Category: Relationship

Every girl has a dream that her soulmate treat her in a beautiful way but it is somehow not possible in my case.

Because the mate I am in love is my step brother…

Its the time when I lost my parents in a car accident and mommy cassendra have adopted me. And the day I landed my eyes on the real son of mommy cassendra I am in love with him.

Eros, he was 18 at that time and I am 16.

But as I am adobted I m going to be his sister.

This year when I will be 18 mommy cassendra will adopt me legally.

If not this I would have thought of giving chance to my feelings but should I do with Eros. Does he feel for me ?

I was interrupted by a manly voice. The he is standing Eros on the door .

“Can you please stop this bullshit ” said Eros in a harsh voice.

“What? What are you talking?” I asked him

“Mom is going to adopt you day after tomorrow. I don’t want you as my sister. I don’t like you . I don’t want to have any siblings.

Go and talk to mom. And for god sake stop this annoying adoption. ” said Eros and slammed the door behind him.

“What did he just said, he don’t want me as sister? Why don’t he go to mommy and have a word directly? ” I thought.

But this is what I want too. I love him I don’t want him as my brother. Should I talk to mom.

Yeah I have too. Let’s give it a try jade” I said to myself.

I left my room and went to mommy’s room she was busy on a call so I waited there for a while when she was done with the call. I started..

“Umm… Mom I want to talk to you.”

“Yeah. Honey say”

”

“Mom I don’t want to be your daughter. ”

“What ? Honey what happened. You don’t like living here? ”

“No mom no, its not that

I love Eros how can I be your daughter and his sister”

Mom was shocked to see what I am saying.

She was silent.

When I finished.

She just said OK and Hugged me.

“You want to marry Eros ?”

“Umm yesss I want mom please.

OK then let’s do one thing why not you both get engaged ”

I was happy and blushing at the same time and I agreed to this offer.

On my 18th birthday party. Everyone gathered mom’s best friend, my school friends, Eros’s friend. Some of the leaders of province

Mom cleared her throat on mic and said,

Ladies and gentleman I would like draw your attention to an important announcement, I would like you all to meet jade my daughter.. My would be daughter in law. ”

Everyone clapped for me but Eros after listening the announcement was not Happy at all. It was not expected by him.

“I want you all to know that Eros and jade are going engage today”

Mom’s word pierced Eros and he gave me and angry look.

But he has to obey moms order. So he putted ring in my finger. After engagement everyone congratulated us . my friends called me so I went there. When the function was over. I looked for Eros but he was not there. I waited for him .

May be he needed sometime so might have gone to garden. But a day passed he is not back yet.

What has happened to him?

Where he is ?

Love is the best feeling anyone can experience specially when it’s your first love but what about the heartbreak and pain that comes along with it. 

Dear dairy,

Where shall I start? I wish I was a poet to express my feelings as it is,how I feel about him at my heart. It’s been a year now that I’m in love with him yet i cannot muster up the courage to tell him that. I don’t know why but when it’s about him the words don’t come easily like I wished they would. you know, there are three little words those eight letters that hold so much significance, the words that I associate with him completely, the phrase that I’m so tempted to tell him but am too scared to because I’m afraid that it might scare him off, it might ruin our friendship.

Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. That one person means the world to you. For me that one person has always been him.

They sat all the emotions which have been gifted to us by the God are an outcome mixture of love..love is weird yet beautiful it’s just the craziest emotion anyone can ever experience and I am in love with him sweetie.

He is just so amazing not only his body it’s the way he thinks. The way he frames the sentences make him admirable, for he never abuses or uses negative words. I don’t know whether he seems a thing like perfection to anybody else but for me he is perfect. He is kind of guy every girl would desire.

Oh god! I lost the track of time again. Mummy will be back from her work soon i need to rush.

Signing off for today sweetie,

Goodbye.

Hey sweetie,

I’m back again but this time I’m not going to write about how much i love him or how i hope that he is in love with me too, this time it’s about how it feels when you get your heart broken. Yes i lost my first love and you know what’s the worst? I still love him. Even after knowing that his heart belongs to someone else i still can,t stop loving him. I still think of how much i loved talking to him. I still feel those butterflies in the pit of my stomach when he smiles at me. I still replay the peices of our conversation where we laughed at something funny he said or did i still wish he was mine. Everything’s just

the same expect for the fact that all of these things hurt me now.

I guess that’s the thing with first love sweetie. you can never forget them they are the only one who get your whole untouched heart. They are the ones who get all the love you have stored and they get to keep it forever.

