"Huh?" Each of of her friends say at the same time.
"What do you mean?" Shifali asks, interrupting Ravjot, who looked more confused with what she had said then either of her friends had, despite them being the one to listen to Ravjot, but they didn't mind. Ravjot always had the 'ability' of being the confused one out of the 7 of them and that is what they all loved about her. Despite being in university, she still had the mind and heart of a young child. A very childish child.
"I mean, we will wear orange to her wedding!" Ravjot exclaims her voice and face lightly up.
Meera slams her hand to her forehead. She hated how each one of her friends, Shifali, Ravjot, Rinki, Bhav, Radz, Asma, Shabo were so keen on getting her married first. Didn't they know, that she, she Meera Dave was ONLY 19 years old? There was Ravjot, Bhav who were the same age as her, but no. All her friends were up for bullying her to get married soon, seeing she was the more 'traditional' and 'dreamer' from all of them. Yes, she did except she was the dreamer but that didn't mean she would get married first. Her friends made it seem like God had sent them some 'strange telepathic theory' about who would get married first out of all of them. So far, Shabo and Shifali were playing it safe. Younger then 17 and you have a rocking life. Meera covers her face with her hands, slumping down on the table.
"Ravjot, if we dress in orange at her wedding, tab humhe sab log orange juice samaj ke pee jayenge!" Asma says, smacking Ravjot's head lightly.
Everyone just giggles while Meera just rolls her eyes, after taking her face away from her hands.
"Acha, leave that, think about what Meera will wear to her engagement." Bhavna states.
"Bhavs, we discussed engagement preperations yesterday, today is wedding and beyond." Aradhna replies, shaking her head at Bhav's forgetfulness.
Abhi aur bhi? Meera wonders, worried. She quietly gets up from the cafe table and walks outside towards the rain, leaving her friends to argue over her wedding, something that she wanted but something that she least expected; least expected to be perfect. She wasn't perfect. She'd trip on a solid floor or slip on a banana peel. She ate ice-cream in rain while she danced. She'd fall off a chair, if she moved just an inch. And to top it all, she wasn't pretty. Her cheeks with a light colour of pink despite not even blushing and she hated it. Why did she have to be soo imperfect? And there were her friends, trying to find the perfect match for this 5 day, 8 hour working store manager; who worked, just to support her further studies. Meera was a dreamer, no doubt, and till that, was what she expected. She didn't expect her prince charming to get wet in the rain with her, or even come on a horse and sweep her off her feet. She didn't expect to do a rain dance with her Prince Charming or even go on a beach side walk with him. She didn't expect to be staring directly at the moon, her hand in his, sitting by the beach, with the cool tides of the ocean water, coming towards their feet. Infact, she didn't expect anything at all.
~*~
Meera gracefully steps into the cool breeze outside Cafe Bristro, which to her looked like two mismatched steps down the cafe stairs. She quietly looks up at the sky to see clouds hovering around. Perfect. Just the time. Rain. Her companion for everything. Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Dullness, Confusement. Today, Meera had come here because of her loneliness. She wanted someone for herself. She wanted someone who she would lie her shoulder on to cry. She wanted someone who would understand her. Someone who would love her. She didn't care who it was or what he did; all she did care about was having someone, all to herself. Her friends, were real sweethearts to help her, but they didn't know, that Meera, a girl who lived in the world of dreams, --lived for them, just wasn't it. In her fairytale, she had been beautiful, someone who was perfectly, someone who would walk down the house, in high heels with not one single fear of falling. Someone who would be able to tell everyone how she felt; and that someone wasn't her.
A drop of rain splattered on Meera's face. Meera smiled. So her friend was back. Meera quickly spreads her arms wide out staring up at the unclear watery sky. Meera twisted and turned around in the rain, feeling every single drop of rain that poured against her body. Meera smiled at her best as she twirled around in the rain and this was one of the times, that Meera felt like who she was. Someone carefree, and someone who taught about herself rather then someone else. This is what Meera called 'herself'.
~*~
There she was. Someone who he had always desired. Someone who liked the simplest things. He saw her playing in the rain. Twisting and twirling as the rain and her were buddies, great pals, friends. He smiled as he saw her dancing in the rain, a care for nothing in the world. Her hair stuck to her face, her long hair, up till her back. She looked amazing. Prem quickly grabs his camera from his table and walks out in the rain, smiling and simply staring at this graceful figure in front of him. Prem quickly takes shelter a little plant that lined before Cafe Knowles. He didn't want her to notice. Photography was his passion and she seemed like one of those girls who liked thier picture being taken and Prem wanted to see this girl's beauty. Her natural, simple beauty, and not those fake ones. Prem quickly simples, his eyes shinning as he clicked the flash of his camera as a twirling Meera. Prem smiled. And some more flashes went off on what Prem called 'Simplicity'.
~*~
Meera quickly steps into Cafe Bristro to see her friends staring at her. They had suddenly stopped arguing, and were busy staring at Meera, who seemed hyper now. Rain always made her go cuckoo.
"What?" Meera questions politely.
"We were wondering were you were and you madam, going out in the rain to play?" Shifali states, rolling her eyes before giggling.
