New FF-2nd chance at Love-Completed-PG 81-08/08/2014 - Page 40

They had planned to start by 7.00 am, but both Vihaan and Kalpana were awake by 4.00 am and could not go back to sleep.

Both gave up and started getting ready for the trip. By 5.30 both of them were ready, but were unsure about the other.

Finally Kalpana who was pacing about in her house could not resist anymore and called Vihaan. "Hello Vihaan, when are you coming to pick me up?" she asked as soon as he picked up the call.

The immediate thought in Vihaan's mind was that she was going to be late and hence she had called him. He felt a sudden sense of disappointment which he masked and said, "I was planning to come there by 7.00, but if you are going to be late, I can delay my coming".

She said, "No, I am already ready, you can come by 7.00".

Vihaan grinned to himself as he thought she is as eager as you are. "I am also ready, can I come now". Kalpi said, "Sure I will be waiting"

Kalpi was dressed in simple outfit of white jeans and a beautiful embroidered kurti in lemon yellow. She was very conscious of not wanting to look overdressed. But she could not resist putting a small amount of makeup and leaving her hair loose. She put on simple pearl drop earrings. She looked into the mirror and could not resist smiling at herself. She felt herself floating on air and all fluttery about spending the day with Vihaan.

She had called her parents and told them about this trip, but somehow she made it sound as if it was an official visit. She really could not understand herself why she felt the need to hide the truth.

Vihaan was like an energizer bunny since last night. He had called the caretaker of the farm house on the way from Kalpana's house itself and had given him a long list of instructions on what needed to be done.

He had told his Mom about his trip, as his dad was away on business and his mom said, "Best of luck, son. I hope you come back engaged to my future daughter-in-law."

Vihaan hugged his mom and said "You are the best Mom in the whole world".

She was already waiting for him by the gate of the building and the fact that she was so keen made him feel happiness beyond belief.

She sat in the car next to him and he felt as if his whole world had been ensconced in this car. She smiled a shy, sweet smile and he felt a deep glow arise within his heart.

Kalpi never knew why, but she suddenly felt very shy in his presence. She sat silently for some time and Vihaan who felt all her emotions in his heart immediately, understood. He switched on the music player and soft notes of, "Is dard-e-dil ki sifarish" filled the car.

Vihaan thought there could not be a more apt song to describe his emotions. Every sentence of the song seemed to have been written with him in mind.

(Dil mera hai nasamajh kitna
Besabar ye bewkoof bada
Chahta hai kitna tujhe
Khud magar nahi jaan sakaa)

My heart is so silly

It is so impatient and silly

It loves you so much

But it itself does not know how much

(Is dard-e-dil ki sifarish
Ab kar de koi yahaan
Ki mill jaaye isey woh baarish
Jo bhigaa de poori tarah (x2))

Someone make a recommendation

Of the pain in my heart

That it gets the rain which

Drenches it completely

Kya huaa asar tere saath reh kar naa jaane
Ki hosh mujhe naa raha
Lafz mere thhe zubaan pe aake ruke
Par ho na sake woh bayaan

I don't know the what is the effect that your proximity brings

That I am not in my senses

That words came and stopped on my lips

But I could not speak them

Dhadkan tera hi naam jo le
Aankhein bhi paighaam ye de
Teri nazar ka hi ye asar hai
Mujh pe jo huaa

My heartbeats call out your name

My eyes also give out the same message

This is all the effect of your eyes

Tu jo mila
Toh zindagi hai badli
Main poora naya ho gaya
Hai be-asar duniya ki baatein badi
Ab teri sunu main sadaa

My life has changed since I met you

I have become a new person

The world's words have become ineffective

I just listen to your call

Milne ko tujhse, bahaane karun
Tu muskuraaye, wajah main banun
Roz bitaana saath mein tere, saara din mera

I try to make excuses to meet you

I want to be the reason for your smile

I want to spend every moment of every day with you.

"Kalpana, I don't think I told you yesterday, you are a great cook", Vihaan said conversationally.

Kalpana thanked him shyly.

Suddenly she had a thought Vihaan was the only one of her friends who still called her Kalpana and not Kalpi. She had never asked him to call her Kalpi. She realized that she loved hearing the name Kalpana from his lips. She felt that Kalpi name was a part of her past, but Kalpana denoted her future and she wanted Vihaan to call her Kalpana only.

Vihaan started telling her about the factory and the laboratories where research happened. He was really excited about showing her everything.

Kalpana asked him quite incisive questions and he loved talking and explaining things to her. He was thinking that there would not be a single boring moment in his life with Kalpana. She was so many things wrapped in one beautiful package and he would have the time of his life in unwrapping it.

They were so engrossed in the conversation that they did not realize the passing of the distance or time and soon he was driving into the gates of the factory.