I don’t know what the future holds for us I don’t know whether i will fall for someone or not but i know he will always hold a special place in my heart.

Signing off again,

Goodbye sweetie

How much do you love me? I have asked you in my Prayers

Love has many faces some are beautiful some are most beautiful, purest of all, falling in love with someone and loving them more than you, it’s a brave thing to do, not everyone knows the definition of love in this world.

14^th February, a day that I can never forget ever in my life, apart from being my birthday, it brought back beautiful fond memories, memories of all the years that have passed by, memories of the celebrations, the people, the gifts. I never really gave this concept a very careful thought till this day. Well…, this year memories brought back much more, even my own self. An encounter with my past self was something that I least imagined would happen this day.

We lived each moment to its fullest; he was my pillar of strength, my best friend, my Lawrence…. My soul mate, probably something much more. He has always been there with me, since the time I remember. As cliché as it can get… we were inseparable. He always tried to make my birthdays the most special, gave me the most thoughtful gifts… that I haven’t   forgotten till date. I was the talker and he was the listener, I guess that was what kept us together, but there comes a day when the listener is done with the listening and that is exactly what happened and after that day we both grew as strangers. I still struggle to forget about that day and I am sure it is same for him and today I suddenly feel this huge hole in my heart, it has probably been there since that day waiting to be filled, so I immediately left to go and face the problems, face him, to tell him that it was really my fault and that I have been sorry for all these years and that I still loved him as much as I did earlier. I was the one who always walked out of any argument… first. He tried to mend the gap, but I was the one to put my foot down and remained stubborn. He was always a good boy; he never stopped trying to get us both back together again. He was always ready to put aside his ego and work out the problems.

In the fit of anger I never gave him chance to explain himself, never responded to any of his calls, or messages.

It makes me happy that I am going to meet him and that I have realised to do the right thing. I got his new address from the person currently living in his old home. Whenever we fight, he always used to tell me “Someday, I will be gone then you will know my importance and you will remember me”. Yes, he was a bit theatrical back then, the moment I reached his house, I knew I had come to the right place; it looked like him, it felt like him. I wonder how life has treated him since. I am going to give him the tightest hug and everything will be alright. I remember that he used to maintain a diary, though we had each other’s back all along and shared every possible detail; he still had that stupid little diary, I never really asked what he wrote in it, as I turned the pages of his diary, my whole life stood still before me. I realised… I had been living this great life on Lawrence’s good wishes and blessings. I was indebted for life and I knew that never was I ever going to be able to pay it back, not at least in this life. He wrote about all the beautiful memories of togetherness which he cherished and the pain and suffering that he has gone through. Has this really happened to him? To me?

Has he forgotten me, our friendship …the arguments? All these things I wanted to say to him and I was left stunned only to know that all these years he was still mine asking me in his prayers, which I am not worth of, I was no longer his Anna, and I was a whole new person now, a new book, with each day, a new page, the first page.

Lawrence now greets me not as an old fiend but someone I knew more than anyone else would have. “He lived a beautiful life he said without me, but it would much better views if I was with him” he said. I was wrong; there comes a day when it is too late. It left wondering why EGO becomes so important?? Even more than courage?? So, here I am looking forward to a life with Lawrence, yet the same which was 5 years back.

There is a note for me in the Diary saying “I have asked you in my prayers every day. You are my strength of my everyday struggles. I hope one day you come back to me and stay with me and we could grow old together.”

                                                            Sehmi sehmi raaton mein…
sehmi sehmi firti hoon,
lautungi main tere liye…tere liye….
jaaniyaan…….

Love demands sacrifice. This is the ultimate truth, but what if you are that sacrifice for someone’s ambition, for someone’s figment of imagination so that they can live their reality in a perfect fairy tale ending. And you the solely victim lives with that ‘perfect ending’ illusion without knowing what evil is lurking behind you…

   Sia loved to hum this song, it was one of her favorite tracks. She didn’t care if it was midnight or morning whenever she was feeling low she plugged the earphones in her ear and played this song on repeat mode and eventually started humming this song.
‘Hey dreamy girl’! Wake up!! Aisha literally chirped one afternoon when Sia was taking her siesta after a long exhausting work on her story. ‘Sia I sometimes think that your far- fetched stories easily comes to you in your sleep’. All hail to Sia our mysterious writer!  Sia was smiling while looking at her roommate. ‘Now as your today’s quota of exaggeration is over make some coffee’. Sia said while pushing her towards the kitchen.

