he decided that there was only one way to crack the mystery.

It took three hours of browsing/searching/hunting the wedding album to find a photograph of hers. Thankfully, Rekha aunty recognized the girl in the photograph and that’s how he earned her contact number and learned her real name.

***

The date on that Saturday was only the second of many dates that followed.

And now seven years later they were a married couple blessed with twins: a boy and a girl. Both of them agree that their best date was their first one. They wanted to remember how they met for a long time and hence they named their twins Akaash & Vani. 

***

an art, by Shashank

A Date - your love story

***

Go grab that hand that has been extended to you; go grant that hug which your lover awaits; go smile at that stranger who is smiling at you. Don’t think; act! Life is beyond thought ~ Anonymous

***

When Krishna met Meera

It was turning out to be one of most boring and uneventful journeys back to the BITS-PILANI Hyderabad Campus for me. Here I was standing alone in the Thumkunta bus bay sipping a cup of coffee, waiting hopelessly for an auto for a freaking thirty minutes now.

“You won’t find any autos today, sahib”, the guy in the tea stall announced. “They are all on a strike”

“Gone are the days when this place was untouched from the auto strikes. This time around the Telangana agitation found its way into a place as far as Thumkunta”, he said.

Suddenly I realized he was true. I had read about the bandh somewhere in the newspaper.

Meanwhile a 211 pulled over a couple of feet away and a girl got down. I knew her. She was Meera. In fact ‘knowing her’ is an understatement. I had a crush on this girl a couple of years back. I still remember the day I saw her for the first time: it was in Sumithra Mam’s tutorial for Chemistry-1. I never dared to go and talk to her. She was a beautiful girl, to say the least.

Back then, the mere thoughts of Meera robbed me of my peace of mind. It was the time when I had to shut it off, let it go, and said it's not going to happen. I had learned to unlike her. It was tough, but not impossible. And I was successful; well almost. Little did I know that once you have feelings for someone, those feelings will always be there. 

I could notice the dismay in her face when she reckoned the absence of the autos near the bus bay. She then looked around hoping to find a familiar face. Around a couple of feet away she found a guy, who looked strangely familiar, stealing glances at her. That was me.

I threw a weak smile that came all wrong. I cursed myself.

Emotionally, I’m done. Mentally, I’m drained. Spiritually, I'm dead and yet physically, I smile..!!!.

Unexpectedly, she returned the favor by letting a faint smile dance on her lips. It was like a symphony with a million pianos, playing in the background. I instantaneously turned back, half expecting to find Beethoven along with his crew giving a live performance on the streets of Thumkunta just to celebrate my imaginary love story. I couldn't make out what she was wearing. She looked like a princess to me, though: A Princess, who alighted from her Palanquin just to bless Thumkunta with her very presence.

I took a few fumbling steps towards her.

“Hey; hello!” I said trying to start a conversation.

“Hello” she replied, trying hard not to make an eye contact.

An uncomfortable silence followed.

After a while I couldn’t bear the silence. I had to say something.

“How do you intend to get back to the campus now?” I asked.

“I have a contact of an auto wala. I’ll try and call him”, she said, sounding nervous as hell.

“Don’t bother to call him. Apparently they are all on strike”

“Then how are you planning to get back to the campus?” she returned my question.

“I’ll walk all the way. I don’t see any other option”.

“You can join me if you wish”, I offered.

She bore a blank expression as if doing some deep calculations.

“Have you tried asking for lifts?” she suggested.

“Yes, but no luck. There are hardly any vehicles travelling”

“Hmm…okay then, let’s walk”, she concluded.

I was about to cross the road, but she objected.

“Can we avoid the shortcut? I have heard it’s not very safe after sunset”, she said.

“Sure. Let’s take the highway then”, I smiled.

It’s going to be one hell of a memorable walk for me.

***

A walk two-gether

None of us spoke in the first five minutes of walk. I kept looking at her “casually” like every 7 seconds. Meera was conscious of me staring at her.

“I am Krishna, and friends call me Krish”, I said.

“Meera… Meera Sharma”, she said with a faint smile which vanished immediately.

I noticed that something was not right in her otherwise flawless face. It was her expression. She was not smiling. Let alone smiling, she bore an expression which I related to that of a child who was denied a chocolate at a candy store.