Kalpana looked wide-eyed as she surveyed the state of the art factory. It was such a dichotomy the ancient Indian herbal remedies being reinvented in the most modern of the settings. She could not but be impressed.

The laboratory was something else again equipped with the latest scientific equipment and there were highly qualified scientists working there.

Kalpana said," I cannot believe this place, it is awesome".

Vihaan said, "Yes it is, you know it is Dad's vision and dream. He has left no stone unturned to make it a success. You know our products have received a great coverage in high end western beauty magazines and great reviews. I am really confident that this will be a great success."

Kalpana looked and saw a sense of pride in Vihaan's eyes and she suddenly felt very emotional and she took hold of Vihaan's hands and looked into his eyes and said, "I am sure it will be. You and your dad are really special and you deserve all the success".

Vihaan covered her hands with his other hand and they were lost in each other.

After the guided tour and lunch in the office canteen, they drove towards the farmhouse.

Vihaan talked about the farm house in a reverential tone. He told her that it was surrounded by farms and a river ran on one side of the grounds. He told Kalpana that most of the raw material required for the products came from their own farms.

Even though she was expecting something magnificent the actual beauty of the place and the house left her spellbound.

The entered the grounds of the house through and tall iron clad gates. The road reaching the gate was surrounded on both sides by beautiful green fields.

There were tall trees on either side of the driveway and the overhang of the trees gave the driveway an absolute quaint beauty. Suddenly her eyes fell on the most beautiful house. It was set on a height, on a very small hill. On both sides of the steps leading to the house there were sloping manicured lawns. The effect of the untamed wilderness on the grounds and the perfectly manicured lawns gave a perfectly beautiful setting for the magnificent house. The house was a two-storeyed one made of grey stone with tall mullioned windows. The upper floors had balconies running through the entire length of the house and there were various flowering plants and creepers hanging from the balconies as if they were one with the house itself. The whole effect of the house in the the bright rays of the sun was magical.

The beauty of the whole setting had tears pricking in Kalpi's eyes. "It is so beautiful," she said in awed tones, but could not say anything more.

Vihaan felt overjoyed as he had always felt that this was the most beautiful place in the whole wide world. He had visited almost half the world and he had never felt more connected to any place, as he felt to this. He felt glad to see Kalpana feeling almost the same.

The entered the house and Vihaan introduced them to the servants. Kalpana as always, was impressed with the respectful tones that he used while taking to everyone including his servants.

The house was another example of harmony of decor. All the furniture was rustic, but totally designed for comfort. There was such a warm, cozy feeling to the house, inspite of the huge size.

But the house faded into prominence once she saw the beautiful grounds. There were huge trees which seemed to be growing since fore-ever itself giving the whole place an old world feeling.

Her eyes grew wider and wider as she surveyed each new facet of the grounds. It was as if a new jewel was being exposed to her eyes and she could not savour it enough. Kalpana always had a great love for nature and every chance she got she spent it in the parks of Mumbai, but the parks of Mumbai had nothing on this place. Kalpana had been in the city for too long now and she wanted to drink in all the natural beauty that God had bestowed on this place.

Vihaan was watching the beautiful expressions on her lovely face with a smile. He was enjoying every minute if this lovely day.

Suddenly Kalpana tripped on the root of a tree and was about to fall and Vihaan instinctively snaked his arm around her waist and held her steady. Suddenly he was looking into her eyes and both of them were lost. It was a sense of Dj vu for both of them as the recollected the first time he had prevented her from falling. "We have come a long way since then", was the thought in both of their minds.

"Be careful, Kalpana", Vihaan said.

"You seem to be always there to support me," Kalpana said smilingly and then realized what she had said and blushed.

Vihaan and Kalpi reached the area where the river flowed. There was a rustic wooden bridge over the river and there were paddy fields on the other side. It was such a beautiful vision that Kalpi stopped and breathed in the beauty. She unconsciously extended her hand towards Vihaan, as if she wanted to share this moment with him. Vihaan caught hold of her hand and held it tight.

Vihaan then took her to herbal gardens, where the various plants used in their products grew. The botanist in the gardens explained the various herbs grown and their uses and Kalpana was fascinated.

"You must be tired, you should not be overdoing things", Vihaan said when he saw that dusk had started to fall and they had walked for hours.

"No, please, everything is so beautiful and exciting and I don't feel a least bit tired", Kalpi said.

Their next stop was the flower garden, where there were all kinds of beautiful flowers growing. Vihaan informed her that all their products used natural flowers for giving their products fragrance. The sweet smell in the air was something she had never experienced before. The smell of lavender, jasmine, roses, tube-roses etc made her feel intoxicated. The roses were not the hot-house variety, but were grown more for their smell than their appearance.

Vihaan suddenly asked her, "Can I click a picture of yours? You look like a flower yourself, surrounded by other flowers".