It was past midnight and Sia had fallen asleep on her table while typing and the song was still on ‘Repeat’ mode and suddenly she found herself in a jungle and she was chasing someone. As soon as she turned around, she saw a board there hidden by bushes. When she bent down to read the words she gasped and quickly started running towards the jungle, now the jungle was getting darker and dangerous and she was just about to shout out for help but something restricted her. Now she saw that the one she was chasing was in trouble and pleading for help.Before she could do anything she heard a ringing tone like of an alarm and with a quick effort she just woke up and looked at her watch which showed 2:00 AM. ‘Again that same dream and still I got nothing out of it’. Sia muttered to herself and dragged herself to the kitchen for some coffee. ‘Why always I get stuck in that jungle and the alarm wakes me up? Sia was talking to herself very slowly so that Aisha is not disturbed who was sleeping in the next room. ‘I really have to think fast for that ending because every time I cannot manage in the ‘time crunch’. She was remembering her last time when she had gotten her book published and how she managed to end her mysterious tale with an astonishing conclusion and her fans and followers were still appreciating for her masterpiece.
After few days Aisha and Sia decided to take a break from their works and agreed to go on a jungle trip. Aisha asked one of her friends for an adventurous trip in the jungle. ‘But Aisha you know you should also take me as guide there because you know I’m an expert and how can I knowingly leave you two girls out there in the jungle all by your own’. Ankit was trying to persuade her as Valentines week was coming and this time he didn’t want to miss any chance with Sia.
They had met at her publishing ceremony of her first book one year ago and there, that place, that time he knew ‘she’ was the one. Her serious looks while reading something or her mysterious smiles when he cracked any silly jokes or her always in ‘conscious’ mode compelled him to love her more. But obviously she didn’t know till now. ‘Ha Ha Ha you know what Ankit let it be because we both are very responsible and dare if anyone comes in our way then I can use some of my ‘kung-fu’ lessons! And she laughed in a maniac way. ‘Aisha don’t be so mean please you know why I’m so keen on coming with you two, he paused for few seconds and then said ‘okay see the silver lining of this your money will be saved because I’ll bring my car and I’ll let you drive this time, I swear!!
Aisha always knew that how Ankit looks at Sia whenever they all got together and this gave an heart wrenching pain to Aisha because since two years she was in love with Ankit but she vowed not to disclose this in fear of getting mocked by him because she tried that on Christmas day when  they were playing ‘Truth’ and ‘Dare’ and the bottle stopped towards Aisha and she chose ‘Truth’. ‘Now your dirty secrets are going to be spilled Aisha’ , Ankit rubbed his hands and looked towards her with naughty expressions and there she blurted ‘I Love You’ and then Ankit started laughing and he laughed till his sides ached and what he said was just an unbearable blow to her. ‘Have you ever looked at yourself Aisha , you silly girl! You can be anyone’s friend but ‘love’ is not your cup of tea, you are awesome I mean just brilliant, perfect in everything but this!! And then he started laughing again. Enjoy your life buddy don’t spoil by loving and all! And then with controlling anger she started acting and said it was all a prank just to check their reactions.

“Hello, hello, Aisha, you there? Can you hear my voice?”, and she came back to present and quickly controlled that pain in her gut and agreed with his plan.