Frown never looks good on a girl. A smile suits them better.

“Is anything bothering you?” I asked.

“Everything….Absolutely everything, about this day”, she retorted, still not making an eye contact.

“It all started with me losing my purse on the way to Thumkunta. I had all my cash and phone in it”, she exclaimed.

I’m sorry…were you saying something? I couldn’t help but to see how beautiful you really are!

“Hey do you mind if I make a call from your phone to mine?” she asked.

When I gave her my phone I noticed how beautifully manicured her hands were. While she was dialing the most beautiful permutations of the ten digits, I found myself envying my phone in her hands.

“No one’s answering the phone”, she said almost personifying the sad emoticon which we use on facebook chat.

It took us twenty minutes of a rather uneventful journey to reach Alankrita.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

“Not quite”, she lied.

“But I am starving. Would you mind giving me company?” I asked.

She agreed.

Wow! I am about to dine with a Princess.

***

Sugar, spice and everything nice

“Is this like a date or something?” I asked myself as we took our seats in the restaurant.

I had butterflies the size of dinosaurs in my stomach.

“Do you come here often?” I asked.

What kind of question is that? I hate myself.

“Not quite often”, she replied.

I felt that she looked at me for a second (and maybe she really did).

I am going to heaven just because she saw me.

We finally placed the order and I noticed that Meera ordered the cheapest item on the menu: a clear soup.

“I can afford a dinner,” I teased her.

“Order anything you like”.

She blushed, beet root red.

“Thank you, but I’m not really hungry.”

Suddenly, I felt my heart vibrate, quite literally.

I am falling in love. Maybe this is how it feels when Cupid’s arrow strikes you

I half hoped that Cupid had two arrows and he aimed the other one on Meera.

Much to my dismay I discovered that it was my phone that was vibrating. I had received a text from an unknown number.

It read: Meera’s phone is with me. I’ll ask her to call you back as soon as I meet her – Shruthi.

I couldn’t make the head or tale of what the person was trying to convey.

It must be a silly prank by one of my friends. But how on earth would anyone know that I was with Meera.

Suddenly I realized that the message could have been from Meera’s lost phone. I crossed checked the number with that of the last dialed number and it matched.

I was proud of my “detective-like” brain and wondered if I could give Sherlock Holmes a good run for his money.

After redialing, Meera realized that her purse slipped into Shruthi’s baggage. Shruthi was apparently her friend who accompanied her to the city earlier this morning.

I could make out one thing from Meera’s expression: Her purse was safe and she would get it back as soon as this girl called Shruthi returned to the campus.

The night of dismay finally abandoned Meera’s face, paving way to a new dawn of smiles.

Man! Look at that girl…I have never seen anyone more beautiful…and so smart too…a combination to die for…..she is just my type…I didn’t even know I had a type.

My breath went out of me at the sight of her smile. She looked like someone who just escaped from a fairy tale. Meera watched my reaction to her with amusement.

He fancies me. But he is oblivious to the fact that I like him too. He had me at “hello”. Why can’t he see it? Boys are so naïve. Meera thought.

“Still don’t want to eat anything?” I asked.

“I am starving”, she confessed.

“Let’s place the order”

I believe when you are dating a Princess; you let her choose what she wants to eat. I thought and passed her the menu card.

“Don’t bother with the menu card. I can eat anything…I am a vacuum cleaner when I am hungry”, she winked.

As we were waiting for the arrival of the food, I covertly studied Meera. She was a hauntingly beautiful girl, pleasantly innocent but cautiously smart. I wondered how many guys must have asked her out. The very thought of imagining Meera with other guys was disturbing…very disturbing.

Love should be like Volleyball. You call “mine” and everyone backs off.

But apparently my life was neither written by Mills and Boons, nor was it a movie directed by Aditya Chopra.

When the food arrived, we closed in on our feast.

Before the dinner was over, I decided that Meera was much more than a beautiful girl. She was intelligent, had a sense of humor and was skilled at making me feel at ease. I had a feeling that she was genuinely interested in me. She asked me questions about myself that no one had ever asked before. Calling what we just had, “a conversation” would be an understatement; for me it was a “conver-sensation”.

I was having mixed feeling. I don't think I ever felt that good and that bad at the same time in my life.