"What do I have to do here anyways? Talking about my wedding." Meera mumbles, while each one of her friends try to hide thier smile.
"Yea. We were discussing what kind of clothes you shall wear on your honeymoon." Shabo states, while Rinki tapes in a 'Would you stop?' manner on Shabo's head.
"What?" Shabo states, looking at Rinki, who looked like she would kill someone at that moment.
Meera rolls her eyes, making Prem's mouth twitch as he now stood behind the plant of Cafe Bristro. What kind of girl was she? Quietly listening to her friends and letting them make the decissions of her life...even her honeymoon. Bechara Ladka he wonders, shaking his head quietly, before laughing softly.
~*~
Unable to control taking another picture of Meera, Prem takes out his camera and clicks a picture of her before hiding back behind the bushes.
"Did anyone hear that?" Meera states, feeling something flashing at her.
"No what?" Her friends say, confused.
"Hold on." Meera says, putting her spying abilities on.
She turns around the corner and walks out of the cafe, quietly wondering about where that sound, or feel of the flash had came from. Her hair was wet and dingling around her as she walked around the cafe.
Prem takes his camera back, moving the plant away from his face and tries to focus his camera on Meera, when he doesn't find her there. Confused, Prem begins to think and before he could do anything, he feels a light tap on his shoulder. Struck, Prem turns around with a horrid expression on his face, when he finds 'Simplicity' right infront of him.
"Excuse me, what do you think you were doing?" Meera questions, her face stern.
"Erm...nothing." Prem says, stamerring.
Meera folds her arms around her chest, while eyeing down on his camera. Stumped, Prem quickly 'tries' to hide the camera behind his back but fails.
"Were you taking pictures of me?" Meera says, her voice lighter but still mad.
"Yes, but I can explain..." Prem states, but before he could say something, a light breeze of air forshadows him and Meera making a chill run down Meera's spine. Despite her hair being wet, they moved around her face thanks to the strength of the wind. Prem was struck. Awe struck. Oooo struck. Love struck. The way her hair moved around her face; it really showcased her real beauty.
Meera struggled to move her hair back from her face. She had a talk to have. "No buts please but I don't like my pictures being taken. I just...feel a bit uncomfortable. So could you please delete those pictures?" Meera requests instead of being angry. Her anger was not justified. Yes. This unknown stranger had been taking unwanted pictures of her, but what would she gain yelling at him? She had to be wise and either ways, Meera's anger didn't last for more then 10 seconds, cus if it had, her friends would have been dead meat by now.
"You...you are not mad?" Prem asks, awe struck again. What kind of girl WAS she? If it had been anyone else, although he did doubt if there WAS anyone like her, they would have slapped him real hard.
Meera giggles. "No. But just don't take pictures of me please." Meera states, while Prem just gives a confused laugh. He was confused now. He didn't know what kind of girl Meera was. She was nice. Sensitive. Dreamer. Kind. Shy.
"Okay, but just one question, why don't you like your pictures being taken?" Prem questions, definte to find out.
Meera shrugs her shoulder. "I don't know. Pictures...just doesn't seem like me."
"Oh." Prem replies.
"And now my turn. Why were you taking pictures of me?" Meera questions, surprised that someone had taken their time to take pictures of her.
"I don't know. Guess you were the one that I was looking for all along." Prem replies, going into deep thought.
"The one?" Meera questions.
"Yea. The one. The one who had simplicity. The one who liked rain. The one who isn't picture material but still is. The one with the real smile. The one who gracefully twirls around in the rain and yet manages to surprise everyone by her politeness." Prem replies, smiling.
Meera didn't know how but this Unknown Stranger had just shown her how pretty she was, just in 2 seconds, with just 2 lines. Meera blushed and this time she was proud that no one would figure out of she was really blushing.
"Oh..." Meera says and this time she was stunned. Unable to speak.
"Erm hey, since I am in a 'No Pictures Allowed' theory of your now, do you mind if we meet over coffee? I am not going to delete these pictures of yours, I just want you to see them." Prem says, hoping for it to be a yes from her side.
"Erm..yea..okay. Sure. When?" Meera asks.
"Tomorrow?" Prem says, getting a little bit eager to meet Meera. "At Cafe Bristro?" Prem says, his cheeks turning slightly rosey.
"Yea, sure." Meera says, blushing.
"Great then." Prem says, smiling.
And before Meera could say anything in return, she could see her friends quietly watching them from the cafe.
"Humko humise chura lo,
Dil mein kahin tum chupa lo.
Humko humise chura lo,
Dil mein kahin tum chupa lo.
Hum akele, kho na jaayen,
Door tumse, ho na jaayen,
Paas aao gale se laga lo"
Meera's friends chimed at the same time, making Prem and Meera's cheeks go ever redd-er.
**
So yeah, I didn't write this - another one of my friends and another huge Pr-Me fan wrote it, refused to post it, so I did. š Leave comments or hit the like button.
EDIT ADD.
Like Shifs pointed out, yea this shot was inspired from Meera's shot titled "Cafe" but only the concept wise. She wrote it in her style. š Happy Shifs? š
--shabz
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