They agreed to start their journey at 6:00 clock in the morning the next day for avoiding traffic. Surprisingly everyone was on time even Ankit who was always the latecomer in their group. He instantly came out of the car and forcefully took the bags from Aisha and Sia. Both the girls were looking at each other with comical expressions.
As soon as the girls sat in the backseat, Ankit started his drama ‘what?? Do I look like a driver to you? one of you has to come and sit here next to me, he pointed towards the seat. Aisha and Sia burst out in laughter. ‘Yeah, In your dreams. Ankit was taken aback because he never thought that Sia could ever talk like this. He was really enjoying this. He started the car and they all were talking, teasing and laughing all the way when suddenly Ankit stepped on the brakes and muttered while showing his small finger to them. They both started giggling and suddenly Aisha’s eyes sparkled and and she winked at Sia and Sia knew that what she was up to.
Ahhhhh!! Now I fell so relaxed, Ankit said and he opened the door to his seat and was irritated while looking at Aisha. ‘Hi buddy, go and relax yourself more because now I’m covering the rest distance.’ Aisha made a face looking at him. And then Ankit realized that this is the ‘platinum opportunity’ for him and he jumped to the back seat and carefully maintained a distance with Sia.
As soon as Aisha started the car the Radio too started playing. ‘A lovely morning and a romantic week to all my beautiful listeners’ RJ Tanya’s voice echoed in the car. And they all were mesmerized by the songs she played one after the other and all this time Ankit was just admiring Sia and sometimes she too looked at him while resisting her smile. Ankit’s heart leapt to his mouth every time she did this. Aisha was witnessing all this but helpless as always she distracted herself and tuned to another station.
It was two o’ clock in the afternoon and they have decided to rest in a hotel which was few kilometers away from the jungle and they have decided to enter the jungle at 6 in the evening. They all retired to their rooms respectively. ‘I’m going to take a shower Sia’. Aisha said this and quickly closed the door and opened the tap and started sobbing quietly. After 10 minutes she heard a pounding on the door and as soon as she opened she saw Sia with her towel and clothes. ‘You forgot to take this silly! My god what happened to your eyes?? Sia looked at Aisha’s eyes which were bloodshot. ‘Nothing I was just washing my face with this soap and it all entered my eyes’. And Aisha giggled while tears were still coming out of her eyes. ‘you know what you always underestimate my intelligence… before she could complete her sentence the bell rang and Sia went to open the door and Aisha locked herself in t he washroom. ‘aarghhh…!!! As soon as Aisha heard Ankit’s voice she bolted the door and ran towards him. ‘what? Wha..? di d you do now? She saw his hand was bleeding copiously. ‘It’s nothing it’s just aarrgg…’ he again screeched with pain.’ Okay I have that ointment in my bag and she literally pushed away Sia and took out the ointment and first cleaned his wounds very carefully. Sia was watching all this and was just shaking her head while smiling. ‘There you go fit as a fiddle’. Aisha mocked. ‘My god how you bring these phrases into your mind and then he suddenly looked at Sia and cringed his nose and said ‘well here’s the source of inspiration’ and bowed to her. ‘Funny guy’!! Sia taunted and they all started laughing. ‘Okay it’s already 4:30 now please you go to your room because we have to freshen up’. Aisha pushed Ankit towards the door and he suddenly held her hand and said ‘why haven’t I ever fallen in love with you’? Aisha felt numb suddenly and her face was totally blank. After few seconds she heard Ankit laughing ‘you can fool me so can I’. He ran towards his room.

It was 6 in the evening and they all entered the jungle. Seriously? I mean we are going for an adventure trip Aisha not in somebody’s funeral! Why are you carrying so much baggage? Ankit looked at her big backpack. ‘I sometimes forget how commendable your sense of humour is Ankit! And this is not just my things it’s Sia’s too!! Ankita stated blankly. ‘ohhh you should have told me alright then you can carry by yourselves? Obviously you can my lady dabbang. He squeezed her in her in his arms. Sia turned towards the opposite side and then she gasped. It was the same board that she saw in her dream. She didn’t dared to look towards it.
‘Well then let’s start’! Ankit clapped his hands and they started walking.
Siaaaaaaaaaa!!!! Ankit was screaming at the top of his lungs. They all were lost as Aisha had a little fight with Sia she told them that she was going on her own and after few minutes Sia advised Ankit that the two of them will go differently in two directions and one of them will catch Aisha. But now as the darkness dominated and there was not a single sign of any light and of Sia or Aisha. It was just his torch and his undeniable conscience that encouraged him to go on. He was completely unaware of the ominous accident that was about to happen in the other part of the jungle.

She was running and crying after what she did. She never meant to but one has to do something in one’s defense. As she hoped to find him she just stuck her legs in the hole and now she was struggling with her legs when she heard that footstep, dragging in between the dried leaves. She could hear her heart pounding as if it will just burst out. And there that shadow cast upon her through the little bit moonlight which was finding its way through the dense trees. And there she was with a steel rod in her hand. Sssiaaaa….. please drop that at once and stop this stupidity, I know ankit is here hiding somewhere, right? Okay Ankit you won, you both won now let’s stop this madness!!! Aisha was not able to believe what she was seeing. Then suddenly Sia spoke in her never heard chilling voice ‘Ankit is right you know; you are silly Aisha. I mean what exactly made you think that day? Well Ankit himself is not so smart. You tried your best to convince him that you were lying! But did you think that you can outrun me with your silly smartness! And now Sia’s bloody lips and her scorned face looked crystal clear in the shining moonlight. ‘But,but what it has to do with all this?? Aisha stammered.