Good: for I was dining with the most beautiful girl I had ever known.

Bad: for I knew she was too good to be called mine.

“It was absolutely scrumptious, Krish”, she said. I wondered if she was referring only to the food.

“I’ll visit the washroom and be right back”, she said and left.

***

Alone in the restroom, Meera studied her face in the mirror on the wall. She had no illusions about her look. She found herself staring at a disturbingly tired face. The hectic day had sucked out the entire glow in her face. Nevertheless she felt she was interesting-looking. Nice eyes. A good figure. She drew nearer to the mirror.

“What had Krishna seen when he looked at me?” she asked herself.

Do you really like me or are you just flirting in good faith?

If you want me, show me. If you need me, tell me. If you have me, show me off. If am worth it, fight for me.

***

The greatest battle lies within.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting” Meera said after returning.

No issues, I have been waiting for a girl like you since 20 years.

“Never mind”, I said by default. We then ventured on a walk which turned out to be both exciting and interesting.

A scrumptious meal and a memorable walk have nothing to do with the food you eat and distance you walk; it depends on the company you keep. In my case the company was Meera, the girl who was turning out to be the most important and interesting person I had ever met in my life.

Meera told me about her family and her schooling life in Ahmadabad.

She is a Gujarati girl! Are all Gujarati’s so beautiful? I wondered.

It was by far the best walk I had ever had. I could feel her trespassing into my world. A world which was peaceful was now infected with the virus called love. It was an unfamiliar emotion.

I want this walk to go on forever; I thought as we walked past DOMUS.

I fancied Meera in my first year, but at that time she was just a crush. She was just another descent looking girl, who managed a second stare from a guy. Now she was growing into something more malignant. I had never known anyone as bewitching. I wished I had befriended her much earlier.

There's always that one girl... no matter how long you don't talk to, no matter how long you don't see each other, and you always come back to her & fall in love all over again.

Meera was saying something about her life at BITS. The way she enjoyed it and all… but I didn’t pay any heed. I was lost in my thoughts.

I looked at Meera who was walking a couple of feet ahead of me.

Who is this - this amazing creature before me? She is like a butterfly: she goes wherever she pleases and pleases wherever she goes.

Just as they say: “Good things in life always come in small packets”. The walk was inching towards an end as we were just a few minutes away from reaching the campus.

Tell that girl you love her. Life is too short to keep everything to yourself because one day you’re going to wake up and wonder, what if…

“But how do I let her know that I like her?” was a million dollar question.

How can you fancy a girl so much that you don’t know how to tell her?

The thoughts in my mind reminded me of a line from one of the Spiderman movies: “The greatest battle lies within”. It was finally making sense. I could have sworn Peter Parker was referring to the feelings he had for Mary Jane Watson.

Meera is a Royal Princess who deserves an equally royal and handsome Prince Charming but I have to ask her out before she finds one. After all, you need not be a Prince to get a Princess.

Suddenly, I knew what I had to do. The only way to catch an uncatchable woman is to go on your knees.

Meera was walking a couple of steps ahead of me. I stopped walking and called for her. She turned and looked at me square in the eye. It didn’t make me feel any better. Her stare had brutally murdered my confidence.

“Meera; I absolutely and utterly adore you and I think you're the most beautiful and interesting girl I have ever met and more importantly; I genuinely believe and have believed for some time now that we can afford to know each other more”, I blabbered.

Don’t say we aren’t right for each other, the way I see it is… We aren’t right for anyone else. I thought of saying, but the words didn’t materialize.

Meera was left perplexed.  

“Meera Sharma; are you free this Saturday?” I finally asked.

Geez it’s easier scheduling Arab-Israeli peace talks than asking a girl out for a date!

Meera found herself thinking: Are they any more beautiful words in English dictionary than: “Are-you-free-this-Saturday?”

Yes! I am free for the rest of my life. She thought of shouting.

An affirmative nod with a half smile was all she could manage.

The pure happiness of that one moment when you act your heart is simply bliss! I looked up at the girl standing before me. Dressed in a drab tee and matching denim, her face bruised with sweat and fatigue, Meera Sharma still looked beautiful.

“I promise, the next date won’t be like this. I’ll arrange for a better transportation next time”, I winked.

***

an art, by Shashank.