Kalpana coloured, but nodded and Vihaan clicked a picture. He thought to himself, you really are a flower who brings fragrance into my life.

Finally they decided to go back to the house for some tea.

Vihaan had decided that he would propose to her over dinner. He had selected the perfect place for the proposal. There was one part of the grounds which he had kept hidden from her and he wanted to unveil it in during the dinner.

Kalpi and Vihaan were sitting opposite each other in the living room area. Kalpi sat with her legs tucked under her. She had already piled up her long hair on the top of her head in a bun and she was looking absolutely serene and relaxed.

"I had the best day, Vihaan. Thanks for everything", she said.

"The day is not over yet, Kalpana. Yesterday you treated me to the most delicious dinner. So today I want to invite you for dinner", Vihaan said.

"I would love to join you for dinner, but can we have it here. I don't want to leave this beautiful place", Kalpi requested.

Vihaan smiled, "We are going to have dinner here itself. Don't worry".

Kalpi went to dress for dinner and she was glad she had brought her favourite dress with her. It was a beautiful black salwar suit with red and golden embroidery in the front and on the sleeves. She had a red and golden crushed silk dupatta worn with it.

She had worn long dangling gold earrings. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought to herself that she really looked glowing and her happiness was reflected in her face. She was never vain about her looks and even when she was all decked up she never considered herself to be a raving beauty, but today she felt beautiful.

Vihaan was already waiting for her downstairs when she alighted the stairs. She suddenly felt overdressed as Vihaan was simply dressed in Khaki trousers with a Navy blue shirt.

But seeing the admiration in his eyes made her lose her nervousness. Vihaan eyes never left her face till she came before him.

Vihaan escorted her outside and she suddenly cried out, "You said we are not going out, where are you taking me?"

Vihaan said "Trust me".

On coming out of the house, Kalpi was lost in admiration once more. The whole wooded area was bathed in moonlight, but there were discreet lamps scattered around the whole area which dispelled darkness but did not intrude on the moonlight.

Vihaan led her outside through a paved path which lead them to a Gazebo set on the edge of the river. The Gazebo was a simple but elegant structure made of wood with ornate railings. The whole roof of the Gazebo was overhung with creepers and it looked as it was a part of the woods. It was lighted up with muted lamps and the moonlight gave it an ethereal look. There was a table set for 2 inside it with a single candle sitting on the table. The whole air was filled with a sweet fragrance emitted by the the QueenofNight flowers planted on all sides of the Gazebo.

As soon was Kalpi's eyes fell on this beautiful sight, she stopped as if dumbstruck. She gazed at the image before her eyes, expecting it to disappear at anytime now, as it seemed to be too beautiful to be real.

There were tears in her eyes and she looked at Vihaan and instinctively hugged him and said, "This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and I am sure I will ever see." He hugged her back and they both stayed in each other's embrace for some time.

Vihaan led her into to table and pulled out the chair and Kalpi thought that she had never been made to feel so special. It made her very emotional.

Vihaan sat opposite her. Suddenly the atmosphere felt greatly charged. Vihaan was tense about the proposal and Kalpana was feeling very shy.

Initially, their conversation felt stilted, both of them were aware of this constraint but were not able to explain the reason. They started dinner and slowly but surely the natural bonding between them kicked in

and they started conversing naturally.

"You know this has been my favourite place in the whole world. I have spent many of my summer holidays here with my grandparents. I have been almost all around the world, but have never felt as much at home anywhere else", he said.

"I can understand, I have just spent a few hours here and I already feel at home here. Did you bring a lot of your friends here?" Kalpi asked. What she wanted to ask was whether he had brought any of his girlfriends here, but she could not bring herself to ask that question.

He said, "No one has ever come here".

Vihaan thought to himself and realized that he had never brought anyone here. She was the first one apart from his family who he had brought here. He had not deliberately done this, but it had never felt right inviting anyone to this place. With Kalpana it felt just right, she just fitted perfectly here. He was sure he wanted to show her this place because he knew she would appreciate it.

They finished dinner and Kalpi got up from her seat and went and sat down on the steps of the Gazebo looking at the flowing river.

Vihaan went behind her and forwarded a packet of her chocolates into her hands and then went and sat next to her watching her.

Her eyes widened with pleasure as expected and she opened the box of chocolates offered one to him, which he refused and she popped up one into her mouth.

Vihaan watched her again absolutely fascinated. She looked absolutely lovely drenched in moonlight. The wind was blowing through her hair. At the same time she was looking absolutely sensual doing sexy things with her mouth eating the chocolate. He knew his emotions were getting out of control and he decided now was the time to tell her about his feelings.