Sia came to her and sat beside her and caressed her lovingly and then said I love you sweetheart you never knew?? I mean how come you never realized that! You didn’t have any idea?? Right Aisha?

And Sia jerked Aisha’s head while clutching to her tresses in her hand and Aisha shrieked in pain. Shhh shhhh sweety now you don’t want anything tragic happens to him. Do you? Sia cocked her head at the other side and detangled her hair carefully.
‘Sia I never knew that you liked me and I respect your.. What good it will bring me? huh? Your respect? What I will do with that! I want your love, the same love which you give it to that brainless idiot without even asking! Sia stood up and again took the rod in her hands. Aisha trembled with fear and cold and she was sweating profusely.
‘Sia calm down’! and listen to me please! You love me, right? So when you love someone you don’t harm them or their loved ones you love them without any condition. ‘But now it’s too late for that chit-chat. But still you can be of one good thing to me! You can be my pretty perfect ending to my book! And before Aisha could understand anything it was pitch black in front of her eyes.

‘ohhh thank god Ankit you are here’! Sia dashed to him from the other side while clutching his shirt for protection. ‘Where the hell is Aisha? And why are you bleeding? Ankit looked at her suspiciously. ‘She has gone mad’! Sia spoke while gasping for breath. ‘She hit me with the rod on my back because she thinks that I’m coming between you two!! Sia started crying and hugged him tightly. Ankit was feeling helpless and he hugged her back. After several minutes he consoled her and told her to calm down and gave her some water. He was just thinking for calling to Aisha when he heard something moving and before he could turn around Sia hit him hard with a stone on his head and Ankit dropped down screaming with pain. ‘So you love me’? How much you love me Ankit? Tell me? do you love me to that extent where you can die for me or let me rephrase that question can I kill you for your unconditional love? Sia pouted her lips forward and shook her head with sadness.
‘I so wish that you didn’t come in Aisha’s life and I tried this afternoon when that scorpion was served you in your room but look at you all healthy! And who saved you? Again my beloved Aisha! she has this weird tendency to save everyone and look In the end she only.. And shestopped. ‘whaa.. what Have you done to her? Tell me you.. and Sia again hit him but this time with the rod and Ankit’s last words turned into his last breath. His blood was gushing out and splattered on the forest ground.

After three months

‘Now, now be careful easy there.’ Sia helped Aisha In sitting. ‘how are you feeling’? is there any pain? Any wound? Relax Sia you are acting like you have been hurt. Aisha smiled at her
‘Obviously I was hurt when you were sleeping and dreaming for one month and I couldn’t help you’! When doctors said that you will remain in coma for god knows how long!! I was shattered! Sia’s welled up and tears dropped down to her lap. ‘Hey, hey but see I’m back without any pain but obviously with a permanent blockage to my past life! Aisha giggled. ‘Sia stroked her hair and said ‘but sometimes it’s necessary to start something with a fresh clean memory. Like when you write on the sand and the sea washes it away and then you write something new. ‘Hmmm your metaphorical words just send me to a parallel universe. She guffawed and then looked at Sia and said ‘but I’m lucky that my love is with me forever and protecting me with all the negativities. Sia smiled uneasily and hugged her.

That night when Aisha went to deep sleep, Sia got up and went to her balcony and closed her eyes –

That board was put on display for the passersby and it read : Don’t go inside the jungle after 6 in the evening otherwise the ‘evil’ will come to you. She had already read that before entering with Aisha and Ankit but didn’t informed them because her cunning mind had already planned the ‘evil’…
That night was really a long one as Sia dragged Aisha to the entrance of the jungle and soon reached her hotel in Ankit’s car and called for an ambulance.
‘Sir that boy Ankit he was repeatedly attacking her so I had to do something and yes I killed him in my defense because if I had not then he must surely have killed both of us’!! She pleaded to the inspector.
‘But what was the reason that he was so keen on murdering her? The inspector looked at her quizzically.
‘Sir because Aisha loves me and he was in love with her, she knew but I never knew that he was planning this brutal attack on us!
‘Doctor how is she’? Sia was crying. ‘I’m sorry but I’m afraid after this massive blow on her head she might lose her memory, for now she is in coma.
And that same month Sia published her book with that ominous ending and when she was asked about that ending that was that  inspired or imagined?  ‘That’s my inspiration from someone else’s reality’.  Sia answered with a crooked smile.
Sia looked at Aisha who was sleeping soundly and quietly whispered in her ears ‘Happy valentine’s my love’ and kissed her on the forehead. And started humming:
Sehmi sehmi raaton mein,
sehmi sehmi firti hoon,
lautungi main tere liye…. Tere liye…
jaaniyaan…

Perfect love comes with perfect Valentines’ Day destinations.

Just married! How everything, even the bulldog like face of the lawyer, and two or three curs plodding the streets audaciously, looked nice and beautiful. But, to top this new-found, peculiar beauty that he was experiencing all of a sudden, was the lovely face of his wife. Ah! This was seventh heaven for him.

Marrying against everyone’s wishes and settling with Ritu in the vast cosmopolitan city of Mumbai was not, and would never turn out to be easy; but so far hadn’t turned out to be much difficult either. The weather was showing signs of a possible bout of rain, with ominous dark clouds and chilling winds. With a hurried “thank you” and a few pleasantries that a civilized society demanded, the couple, in their brand new car was seen speeding into the ever-crowded streets of the city.

Above all the excitement in Vivek’s heart, there laid the inevitable truth that his life was now prone to a lot of changes and he was in store for surprises that this marriage would bring. He simply couldn’t avoid thinking how suddenly one by one the events had occasioned themselves, and now were trailing, chained together across his memory lane. Thus, thoughts took possession of his mind, and even if the heavy traffic on the roads demanded his complete attention, he got himself preoccupied with the happenings of a recent past till that very day, when he had finally transcended from a boyfriend to a husband.

His friends had not quite believed him when one day he had confided in them that it was a love at first sight with Ritu, more or less because she wasn’t the type boys would goggle at, with her short hair, simple looks and straightforward attitude; an air of discipline was always around her, something that exactly suited a school girl. Nonetheless, they had supported him in his romantic endeavor – he was successful at striking a friendship with her and from there their romance had flourished well until they had finished college.

Having been lucky have been granted placements, although in different sectors and institutions – Vivek as a travelling journalist and Ritu as a reporter in a TV News Channel, everything was running quite happy and smooth; they had little difficulty in maintaining a distant relationship. Five years went by and it was that time when family starts pressurizing about settling and starting a family. So, gradually in another year, both their families came to know about the existence of the other person in their lives, but that was when things started turning out bitter, because neither his nor Ritu’s family agreed to the marriage.

By this time Vivek had quit travelling and settled comfortably in Mumbai, and three days ago he had purchased the car that he was now driving. Actually, purchase of the car and a pact with a certain lawyer for a court marriage had been almost simultaneous, and this morning the pact had come off successful. And Ritu, who had been staying in a hostel all along after college in Mumbai itself, was going to find a new home. Her feelings of excitement, love for Vivek, and a little apprehension were all intermingled too. Neither of them spoke throughout the journey from the court to Vivek’s flat.

Neither of them had told their parents too about this act. It would have to be done soon today and they would have to face the music – there was simply no other alternative. But once that was over, they could enjoy a few happily married days…

He hadn’t imagined that a sarong and fluttery sun-hat would look so beautifully fitting on the petite Ritu. It was going to be great fun with their three day stay at Pattaya Beach, Thailand. Next, they would be visiting some more amazing Valentines’ day destinations, celebrating their honeymoon, now that already a month of their marriage was coming to an end, and love was in the air with the upcoming Valentines’ week.

The travelling experiences of Vivek had helped him choose some of the best places around the world, which would both strengthen their bond and show his bride how much she meant to him.

He couldn’t help feeling happy whenever he remembered how the stunning surprise gift of the honeymoon package had resulted in ecstatic happiness and he had been greeted with a tight hug. That had been after a fortnight of their marriage, when finally the family broils had settled down, and everyone from both sides had more or less accepted the fact. To celebrate this easing tension, as well as their marriage, Vivek had devised this wonderful idea.

With a farewell to the sands of Pattaya, they welcomed the sands of Greece, its mystic atmosphere, and eagerly waited for a view of the mesmerizing sunrise in the Santorini Islands, a haven for lovers. Their next destinations were towards the west, in the US.  The joyous and flirty ambience of chocolates, champagne, canoodling penguins and lovely beaches in San Francisco, California transformed into the cobblestone streets, moody Spanish moss and Southern charm in Savannah, Georgia. Judging the expressions and moods of his wife, he could easily say that she was immensely enjoying the trip, and her happy face evoked in him a double happiness, resulting from her company and the beauty of the places, although he had already had had a taste of them earlier in his life.