"Vihaan, you have given me a perfect day in a perfect place. Thanks for this lovely, lovely day. . You don't know what you have done for me, Vihaan. Less than a year back my life was totally shattered, now I feel as if I have never been happier. The stars, the moonlight, the river, everything makes me feel so grateful to be alive. You know I used to always wonder how poets came up with perfect lines to describe beauty, but now I understand a place like this at a time like this could make anyone a poet. Thank you once again. As long as I live, I will always cherish this day." she said and looked at him dreamily.

Vihaan felt overwhelmed. There was a small bit of chocolate on the side of her lips and he had to literally use an iron self control to stop himself from kissing it clean. He just wiped it off with his fingers and she suddenly blushed.

Vihaan was suddenly besieged with all sorts of doubts and insecurities. He was scared that she would refuse his love and end every relationship with him. He worried that she who was so happy would become sad once more. He was also apprehensive that she would tell him that she still loved Raghav and she considered him just a friend. He who had always faced every challenge hands on, suddenly turned into an insecure, anxious person. He lost his nerve to propose to her, as he never wanted to be the cause of her unhappiness in anyway. Vihaan who was one of the most intelligent go-getter, suddenly turned into a insensible procrastinator. Love makes peopel do strange things and Vihaan was just experiencing the effects of love.

"It is getting late, let's go inside", Vihaan said. As soon as the words came out of his mouth he cursed himself.

Kalpi looked at him with pain in her eyes. She did not want to go inside. She wanted to soak in the beauty of the place with Vihaan by her side.

But she said, "Okay" and got up.

Both were silent walking back towards the house.

Kalpi was blaming herself for getting overly emotional and making Vihaan uncomfortable. Vihaan was cursing himself for destroying the perfect moment due to his insecurity.

As soon as they entered the house, she excused herself and left for her room. Vihaan left for his room and banged his fist on a table. He was unbelievably angry at himself for losing the perfect opportunity for proposing and in turn hurting her by ending the beautiful day so abruptly.

Vihaan and Kalpi's rooms were adjacent to each other. Kalpi was totally restless. She had changed into a thin white cotton nightie with delicate straps, but sleep was still too far away from her eyes.

She went and stood in the balcony watching the moonlight playing on the river amongst the canopy of stars.

She started pacing on the balcony with a strange sense of helplessness. She felt that something was wrong, even though she did not know what was wrong. She felt a major sense of loss, even though she did not know what she had lost.

Vihaan was in the same condition as Kalpi. Abruptly he made a decision and jumped across from his balcony to hers.

Kalpi was stunned to see him there. In the moonlight, dressed in white, she looked like an angel. "His angel", he thought.

Vihaan said, " Kalpana, I am really sorry for abruptly ending this day by rushing you back to the house. But I need to explain. I don't know if anything I say will make sense to you now, but please listen."

Vihaan said, "Kalpana, I love you"

Kalpana was still in a state of shock from what she had heard and she remained silent.

Before he lost his nerve, Vihaan continued hurriedly, "Kalpana, when you sat there looking more lovely than an angel, I was suddenly struck by severe attack of nerves, I felt insecure about my love for you. But I have finally decided that I can no longer wait, my feelings can no longer be controlled. I love you and want to spend my life with you. I have never felt this way before, but I know my feelings are really true and deep.

Kalpana, if you accept my love, I promise to spend my entire life trying to make you happy."

Kalpana who was absolutely overwhelmed hearing the emotion in Vihaan's voice, felt a strange flutter in the pit of the stomach, but she still did not know how to react.

Kalpi just said,"Vihaan". Her voice seemed strange to her own ears.

Vihaan who was nervously looking at her face, suddenly saw his name being formed on her lips and he was besieged by uncontrollable feelings and he moved forward and took her in her arms.

He slowly lowered his face and captured her lips in his. Intially it was just a gentle, lingering touch of the lips as if he was just tasting her. Slowly he moved his lips tenderly over hers in a sense worshipping her. He sensed her hesitancy and took her face in his hands and caressed it gently. His kiss turned passionate, as suddenly he felt her responding. Suddenly their lips were moving as one. Both their hearts were pounding and they could hear each other's heartbeats.

As the kiss deepened he felt intense heat waves moving through the body. Time stood still for both of them, as Vihaan tried to express his intense love for her through the kiss. The kiss grew more and more fervent as both of them seemed to be lost in their emotions. Involuntarily, Vihaan's fingers moved towards her shoulders and he slowly lowered the strap of her night-gown and trailed kisses down her shoulder.

As soon as Vihaan took his lips away from hers, Kalpi was jolted out of her reverie and she suddenly became aware of her actions. She could not believe what had happened and she pushed Vihaan away and ran from him and went to her bedroom and closed the door to the balcony.

She fell into the bed and broke down completely, not able to make any sense of her emotions.

Vihaan was still standing there looking at the door with absolute misery, feeling her rejection intensly.