After the wild and unique Savannah, the couple shouted a “hello” to New York City in New York, one of the most glamorous and exciting places to be, with the sophisticated SoHo, adventurous downtown Manhattan, Central Park and the High Line, the trip was downright amazing. And this was where they celebrated their first Valentines’ Day as husband and wife.

Unfortunate that they were running close towards the end of their vacation-cum-honeymoon, they could not see more of the country or more of any other mesmerizing places, but with a happy sigh left the New York City Airport for their second last destination – San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is said that the beaches of San Juan in winter are a perfect place to kick-start your romance in the historic city apt for strolling, lounging and club-hopping at night.

It was all a bit strange though; because even if Vivek could vividly visualize their holidays, the places, his beautiful wife and the quality time that they were spending together, he could hardly remember anything of their journeys from one place to another. It was more like the playing of a film for him, too fast, when the background scenery changes from place to place, with the hero and heroine dancing to a romantic song on the foreground. Weird it was, but he let the peculiar feeling go, and focused his mind on their trips.

And finally they took leave of the West and the journey towards the East ended in the islands of Maldives, their last holiday destination, marking the end of an awesome trip. The calm waters and lazy atmosphere of the beaches, suitable for relaxation, helped to get them prepared for a journey back to their country, back home, and of course back to their respective work, and no need to mention – a visit to their families.

At that thought, a little uneasiness crept into Vivek, for the brief carefree days were nearly gone and reluctantly they would have to plunge into the monotonous life again. But at present he was happy to plunge into the azure ocean.

***

The excitement in her family after she had gotten a job in Mumbai, gradually through the course of years changed into a nagging tension for Ritu, resulting in several cold feuds with her family, all because she refused to marry anybody else, other than Vivek. The situation had worsened in the past few days, after she had celebrated her twenty eighth birthday. And it was not only her family, but also Vivek’s who were grudging their marriage. They simply couldn’t understand where the problem was. Both of them were well-off, their families were well-off and if they could guarantee a good future with each other, then why get denied? Just because of the difference in their cultural backgrounds, where she belonged to Gujarat and he was a Delhi-based boy? Oh, that was altogether absurd!

When none of the families seemed to see reason, or even try to understand the perspectives, what could they do; no logical solution seemed to appear. It had been almost a year that they were spending their days uneasily, which was hampering their personal as well as professional lives. Now that Vivek had settled in Mumbai, something needed to be done soon; otherwise she felt that this tension would turn out to be a depression for her. The situation couldn’t be avoided anymore, she couldn’t avoid the phone calls from her parents anymore, who even had proposed to come down to Mumbai in a few days to discuss the matter and couldn’t be talked out of it. So, before they arrived and tried to handle the situation in their own way, possibly take her away and marry her off to somebody else, she had to do something quick. But what could she do?

The only answer that was framed in her mind to all her questions was a single word – elope.

Though it wasn’t a very sensible thing to do, but once done, it would sort things out, although after heavy complications. But, no other way out, this was worth a try. This was of course not the first time that this thought had crossed hers or Vivek’s mind; in fact, they had discussed it several times before, but not being an ideal thing to do, they had put it off, always hoping that there would come one fine day when at least one of their families would agree to their getting married.

But now, running out of time as they were, she would urge Vivek to take quick steps and wait no more. And she would do it tomorrow, on Valentines’ Day, and would also gift him something to make the occasion special. After all, she was sure that he would agree and if so it would be their last Valentines’ Day as boyfriend and girlfriend. The thought brought a grin on her face, but at the same time she heard the clock in the hall chime midnight. Time to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a very busy day, perhaps for both of them.

***

Vivek in the middle of enjoying a drowse on his airplane seat beside Ritu, on their retuen journey from Maldives to Mumbai, was rudely awaken by somebody who had so audaciously taken the liberty to dash a glass of cold water on his face.

“What the-!” he halted in the middle of shouting.

He was dazed. It was not in any airplane he was in, but strangely in his own house, sitting drenched on his own bed, and there was Ritu beside him, looking ever so gorgeous, laughing her guts out and holding an empty glass.

“It was about time you woke up, sleepy head. It’s nine o’ clock,” she giggled, “And happy Valentines’ day!”

“So it was all a dream” he murmured smiling to himself, “But an extremely pleasant one”. Well, now he could understand the abrupt shifting of the scenes and the movie-like feeling.  Aloud he said, “Happy Valentines’ Day, dear! What a surprise! No office today?”

“Took a leave. And so are you going to do. Here are two movie tickets I bought for us. Get up and get ready. The movie starts in two hours.”

At the movie, which turned out to be rather boring, Ritu told him about her parents coming in a few days. And that was when a bright idea struck him. Why not turn that dream into a beautiful reality? So, before she could suggest the part about eloping, he asked her if she was okay with a court marriage, and told her about the rather filmy dream he had had. She smilingly nodded her consent and hugged him. Wow, another beautiful moment, and this time it was real.

They would marry, and after things had settled down well, he would take her on a vacation to the exact same places he had visualized in his dream. The movie ended and while coming out of the theatre, he called up his lawyer friend to fix a date for the marriage. And he would also buy a car in a few days. The dream had been picture perfect. And so his life was going to be.

Its about how friendship is important in one’s life and how great friends a girl and a guy could be.

Read Part I

Days were passing and our friendship grew better everyday. Both of us had lost hopes on the concept of  love, we were scared of another heartbreak and hence we never fell in love. Instead , we cared for each other too much, shared whatever is on mind, happiness, sadness, old memories and so on. Our bonding became so strong and no other harmful thoughts rose in our mind. We used to be together at home watching movies or having fun even at late evening yet our hearts were so pure that we had true care and friendship in mind and nothing else. And thus an year has passed and we were the best friends forever. I felt so secure when I was with him.

I felt contented that I had been fully healed from my heartbreak because of this true care and unconditional relationship. I felt that my Aadhi was the GIFT OF MY LIFE that God has sent to make me happy in this world.  These were the thoughts and memories that filled up my mind when I was at the balcony last night.

Waking up the next morning, I cooked the breakfast and went to his home to check on him. I found him still sleeping and poured a glass of water in his face to wake him up. He woke up with a jerk and started chasing me for my act. We were playing from his bedroom through the hall, kitchen and his entire home. We stopped with laughter only after he poured a whole jug of water over my head in revenge. We then made ourselves ready to the office and left.

At the evening on our way back to home, he received a call from his mom. I knew her well and we spoke sometime. We were good friends to our family too. His mom spoke to me about his marriage. I felt really happy about the new life that my friend has to start through this marriage. As we reached home, I conveyed him about the idea of his marriage. I could see from his eyes that he felt little sad thinking of his past. I went near him, patted his shoulder and gave him a smile as he looked at me.

I said, “Trust me, you will really have a great life partner who will understand your feelings of the past and will surely care for you and give you the love you have lost.”

He was silent and I tapped him again to bring him to the present. He looked through my eyes and said “nobody else could understand me more than you. Also, no other girl would like her husband having a female friend so closer to him. I do not want to lose you at any cost, especially in the name of marriage. I don’t want to lose this relationship of ours for a fake bond called marriage. I don’t want to get married.”

I was shocked. I thought he wasn’t interested in marriage just because of his past bitter experiences in love but only now I understood that he wasn’t interested in marriage just because he wanted my friendship forever. I thought to myself that I did the same when my mom spoke about my marriage previously. I consoled him and we clearly explained our thoughts to both of our parents and they freed us for an year. Our parents were good friends just like us. Soon they had found a bride and a groom suitable to us.

First we met my groom and I introduced Aadhi to him. That meeting felt good as our parents had already told them about us. The three of us became good friends and I felt that this bonding would not break my friendship with my Aadhi. The same thing happened while we met Aadhi’s bride. Sooner, our marriage was arranged and we got married on the same day in the same hall. We were the happiest in the world that day. We became a best example of friendship to the world. Only I had to shift myself to my husband’s home and yet we were in good contact with each other.

In all situations, Aadhi helped me and even my husband at his official works. Similarly, I was a good friend to Aadhi’s wife just as I was with him. Happiest was life thereafter. We did not lose the best bonding of our life and at the same time had a personal soul mate for ourselves as per our parent’s wish. Soon, I had a baby boy and Aadhi got a baby girl. Our family entirely was too friendly and lively in relation to each other and our kids grew up together.

Years passed and we always wondered how life would have been without these happy relationships. I and Aadhi always thanked our parents for giving us such wonderful partners who respected our friendship. We were so happy and I always remembered the day I first quarreled with Aadhi at the office and that evening party that became the start dot of this relationship. We were pretty sure that our friendship would continue in our next generation through our kids.

Good friends are a gift of life. Never miss them at any cost.